1. Introduction
Planning for a trip of this magnitude takes almost as much time (maybe even more) as the actual trip. The idea of the 48+ actually started in 2005 with just the inkling of an idea. When Rick Corwine and Greg Anderson from Minnesota did the trip in 2005, Rick published his route and a day-by-day journal of his trip. I e-mailed Rick at the time and asked about his trip. He invited me to go along, but I felt that I didn’t have enough experience riding to take on that much and declined.
Since then, the idea continued to grow in my mind. I had already begun planning for 2006 with a 4 Corners Tour, the National Parks Tour and various rallies, so 2006 was out. By the end of 2006, I was already starting to think about 2007 and the 48+ came to the forefront. I started collecting as much information as I could about the 48+, read about Hyder-Seek and started looking at maps. Where would I start? How would I get thru the East Coast in the shortest possible time (I hate the east coast...) How would I get thru the Midwest and the "big states" (i.e. TX, NM, UT, KS, etc.) How would I be able to get to the outlying states I hadn't gotten from the beginning - MT& WY, KY & WV? If I took the northern route thru the center of the country, I'd have to dip down somewhere to pick up CA... where?
By January '07 I had a rough route lined out, but it wasn't refined enough. There were too many 2-lane roads and it would simply take too much time. I sent the route to Rick, Curt Gran and Rebecca Vaughn for their comments and suggestions. Curt had some good suggestions which I incorporated. I found a mention of a group 48+ ride put on by the Motorcycle Tourers Forum in 2005 and took some tips from their route as well, especially in the Mid-Atlantic area where I was having some difficulty getting KY, TN and WV.
The route slowly came together and started to look do-able. I would start in Wahpeton, ND, just across the line from Breckinridge, MN, run down south thru SD, turn east at Sioux City, IA, ending up in Ohio the first night with 10 states under my belt. From there I would go up to and thru NY, bag the states in the Northeast, then head south, picking up the Mid-Atlantic states, head for the southern states. From the Deep South, I head northwest, picking up the Midwestern states, then turn toward the western parts of the country. At this point, I have to make some side trips off the main route to get some of the Great Plains states: MT and WY. Finally, I am on the left coast of the country and can start heading north thru OR and WA and into Canada. There is pretty much only one route from Washington state to Hyder, AK, so routing here was pretty easy.
Two things I hadn’t and didn’t spend much time considering were 1. How to get to Wahpeton, ND in the first place and, 2. How to get BACK from Alaska? Getting to Wahpeton wasn’t a big problem because it was pretty close to the Interstate, but it was still 550 miles away. On the return trip, I knew I wanted to go thru the Canadian Rockies, but that was as far as I had gotten in terms of planning my route back home. I guessed that I would head back to the US after the Rockies because of the higher speed limits. I would probably take US Route 2 across the northern sections of MT, ND and MN, a road I traveled last year during the 4 Corners Tour.
Finally, I wanted to link my 48+ ride with an annual LD gathering called Hyder-Seek, which would take place on May 25-26, 2007. The dates for Hyder-Seek thus determined my leave date for the 48+: 10 days prior to May 25th =May 16th. May 16 is Wednesday, so I figured I’d leave on Monday, May 14 to get up to Wahpeton a day early, rest, wrap up last minute items and prepare mentally for the ride.
Leg 1.
Arrived in Wahpeton, ND on Monday afternoon after a “leisurely” drive from Brookfield. I stayed at the Super 8 and had booked the room for two nights. I had contacted two people from the MN LD Riders who were going to come down to serve as witnesses, but they wouldn’t be there until Tuesday evening.
I had an extra day to do any final preparations, both mentally and physically and it was valuable. Upon my routine safety check, I discovered that one of the headlight bulbs had gone out. Fortunately, there was a NAPA auto parts store not far away and I was able to get a replace- ment lamp. Although it may seem like a simple thing to change a headlight bulb, on the ST1300 it’s a bitch of a job. The difficult part is getting the electrical connection separated from the lamp itself. You have to squeeze the connector together while pulling at the same time, all the while with you entire arm buried in the bike. I finally got everything fixed up and was good to go.
Next, I started looking at all the clothing I had brought and decided that I had way too many clothes. So, I found a box at the hotel, packed it with things I probably wouldn’t need on the trip and shipped it to myself at the Sealaska Inn in Hyder. Little did I know that the box would have an interesting trip (and one that hasn’t ended, yet.)
September 2008 – the box FINALLY came back to me thanks to the good memory and graciousness of Gary and Michelle at the Sealaska Inn at Hyder. They were cleaning out old e-mails and saw mine in their followup files. Apparently someone at Ketchican had mailed my package to them with his return address on it. They contacted me and sent the box back – by USPS, NOT UPS. The clothing and shoes had spent 16 months in Alaska without me.)
