It was a glorious morning, partly cloudy and 61 degrees. We took off at 8:15 am riding north and east on Hwy 71 towards International Falls, MN. A sign said it was 111 miles away but according to my odometer it was 114 miles. We rode it non-stop.
We gassed up at International Falls and then rode a short distance to see the bridge from the U.S. to Canada. It was a very industrial area with paper mills on both sides of the river. It was interesting but not what you’d call scenic.
From International Falls we rode east on Hwy 11 to its end. On the map it looked like it could be a scenic (but short) ride. It was OK but nothing special. We went back to International Falls and then rode south on Hwy 53. Moyer experienced a bit of excitement along this portion of highway. We were following a truck that was towing a boat which was following a large truck. When it was clear, Mel passed both vehicles. Moyer started to pass next. As he was next to the towed boat the truck started to pull out to pass, forcing Moyer onto the shoulder on the other side of the road. Fortunately, the only casualty was Moyer's shorts which were slightly soiled.
At Orr, MN we stopped at Patten’s Café for lunch. Mel tried to finagle a $4.95 salad bar for the price of a $2.55 side salad from our waitress but she did not succumb to his charms. When she brought his salad, however, she had added the olives and carrots that Mel was yearning for. I guess he has some charm after all. I sure don’t see it.
We continued south on Hwy 53 to Hwy 1 where we turned east. Hwy 1 took us into Ely, MN where we gassed up. Mel patronized one of the local liquor stores for his meds. We continued on Hwy 1, which took us south towards Lake Superior.
Hwy 1 from Ely to Isabella was absolutely fantastic. The road had numerous curves so we were able to use some of the rubber on the outer edges of our tires. The scenery was BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL with forests and lakes all over the place. It was great.
I could tell we were approaching Lake Superior because of our mileage. The temperature gave another indication. In a span of less than 2 miles the temperature dropped from the mid 70’s to 66. Then we crested a hill and started down to see Lake Superior spread out before us.
We turned west (and slightly south) on Hwy 61, which parallels the north shore of Lake Superior. We stopped near the entrance of Tettegouche State Park and took some pictures of Lake Superior. We also stopped at the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Gary and I were going to wait outside (we’d been there a couple years before) while Mel and Moyer entered the park. M&M decided not to pay the $8 entry fee, however, so we continued west on Hwy 61.
We stopped for the evening in Two Harbors, MN at the AmericInn. After happy/social hour in the parking lot, dinner at Culver’s, and watching part of the Green Mile we called it a night.
Another great day of riding, 370 miles total. The high temperature was 75. For pictures of today’s ride click on the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/NorthDakotaMinnesotaDay3?feat=directlink
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