Adventure Before Dementia Trip... continued

 also known as the trip that almost wasn't...

Day one.

When I last posted about this trip, I had already loaded my DR650 onto the trailer and was all packed. 

On Thursday the 14th of May, a little after 9:00 a.m., I left home and was headed to Bloomington, MN to pick up my B-I-L, Neil. I wasn't a quarter of a mile down the road when disaster struck. Apparently, in my hurry to load and pack, I screwed up my trailer hitching. The road from my driveway out to the county road is quite bumpy and mostly down hill. Before I even reached the bottom of the hill the trailer popped off the ball and started to drag behind. The safety chains kept the trailer behind me but the rough dismount caused my bike to tip over in the trailer. Not the way you want to start a vacation!!

After fixing up that fiasco, I managed to make my way to Neil's (176 miles) without any more issues. The bike stayed securely strapped down, and the trailer pulled nicely. Once I had Neil and his gear loaded up we continued to Motor Sports of Willmar (98 miles) to pick up his new Suzuki DR-z4s. We got his bike loaded in an off and on rain. While in their parking lot I noticed an odd shaped piece of plastic laying in the trailer. I almost tossed it out but stopped to look at it. I'm glad I did. When the trailer fell off the ball and my DR650 flopped over on it's side, the handle bars must have hit the edge of the trailer's side rails and broke the start button off the right hand control cluster. Between the salesman, Neil, and myself, we figured out how to manipulate the remaining tiny bit of plastic to start my bike. 

From Willmar we continued west to South Dakota. By about 8:20 p.m. we stopped for dinner at the Taco John's in Watertown (116 miles) 

We stopped for the night in Faulkton, SD at the Faulkton Inn (110 miles) . We pulled in around 11:00 p.m., ending a very long and eventful day. (500 miles total)

Day Two... Friday May 15th.

I was up early after all the excitement of yesterday.  We took our time before continuing west. We pulled into Newell, SD at about 12:30 for a short break, and ended up in Spearfish. We had a good lunch at Barbacoa's Burritos and Wraps in downtown Spearfish before heading to Chris' Camp (270 miles from Faulkton). 

Early morning in Faulkton

 Chicken Quesadilla  

B-I-L Neil unloading and setting up camp

After getting squared away at camp, Neil and I went for a ride. We went south down Spearfish Canyon Road, then stopped at Roughlock Falls. We only went as far down ay Cheyenne Crossing before heading back to camp.

                                     Roughlock Falls the camera doesn't do it justice

Trout at the Old Spearfish Creek Dam

Neil, very happy to be on vacation!

Day Three... Saturday May 16th.

A full day to ride. We made a couple of loops through the hills almost completely on gravel. One loop we took sent us down Spearfish Canyon Road to Roughlock Falls Road. Then we followed that to Tinton Road, then on to Wagon Canyon Road where we saw a couple of old buildings, One roofed in old plow discs, and one sided with discs. Cool!

We followed Wagon Canyon Road west across the Wyoming State line.

Eventually we came to Grand Canyon Road in WY. We took it north, as Lana, the woman that checked us in a Chris' Camp suggested that the route a quite scenic... it did not disappoint! 

We found our way back to Spearfish in time for a late lunch, then headed back out again for another loop. This time it was down Higgins Gulch Road and up Tinton Road. After returning to camp, we had a discussion about what to do next. There was a forecast for cold temps with snow expected in the Black Hills on Sunday.. Do we risk getting caught in a snowstorm while riding or just pack it up in the morning. We elected to play it safe and pack up.

I slept good in the tent that night. Temps had been perfect during the day, but it really cooled off at night.

Day Four... Sunday May 17th. 

After packing up our tents and loading up the bikes we decided to take the long way home. Neil wanted to see Devil's Tower so a truck-trailer road trip was the order of the day. It was cool and overcast all day.

The first stop was Devil's Tower,,

Then a stop in Faith, SD to see Sue, the dinosaur made of scrap car and tractor parts to commemorate the finding of  the largest, most complete, best preserved T-rex found so far.

From Faith we made it as far as the Super 8 in Redfield SD. I got home late Monday night after dropping off Neil, his bike, and gear in MN and finally making my way to the woods of northern Wisconsin. It was a great trip even if it started out rough. It was a lot of driving just to put 156 mikes on my bike, but totally worth it, and I know Neil really enjoyed the trip and the chance to forget about work and ride a motorcycle.

