Escaping from Chicago was a slow process as there was road construction at the beginning of the I-94 toll road and then for several miles after that. As usual with these construction projects there were miles of orange barrels and torn up road but no actual constructing taking place that I could see. It took three stops to pay tolls before I finally crossed the border into Wisconsin only to find more road construction, but at least the traffic was moving steadily. Wisconsin won the bidding for the huge, new Foxconn plant (iPhones, other Apple products) and part of the deal is that the state would improve the infrastructure so that workers can get to their jobs and trucks can get to O’Hare and send the phones around the world.
I followed the GPS into downtown Milwaukee and to the Harley Davidson Museum on Canal Street where Geo and Annette were waiting for me.
There is parking for motorcycles right in front of the museum and I parked with about 30 other bikes there and then we went to the museum cafe where we had an excellent lunch before going into the museum building. The museum is fairly new and very well thought out with plenty of space and interesting historical information that puts the bikes and the company in the context of their time. The first room houses about 50 vintage bikes in chronological order beginning with a replica of the first Harley from 1903 and continuing up to the. 1950s.
The Knucklehead above is a particularly striking example of the model. Most of the bikes on display are unrestored, which is unusual for a motorcycle museum although it is becoming more common these days. Over the years Harley removed motorcycles from the production line and stored them or used them sparingly for company use, so when the museum was built there was a huge stockpile of bikes to choose from.
There is a long hall with gas tanks on display, the gas tank being one of the main styling cues on a bike.
I’m fond of the Art Deco era and the gas tank below exemplifies that style, although the gear shift lever gets in the way.
There are side rooms with displays about the company beginnings, history, its role in the military, and how the style and engineering evolved. There are interactive displays that explain the workings of the engines that Harley has used over the years and also why a Harley 45 degree V-twin has its distinctive “potato-potato” lope. On a lower lever there is a large room devoted to custom, racing, and other non-standard bikes as well as the motorcycle’s effect on culture in the 50’s and 60’s. Finally, there is a small section where one can sit on any of several Harley models, and I took the opportunity to sit on this single cylinder model.
The museum is about the Harley Davidson company so it is different from other motorcycle museums I’ve visited, but I enjoyed viewing the bikes and reading and seeing the displays about the company. The shop across the way from the museum was large and filled with apparel and Harley tchotchkes but in the end I just bought a couple of postcards.
I lost Geo and Annette in the parking lot - I was looking for Geo’s green Silverado and they were in Annette’s red Subaru, but I followed the GPS to the house without any problems. There was some traffic getting through and out of Milwaukee (it was 4 PM) but otherwise a smooth ride to their house near Greenbush and I arrived a few minutes before they did. I unloaded the bike and greeted the sled dogs (Geo has 5) and settled in. Geo made a delicious grilled salmon dinner and Annette had baked a rhubarb pie. (145 miles)
(Tuesday, July 31 - Wednesday, August 1) George and Annette live on 57 acres of woodland and prairie and there is a pond on the property which attracts wildlife. The house is serene and remote with a half mile gravel drive leading to the house and a large steel barn which houses a tractor and other equipment with plenty of room for a car, truck and motorcycle. A recent addition is a large Koehler generator which will kick in automatically when the electricity goes off, such as in a big snowstorm, or even the zombie apocalypse I suppose. It runs on propane from the house tank, which, even when not full, should provide fuel for 6 months. On Wednesday morning Geo and I took a half hour walk down the hill in front of the house as far as the woods and on the way back he showed me where the rhubarb for the pie came from.
Later that day we drove to the Sheboygan River and paddled around for a couple of hours on a sort of backwater. There were very few people on the road and no one else on the river. Geo bought the Grumman aluminum canoe back in 1972 or so and it still functions as well as when it was new. It has been used for camping trips with up to three people.