Dana Oehlerich arrived about 1530 on his FJR and we went to dinner. We talked about our cycling experiences and of course, the upcoming ride, the route, etc., etc. Just as we were finishing dinner, Matt Hammer, my other witness called and said he would be at the motel in about 1/2 hour. So, Dana and I finished dinner and we parted ways - Dana to return home and me back to the motel to meet Matt.
Documentation finished (thanks to both Dana and Matt for going out of their way to help) I went back to my room to pack and get everything ready for the big day.
Got up about my usual time and went downstairs to check on Tigress. She was ready and I packed her up.
May 16, 2007, Wahpeton, ND -packed and ready to go.
I checked out of the motel and headed for Breckinridge, MN, just across the border.
My official start time was 0549 from the Stop N Go in Breckinridge, MN. (Numbers here refer to the page number and receipt number. Page number is in RED; Receipt number is in BLUE. Location on the receipt is highlighted in YELLOW and Date/Time are highlighted in MAGENTA This receipt is therefore 1-1, 1-1) The register receipt was an hour off, so I had the attendant write in the correct time and initial it.
I rolled on for the start of this grand adventure to my next stop, a mile away in Wahpeton, ND for gas and the 2nd state (1-1, 1-2). The weather was chilly and I was glad I had my electric liner (Kanetsu) on and cranking. I headed west to I-29 and began the journey toward Sioux Falls, some 200 miles away.
Almost exactly 3 hours later, I stopped in Sioux Falls, SD for gas (1-1, 1-3) and a quick bite to eat.
At Sioux City, I made a short detour to South Sioux City, NE for coffee and a receipt (1-1, 1-4). 3 states down, 46 to go. From S. Sioux City it is a short hop into Iowa and Hwy 20. Unfortunately, there was a fair amount of construction in Hwy 20, some of it complete with pilot cars and long wait times. I was chomping at the bit during these waits, but there is absolutely nothing you can do.
I gassed up about 1340 at Webster City, IA (1-1, 1-5), just east of Ft. Dodge for the 4th state. Having been on this road a few times before, I was comfortable traveling a little over the speed limit and made good progress eastward. I seemed to take forever to get across Iowa, though - did they stretch the state??
Finally made it to Hazel Green, WI about 1700 and bought a beef stick or something for a receipt (1-1, 1-6) and my 5th state. I’ve traveled in this area before as well, so I really didn’t need the GPS to tell me where to go, but it seemed like Hwy 20 from Galena to Rockford took forever. The road was fun riding though and I enjoyed to twists and turns as much as traffic would allow.
Gassed up in Winnebago, IL (1-2, 1-7) just west of Rockford, IL. 6 states down, 43 to go. Now comes the tough part - getting thru Chicago at the tail end of rush hour. I had some difficulty getting receipts at the toll plazas because I have an I-Pass, but was able to get receipts at Marengo Plaza 1-2, 1-8) and at Markham Plaza (1-2, 1-9). There was a local thunderstorm brewing which I had been watching as I approached Chicago. I stopped at one of the oases for a quick bite to eat (undocumented) and to see if the storm would pass. A passerby asked me which way I was headed and told me that he’d seen the radar images on TV just a few minutes ago. The storm was past us so I could proceed without getting wet. I thanked him for that bit of information and saddled up again, heading for Indiana and Ohio.
Indiana (8th state) does not give toll receipts upon entry, but does give a receipt as you exit showing entry and exit points. So, receipt (1-2, 1-10) show me entering the Indiana Toll Road at Exit 24 (Porter, IN) and exiting at Exit #107. From the Toll Road at Exit #107, I went north to White Pigeon, MI (1-2, 1-11) for gas and the 9th state. My family owns a farm about 5 miles from here in Constantine, MI. The second Indiana Toll Road receipt (1-2, 1-12) shows entry point at Exit #107 and exit point at Exit #153, the eastern terminus of the Toll road, Angola, IN (1-2, 1-12)
Got on the Ohio Turnpike (1-3, 1-13) and kept heading east. I finally called it a day (night?) at Fremont, OH (10th state) at 0225 CDT (1-3, 1-14).
Leg 2.
After a very short night - I didn’t even get out of my clothes - I took off again and was on the turnpike again by 0751 CDT (0851 EDT) (2-1, 2-1) Gassed up at Westlake, OH (2-1, 2-2)
For some reason I thought I’d never get out of Cleveland and Ohio. It seemed that the roads were all limited to 60 mph and Ohio has a reputation for catching speeders
Stopped for gas in Erie, PA (2-1, 2-3) for 11th state and headed for the New York State Thruway.
