ALASKA; Day 1; July 15, 2013

FullRouteToday we embarked on a motorcycle trip that has been on my bucket list for some time.  I’m sure the same applies to my brother, Carl, who is making the trip too.  We are accompanied by two friends, Gary and Larry.

preparing for departure; Shawnee, KSWe met at a Quick Trip in western Shawnee, KS at 6:00 am and actually departed at 6:05.  It was 67 degrees under mostly clear skies.  Carl was leading today and we booked it north on I-435 and I-29.  Our first stop was for gas in Council Bluffs, Iowa, about 190 miles north.

At Sioux City Iowa we saw the Sergeant Charles Floyd Monument on a hill on the east side of I-29 (http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/lewisandclark/ser.htm).  Floyd was the only member of the Lewis & Clark expedition that died during their journey.Sgt. Floyd Monument; Sioux Falls, SD

In Sioux Falls, SD we stopped again for gas and then had lunch at Marlin’s Family Restaurant.

Just south of the North Dakota border we took an exit for Brown’s Valley.  It made me laugh as I thought about my grandson, Ben.  During Ben’s most recent visit to our house he caught me sitting on the toilet and he asked me if I was doing “brown business”.  Is there any doubt what Ben would think Brown’s Valley would be?

After gassing up at the Brown’s Valley exit we were hanging around having a cold drink when a Sheriff’s deputy dropped off an interesting fellow (probably displacing him from someplace where he had been bothering people).  He immediately started checking out our bikes and talking to us.  He was a real character.  When we told him we were headed to Jamestown, ND he told us he’d been in jail there before.DSCN1021Despite being nearly toothless and homeless looking he was quite an astute fellow.  He guessed that I was a doctor, undoubtedly because of my intelligent appearance and dignified demeanor.

About 30 miles south of Fargo, ND we ran into some rain that lasted until 50 miles west of Fargo.  The following picture was taken as we approached the rain.DSCN1022

We arrived in Jamestown and checked into the Quality Inn at about 6:30, had dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant, and called it a night.

We rode 725 miles according to my odometer and 698 miles according to Gary’s Garmin.  The high today, according to my motorcycle, was 81 while Carl’s registered 88 at the same time.  Strange that our thermometers could so different.

For pictures from today click on the following link:  https://plus.google.com/photos/104542123131082631220/albums/5901042788161971329?authkey=CK6ZgIKNh6_xdA

Comments

Anonymous said…
So is brown business the same as dropping a duece?
July 16, 2013 at 7:49 PM
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