Crossing on the Chi CheeMaun ferry and homeward bound!!

We traveled south from Espanola through some spectacular rock cuts and across Manitoulin Island to South Baymouth to catch the ferry, called the Chi Cheemaun across to Tobermory.  It is a two hour crossing and they give you ropes to tie the bikes down to rings on the floor deck.
You never know how bikes will be loaded on ferries....here are some options:
(1) Here they gave us a special line, put the bikes on first and then we left first (they obviously had their priorities straight!)
(2) Crossing Lake Michigan, on the fast catamaran we just joined the line with the regular traffic, but when we boarded the ferry they directed us to the side of the deck and we used straps equipped with small winches.
(3) In BC, on inland lakes this trip we just drove on and parked as no tie downs, as no big waves.
(4) In 2008 when we crossed from Victoria to Port Angeles, they gave us wooden wedges only to put under the bikes.  This was a really rough crossing that set off the alarm on Bev's bike....but the wedges held it up.
(5) One year when we took an old coal fired ferry across Lake Michigan, all bikes had to park on a 90 degree angle at the side of the ferry.  They gave you nothing and so we had to buy tie downs and started traveling with them on long trips. As an aside, one guy's bike fell over and knocked a couple of other bikes over...not ours fortunately.
(6) Some crossings are so small that you just sit on your bike for the trip.

We continued on home from Tobermory, finally arriving around 6:30 pm, just ahead of the rain.  This completed our epic 5-week 11,017 km western trek of 2015.  We will enter a summary post next.

Northern Michigan and almost home!

Sorry, we didn't blog for a few days...too tired!!
OK, got up and left Rhinelander and followed some beautiful scenic back roads through northeast Wisconsin to Iron Mountain, Michigan. The weather was great, the roads were curvy through forested hills and the bugs reappeared on our teeth.
We continued on Hwy US2 to the north-western shore of Lake Michigan and along the coastline to Manistique where there is a lovely boardwalk through the lake shore sand dunes.

The next day we traveled on the northern lake shore to St. Ignace.  This really is the most scenic part of the road around Lake Michigan.  From here we headed north on interstate 75 to Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.  After a 45 minute wait at the border lineup, crossed back into Canada.
Now remember that we have been in and out of the States and so the last US travel was really only 8 days....so Bev almost got us pulled over when she said we had been in the US for 8 days, inadvertently adding that they had traveled 11,000 km.  Fortunately the customs official did not question that two bikers could travel 11,000 km in 8 days!  Obviously he doesn't bike.
After clearing the border, we stopped for a picnic lunch in Roberta Bondar Park and watched the freighters go by.  The sea gull reminded Bev of how close she was to the shores of Lake Ontario. We then pressed on to Espanola for the night.

Minnesota and Wisconson

We left Willmar Minnesota and the Plains and the wind and gusts (thank god!!) and headed north east to St. Cloud through winding and forested and wind free terrain (yeahhhh).  At St Cloud we crossed the Mississippi River and felt we had finally  returned to the East.  We pressed on and stopped for lunch at the Interstate Park at St. Croix Falls on the Minnesota\Wisconsin border.  The park is famous for its cliffs and "potholes" (not the kind we don't like...that cause bike parts to fly into the unknown) rather these potholes are caused by round holes in the lava rock created by gravel and stones spinning in glacial runoff whirlpools.

We continued eastward on Hwy 8 stopping for gas in Weyerhaeuser where Bev spotted two CN Rail engines....she wanted to hug them as it meant they were nearing home.  We carried on to Rhinelander Wisconson to complete our 500 km day....Bev confessed that she was so tired she caught herself falling asleep.  At the mid-afternoon coffee stop, Dave made her splash some cold water on her face.....yes, that helped.

Motorcycling Challenges

OK, let's face it.  Motorcycling is a blast....when it is in the 80's and it's sunny...like they say "you can always know a happy biker, lots of bugs in the teeth".
BUT, some days simply aren't as good.

A list of motorcycling challenges include the following:
1. thunder and lightning
2. hail
3. heavy rain
4. light drizzel
5. high winds and gusts
6. snow
7. hail
8. bad pot hole roads
9. transport trucks
10. temperatures over 100F

We have hit them all over the years of biking.  Now, dealing with ONE challenge is do-able.  Dealing with TWO challenges is no fun and THREE will take you off the road for sure.

This year we have encountered a lot of rain and wind.

Yesterday, while travelling from Milbank South Dakota to Willmar Minnesota, a distance of only about 190 km (40 of which was a forced road detour) we found ourselves battling INTENSE crosswinds.  In order to keep the bikes upright and on the roads you have to lean the bike into the wind.  The wind kept catching our helmets and pulling them to the side.

The pictures below illustrate the tire wear resulting from driving the bike on angle.  Sometimes you almost drop the bike because of a bunch of trees blocking the wind!!!

Sitting Bull's Grave and Sacajawea's Memorial

These memorials are just south of Mobridge, South Dakota, on the bank of the Missouri. Sitting Bull, the leader of the Sioux Nation in the late 1800's and subsequent star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, was originally buried near Fort Yates in North Dakota, however in the 1950's a group of Sioux from South Dakota moved his remains to the current site.  This still remains controversial.
Sacajawea is considered to be the most influential Indian woman of her time.  She was a guide and interpreter Lewis and Clark on their exploration of the "Louisiana purchase" and trip to the Pacific Ocean.  Sacajawea returned to this area after the expedition to the Pacific, and died approximately after her return at the age of 25.  She left behind two children, a 9 yr old boy and infant daughter.

Traveling alongside the Missouri River

We spent a leisurely morning travelling south from Bismarck, North Dakota, on Hwy 1806 along the west side of the Missouri River. Contrary to the Great River Road along the Mississippi, which we biked in 2008, you can actually see the Missouri. The lower Mississippi is cloaked by 30 ft levies to prevent flooding.
The rolling gently winding road through the Standing Rock Sioux First Nation provided beautiful vistas of the meandering Missouri and countryside.  The weather was perfect, the sun shone and we were beaming along with it. Even the grazing cattle looked happy......NO genetically modified corn for them!!!