May 13, 2011 - Rio Rancho, NM

Arrived in Rio Rancho, NM this afternoon around 5:00 PM MDT (I forgot about the time change.) Had a nice dinner with my former neighbor Max. Good to see him again. Unfortunately his wife Mary was under the weather. I’ll ride by the old  house in the morning just for the heck of it but also to check on the neighborhood cats we used to feed. Got to make sure they are fat and happy or there may just have to be a cat-napping.

484 miles today.

May 14, 2011 - Liberal, KS

Arrived in Liberal, KS around 6:30 PM CDT. Long day, shorter mileage. Windy and cold this morning in NM. Electric jacket liner is not working. Not nice. I need to track down the problem by tomorrow morning.

430 miles today.

May 15, 2011 - Liberty, MO

Made it to Liberty, MO at 6:45 PM CDT. At least I’m north of KC and will avoid the morning rush hour. Chilly, windy day. Pretty good crosswind all day. I’m  listing 10 degrees port as I  walk around the motel.  Strange problem with the GPS this morning. It kept turning itself off after being on only for a few minutes. The problem disappeared later in the day. US 54 from Liberal, KS to Wichita, KS is mainly a two-lane highway. Lots, and I mean lots, of truck traffic in both directions. Must be due to NAFTA as it starts/ends in El Paso. So in addition to the crosswind I had trucks blowing me all over the road. I was happy to get on the interstate! There was a huge poker run out of Guymon, OK this weekend. I heard estimates of 1200 bikes involved. My motel last night was packed with motorcycle enthusiasts (bikers) of all ages. Fun times.

445 miles today.

May 16, 2011 - Austin, MN

Made it to Austin, MN by 7:00 PM CDT. Why Austin you asked. Well last year when I was up this way I was going to stop at the Spam Museum but didn’t. Now I don’t know how many chances one gets in one’s lifetime to visit the Spam Museum but this is my second chance so I’m not going to waste it. Just sayin’. Then on to Sun Prairie, WI for a few days R&R.

360 miles today.

May 17, 2011 - Sun Prairie, WI

Well, the Spam Museum was indeed all that I expected it to be. While not  a life changing experience in and of itself, I do feel that I am a more fulfilled human being because of it. My brother-in-law, Bob, suggested that while I was in the area I should also visit the world’s largest ball of twine. A good thing I did not see his message until later in the day as I don’t think my heart could have handled all that excitement in one day.

Photos have been posted.

A paltry 248 miles today.

May 18-19, 2011 - Sun Prairie, WI

In Sun Prairie, WI  for today and tomorrow. First rain on the trip.

0 miles today and tomorrow.

May 20, 2011 - St. Ignace, MI

Arrived in St. Ignace, MI around 7:39 PM EDT. Pretty nice day; all-in-all a great day to ride. Little chilly on the west side of the lake riding up but once I rounded the bend and headed east it warmed up quite nicely. Decided to stop here instead of SSM and am glad I did. Will try to take some more pictures tonight and in the morning. Very scenic with the lake and all but not a lot of places to stop.

392 miles today.

May 21, 2011 - North Bay, ON, CA

Long day for little mileage. The Trans-Canada highway, at least in this part of the country SUCKS! For the most part it is a dilapidated 2 laner (1 westbound, 1 eastbound) similar to our old US Highways. Top speed was 58 MPH; every now and then for a blink of a eye it went up to 62 MPH. No “Welcome to Canada” sign to be found, You will have to settle for the Ontario sign below. Canadian customs was a breeze. I guess old coots on scoots are not a threat. Didn’t even have to show bike registration or proof of insurance. Only three things saved this day for me. 1) Great weather. 2) Fantastic Escargot (with a dab of goat cheese and paprika in the middle) & Caesar Salad for dinner. 3) It’s Over.

347 miles today.

May 22, 2011 - Brossard, QC, CA

Little better time/mileage today  Got into Brossard, QC, Just south across the river from Montreal, around 5:30 PM EDT. Did I mention that the Trans-Canada highway sucks? Yeah, I thought I did. It still does. Fortunately only about 340 miles to go tomorrow then I’ll be back in the U.S. The only thing worse than the highway are the drivers around here. Sacrebleu, they are totally insane not to mention dangerous. I can only assume that the province of Quebec has out-sourced it’s driver training, testing, and licensing to Massachusetts!

368 miles today.

May 23, 2011 - Madawaska, ME

Cold windy day. Crossed over into the U.S. at Madawaska, ME around 4:30 PM EDT this afternoon. This is my first corner but I’m not sure if I will start the tour tomorrow or the next day. I need some scheduled maintenance on the bike done hopefully tomorrow. So we will see...

369 miles today.