I did order a new right side switch assembly so I don't have to stick a fingernail in the broken switch to start it!

The "Adventure Before Dementia" Tour.

  The clock never stops ticking and I'm not getting any younger so I've got to do what I can, while I can..

A road trip to ride the gravel roads in the Black Hills of South Dakota is just about underway! I'm headed out to Minneapolis first thing Thursday morning to pick up my brother-in-law Neil, then on to SD, with a small side quest. The trip hasn't even officially started yet and it's already been an adventure. 

I was originally going to head out Wednesday morning, pick him up, load up his bike and go till we were tired. Then stop for the evening and continue on Thursday, and arrive in Belle Fourche by noonish. Things don't always go as planned and there's been a lot of pre-trip drama.. LOL

Neil has been busy trying to get his 1999 Yamaha TTr250 running and making it legal for on-road use. That's a whole story onto it's self. The short version is he hurt his back working on it, and the bike still has carburetor issues. Monday night he texted me and said he hurt his back, but he still wants to go even if he's in a wheelchair. Tuesday he rested and took it easy on his back. On Wednesday I was all packed and ready to go, not knowing if this was going to be a solo trip or not. Late afternoon on Wednesday, he called to tell me he had just bought a new 2025 Suzuki DR-z4s, and that we'll be picking it up on our way out of town. I'm so glad he decided to go with a bike we won't have to worry about.

Ready and waiting for early Thursday morning...

My First Year With the DR650...

 It's been a busy year for me as motorcycles go. I started riding the DR in March this year after waiting all winter to ride it. The miles have added up quickly.  By April I had 700 miles on it and was changing the oil. By July it was time to change it again, In August I put new tires on it, I went with Tusk Waypoints, a huge improvement over the OEM tires!

I've added a few things to it this year including a Acerbis skid plate, Tusk handguards, a Procycle seat, a set of Dirtracks side crash bars, a Tusk rear rack with a Harbor Freight case on it.

The weather is supposed to turn bad tonight with 8 inches of snow possible. I'm glad I got what may be my last ride of the season in yesterday. It's deer season here so I went out in orange gear to avoid an accident in the woods...

Also in the picture are the Tusk Cold Pro Hand Mitts. They are insanely huge and extremely ugly but they work great at keeping the cold wind off your hands. It was 42° F and I was riding in mesh backed gloves.

I don't think I'll ever sell this bike. I absolutely love it!

I put 6,728 miles on it this year exploring the National Forest Service roads and the local gravel roads around me in northern WI. Some Suzuki riders claim that the DR is not the greatest at everything, but it does it all reasonably well... I agree. It's not a 600 pound "adventure bike", It's not a stripped down dirt bike built for single track.. but it does everything I want it to... and comfortably

Earlier this summer I found a great deal on a Harbor Freight, hitch mounted motorcycle carrier. I added a set of tail lights to it because the bike hides the light on the truck.

 I really want to go out to South Dakota this Spring and ride the gravel. I've been out there more times than I can count, but I always stuck to the paved roads... I want to go exploring. I can't wait for May!

A Change in the Lineup...

 As much as I enjoy my Wr250x, it has always felt a little under powered. I know if I lost 75 pounds that would help, but it still needs to be really rev'ed up to make much power. So the hunt was on for a replacement.  I found it in the 2025 Suzuki DR650. It has been basically the same motorcycle since it was refreshed in 1996! No antilock brakes, No ride modes, No traction control, No EFI, No electronics package, No digital dashboard... Just a basic single cylinder thumper with an old school speedometer-odometer. Because it hasn't changed in almost 30 years, there's an endless range of aftermarket accessories for it and it has a cult like following... I found mine new at a dealer in Kaukauna, WI, Ken's Sports, for less than MSRP, NO freight or set up, reasonable document and license fees, plus sales tax. 

John and I took a road trip with a U-Haul trailer to go pick it up. It started snowing as soon as I got it in the garage.. Winter had arrived the same day as the bike!

12-10-2024

This has been another exceptionally mild winter and most of the snow is gone already. The driveway is clear of ice, and it was nearly 70° today, so I took it out for it's first ride. I put 56 miles on it on the back roads near me in northern WI.

The Wr250x will go on FB Marketplace or Craigslist soon

A pic of the Wr250x from 13 years and 1 day ago..

A Long Past Due Update...

 2024... A Trip Cut Short.