Got onto the Thruway at Ripley, NY (2-2, 2-4) and got off at Lackawanna, just outside of Buffalo, NY. Apparently there are no tolls in the Buffalo area, but you do get back onto the Thruway at Williamsville, NY, slightly east and near the Buffalo airport. I went to school in upstate New York, so I am no stranger to the NYS Thruway. In addition, I took this route on the Great Lakes GOLD ride I did several years ago. 12 states down, 37 to go. Got gas at West Henrietta, NY(“West Hen” on the receipt)(2-1, 2-5) and later in Schenectady, NY (2-2, 2-6)
Got off the Thruway at Exit #24 (2-2, 2-7) near Albany and headed for Troy and Vermont. I went to school in Troy, NY (RPI), so being in the area brought back a lot of memories for me. In Troy, I took Rte 7 northeasterly toward VT and state #13. There is a small town (wide spot in the road) called Pownal, VT. I stopped at a liquor store and bought a soda, but the receipt (2-2, 2-9) wasn’t very good - no location - so I had the clerk write in the city and state. I still didn’t feel comfortable with that receipt, so I backtracked up the road a little, found a gas station and bought a beef stick to more completely document VT. (2-2, 2-8)
From Pownal, it is literally a stone’s throw to Massachusetts and I went thru Williamstown, North Adams on Rte 2, stopping for dinner at Friendly’s in Greenfield, MA. (2-2, 2-10)
This was probably the low point of the entire trip. I was so far behind my plan I began to wonder if I was even going to be able to finish the trip and began to doubt my own abilities. According to what I had mapped out, I should have been through MA, NH, ME, RI and into CT by this time. I called my friend Rebecca Vaughn for some advice. Rebecca is an experienced LD rider and Iron Butt veteran, so she knows something about planning and getting off plan. She gave me some encouragement and helped by looking at weather maps and the remainder of Rte 2 toward Lowell, MA.
So, I plugged on. Rte 2 is very twisty and there are lots of forest rats around, so I took it a little easier than I would have done if it were daylight.
I finally called it quits about 2330 at Tewksbury, MA (2-3, 2-11) at a Motel 6 (gad, I hate these places!), trudged my stuff up to the room, unwound for 1/2 hour and went to bed.
Leg 3.
The next morning brought a classic nor’easter - rain, wind, cold across the entire region. So, zip up the ‘stich, turn up the Kanetsu and head on down (or “up” in this case) the road toward NH and ME.
The I-Pass does not work on the NH tollway, so I paid the $1 toll and got a receipt (3-1, 3-1) for the 15 mile transit. Got to Kittery, ME (3-1, 3-2), got a candy bar and some coffee and headed back from whence I had just come: back across NH (3-1, 3-3) and into MA again. It’s still raining and I’m certain I got some stares from people wondering what this idiot is doing riding a motorcycle in the pouring rain. Stopped for gas in Haverhill, MA. (3-1, 3-4)
Thinking back, I made pretty good time getting around Boston and its legendary traffic problems. Sure, it was raining, but the traffic flowed pretty well and I was in RI by 1100 EDT where I stopped for coffee at the ubiquitous McDonald’s. (3-2, 3-5) I really don’t like their coffee, but they do have great receipts.
Stopped for food (3-2, 3-6) and gas in CT (3-2, 3-7) and got ready to tackle NYC. By this time, I had either gotten out from under the storm system or it simply went out to sea because it had stopped raining and was beginning to be even pleasant. Who in their right mind decided to go thru NYC on a Friday afternoon, though? Someone should shoot the navigator for that blunder....
NYC was the usual zoo and I slowly made my way across the city on the Cross Bronx Expressway (what an oxymoron that is...) toward the George Washington Bridge and the NJ Turnpike (3-3, 3-8). Of course, the Turnpike is also jammed and traffic is again stop and go for what felt like eons. Stopped for gas at Cherry Hill (3-3, 3-9) and headed for DE where I stopped at a Dunkin Donut shop to document DE (3-3, 3-10). This was the only place where I ran into the obnoxiousness of the east coast (and part of the reason I really don’t like it). I had stopped at the cash lane to get a receipt (which they wouldn’t give me because I had paid by the I-Pass) and the jackass behind me started yelling because I was holding him up - tough luck, buddy. I flipped him the bird as I took off from the toll booth. He came roaring by me a few minutes later doing at least 90 mph. Hope he got a ticket.
I’m finally into MD and take the bypass around Baltimore, exiting onto I-70 toward Fredrick, MD. There was a cool sign as I got onto I-70 saying something like “St. Louis -858 miles” - wish I had taken a picture of it.
At Fredrick, I stopped for something to eat (3-3, 3-11) and pondered my route. This is by far the most difficult section of the country to cover on the trip because you have to plan very carefully to make certain you get all the states around here - you won’t be back around these parts again.
So, after filling my fuel tank, I head out toward WV, cross the river at Harper’s Ferry and start looking for a store that was open and might have an acceptable receipt - no luck. I head on down the road, thinking that there must be something open in the next town. Next thing I know, I see a sign that says “Welcome to Virginia.” What??? What happened to WV?? Did they move it? I’m confused, so I stop at the next available convenience store and ask for directions. The gal at the c-store was most helpful and pointed me toward Inwood, WV, about 15 miles away. I took off, got gas at Inwood, WV (3-4, 3-12) and turned around again, finally stopping at Harrisonburg, VA for the night. (3-4, 3-13)
Leg 4.
