Moto Trip Synopsis

First, let me say:  I enjoyed the ride.  It was nice to head out alone and try my hand at some long (or medium) distance riding.  The bike worked flawlessly.

Day 1 - 345 Miles
I started out a little late on Sunday morning (9:30AM), but that is kind of to be expected for me.  I checked my tires before I left, which I should have done Saturday night.  Stuff like that.

I like going south to the Eagan area by going down Hwy 280 to 94, then off at Snelling to catch Ayd Mill Road south to 35E.  I had to detour through St Paul, down Robert Street since 35E was closed at the Mississippi. (Stupid Reinvestment Act money.)  Starting down Robert Trail South out of St. Paul.  Headed through Farmington and Northfield.  Missed my turn and ended up going through Faribault.  Went east a bit, then south to Brownsdale.  Had a little bit of gravel road to recover a bad turn again. Passed a farm with wind power generators, lots of them.

Out of Brownsdale, headed east to catch up to Hwy 16 to Lanesboro and stopped for lunch.  Nothing spectacular.  The Das Wurst House is closed on Sunday.  (I should have thought of that.)

I continued east to the Mississippi on Hwy 16.  Great ride.  Pass many bikers coming the other way too.  Caught the Great River Road south (Hwy 26) to Prairie Du Chen.  Again, a great ride in this area.  No cell coverage at all at the Iowa border.  I did take a picture though.

From Prairie Du Chen, I headed east to Spring Green, WI.  This was a valley ride I was pretty excited about, but the cloud cover caused a muted scene.  There was about 40% leaf change though, which was nice.  About half way to Spring Green, it started raining and continued all the way there.  At the campground I was planning on staying at, the lady said rain was slated all night. They didn't have any camper-cabins available, so I decided to give in (being pretty wet from the last 1.25 hours of raining) and called a local motel.  Got a room for $48 for the night, with AAA.

Day 2 - 310 Miles
Woke up to rain around 7:00 AM.  Checked my phone for weather forecast, which didn't look good.

I waited until around 8:30 to see if it would lighten up, but nope.  While I waited, I did make my coffee.  The tea thing didn't work as well as I'd hoped.  I'll need a better way to soak my grounds.

Packed and headed out into the 53 degree rain.  I worked my driving plan with a few small variations all the way up past Sparta, WI.  It rained the whole way.  By that time, I was pretty soaked through and getting cold.  Wet was okay, but cold not so much.  Even my grip warmers weren't doing the job.  In Melrose, WI, I decided to head to Black River Falls and jump on the 94 Fwy home.  Stopped for hot cup of tea and some lunch at a truck stop in Osseo.

From there it was still raining, but not as hard.  Around Eau Claire it cleared up and I was able to make pretty good time the rest of the way home.  It didn't warm up until I crossed the Minnesota border.  Funny that.

Lessons Learned

• Check your power cords before you leave.  I had the wrong one for my GPS unit.
• Have more respect for weather predictions.

I'd say I accomplished about 70% of the ride I wanted to make.  I'd still like to get through the western Wisconsin area, just inland between the Mississippi and Eau Claire.  Looks like nice riding area.

Below are the Spotwalla data points downloaded and uploaded to Google Maps.  A few spurious points popped in but pretty accurate for the most part.


View Moto Ride 2011 - Results in a larger map

Happy Riding!

Wet

Having to"adjust" my plan. Headed to Black River Falls to catch the 94 freeway west. Too bad the rain gods were against me on this trip. Kind of soaked, having a Ruben at a truck stop with hot tea.

I'm enjoying the drive, but next time I'll have more respect for the weather prognostocators.

Dan

Sent from my Android :)

Taking off again

Weather looks better north.

Sent from my Android :)

Rainy, but having fun

I put 354 miles on today, taking 9pm hours to do it.  Thank goodness I bought the riding pants. I rode through about 2 hours of rain (total) today. I'm pretty much dry, but my coat and over-pants need to dry.

I also chickened out on tenting it tonight. It's supposed to rain off and on all night. Got a purely functional room for $48 with AAA discount. I'll put the cover on the bike for the night and get a good sleep. I don't know if the cover is too uncool, but I feel better having it.

I have a 24 oz beer and a sub sandwich. I might check the bar down the block, but I'm kind of wiped.

