A ride around north central U.S.

[Wapping]

I have just Googled the surface area of Lake Michigan, shown In the opening post. It is the second largest of the ‘Great Lakes‘ at 22,400 square miles.

By simple comparison:

London is 600 square miles

The country of Luxembourg is a smidge under 1,000 square miles

Switzerland is 16,000 square miles

Latvia at 24,000 square miles, would only overlap a bit

For all its faults and foibles, I for one am glad America is ‘On our side’.

 

[Posh Pete]

Great trip Clifton. Thanks for posting. I do love "small town America" as shown in the actions of your Motel owner. So different from the stereotypes we tend to have over here.

Great trip and write up and on the perfect bike for the job. I will get a Gold Wing one day. I also noticed your birthday, you are 12 years older than me to the day, all the best people were born on the 22nd of July.

Don Henley being one of them. So this seems apt to go with Clifton's trip ...

 

[Clifton]

Montana, Wyoming, those lovely descriptions of the terrain read like some of Pirsig's chapters.

Thanks for sharing, it's really interesting to read about a kind of riding that's so different from what we're used to in Europe.

It's very different than the Appalachians here as well. It's nice to experience different areas especially on a motorcycle and really I haven't been out on a longish ride since covid. I'm always impressed with the vast lakes in the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. They must be boaters paradise, LOL for about 4 months of the year. But those areas in tend to be buggy, sometimes extremely so, which thankfully we don't have in the Appalachians.

Thanks for posting Clifton, your photos reinforce the phrase “ big sky”

Yes there's something about the visual distances in Montana and Wyoming there that "big sky" aptly describes.

 

[Clifton]

I have just Googled the surface area of Lake Michigan, shown In the opening post. It is the second largest of the ‘Great Lakes‘ at 22,400 square miles.

By simple comparison:

London is 600 square miles.......

I know, it's a huge body of water. Keep in mind Lake Michigan is only one of three lakes adjoining Michigan. On the east is Huron at 23,000 square miles, and at the north adjoining Michigan's Upper Peninsula is Lake Superior at 31,700 square miles. That's why I mentioned that area of the country must be a boater's paradise.

About 15 years ago when I was deciding what I wanted to do, and where, when I retired we seriously contemplated selling the properties here and relocating. The plan was to buy 2 small houses, one in Michigan on a lake, and the other in New Mexico or Arizona and live around 1/2 the year in each. I went so far as enlist a realtor agent to search Arizona and I was researching different areas in Michigan. When my wife became ill that all came to a halt. Actually I'm glad I stayed where I am and I can always visit those areas.

Great trip Clifton. Thanks for posting. I do love "small town America" as shown in the actions of your Motel owner. So different from the stereotypes we tend to have over here.


Don Henley being one of them. So this seems apt to go with Clifton's trip ...

I agree Pete. The people I interacted with were almost all locals (rather than tourists) and I didn't meet one cranky or unhappy person over the 12 days, everyone seemed upbeat and enjoying life.

 

[Wapping]

Indeed, the lakes are vast.

I have always wanted to visit West Virginia and Kentucky, landlocked as they are. Maybe, one day.

 

[Bin Ridin]

Thanks Clifton, great to read about that ride!

 

[Clifton]

You should come. The rural region of western Virginia, western North Carolina, West Virginia, eastern Tennessee, and Kentucky is a nice area to ride. For the most part it's not crowded, fun little roads, moderate temperatures (usually), and relatively inexpensive motels and camping. Eastern Kentucky is hilly, like West Virginia, becoming more rolling to the west. WV is a poor state (especially the south west area of the state), Kentucky has much more wealth.

 

[Wapping]

Thank you. My only real ‘knowledge’ of the place was formed by watching (and enjoying) TV’s ‘Justified’ series, where the background scenery alone was enough to spark an interest. That and reading a very long factual history of the Civil War.

 

[Clifton]

Yes a lot of Civil War history here. You may know the Civil War is why West Virginia is a State. The people in this part of Virginia opposed slavery so seceded from Virginia to became its own State.

Also just 30 miles up the road is where a detachment led by George Washington, a Lieutenant Colonel in the British Virginia militia, ambushed a French patrol killing 10 of them beginning the French and Indian theater of the 7 years War.
And where General Braddock later led a British Army to present day Pittsburg only to be ambushed and defeated. He was wounded, eventually dying on the return and is buried just a few miles from Jumonville where Washington's ambush took place. Lots more here.

