Day 3: West Fargo, North Dakota to Belvedire, South Dakota

Start: West Fargo, North Dakota
End: Belvedire, South Dakota
Distance: 445 miles Total Distance to Date: 1415 miles
Gas: West Fargo: 2.84 gal @ $2.399/g $6.80; Jamestown, ND 3.058 g @ $2.959 $9.05; Sterling, ND 2.506 g @$2.99 $12.63; Onida, SD 4.84 gal @ $3.09/g $15.00; Murdo, SD 2.8 g @ $2.859 $8.00

Campground: KOA Belvedire, SD. $29.50/site with electricity. Very nice place on the plains. A few nice trees for shade, clean, friendly staff, great showers after a long day on the road. There, we enjoyed a buffalo burger and fries.

We started westward along the Interstate 93. It's a fast road with a speed limit of 75mph. We got up to speed and were making great time despite very strong side winds. We really had to hang on tight when passed by transports or large cattle trailers.

The landscape was one of huge, huge farms. Corn, wheat and other crops that went as far as you could see. You wonder how the hell so much could be tilled, planted, grown and harvested. They went on forever! I also saw the Cavendish Farms plant and the potato fields that I get my frozen french fries from.

We filled up a few times and continued westward until the town of Sterling where we headed south on Hwy 83. That's when the heat started to crank up. As we motored, the temperature was in the low 90's.

We stopped at the North Dakota/South Dakota border for a few photos.

There, the sunflower crops went on forever. We saw some sad looking crops on one side of the road and bright yellow sunflower crops on the other. I guess there must be a difference in farming techniques.

As we got to Onida to get gas (Al ran out a few miles before Onida and we had to use my spare gas to get him there) the temperature had risen to 97 degrees. As we got to the South Dakota state capital of Pierre, the temperature at one reading was 104 degrees. We took a short breat in front of the capital building and then headed across the huge Missouri River on our way to the Interstate 90 and our planned destination, a KOA in Belevedire. We were very hot and needed to call it a day.

Once at the campground, we quickly took a cold shower to cool down and then went for our buffalo burger dinner. I finally got some great wifi and was able to catch up on the blog.

Tomorrow, we will do the 1880 town and head to the badlands and wherever else we can take in for the day in the Black Hills area.

Day 2: Kakabeka Falls, ON to Fargo, North Dakota

Day 2: Kakabeka Falls, ON to Fargo, North Dakota

Start: Kakabeka Falls, ON

Finish: Fargo, North Dakota

Distance: 776 km  485 miles

Campground: Red River Campground, West Fargo, North Dakota; $25/site with electrical

Gas: Atakokan, ON 12.285L @ $1.269/L $15.59; International Falls, MN $5.26 Gal @ $2.349/G $12.35; Park Rapids, MN 4.899 Gal @ $2.449/g $12.00; 

On Day 2, before we left the campground, we went to see the 130 foot Kakabeka Falls along the Kaministiquia River as it cascades into a gorge. There are different vantage area where you can enjoy the views.

We then headed down Highway 11 towards Fort Francis. The temperature was 70 degrees with an expected high of 26, so we took off our jackets and headed down the road. After about 10 minutes, the temperature dropped to 64 degrees, so we stopped, put on our jackets and then continued our travels. 

Hwy 11 is an excellent motorcycle route. It has very little traffic, it's hilly with nice smooth curves and has interesting scenery of small lakes with little islands as well as beautiful meadows with reeds, cat tails and beaver dams.

When we got to Fort Francis we saw Rainy Lake with it's beautiful little islands. We drove over an impressive causeway that crossed the lake and headed towards the International bridge. Before we crossed the border, we stopped at a cute little coffee shop, From the Grind Up, and had a bite to eat.

Entering Minnesota, we quickly remembered why we took the Lake Superior route. Almost immediately, the land became flat, the scenery lifeless as we headed down Hwy 71. It's a great road to go from Point A to Point B quickly, but it's not an exhilerating ride.

Once we got to Bemidgi, the landscape became more interesting as it changed to rolling hills and meadows.

We continued on Hwy 71 to Park Rapids. This place could be also called Park Central as it is a very recreational area with many lakes, resorts and camping facilities. 

From Park Rapids, we headed west on Hwy 34 towards Detroit Lakes. From there, we took Hwy 10 into Moorhead, MN which is a sister city of Fargo, North Dakota. The state lines divide the two cities as you cross over a very decorative bridge.

