Leaving Marquette I did manage to get some good photos along the park and shoreline and boat house areas of that nice town{not sure I would want to winter there however}...we headed east on Michigan 28 following the Lake Superior Shore to the small town of Munising where we stopped for gas coffee, and a gut buster{think I had a Banana}...the weather was darn near perfect...the winds had died down, the sun was out and it was warm with low humidity, and we headed south towards US 2 and the north shore of Lake Michigan....hopeful of finding some back roads and dirt/gravel, and we succeeded...only having to ride 2 for a short distance.
Before we jumped on I-75 for a few miles, we decided to stop and fuel up before crossing the Big Mac....we ended up stopping at a Reservation Gas Stop, where they put a new meaning to "Scalp Em"....these assholes would put a charge of $100 on your gas or credit card until it cleared??? WFT??? Unless you of course you had a "Tribal Card"....so, not to get political, but jut who the Hell are the real racists....or crooks? Anyway, we needed fuel and paid cash...it still left a damn sour taste in my mouth...one of the few things that pissed me off during the entire ride...minor as it may seem....it still put a burr in my saddle.
Taking a Break in the U-Pee
A quick few miles on I-75 and we were ready to cross the bridge from upper to lower....I had been across the Mackinac Bridge on several occasions...by car, by tour bus, and driving a 34 foot motor home across...that was the last trip across, back in 1992. A small dual sport Motorcycle would be a different challenge....plus the winds had picked up!
Paying the $4 fee I noticed that my TW was sitting at 2334 miles, meaning I had rode 1001 miles{not counting the Ferry Trip} since leaving Celina to the Big Mac....the winds, while moderate did not bother me half as much as getting behind two slow moving Semi Trucks with flashing lights....I pulled to the left lane, just in time to hit the steel grates, and with the T63 front tire, I am not afraid to admit, it was an unsettling experience....I kept it at 40mph and got around the trucks and back on pavement ASAP.....the rest of the trip across was good, except the right lane was close as I approached the bottom...and a few yards back on the metal was required, by that time we were close to the end, and I breezed through that small challenge.
We then jumped on US 23 to Cheboygan and down the back state roads we went towards Atlanta, our proposed stop for the night....when we rode into Onaway for a fuel stop, we had less than 30 miles to go, but we noticed a large cloud of rain between there and Atlanta, we opted to go as Kurt was in the mood for Jalapeno deep fried Cheese at the local watering hole...3 mile outside of town, the rain hit...and we stopped under some pine trees at the local fairgrounds...the rains departed and we headed into town, where we were told the Motel Atlanta, Kurt's preferred stop was full. We were directed to a lager motel, which had nice rooms and space for $100....and we didn't blink.
Leaving Lake Superior Friday Morning July 31, 2015
After a quick check-in, we headed to the pub, where Nich had a disappointing Friday Nigh Fish Fry{Wisconsin it wasn't}, I had a nice Texas Burger, and Kurt got his "Poppers"...I had a couple of nice dark beers, and met a guy who was heading to the Vietnam Veterans Camp Out and Reunion next month in Kokomo....I jumped up and told him to look us up at the Boar's Nest on the Southwest Fence Line...turned out he was only a few camp spots away, so I expect to see him next month.Back to the motel for a night's rest....the next Day, Saturday we planned to finish half of the 360 miles back to Kurt's Ranch....it turned out, not by plan or design, we would finish the entire shooting match...
than story is next!
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1 comment:
Wow ,all those miles on those little bikes .I need to name you steel butt,lol
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