On May 28, 1754 Virginia Regiment Lieutenant Colonel George Washington and Mingo chief Tanacharison led a party of roughly forty men in a raid against twenty-nine French soldiers in present-day western Pennsylvania killing ten and capturing twenty-one. The attack represented to opening salvoes of the French and Indian War.

 

[Khulu]

You should come. The rural region of western Virginia, western North Carolina, West Virginia, eastern Tennessee, and Kentucky is a nice area to ride. For the most part it's not crowded, fun little roads, moderate temperatures (usually), and relatively inexpensive motels and camping. Eastern Kentucky is hilly, like West Virginia, becoming more rolling to the west. WV is a poor state (especially the south west area of the state), Kentucky has much more wealth.

Apart from the Virginias I ridden around these states, had an unfriendly locals night in Asheville, N. Carolina.
Everywhere else was great and we were camping every night from Fairbanks to Louisiana.

 

[Bem]

Great words and pictures Clifton, you westerly bits reminding me of our 2017 Rockies adventure which included Lolo Pass.
As a comparative youngster I now have three years to think about where to go when I tell "er indoors" that I am just poping out for a birthday ride.
We might try a car hols looking at WV NC and NE as I am a bit of a history buff...

 

[Orinoco]

Thanks for writing up your trip, it really is just so different from anything we might manage in Europe and your photographs are great, as others have said, really showing the 'big sky' country. It's funny 'significant' birthdays and things like Fathers Day usually seem to demand organised family or friend parties, well done for just going for a ride. The older I get the more I'd much rather just do something I'd like to do, despite the pressure from my wife and family, and I'm only 62, well in a couple of months!

Cheers again

 

[Mad Hatter]

Nice one Clifton. I wish I was back riding around WV on my Guzzi. Happy Days

 

[Arsey]

Nice write up . Great bike


Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

 

[Clifton]

Apart from the Virginias I ridden around these states, had an unfriendly locals night in Asheville, N. Carolina.
Everywhere else was great and we were camping every night from Fairbanks to Louisiana.

Alaska to Louisiana, nice Khulu!
Asheville NC has been on my avoid list for the last 15 years or more. Too many people "discovered" it and relocated there so it's become very crowded. It's also become quite liberal so there are a lot of panhandlers and homeless there now.

Nice one Clifton. I wish I was back riding around WV on my Guzzi. Happy Days

You rode a Guzzi around here? Or you rode around here and now your bike is a Guzzi?

This was from an afternoon ride maybe 3 weeks ago on my Guzzi. Other than when riding across Dolly Sods (lot of hikers and camping there and it was a Sunday) I don't think I saw more than a dozen cars the whole ride on these little roads.

 

[Mad Hatter]

I rode my Guzzi around there. Here she is (or rather was, I sold her to a guy in PA when we returned to UK)

 

[Clifton]

Beautiful one and with a vanity plate to match!

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Great pics Clifton and there are certainly some long straight roads in Wyoming and Montana. I really like them though as teh Big Sky is just unbelievable.

Those states are Idaho are often missed by people who are hell bent on riding the mother road, PCH etc but I think they are missing a real experience.

This pic was taken in 05 on a 3 month solo US wander and I remember just sitting looking into the distance with my jaw on the deck.........

 

[Deise]

Thanks for sharing - like the photos too

 

[Clifton]

New 2005 R1100GS there Sarg?
Yes Idaho, which is in essence western Montana and Wyoming squared off, offers a lot of diverse landscape and is still very rural.

I noticed a little change from when I was last there maybe 12 years ago. There is a large influx of people relocating to Idaho (and Montana) mostly from Washington, Oregon, and Cali., Property values have really been driven up which creates problems for most of the locals.
LOL probably some will move back or on to somewhere else after living a few winters there though because it can get cold and winter is long. The coldest temperature recorded in the 48 US States was right there near the border of Montana and Idaho -69.7°F or -56C, Rogers Pass, Montana, Jan. 20, 1954. And I posted that I saw 107F or 41C in Montana this month, so the area experiences both extremes.

Thanks, Deise.