Got up fairly early for another day of riding and headed out of town. The scenery and roads in this area are beautiful and I would like to come back here again when I don’t have the time pressure. I kept seeing signs for the Blue Ridge Parkway, so I couldn’t have been far away.
Got gas in Wytheville, VA (4-1, 4-1) and received a poor receipt, so I had the clerk write in the city and state. I got off the interstate at Abington and headed for Jenkins, KY. Kentucky was also one of the more problematic states to cover and I wasn’t going to get much closer than here. I expected some 2-lane road to and from Jenkins, but was pleasantly surprised to find a 4 lane divided highway with lots of twists and turns - great riding! Got the Jenkins receipt (4-1, 4-2) and headed back down the road toward TN and NC. Got gas in Johnson City, TN (4-1, 4-3) and some snack food at Asheville, NC (4-1, 4-4) to document both of those states. By this time I’m starting to get tired and needed to stop, so I got some kind of iced latte at Burger King in Traveler’s Rest, SC (4-1, 4-5) - surprisingly pretty good.
I-26 joins I-85 around Greenville, SC and it felt like I was getting on a racetrack with average speeds approaching 85+, so I just went along with the flow of traffic. Stopped for something to eat at Lawrenceville, GA (4-2, 4-6) then gas (4-2, 4-7). These two stops were less than a mile apart, but the receipts show them as being in two different cities - go figure. Fed and fueled, I was ready to tackle Atlanta traffic. I had been to Atlanta before on the Butt Lite IIII and knew that the traffic was fast, so I expected a quick trip thru the city and that’s what happened - I flew thru the city. West of Atlanta there was a lot of road construction on I-85, but without much traffic, it wasn’t a problem. I could envision major headaches for drivers on this section of road at rush hour.
GA quickly gave way to AL, Opelika and Montgomery. Funny how the interstate seemed lighted going from Atlanta to Montgomery, but completely unlit going south out of Montgomery.
Stopped at Greenville, AL (4-3, 4-8) for the evening. The night clerk there was especially kind and gave me a downstairs room with an outside entrance and a parking space right outside the door - perfect!!
Leg 5.
This would turn out to be one of the very longest days of the trip, although I didn’t know it at the beginning of the day. Got gas in Greenville (5-1, 5-1) and headed down the road toward Atmore, AL. Atmore is just on the AL side of the AL-FL border and I read somewhere (Paul and Voni Glaves, maybe??) that there was a store just inside the FL border where you could get an acceptable receipt. Sure enough, there was a “Piggly Wiggly” grocery store, not 300 yards inside the border where I bought Ziplock bags and got a receipt saying “Walnut Grove, FL” (5-1, 5-2) That little tidbit of information saved me 25 miles. I stopped at the Atmore McDonald’s (5-1, 5-3) to celebrate my small mile saving victory. Got back on the interstate and headed for Mobile where I would pick up Rte 98 crossed the remaining 15 miles of AL and headed for Hattiesburg, MS.
Got gas in Hattiesburg, MS (5-2, 5-4) and headed toward Jackson, MS where I would pick up I-20 west toward LA. I recall that the interstate in Jackson was one of the roughest I had ever been on - bumpy, wavy, pitted - miserable.
After Jackson, MS, it is only a 40 mile run west until you are in LA. The very first town in LA is Tallulah where you have your choice of 4 different fast food flavors. I didn’t like the choices, so I passed and continued up Rte 65 toward AR. This was a very rural road with practically nothing but farmland. Since I was only going to be in LA for some 60 miles, I started getting a bit worried that there wasn’t going to be a town in LA where I could get a receipt. I finally got to Lake Providence, LA which showed some promise, but the Sonic burger I had there didn’t have a receipt worth a thing. Not wanting to give up, I finally found an ATM and took out $20 from my account and got an acceptable receipt to document the state. (5-2, 5-5) Of course, as I’m going out of town, I pass another gas station, a Pizza Hut and a c-store, so all that fiddlin’ around in town was really for naught.
Got gas in Dumas, AR (5-2, 5-6) about 100 miles inside of AR and continued up the road thru Little Rock toward Ft. Smith, AR. At Conway, AR (5-2 & 5-2A, 5-7 & 5-7A) I stopped for something to eat at a buffet and had one of the best meals I‘d had is a few days - salad, beans, soup, potatoes, steak and dessert. Just before Ft. Smith I turned north on I-540 toward Bentonville, AR, home of Wal-Mart. Got ripped off for gas in Greenland, AR (5-3 & 5-3A, 5-3 & 5-3A ) and continued. Sadly, the very nice Interstate that I was riding ended abruptly at the AR-MO state line and I was back to 2 lane roads again. Finally made it to a truck stop in Joplin, MO about 2230, pretty tired (5-3, 5-9). I bought some coffee and sat on a bench outside the store and promptly fell asleep for about 1/2 hour (undocumented). Feeling a bit more energized, I got back to riding and tried to figure out how to get to Galena, KS, just over the border. Got to Galena a little before midnight and just as a c-store was beginning to close. Bought a snack and KS is done (5-3, 5-10). Now it’s time for some more interstate riding along I-44 in OK.