Dan

Sent from my Android :)

Start Your Engines

Just about to go.  I have checked my tire pressure, I need to fill up before leaving town.  Otherwise I'm looking forward to a nice ride.

Like I told my family though.  Lack of movement doesn't necessarily mean lack of progress.  I'm dependent on cellular data to provide updates.  Some day I could get just a Spot Device.

Follow me here:

Google Latitude

Spotwalla

Dan

Looks like weather Sunday

Sent from my Android :)

Planning is Half The Fun!

I think I'm ready.

I have my gear laid out at home in the living room.  The important items in my stash are my small tent, sleeping bag, GPS and Leatherman.  My riding gear goes without mention: Tourmaster jacket, helmet and riding boots.

Tourmaster Textile Overpant

I've been holding off on this, but Thursday I bought motorcycle riding pants.  They are vent-able, water proof and slip over my pants, which is nice.  Jeans work great, but not for weather.  I'd have to carry something to help with the water proofing, but why not just have some over-pants that do what I need.  The pants also zip to my jacket which helps with ride up of my jacket, or down for my pants :(.

One of my personal challenges on this trip is to figure out a way to make morning coffee while on the road.  I enjoy making this harder than it needs to be.  Breakfast can be a left-over Subway sandwich, so I don't worry about that.

I believe I have a solution.  I already own a small camping burner that screws on to the top of a small gas cartridge.  I have a small aluminum pan, deep enough to hold my water.  However, I didn't have a decent way to filter ground coffee.  Yes, instant would work, but that isn't the point.

Behold the Snap Mesh Tea Infuser.  I don't know if it can hold enough grounds to make my coffee worthwhile, but it's worth a shot.  Maybe I do it more than once.


So, I think I'm ready to go.  On Sunday AM, I'll check my tire pressure, fill up with premium gas and head south.

Follow me on one of these links if you are so inclined.
Google Latitude
Spotwalla (On Sunday and Monday)

Dan

Testing remote blog

Hey! It works from my phone!

Sent from my Android :)

Nice read

I am subscribed to the LDRider list server group.  It's loosely affiliated with the IBR (Iron Butt Rally) group.  A person sent a nice write-up on their experience with the 2011 Utah 1088 Rally.

2011 Utah 1088, Part III: Results and Review

Enjoy!
Dan

Overnight Motorcycle Ride

I am putting together a motorcycle ride through southern Minnesota and Wisconsin.  My biggest hurdle is to not plan every detail and allow for the more unplanned, interesting parts of the trip to happen. I'm bringing my small tent, sleeping bag and minimal camping gear.  


The Plan

Below you should see the proposed Google map route.

View Moto Ride, 2011 in a larger map

I'm leaving Sunday to drive south along non-highway routes to Lanesboro, MN.  Perhaps grab something to eat at Das Wurst Haus, then continue on to the Great River Road and head south.  Once at Prairie Du Chien, I'll head east to Spring Green, WI.


Outside of Spring Green is Wisconsin Riverside Resort.  I can stay the night for $24.  I thought about staying at Tower Hill State Park.  However out of state fees and DNR license puts the cost for one night to $27.  The resort has standard toilets and showers.  Though I don't think I'll actually need a shower overnight, its a nice option for $3 cheaper.


Also close to Spring Green is Frank Lloyd Wright's home, Taliesin.  Normally I'd plan on spending the day there, but Cathy and I were there a few years back.  It's worth it if you have an interest in FLW and his history.


Now the ride from Spring Green is a little more undefined.  I'd like to stay off of highways, but also not take 12 hours to get back home.  I've plotted a route through some valleys and hills that looks interesting, but only on Google Maps with terrain overlay.  We'll see how it goes.


I like the phone toys that are out there.  I have a Google Latitude account, and one at Spotwalla.  Spotwalla is fed by my Latitude feed.  You can follow my current location live on Latitude, or my trip on the days I travel on Spotwalla.

Google Latitude

Spotwalla

During my trip, I'll be working to share my progress and a few notes during my stops.

Wish me luck!

Dan

First Entry

Greetings Fellow Narcissistic Bloggers!


IMHO, that is redundant, by the way.  Blogging and narcissism go hand in hand if you ask me.  Well, I'm taking part now, so I can make fun.


Cheers!
Dan