I was hoping to take a another 10 day trip in 2024, but it was cut short. I managed to get in 6 days and 1885 miles though.  On a Saturday, I packed my 2019 Z900RS Cafe and headed west. I was going to South Dakota to meet up with my friend John. He had gone west several days prior to attend the Sturgis Rally. He's hoping to make 50 in a row, that trip put him at 48.

I made it 460 miles from home to Faulkton, SD on the first day. On Sunday, after 250 more miles, I met up with John and his friends Kevin and Pam. They had come down from Alaska to attend the Rally. By Sunday night, John was starting to not feel well. I was staying with John in a camper cabin in Belle Fourche.

By Monday morning, John was too sick to get out of bed. Kevin got John a Covid Test Kit and John was positive. John wanted to stay in bed, so I led Kevin and Pam on a trip through the Black Hills. Most of the Rally traffic was gone, so it worked out nicely. We did all the touristy things... We  came up Iron Mountain Road from the south so they could see Mount Rushmore while driving through 2 tunnels. We stopped at the Peter Norbeck Scenic Overlook for pictures. We drove into Keystone for lunch and souvenir shopping. Kevin, thanks for buying me lunch! We stopped at Mount Rushmore, paid the parking fee and walked through the various gift shops.. We went into the Crazy Horse monument, watched a movie about the history of it, and did some more shopping. Kevin and Pam were happy to have me as their tour guide as they drove over 3000 miles to see the area, so I figured we should stop and see it.

On Tuesday, John was still sick, and Kevin and Pam were packing up for their return to Alaska, so I had the day to my self. I decided to go to Devils Tower in Wyoming. I pretty much had the roads to myself. In the nearly 50 miles to the tower, I think I saw only 3 or 4 cars on the road the entire way. I took Hwy 34 out of Belle Fourche until it turns into 24 at the Wyoming border. Then 24 all the way to Devils Tower. After a short break I continued towards Sundance, then rode the frontage road along side I-90 all the way to Spearfish, SD. Once in Spearfish, I enjoyed a nice trip up and down the empty Spearfish Canyon. A great day for a solo ride!

The original plan was to head further west and make it a 10 day trip, but because John was sick we thought it best to head home. 

On Wednesday, I woke up feeling like crap. We pressed on and made it home by Thursday afternoon.

Pics from the trip...

First stop in Foley, MN at a roadside attraction... Foleyland.  All kinds of stuff from old cars to green aliens.

I had passed by this self propelled howitzer many times but never stopped to check it out until this trip.. 

The always required state line picture..

Middle of nowhere South Dakota...

Meeting up with John, and our mutual friend, Terresah, AKA "the mother of the child I never had"... A long story from 2000 that isn't anywhere as exciting as it sounds.. LOL

Iron Mountain Road.. Hwy 16A

Kevin and Pam at Mount Rushmore...

Crazy Horse...

My Kawasaki at Devils Tower...

A couple of pics from Spearfish Canyon... No more pics from the trip home as I wasn't feeling well.

Maybe next year...

My 2023 Trip to the Southwest a year late....

 This post has been a long time in coming. Last year, in August of 2023, I took a trip on my 2019 cafe. It was my first long distance trip on the bike. It was also my first trip out west in several years. My friend John had gone out to South Dakota to attend his 47th Sturgis Rally in a row.  I left home on Thursday August 10th and drove as far as Faulkton, SD for the night. Along the way I had an unscheduled stop in Clark, SD. I had just fueled up and was headed west but there were big storm clouds just a few miles in the direction  I needed to go. I took shelter in the bay of a self service car wash and watched the storm blow thru town... Score one for staying dry.

 

On Friday, I met up with John in Belle Fourche, SD. I arrived early and we took a ride up and down Spearfish Canyon. I spent the night in Belle Fourche and together we headed west the next morning.

We spent the next week riding in beautiful weather with sunny skies and mostly mild temps. We rode through Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. John is a huge fan of the TV show Skinwalker Ranch. I don't really believe all the hype but find it entertaining. John wanted to get his picture by the entrance to the place. We spent a couple of days based in Vernal Utah while we explored the area.

The east side of the Grand Teton Mountains.

Vernal Utah

John, at the Skinwalker Ranch gate. Cross one item off his bucket list.!

The day before we were to head for home, the temps started to climb. We left Utah ,cut across the corner of Colorado. We did a couple of 480 mile day so we could have an easy 350 mile ride the last day.

3400 miles in 8 days, almost no rain, lots of sun and mild temps too. The cafe delivered 55 to 60 MPG too.