This part of the trip is pretty fuzzy to me - I was tired, it was night and I had been riding for almost 18 hours. I do remember the $3.50 toll booths (5-3, 5-11 & 5-12)) and the $1 token toll booths around Oklahoma City (no receipt provided). These token toll booths were a real pain in the a**. You had to feed a $1 bill into the changer, get a token in return then roll forward 20’ and deposit the token into the collection basket. I got thru Tulsa about 0145 (5-4, 5-13) and remember stopping at a rest area along the toll way to sleep for about 2 hours (undocumented.) Apparently there wasn’t much memorable about the rest of the westward trip - not Amarillo, not Albuquerque - because I simply don’t remember much of anything about this section of the trip.
I made gas stops at El Reno, OK (6-1, 6-1), Elk City, OK (6-1, 6-2), ate at McDonald’s in Amarillo (6-1, 6-3), got gas in San Jon, NM (6-2, 6-4), got a snack at Tucumcari, NM (6-2, 6-5), and gas at Albuquerque, NM (6-2, 6-6)
I got off the interstate at Gallup and heading north along Hwy 491, turning at Shiprock and getting into Teec Nos Pos, AZ (6-2, 6-7) shortly before 2000. There was a little dilemma in Teec Nos Pos - how to document my being there?? I had been there last year on the Butt Lite and knew that there wasn’t much commercial activity (It’s an Indian reservation consisting of a Post Office, a general store and a co-op - that’s it) The co-op looked closed for the day and the post office wouldn’t help, so I walked into the general store, which consisted of mostly video rentals and some very limited supplies. While I was in the store a young Indian girl came in with her baby and wanted diapers, but didn’t have enough money to pay for them. I saw that the store would accept a credit card, so I offered to buy the diapers for the young lady if I could have the receipt. Deal done and I’m on my way.
Teec Nos Pos is only about 5 miles away from the Four Corners Monument, so I stopped there on my way to Cortez, CO where I had planned to spend the night. Since they were closing for the day, I got in free, took several pictures and was gone.
Arrived in Cortez, CO about 2100(6-3, 6-8), pretty well exhausted after almost 40 hours on the road.
Leg 6.
After some well needed rest, I got up fairly early the next morning, gassed up (7-1, 7-1) and headed for UT. It was cold and after 15’ riding I stopped to put on heavier gloves. It got colder and 15’ later I stopped and put on the Kanetsu. Then I realized that I was ascending and actually at some 6500’ altitude - no wonder its cold and the rain is turning into snow...
I stopped in Price, UT for food (7-1, 7-2) and gas (7-1, 7-3) and continued toward Provo, Orem, Sandy and SLC. I had a wonderful ride thru the mountains on Rte 6. I was chasing a girl in a pickup truck who seemed to know the road and was traveling at a “spirited” pace, so I just followed her thru the twists and turns that the road made down the mountain - great fun!
Passed thru SLC, waving to my sister along the way and
headed for Evanston, WY where I found a truck stop (7-1,
7-4). I wanted to sleep for a few minutes,
so I went into the truckers lounge and set the Screamin’ Meanie for 1/2
hour. After that miserable thing went off, I shut it off and promptly went
back to sleep for another hour. Feeling somewhat refreshed, I got back on the
bike and headed for ID and WY, pretty much along the same interstate I had just
traversed. I have only been to ID once before and thought the state was
beautiful. This trip confirmed my initial impressions, except that it was
raining 
This one missed me...
But this one got me.
So, same drill - zip up the ‘stich, fire up the Kanetsu and keep on keepin’ on.
Gassed up at Idaho Falls (7-2, 7-5) and headed to W. Yellowstone, WY. I’m in the mountains again and the rain is trying to turn to snow again. It’s cold and as I left the gas station, the Kanetsu stopped working -what’s with this? I stopped by the side of the road, fiddled with the wiring a little and got it to work again. I didn’t know what was wrong but at least it was working.
Got into W. Yellowstone shortly after a traffic accident had occurred, so police and firemen were all over, directing traffic, caring for the injured, etc. Got a little bit of gas (7-2, 7-6) and asked the attendant where a good place to eat was located. He directed me to the Three Bears Restaurant where I had soup and salad (not documented). I started heading back toward Idaho Falls, but this time the Kanetsu stopped working entirely and I couldn’t get it working again, so it was a pretty cold trip. I stopped at a gas station/C-store in Rigby to fiddle with the wiring again, but to no avail - no heat.
My original plan was to stop in Twin Falls, ID for the night, but because of the electrical failure, I called it a night at the Super 8 in Pocatello, ID (7-2, 7-7) As I was checking in and talking with the night clerk, he mentioned that there were two other guys there last night doing the same ride as I was. They wanted to avoid the snow and took a different route. Never did figure out who they were.