That evening we drove into Sheboygan and ate at a restaurant on the Sheboygan River where it runs into Lake Michigan. The whole area on the waterfront has been revitalized in recent years and there are several restaurants, sport fishing boats and private yachts, and condominiums and a hotel/conference center. Back at the house one of the dogs greeted us with a husky song and all the rest joined in. Geo and Annette and I stayed up late talking - Carol and I will see them (along with other friends) in October and I’m looking forward to it.
This morning I had breakfast, packed, we said our goodbyes, and I was on the road by 9:15. I went north a few miles to WI 23 and followed that road west to Fond du Lac where I went south and east on US 151. This is a four-lane, divided road with local access and cross traffic that goes through an area of large farms until Madison where there was some road construction and traffic but after that it was easy riding again. In southwest Wisconsin the character of the land changed and there were large rock outcroppings and more hills. This part of Wisconsin (along with parts of Minnesota, Illinois, and northeast Iowa) is called the driftless area. When a glacier melts and retreats the gravel and debris that is left behind is called drift, and since this land was never under the huge glacier that melted 12,000 years ago it is called the driftless area. I crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa and rode through Dubuque, just getting a glimpse from the freeway of the large, red brick buildings downtown and a huge church (or maybe government building) with a gold dome.
Instead of going directly to the National Motorcycle Museum just outside of Anamosa I rode a mile or so into downtown where I stopped at Grounds and Goodies for a sandwich and coffee.
Anamosa is the birthplace of Grant Wood, whose iconic American Gothic painting is familiar to everyone. There is a small Grant Wood museum in downtown Anamosa and I stopped in for a brief visit.
The American sculptor, Seward Johnson, created a 20-foot, three dimensional likeness of the painting (with his own twist) that is installed just off the downtown area.
My fine arts exposure done for the day I headed for the National Motorcycle Museum where I spent the next two hours wandering around, examining the displays and bikes, and taking pictures.
John Parham, founder of nearby J&P Cycles (a motorcycle accessory and aftermarket company) seems to be one of the major backers and benefactors of the museum, which is crammed with memorabilia, posters, toys, period workshops, a period gas station and cafe, engines, bicycles (there are 60 of them) and of course motorcycles.
This is my fourth or fifth visit to the museum including once when it was in a smaller building in downtown Anamosa. New bikes are added periodically and there is a special exhibit every couple of years, but even so I notice new items in the permanent collection every time I go there. As you can see from the picture above many of the displays are so crowded that it is difficult to get a close examination of any individual motorcycle. It would probably be a better museum with about half the bikes (there really is no need for half a dozen Triumphs from the 1960s) but that is what the museum is about - an overwhelming display of motorcycles, motorcycle culture, and motorcycle stuff.
Merkel produced very successful racing motorcycles in the 19 teens (the Flying Merkel), but ceased production by 1920, so even the newest one is almost 100 years old. The museum has 7 Merkels.
This Hungarian Paonia with sidecar has a real 50’s jet-age flair to it.
Steve McQueen was an avid motorcyclist and used to take off for a weekend or a week on his ‘47 Indian “rat” bike.
This Japanese Rikuo should look familiar - it was made in the 1930’s under license from Harley-Davidson.
Finally, no visit to the museum would be complete without a long look at this splendid Chinese Red Vincent.
Back on the road I went only a few miles on US 151 before I turned south on IA 1, a two-lane road that I followed through small towns such as Mount Vernon (small, block-long Main Street, red brick one and two story buildings) to Iowa City and Coralville, where I’m spending the night at a Quality Inn.
Iowa City is a university town and from what I’ve seen so far it appears to be prosperous and expanding.
Today was a short day, and much of it was spent on a four lane road, but the weather was great (partly cloudy, 75-85 degrees) and the countryside was green and relaxing. (280 miles).
(Thursday, August 2) A day with pleasant weather, good roads, and no problems doesn’t make for a very exiting road report.
