Friday July 13, 2012

Last night in the hospitality room of our hotel we were talking to several guys from the Army Corps of Engineers who were on assignment to shore up the levy around Devils Lake. They mentioned how the water level has risen over 13 feet and how many farms are now under water. They also mentioned as we head west on highway 2 we will be able to see the farms and fields that are under water. Myrna took several pictures of the underwater farms. It was really sad to see the barns, farm houses and prime farmland sitting several feet underwater. It reminded me of my visit several weeks ago of the Ernst farm in Roscoe, South Dakota (see June 14, 2012 post) and the acres of prime pasture land that is underwater due to the heavy snows from a couple years ago. We were on the road at 8:30am and 77 degree temperatures. We passed many of the underwater farms and also many other farms that are flourishing with beautiful yellow fields of Canola and purple fields of Flax. North Dakota has beautiful farmlands and we were really enjoying the scenery and smells. But just as tranquil the countryside was it gradually changed dramatically after we reached the small town of Stanley (where we lunched). I had heard of the new oil boom in North Dakota but I was not sure where it was. Well we came upon the oil rigs and trucks and altered farmscape. The further west we went the more the oil drilling was apparent. But things got ugly when we reached Williston. The place stunk of refining oil and there was a haze so thick it almost looked like fog, the place was oppressive. My initial thought was it reminded me of Bakersfield, but Bakersfield isn't this bad! We left North Dakota and entered Montana. We encountered some major road work being done on highway 2 and had to ride on a gravel and dirt road for over 6 miles. The temperature was 95 degrees and I was taking it easy on the gravel riding two-up and pulling a trailer. Unfortunately the bike temperature started to rise so I had to pick up the pace in order to cool down the engine. Myrna was nervous about riding faster on the gravel but she was great about it and understood the reason and trusted my riding abilities. We obviously made it out unscathed and arrived in Glasgow Montana for the night. We traveled 419 miles today and a total of 8387 miles.

2 Timothy 2:6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

Thursday July 12, 2012

Left this morning and stopped in at another Walmart before hitting the road. We need a new battery for the camera and some more SmartWater. Unfortunately they didn't carry our battery. When I checked the tire pressure this morning we were a bit low (the Bridgestone guys at WingDing recommended I run 41 pounds of pressure in both the front and rear tires of their Bridgestone Exedra tires) so we stopped at a gas station for air and I topped off the tank. We eventually were back on highway 2 headed west at 0830. Again the ride on the 2 was peaceful, passing by farms and forest lands. It was amazing to see the damage caused by the sever storm the area near Grand Rapids experienced about a week ago. So many trees were snapped in two by the winds that blew through the area. The twisted and downed trees went on for miles. In all the carnage one of the things that we both commented on was the fresh smells from the forest lands. You know there is a reason they call Minnesota the land of 10,000 lakes! We passed by so many lakes big and small, just beautiful! There is something about riding a motorcycle and smelling all the scents in the air (the majority of them are pleasant!) We stopped for lunch at a deli in a little town called Fosston. After lunch we finished the ride through Minnesota and arrived in North Dakota. Again, the "welcome" sign to North Dakota was on a bridge and no place to stop! Kinda bumming about that as I really like showing the bike and the states welcome sign! Oh well maybe tomorrow Montana will do it right! Speaking of states, so far I have travelled through 18 states and a few a couple times like Washington, Oregon, and Oklahoma. After we passed through Grand Forks, North Dakota we noticed to the northwest of us the skies turn dark and the temperature dropping. We started getting a few sprinkles and the winds began to pick up. The weather channel this morning called for thunderstorms in the area and it sure looked as they were brewing. Not wanting to get caught in the storm I wanted to outrun the rain. We made it to a little town called Devil's Lake, North Dakota and checked into a hotel around 3:30pm that had a carport awning, so I was able to park the bike in a weather protected area. We rode 283 miles today for a total of 7,968.

Job 36:33 His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.

Wednesday July 11, 2012

After a good nights rest and a hot breakfast we packed up and started loading the bike. There happened to be another GoldWing parked next to us. Well being of the same riding family we started talking. We found out they were from Winnipeg, Canada and their names are Harvey and Theresa. They too were on their way home from WingDing. We chatted for about an hour, exchanged numbers and took photos and then headed down the road. They were stopping in Duluth Minnesota while we were going to Grand Rapids, MN. We caught up to each other before we turned off in Ironwood, Michigan for some sight seeing, antique shopping and lunch. The ride today took us along Lake Superior where we made a few sightseeing stops. As we rode thru the wooded areas of Wisconsin, Myrna noted how beautiful the white birch forest was. The ride was also dotted with several road construction delays and detours. We continued along westbound highway 2 and said farewell to Michigan and crossed into Wisconsin and eventually Minnesota. Highway 2 is such a delightful ride through so many charming small towns of America. Unfortunately as we were coming into Duluth we also crossed the Minnesota state line on the bridge so we were not able to get a picture of the bike and the state sign. With all the delays we finally arrived in Grand Rapids MN (birthplace of Judy Garland) at 7:00 pm by far our longest day on the road. Total miles ridden today 339, total for the trip 7685 miles.

Genesis 43:10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.