Leg 7.
After a short night, I left Pocatello, headed toward Twin Falls and NV.. Gassed up in Twin Falls (8-1, 8-1) and at Wells, NV (8-1, 8-2). I had never ridden in NV before and the roads were well maintained, fast and fun. There were some Harley riders at the truck stop in Wells, but they pretty much ignored me and I them. The NV speed limit is 75 mph, so I set the speedo at 90 mph (indicated, 83.5 mph actual) and cruised across the state. Gassed up at Battle Mountain, NV (8-1, 8-3). About 50 miles later in Winnemucca, NV I turned north off the interstate onto Rte 95. 30 miles from Winnemucca, I turned onto Rte 140 and saw this sign:
Practically in the middle of this gas-free zone, there is a road crew repairing the road and a detour around their work. They had to know someone pretty high up to get that plush assignment....
Yes, I did go into the mountains in the distance.
Gas at Denio Junction was an experience. It was a combination bar, restaurant and gas station (premium only), there was only one pump, they took no credit cards and you sometimes had to wait your turn before you could pump gas (8-1, 8-4).
As you left Denio Junction there is another sign indicating that there is no gas for another 81 miles, so it’s a good thing to fill up here.
Rte 140 eventually ends up in OR and I stopped at the first town in OR for a break and something to eat. I walked into the “restaurant” to the smell of rancid cooking oil and immediately knew that I wasn’t going to eat anything they cooked here, so bought a candy bar instead (undocumented).
On the 4 Corners Tour last year, the very first person I saw in OR had a plaid-on-plaid outfit, unshaven, tattoos and piercings and looked sinister. It wasn’t a very good first impression of OR. This time, as I was waiting for the clerk to get me the candy bar, in walks another fine specimen of OR humanity - young guy, barefoot (in a restaurant?), dirty, rasta dreadlocks, looks like he hasn’t seen a bath or shower in a week or so, torn baggy shorts with a hole in the rear so you can see his underwear. That confirmed my impression that OR people are simply WEIRD!
But Rte 140 is pretty and scenic and I head on down the road, finally getting into Klamath Falls, OR about 1800 (8-2, 8-5). As I was getting gas, I asked the attendant how to get to I-5, the N-S interstate that runs up the left coast from Mexico to Canada. In so many words, he told me that I couldn’t get there from here - I would have to go SOUTH some 70 miles to get onto northbound I-5. Since I had to document CA, I decided to go to Dorris, CA to see what I could get as a receipt - heck it was only 15-20 miles. Got to Dorris and found an open grocery store which had an ATM. Took out $40 and got the receipt (8-2, 8-6). CA done.
Back to Klamath Falls where I took a wonderful, wonderful road - Rte 140 - thru Winema National Forest. This road might have made my list of Top 10 Roads in America had it not been for the ridiculous 55 mph speed limit which I’m told the police rather rigorously enforce.
At any rate, I tool up the interstate for as long as I can and call it a night at Roseburg, OR (8-3, 8-7). I’m getting pretty excited by this point because I know that if I can get to Prince George, BC by Thursday night, I can get to Hyder by sometime Friday and the 48+ will be complete.
Leg 8.
So, I get up reasonably early and start heading north on I-5. Got gas at Eugene, OR (9-1, 9-1) and proceeded to get lost in Portland - did get a chance to see a little bit of Portland State University, though. I was getting a little hungry and stopped at Denny’s as soon as I got reoriented (9-1, 9-2). I wish I had looked at the map a little closer, because I could have gone about a mile further and eaten in WA instead of OR.
Started running into traffic around Olympia, WA and some heavy construction traffic from Federal Way (where I got gas (9-1, 9-3)) almost to Renton, WA. This heavy traffic would not let up until almost Everett, WA and I estimate that I lost at least an hour in this mess. Can’t imagine dealing with that on a daily basis.
Finally cleared the traffic and got off the interstate at Bellingham for a slow ride up Hwy 542 and Rte 9 to Sumas, WA where I would cross the border into Canada. Topped off the gas tank in Sumas (9-1, 9-4) because I was certain that gas would be more expensive in Canada (it was) and I didn’t know where the next gas station would be. Crossed the border into Canada about 1600 with a little hassle- the customs guy made me go into the Immigration Office and answer some questions, but they let me into the country and I was free to go.
As you enter Canada from Sumas, WA, you go thru some industrial areas, but the road generally follows the Fraser River thru some of the most scenic areas of the entire trip - giant towering mountains on one side, a large, rapidly flowing river on the other.