Since I had a long day ahead of me, I wanted to get an early start, so I was up before 6 and had finished my stretches and exercises when I went into the breakfast room to discover that there was no coffee - the horror! Fortunately, it appeared about 10 minutes later and I had breakfast, packed up, and rode through town just to see what Iowa City was like. It looks like a typical university town - clean, well kept, nice residential areas, and extensive university buildings and medical facilities. There may be a funky downtown with coffeehouses and sleazy bars, but I didn’t see it. I followed the GPS through town to IA 1 (AKA Mormon Trek) which I stayed on south for 25 miles before I went west on IA 92 through Sigourney, Rose Hill, and Oskaloosa to Knoxville.. The road goes through farmland and is in good shape, and since I-80 is only 30 miles north what little traffic there is seems to be local. The 55 mph limit had me keeping an eye out for troopers, but I only saw one Sheriff’s car all morning. In Knoxville I went southeast on IA 14 for 25 miles to Chariton, where I turned west on US 34. This is more of a main road, and there was more traffic, including trucks, but the road is good and there are plenty of places to pass. I rode through Osceola and Creston, where an old Phillips 66 gas station is a visitor center
In Corning I stopped at Kay’s Kitchen and had the special - chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and watermelon - it doesn’t get more rural Iowa than that.
To tell the truth the restaurant wasn’t impressive and the food and coffee were just OK. Back on US 34 I went through several small towns and finally crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska. The GPS wanted to send me north on US 75 to I-80, but I went south instead and after about 20 miles left 75 to continue west on US 34. Immediately the road crossed railroad tracks and went through Union, a sad little town that looks to be abandoned. I continued on 34 through Eagle and into Lincoln, another university town, and explored a bit before telling the GPS to go to Crete on NE 33, which would keep me off the Interstate and onto US 6 at Dorchester. In Nebraska US 6 has a very reasonable 65 mph limit so I was relaxed as I rode through Friend, Exeter, Fairmont, and Sutton, where I caught a glimpse of a downtown with two or three blocks of red brick pavement. Except for the very small towns the highway bypasses the downtown areas by a couple of blocks. Hastings is a large town of 25, 000 and I stopped for premium gas even though my tank was more than half full. In many of the smaller towns only diesel and regular are available. At this point I’d seen only two billboards for Harold Warp’s Pioneer Village, and both were faded with panels missing. When I first traveled through this part of the country forty years ago there were billboards for the attraction everywhere. When I reached Minden I was happy to see that the museum looks to be in operation, and the large motel next door had the “office” light on, although I saw only a few cars in the lot. I found the Plains Motel in Holdrege, but not without some difficulty. There is a detour around the whole downtown area, which is torn up for road replacement. When I finally arrived at the motel I asked the owner about the detour, and that got him going about how it has dragged on and on and seriously affected his business. Dinner at Country Cookin’ across the street was another health meal - barbeque meatballs, mashed potatoes with gravy, and green beans. At least the salad was healthy.
When I left the motel this morning the temperature was only 68 degrees and the sky was overcast. The conditions stayed the same until after 10 AM when the temperature gradually warmed into the 70’s and the sky cleared. By the time I entered Nebraska it was 88 degrees. Except for the usual road construction and some one-way traffic control over bridges that were being repaired, the roads were good for two-lane back roads. Southeast Iowa has smaller farms and more hills than Nebraska, which is flat with large farms - every small town, and they are usually about 10 miles apart, has a clump of grain elevators. Traffic was light, and only a small part of the day was spent on four-lane roads, and no time on the Interstate. (499 miles)
(Friday, August 3) A lot happened today and all of it good. After coffee at the motel I left about 8 and rode west on US 34, planning to get gas and have breakfast in McCook, NE about 60 miles down the road. The five one-way traffic control at bridges weren’t a problem - I only had to wait a few minutes at one of them. McCook is a sizable town of 7500 and I remembered that I stayed there a few years ago while on a trip on the Suzuki. One of the bolts that holds the fairing on had vibrated off and I picked up a replacement at a NAPA store in the morning. I also remembered the Peytons Place motel outside of town for those who remember the scandalous (for the time) novel by Grace Metalious.