We went west about 10 miles to find the only RV park in the area. It's nothing to write home about, but it's a place to set up for the night.

Tomorrow, we'll head west along Interstate 93 and then south along Hwy 83 to make it near the 1880 town, a replica town that is on the Interstate 90 and on our way to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

Day 1: Sault Ste.Marie, ON to Kakabeka Falls, ON

Day 1: Sault Ste.Marie, ON to Kakabeka Falls, ON
Start: Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Finish: Kakabeka Falls, ON
Distance: 776 km  485 miles
Campground: Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park; $41/site with electrical
Gas: Wawa, ON 15.26L @ $1.179 $18.00; White River, ON 6.739L @ $1.239 $8.35; Schreiber, ON 12.858L @ $1.249 $16.06; Kakabeca Falls 15.49L @ $1.299 $20.75


On the first day of our travels, we awoke to see a thick fog over a very calm and tranquil St. Mary's River. We started off by 10:00 a.m. after the 2 Als did a minor repair job on the wiring of my camper trailer. It was a cool 63 degrees and very overcast, but we were anxious to head out.

We headed down Hwy 17 North to our first anticipated stop,Wawa, about 230 kilometers down the road.

Going down the Mile Hill, you could see the immense hills of the Superior Highlands that were a  backdrop to Goulais Bay, Haviland and Batchawana. Pictures would not do justice to the expansive depth of the rugged and forested mountain vista that edges the lake.

Hwy 17 hugs the shoreline of Lake Superior on one side and has rugged rocky cliffs on the other. In some sections of the road, where the highway was cut out of the rocky mountain side, it seems that there were sheer vertical cliffs hundreds of feet high. On the coast, many small rocky islands dotted the many bays. Hwy 17 is a very curvy, hilly route that never lacks in beauty.

As you near Michipicoten, the hills get higher, the curves more sweeping and the ride more enchanting. White River, Marathon, Terrance Bay, Schreiber, Rossport and Nipigon continue to display scenery that is so incredibly striking. Sadly, it is hard to get photos as there are not a lot of places to stop; but it's all breathtaking.

Along the way, we had a few construction stops and one major accident stop. Someone went thru a guardrail and we saw the ambulance leave the scene in no apparent rush. Later we learned there was a fatality. Hwy 17, though such a great road to ride, is also deadly.

We got to Thunder Bay about 6:30 and continued on to Kakabeka Falls, about 20 miles west on Hwy 11. We stayed at the provincial park and set up camp in a nicely wooded site. We met a very nice young couple, Linda and Dan Clement from Winnipeg. They were heading eastward on their motorbike and came to take a look at our camper trailers. They've done some extensive trips and just love heading out on their bike to enjoy wherever they end up. A camper like ours would really fit there lifestyle. We enjoyed talking with them and admired their enthusiasm.

After we sat down for dinner, a storm started to roll in so we called it a night. Man, it was a dousey! There was a ton of rain, an incredible lightning show and loud cracks of thunder seemed to be right over our tents. We are going to have a wet packing up tomorrow morning!

Tomorrow we are heading to Fort Francis and then to Bemidji, Minnesota and then to Fargo, North Dakota.

Motorcycle Trip to the Canyons - 2015

August 28, 2015

Well, it's a very foggy morning along the river in Sault Ste. Marie as we get ready for our canyon adventure.

The itinerary will have us follow Hwy 17 North around the north of Lake Superior to Thunder Bay. South of Superior is a very boring route with little scenery; basically a long ride along a road surrounded by trees.

From Thunder Bay, we plan on riding west along HWY 11 to Fort Francis  where we will then enter the United States and head for Bemidji, Minnesota.

We will then ride to Fargo, ND, the Badlands, Cheyenne, and just north of Denver to cross the Rockies as we head to Moab to explore Arches National Park by jeep.

From Moab, we will head west and south to go through Canyonland, Bryce and Glen Canyons as we ride towards Zion National Park.

From Zion, we will head towards Las Vegas so as to take a helicopter flight over and down into the Grand Canyon. We will further explore the Grand Canyon and then start our route back, heading thru more canyons and another scenic route thru the Rockies.

Once out of the Rockies, we will basically "bee-line it" on our way back.

So enjoy the trip!  We will!!