Article Published By Clubhouse Magazine - 2014

I love planning for a road trip.  I look for interesting attractions, curvy roads, mountain views, and interesting restaurants along the way.  The great motorcycle trip for 2014 was all planned, and Sisters Eternal WMC had 7 members ready at the meet up spot early that Saturday morning, and we had 4 adventure-filled days to get to Sturgis. 

We braved the blistering Texas heat and made it to Childress, TX the first day, anticipating riding into Dodge City, KS the next. I have a strange connection with all things Old West, and my bucket list contains stops in all of the towns with an Old West affiliation.  Luckily, my sisters indulge me and let me plan the route. I’ve visited Virginia City, NV, Deadwood, SD, Tombstone, AZ, Oatman, AZ, and Cody, WY, and so Dodge City was a necessary stopping point for me.

The day after Dodge City found us in Manitou Springs, CO—a really cute town just a few miles from Pikes Peak.  We chose Hwy 50 to get to Manitou Springs since it’s the same road that is called The Loneliest Highway when it crosses Nevada, and we rode that a couple of years ago.  Once we got to Pikes Peak, which boasts an elevation of 14,114 ft., we made it around the sharp curves and inclines, many not outfitted with any railing, but at the top, the views were spectacular, even if the air was a bit thin.  

Tuesday’s dawn meant that we needed to pack everything back onto the motorcycles and head for Estes Park, CO to enter the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Mother Nature wasn’t nice to us, with a monstrous storm settling atop the mountain ridge, so we barely entered the park and headed right back out to get to Cheyenne, WY.

On Wednesday, we made it to Sturgis, SD, home of a legendary motorcycle rally.  We met up with some of our buddies from Women in the Wind, Twisted Sisters Chapter out of Tulsa.  Let the party begin!  There were great rides and plenty of partying.  I had to leave early to meet up with two girls in Wisconsin to travel on into Canada, so hugs were exchanged, and I headed out solo toward Fargo, ND and then on into Wisconsin.

In Eau Claire, WI, Mother Nature unleashed her fury again.  We skirted around the worst of it and headed out toward Duluth, MN, where the rain came for real.  We stopped for gas, and the nice guy at the counter directed us to Fitger’s, which had a hotel, as well as several restaurants, shops and a brew/pub—all inside and out of the rain.  Perfect!  It was a great old historic hotel, and the food and beer were all wonderful, as was the beautiful Lake Superior backdrop.

Finally, we were headed for Canada the next Tuesday morning.  We rode along Highway 61, a road that caresses the west side of Lake Superior and that was special to Bob Dylan, a Duluth, MN native.  The views of Lake Superior were amazing.  The whole way, the thought, “I know why they named it Superior” kept popping into my head. The blue of the water was so beautiful.  I got yelled at while at the border crossing because I pulled up past the sign that read, “Stop here until the car in front of you is released.”  I’m such an outlaw.  Also, apparently every road we were riding on was under construction once we got onto Highway 61. The ruts were deep, and they would just throw the bike around wherever they wanted while massive construction machines were swinging around just to our right.  The road bed was often soft sand, and several times, I had the inclination to stop and kiss the smooth pavement once we were on it again.

In Thunder Bay, we stayed at the Prince Arthur Hotel, another historic one, and we’d paid an extra $20 for a water view.  The view from our window was of the famed Sleeping Giant—a huge rock formation that resembles a giant, perhaps readied for burial with his arms crossed over his chest. 

Wednesday morning, we bundled up for the unseasonable 40 degree temps and headed for Wawa, Ontario, home of Young’s General Store where they have all kinds of interesting items to tempt you—from home-made fudge to an old-fashioned pickle barrel, along with souvenirs galore.  There, we satisfied our need to take photos by the stuffed moose and browse the store for souvenirs. 

I kept thinking of the old movie 

If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium

 as we unloaded and reloaded all the luggage onto the bikes daily.  A little later that day, after crossing back into the US, on the Mackinac Bridge--the 5th longest suspension bridge in the world--there was more construction so the bridge was down to one lane.  Waiting in that line was its own adventure

The wind was so strong that it was all we could do to hold our bikes upright while waiting for the line to move.  I kept thinking that we’d look kind of funny with both legs on the ground one minute and then just plopping over the next.

Back home, I think fondly of the 5000+ miles we put on our bikes in 2 weeks and wonder, “Now, where are we going next year?”