In town I filled up with premium and had breakfast at Fuller’s Family Restaurant and headed west on US 34. After 20 miles US 6 split off to the northwest and I stayed on 34, which angles southwest to Trenton and goes by the Swanson Reservoir and along the Republican River. In Benkleman I turned south on NE 61 which enters Kansas after a few miles and becomes KS 161. Originally, I thought that I would stay on 34 into Colorado, but I didn’t have a long day ahead of me and it was only a few miles out of my way to stop in St. Francis to visit the motorcycle museum there and have lunch at the Fresh Seven coffee house.
I’d been there once before a few years ago, but I’d forgotten what a nice little museum it is with about 60 bikes and a small back room with beautifully restored antique motorcycles. There was even a Flying Merkel road bike, which means that on this trip I’ve seen a significant percentage of all the Merkels that exist.
The yellow Sportster is sort of the grandfather of my Sportster, and the olive Harley is a great example of the marque.
There’s even a Model T truck, as well as restored and unrestored antiques on the main floor.
I’ve seen replicas of the Captain America bike from the movie Easy Rider in other museums, but never a replica of Billy’s bike.
After about an hour or so I rode west for a few blocks to the Fresh Seven coffeehouse, which I discovered a couple of years ago. It is a great place with excellent coffee and coffee drinks, healthy food and a industrial interior decor that is not what one would expect in rural Kansas.
The salad was very good, with arugula, cranberries, feta cheese, nuts, tomatoes, and a house made vinaigrette dressing.
I continued west on US 34 into Colorado through Idalia, Joes, and Cope. I’d been worried about premium gasoline along this stretch because it is very bleak and unpopulated and even if the small towns have a gas station it often offers only regular and diesel. I was pleased to discover that the Co-op in Anton had a premium pump, so I put in $5 worth so I wouldn’t worry about getting to the Interstate - good to know for the future. The bike would probably have been OK, but I was climbing in elevation and a moderate crosswind had come up. I stopped at a marker in Last Chance and noticed a couple of port-a-potties there - something to remember. The last time I was in Last Chance one of the three buildings in town had burned down, and now the lot had been cleared - there was no evidence of people around, just a crossroads. There isn’t even a town sign there - I figure that people would steal the sign as soon as the highway department put it up.
The day had started off with slightly overcast skies and a temperature of 68 degrees, and it cleared up and warmed to 85-90. In Colorado however, the skies darkened, the temperature dropped, and a few drops of rain fell, so I stopped to zip up the jacket vents, and put on rain gloves and pants. Once on I-70 I stopped at the first exit to fill up with premium and continued towards Denver. The rain started almost immediately and it rained heavily for about 45 minutes until I turned onto I-270 and came to a halt with backed up traffic. At least the rain had stopped by this time. I crept along for three or four miles and watched the temperature gauge climb two bars until the traffic finally cleared and I turned onto US 36 towards Boulder and the Quality Inn in Louisville where I’m spending the next two nights.
I called Vanya to see if she was still on for dinner at Jon and Liz’s house on Table Mesa overlooking Boulder, and she was, so I went to a nearby Whole Foods and picked up a strawberry/rhubarb pie for dessert.
The house has a spectacular view of the Flatiron Mountains and Boulder and Jon barbequed chicken for dinner, after which we had dessert and sat around and talked. The big windstorm kicked up about halfway through dinner, but it never rained. (370 miles)
(Saturday, August 4) In the morning I did a quick laundry at the motel and rode over to Vanya’s place near downtown Boulder. Rocky, her lab mix dog, greeted me like an old friend - he’s a good dog but very enthusiastic. Vanya and I walked down to Pearl Street, a shopping area of several blocks, and after walking through the farmers’ market we visited various shops on Pearl, had lunch, and walked back to Vanya’s and took Rocky for a long walk. Steve, a friend of Vanya’s, came by and we went back to Pearl Street for dinner after which we said our goodbyes - Steve and Vanya were going to a concert this evening.