By this time, I’m entirely dependent on the GPS because I haven’t traveled in this part of the world before. I just kept on going down the road. Stopped for gas at Cache Creek (9-2, 9-5) and later at Williams Lake (9-2, 9-6). It’s getting dark out now and I’m a little concerned about traveling this highway at night because of the number of animals on the road - LARGE animals -like moose and bears. So, after Williams Lake, I decided that I wouldn’t be the pioneer here and simply picked up a truck or car going in my direction and followed them about 100-200 yards behind. I figured that if something was going to jump out of the woods, it would hit them before me. Apparently the strategy worked because I didn’t see anything to cause any alarm, although this segment of the trip caused a major increase in the pucker factor. The weather was chilly but not too cold - not that I could do anything about it anyway - the Kanetsu had given up the ghost and wasn’t working at all.
About 10 miles before Prince George, police had blocked off the road. There was an accident ahead and they were rerouting traffic onto a logging road - dirt of course - and heavily rutted from the passing of many, many large trucks. The dust was flying and I can’t see anything. On top of that, the trucks are still running, stirring up even more dust. We finally arrive in Prince George and I checked into the Days Inn about 0130 local time, exhausted (9-2, 9-7).
The Final Leg.
I leave Prince George reasonably early, excited that I’m on the final leg, but still aware that it’s 400+ miles to Hyder.
Gassed up at Vanderhoof (9-3, 9-8) and again at Smithers (9-3, 9-9). The weather is reasonably comfortable wearing the Kanetsu even without the benefit of electrical heat
The only real glitch of the entire trip occurred at Hazelton where what looked like this in MS Streets and Trips:
Turned into this on the GPS:
Instead of following the red line - the PAVED road, the GPS led me to the other side of the river - the purple line - and a DIRT road - 21.5 miles of dirt road to be exact. Huge pucker factor here because if I had fallen or gotten a flat, no one would have been able to find me. But, we got thru it in good shape and Tigress is getting used to being an 800# dirt bike.
Finally got back on the paved road and enjoyed the scenery. Saw plenty of bears - black ones, brown one, big ones and little ones. I didn’t want to stop to take pictures of the bears and left them to their own devices. Saw a few eagles scanning the terrain for meals. It looked like it had been a late spring here because all of the rivers and creeks were full to over flowing and rushing rapidly down to wherever they go. As I got closer to Stewart, there was snow on the ground in places and Meziadin Lake still had ice on it. One person I talked to in Hyder had been coming there for 10 years and had never seen ice on that lake before.
As I made the turn from Hwy 37 to 37A at Meziadin Lake, it started to rain and I made the final 50 miles to Stewart and Hyder in the rain. At that point in the journey, I really didn’t care - I just wanted this thing to be over.
One thing that did stick out on this final leg was seeing my first glacier:
And at 1845 on May 25, 2007 I got my final receipt at the Sealaska Inn in Hyder, AK (9-3, 9-10). All 49 states covered, documented and ridden in 9 days, 10 hours and 56 minutes. To cap off the entire ride, I had the legendary Ron Ayres sign my witness form.
The end of a fantastic voyage.
Hyder-Seek and the ride home...
Hyder-Seek was fun - there were a LOT of bikes from around the country and a lot of rock stars riding them.
Met up with Alan Leduc from Indiana - I had seen him earlier at Moonshine and told him I was going to do the 48+ and would see him in Hyder. He was headed for Prudhoe Bay and (I think) an Ultimate Coast-to-Coast (Prudhoe Bay to Key West)
Went to the Seafood Express on Saturday for lunch. It’s a bus converted to a “restaurant.”
This was their first day of the season and the operation was still a little rocky, but the food WAS good. I spent a lot of time talking with Bob from Oregon. He is a retired pharmacist and was having a ball. I think he rode a Gold Wing because he had his wife with him. At that time he was a little burned out talking about motorcycles and we discovered that both of us were sailors as well. Bob had built a boat and sailed it on the ocean.
The gal on the far left in the picture above is Marilyn Makepeace from California. I talked a little with her as well. She is a retired underwater photographer and rode a Harley (with straight pipes - ugh) She admired the LD riders, but said she couldn’t do more than 400 miles on any given day.
This is the General Store in Hyder:
You can buy all sorts of gift items - hats, shirts, stickers, etc. - as well as basic supplies there.
Here is where most of the riders stayed: King Edward Motel in Stewart, BC
This is the main part of the hotel - breakfast area to the left on the first floor. My room was immediately to the left of the phone pole and my bike is the one with the blue cover facing forward. I’m in the parking lot for the hotel annex. This is what the annex looks like from my room:
I left Hyder on Sunday morning, having to wait a bit until the gas station opened up. Weather was still overcast, but not too cold (as if it was going to make a difference - futzing with the wiring on the Kanetsu didn’t help and I was still without heat.
Some pictures from the trip back:
I returned to Prince George for Sunday evening, but stayed in a different motel - by this time, a bed is a bed is a bed and this motel was about 1/2 the price of the Days Inn.
Monday took me to places I had been thinking about since the
beginning of the trip: Jasper and Banff National Parks in the Canadian Rockies.
I had heard that they were spectacular - some think they are even more awesome
than the American version - and they are incredible. 
