US-89 Day-10 "Traveling Across Bone Jarring Wisconsin"

I woke and took advantage of the camp showers at the Eagle Cliff Campgrounds. As I paid on the way out, Tina (fabricated) the cashier told me that the campground had lost 50 trees on Tuesday when a tornado came through. I was sure glad that I was not camping last Tuesday in my tent. 

I decided to take scenic roads through Wisconsin From La Crosse to Beloit, and I was glad I did. I saw some amazing landscapes, which were overall the best on the trip. The problem with the Wisconsin ride was the roads were terrible. There was a crack about every 10 feet.  Great landscapes and poor roads made an odd combination. I really liked the La Crosse area. Nice hills and limestone cliffs with many trees.

I encountered many Amish carriages during my route, starting from La Crosse to about the Madison area. I saw one Amish farmer jump off his carriage and run over to a pay phone to make a call. I saw another farmer plowing his field with a two horse team. Amish boys in their yards would wave to me as I rode by. 

At one point at the end of County Road V, after a 20 mile run I needed to get some gas. I pulled up to the pump and noticed that it did not take credit cards. So I go in to give them my credit card and the lady says “I do not want your card yet, just go fill your tank and then come back in and pay. We trust you.”.  I told her that she was about the only one in the country that did based upon my gas station experiences. I went out, filled up the tank and went back to pay. As she was cashing me out I said “I can tell I am back in Wisconsin.”.  She says “Is that a good thing?”  I say “You bet”. 

I cross the river in Beloit and then arrive at my final destination at about 3:30 PM. I check the odometer at 4,051 miles and declare it a good ride. It is time to clean the bike and plan for the return trip.

US-89 Day-9 "Wind, Wind and More Wind in South Dakota"

I woke at the hotel at Murdo, South Dakota at 8:00 and force myself out of the bed. I was still very tired from the 12 hour ride from the day before. I had breakfast and looked at the Tesla charging stations with a family of 4.  There was now a Tesla actually charging and making quite a bit of noise. The family and myself must of looked like stunned bunnies just standing in the parking lot staring at the Tesla charging.  The dad turned to me and said “safe travels”, as he jumped in his car and left.

I once again started East on the 90. The wind was wicked and continued to be so for 5 hours straight. The wind must have been gusting to 40 miles per hour. The wind was  hitting my 2 o’clock position.  You  literally had to throw your shoulder into the wind. Also bad was the whiplash I was getting from the wind whipping my head. The wind would snap your neck around. There were major gusts that would blow me into the other lane, so I constantly had to see if anyone was coming so I could really focus on stabilizing the bike. There were constant indications of major storms in the horizon. I thought for sure I was going to get rain, but rain never came.  The wind did a real number on the bike when it came to trucks. I have passed millions of trucks in the wind. You always lean into the wind before the truck and then the truck blocks the wind and then then you once again lean into the wind.  Today was different for some reason. When passing the truck wind from the direction would pull you into the truck.  I had several very scary points were I thought I was going to be pulled under the wheels of the truck. 

I decided to camp in Lanesboro, Minnesota and pulled into an independent camp ground called Eagle Cliff Campground, where once again I am the only tent camper in the park.  There are some RV campers in the other parts. Nice and quiet once again. The area is beautiful as there are limestone cliffs and a small river running by. A number of people are kayaking down the river. Very pleasant area. I pulled into the campground about 5:00 PM.