Today was the last visit of the trip with friends or family, and I’m getting a little melancholy that the trip is coming and end, but also anxious to get home.
(Sunday, August 5) A day spent mostly in the mountains in Colorado and Wyoming - what could be better than that? After breakfast at the motel I was on the road just a little after 8 and followed the GPS out of Louisville towards I-25 north. However, it began to rain after 10 miles and I stopped to put on my overpants nad rain gloves. The rain continued for about 15 minutes, but stopped shortly after I headed north towards Ft. Collins on I-25, although the sky continued to look threatening. In Ft. Collins I headed west on CO 14 along the Poudre Canyon, which is a popular place for rafting and I saw many people in rafts on the river and followed a bus with a trailer full of rafts for a few miles. The speed limit at the bottom of the canyon is a slow but probably reasonable 35 mph, but once clear of the rafting area it goes up to 45 and the traffic thins out. Early on a Sunday I was able to enjoy the hills and curves all the way over Cameron Pass (10,276 feet) and down the other side to Walden, CO, which was a busy town - probably because it is the only town in 50 miles and is a crossroads for people coming down from Wyoming going to Steamboat Springs, Ft. Collins, or Granby. I rode north on CO 125 to the Wyoming border where it becomes WY 230 and followed that to Saratoga where I parked in front of the Hotel Wolf. Unfortunately, the restaurant is closed on Sunday, so I dined at Duke’s across the street.
The Hotel Wolf is featured in a novel by C. J. Box - The Disappeared. The main character is Forest Ranger Joe Pickett and he stays at the Wolf for part of the book.
After lunch I retraced my route on WY 230 to Riverside and went east on WY 70 through the town of Encampment (also mentioned in the novel) and over Battle Pass (9915 feet). There was very little traffic, many curves, and the road was in decent shape - great motorcycling. In Baggs, WY I shed my overpants and rain gloves and unzipped the vents in my jacket. It was 68 degrees when I left in the morning and it dropped to 60 when it was raining. Over the Cameron Pass the temperature went down to 55 under threatening skies, but it warmed up in Saratoga, although there were a few drops of rain. The sky along CO 125 looked ominous so I kept my rain gear on longer than I usually would do.
Riding south out of Baggs I soon entered Colorado again and the road became CO 13, which gradually descends to Craig, which at 6500 feet was a warm 85 degrees. US 40 goes right through the heart of Craig and I went west out of town towards Utah. There had been a fierce crosswind from the west on CO 13 and now I was riding into a headwind. Craig hasn’t changed much over the years - just a little town hanging on.
US 40 from Craig through Maybell and by Dinosaur National Monument is rather boring - a high plateau with a few hills, fewer curves, and not many trees. Haze from the California wild fires didn’t improve the prospect. In Vernal I am staying right downtown at the Sage Motel, for which I’m paying less than $50 including tax.
Except for 40 miles of I-25 getting to Ft. Collins the day was spent entirely on two lane roads with many miles in the mountains. (465 miles)
(Monday, August 6) It was a long day and I covered many miles, but there isn’t much to say. After coffee, oatmeal, and a couple of slices of toast in the motel lobby I was on the road before 8. The east side of Vernal is the traditional tourist part of town with dinosaurs, a museum, and motels. The west end is newer with large, extended stay motels for energy industry workers, Walgreens, Walmart, and many fast food places and mini-malls. I rode through Roosevelt and stopped for gas in Duchesne after which I went south on US 191. The road goes along a pretty canyon with groups of oil pumps every few miles, although they are painted a greenish beige to blend it. No traffic through the Ashley National Forest except the occasional big rig truck. However, near the summit there was a long wait for one-way traffic control which went on for a couple of miles to the 9100 foot summit. Once through that I passed the truck ahead of me and had an enjoyable ride down the mountain to the cutoff to US 6 west, which had this ominous sign:
The road was 9 miles of bumps, twists, and no lines, but it was serviceable and cuts off a few miles. The next 60 miles of US 6 to Spanish Fork just south of Provo is a good road with heavy truck and passenger vehicle traffic. Soldier Summit is 7500 feet, and after that the road drops in elevation and goes through a series of curves. The road is two and three lanes for the most part and everyone moved right along. The smoke and haze seemed heavier along US 6 and when I looked towards the surrounding mountains to the west I could see smoke from several fires. At I-15 I went south for 35 miles (which goes by fast at the 75-80 mph posted limit) to UT 132 in Nephi, where I stopped at the One Man Band diner for an early lunch. UT 132 goes southwest for 45 miles to Delta, and the only interesting thing along the road is that the art installation/junkyard in Leamington has different vehicles in front of the old, brick gas station. In Delta I went west on US 6/US 50 to the Nevada border and the Pacific Time Zone.