Some of these pictures I took left-handed while driving, so the focus may be a bit off. They should make a left-handed camera....
I rode with two others guys for a time - one on an ST1300 like mine and the other on a red PC800. They were doing about the same pace as I was, so there was some safety in numbers.
Simply awesome - pictures cannot do the scene justice.
I spent the night in Canmore, Alta and crossed into the US at Sweetgrass, MT.
Here’s a little quiz:
Looking at the picture above, is this:
1. Montana
2. North Dakota
3. South Dakota
4. Nebraska
5. Kansas
6. It doesn’t matter, they all look the same.
Bonus question: In what direction am I traveling?
1. North
2. South
3. East
4. West
5. It doesn’t matter, they all look the same.
I had been watching some thunderstorm activity in the east for several hours. I knew that when I got to Shelby, MT I was going to turn east and I was a bit concerned that those storms were going to be severe. I stopped at the Visitors Center in Shelby and a very cute gal helped me logon to the Internet and see exactly what I was getting myself in for... rain, rain, and more rain. Did I mention that associated with the rain were 15-30 mph crosswinds?? She also gave me a nice bag of goodies - aspirin, Tylenol, throat lozenges and a Gillette Quattro razor (not that I needed it after almost three weeks of not shaving...)
I had originally planned to stop at Malta, MT, but with the wind and rain, I called it quits at Havre. Gambling is legal in MT, so practically every wide spot in the road has a casino. I found a nice motel and checked in. The clerk was very accommodating and gave me a downstairs room just a few steps from the door. After a good meal courtesy of the casino across the street, I checked e-mails, wrote some replies and went to bed.
The weather had cleared up a little bit when I got up the next morning, but it was still chilly enough to want the Kanetsu on, even without the electric heat. Today makes about 6 straight days of riding in chilly temperatures (i.e. less than 60 degrees) and I’m looking forward to warmer weather. Seems I’ve been stuck under a slow moving low pressure system that is going east about the same speed as I am. Finally at Wolf Point, MT I saw a Yamaha/Honda dealership and figured that if anyone could diagnose an electrical problem - they could - so I stopped and asked for some help. The (only) tech there helped diagnose the problem right away - the connection between the bike and the jacket (the dongle) had gone south. There was power from the bike and a complete circuit in the jacket wiring, but no power on one side of the dongle. Since I’m planning to stop at Aerostich in Duluth, I’m hoping that they have a dongle in stock.
As I went thru Glasgow, MT I saw the motel I stayed in last year on the 4 Corners Tour. I remembered the two constructions zones just east of town where they had pilot cars and construction crews working. Sure enough, the construction zone was still there and they were STILL working on the road in practically the same spot!!!
By the time I got to Williston, ND, it had started to rain pretty hard. I wanted to get to Minot, ND for the evening to stay somewhat on schedule, so I pressed on in the rain. Got to Minot, ND and stopped at a Days Inn where my luck with motel rooms continued - first room off the lobby. I immediately got out of my wet riding clothes and spread them out everywhere to dry. I was a little hungry but didn’t want to go out again, so I ate the granola bars that were in the goodie bag from the Visitors Center.
It was still raining when I left Minot the next morning but stopped by the time I got to Rugby where I stopped for breakfast. Any LD motorcycle rider worth his salt knows where Rugby, ND is - it’s the geographic center of the North American continent.
and the stop for many a rally....
By the time I got to Grand Forks, ND, it was actually starting to get warm and for the first time in days, I put the Kanetsu away and enjoyed riding in warm weather again. Riding across northern Minnesota was most enjoyable with all the lakes, the smell of the pines and meandering country roads. I arrived in Duluth, MN about 1900 and found an Econo Lodge next to a Texas-something roadhouse that looked pretty good. Unfortunately, my motel luck had run out – middle-of-the-motel room on the second floor, so I trudged my stuff up to the room, got unpacked and headed over to the Texas-something and had a real meal - steak, salad, rolls, butter, everything.
The next morning I headed for Aerostich - the mecca for many a long distance rider because they make one of the very best riding suits available and have just a ton of stuff for riding. They also were kind enough to put my picture in their catalog. They did have the dongle in stock and I bought it along with a replacement shield for my helmet - mine was getting pretty scratched.
Got out of Aerostich about 0930 and headed across the bridge to Wisconsin. I had mixed emotions about this final day of my journey - it had been a GREAT ride, I accomplished my goal of 49 states in 10 days and seen the Canadian Rockies - but I was tired of sleeping in a different room every night and wanted to sleep in my own room in my own bed.
Traffic was relatively fast along both Hwy 53 and I-90/94. I stopped for gas in Rice Lake and at Lake Mills. There were only a few idiot cage drivers on the road (surprising for a Friday afternoon...) and I made it home in good time.
Got to the Red Rooster about 1700 - the final stop after all of my LD trips - and enjoyed an “adult beverage” to celebrate a safe and successful journey.