US 50 goes over three 7000 foot passes in the 60 miles to Ely, and the road is in good shape and an enjoyable ride with several curves sections. I stopped for gas in Ely and continued on through four more passes to Eureka, and then the final stretch to Austin, the last 10 miles being tight curves and for once there wasn’t a truck or passenger car with a timid driver in front of me.
The persistent white haze from the California fires was present all day and heading west through the valley beyond Delta is was strange to see what looked like a fog bank ahead instead of the silhouette of the distant mountains that is the usual view. It is an eerie and disconcerting sight. I pondered how many times I’ve been on this road - at least a couple of dozen - and how many different vehicles I’ve been on or in: Four different cars and five motorcycles.
All three motels in Austin show no vacancy signs, but I’d booked the last room at the Cozy Mountain Motel two days ago so I was all set. There’s a new restaurant in town, The Silver State Cafe, which opened in March and the pastrami sandwich that I had for dinner was good. The International Hotel restaurant is OK, but the Toiyabe Cafe, which has a large sign that proclaims “Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner” closes at 4. After dinner I walked a mile or so up a dirt road to Stokes Castle, a stone tower that was built in 1897 by Anson Stokes as a summer cottage for his family.
A sign outside says that the family stayed there a total of two months after it was completed. (540 miles - a good day’s work!)
(Tuesday, August 7) After a wake up breakfast of coffee from the Toiyable Cafe, an apple, and a power bar, I was on the road by 7:30 and enjoyed an empty road for 15 miles until I came upon the dreaded single lane control. There was a motorcycle one car in front of me and I walked over to talk with the rider, Jarrod, who was from Key West.
His Honda Interceptor has over 150,000 miles on it and he says that the valves have never been adjusted. The Interceptor is a sport/touring bike with the emphasis on the sport. We both predicted that when we were finally escorted through the construction zone we would find very little work being done, and sure enough that was the case. The rest of the miles to Fallon (110 from Austin) went easily enough - there was no traffic, it was a pleasant morning if a bit chilly at about 60 degrees, but warming. In Fallon I stopped for a real breakfast at the Courtyard Cafe, and was back on the road. I followed Alt 50 to Fernley and I-80 and headed west. In California the traffic was light and I saw no CHP on that usually heavily patrolled stretch between Truckee and the Donner summit - perhaps they were all providing traffic control around the fires in Mendocino and Redding. There was a bit of a slowdown through two construction zones, but otherwise I moved along with the traffic at about 70-75 mph. The day had warmed up to about 80, and that became 92 in Sacramento where the smoke was much heavier. I exited at Highway 37, and went south on 101 at Novato and was soon over the Golden Gate bridge and 15 minutes later rolled into the driveway. Walter was happy to see me and Nikki took our picture in front of the bike, which served me so well on the 9285 miles since I started on July 4. (408 miles today)
Notwithstanding the rains in eastern part of the country, and the flat tire in Georgia, it was a great trip and I couldn’t be happier with the bike. I can’t think of anything that I would change, although I may experiment with a different windscreen someday. I enjoyed visiting family and friends along the way and thanks to them for giving me a place to stay, and feeding and entertaining me. The people I meet on the road are always a treat, and I still think that there is no better way to see this country than from the seat of a motorcycle.
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