Day 7 Sioux City,IA to Rapid City, SD

6/28/13

I drove 430+ miles today. That is equivalent to driving from Lowell, MA to Washington DC



View Day 8 in a larger map

The first 1/2 of this drive was awful.. The wind was wipping me back and forth. I was hunched over my gas tank most of the day and having to constantly be gripping the handlebars. This is now the second day in a row like this my shoulders are tense and tight, my neck is sore, and my wrists hurt from having to be gripping the handle bars securely waiting for the next gust of wind that I have to react to.... NOT FUN.... I can usually ride for atleast 90 miles if not 150 without getting off of my bike... I was going 30 to 40 miles and just getting off to relax (both yesterday and today)

2/3s of the way to the Missouri River I started seeing sign for the worlds only Corn Palace
 I couldn't help myself and I stopped in Mitchell, SD to get a look at whatever a corn palace is.. It turns out it is a giant building and the entire facade (exterior of the building) is made up of corn plant parts, either the stalks, the corn itself, leaves etc...

Whoops! I put it on the wrong day! Again here you go but in the correct spot this time...

Entire facade made of corn (excluding the bricks that are exposed on the bottom portionof the building)

After about another hour and a half from Mitchell, SD I started to approach the Missouri River... No bear in mind that literally the entire day has been going through flat windy farmland... and I mean flat.. I feel like you can see for days!! 

Notice the land is flat

Suns going down... Still flat

Yup you got it... still flat

....and it's still flat.....

My neck was getting whipped around so much that I turned the video on myself Dont Mind all the bugs you see on my hemlmet, jacket etc... its just part off life.. Definitely don't breath through your mouth!! I try to ride with the visor up sometimes for air flow (it's hot) and I had a bug explode in my nose!! it was disgusting... I took my glove finger up to my nose to wipe anything away while making sure not breath in... It was a nasty sulfur yellow... ughhhh gross!!!!

I was so thankful my good friend Sean got me some bluetooth headphones cause I am pretty sure I would have lost my mind a long time ago on the road.. Especially with all this repetitive flat farmland... there are only so many corn palaces in the world to stop at to break up the monotony... :) How much more flat land becomes the question???

Eventually the road starts to climb slightly, and I am figuring like every other time I've climbed a slight hill that I am going to hit the crest and again I'll see miles upon miles of flat farmland... This time was different though! I crested the hill and all I could see is this river in the distance and the most amazing looking rolling hills! It was gorgeous.. Now I am not sure if it would have been as amazing if I hadn't been riding for over 2 days of basically flat farmland... Regardless, I thought it was amazing.. It was at this moment that everything changed! 

I cant find that portion of the video but here are a couple pictures from a bit past that...

Cattle grazing in the grasslands. The further west I went in South Dakota the more all of the land became just grasslands!! NO MORE CORN !!

As you can see in the right hand side there is rolling terrain that goes on for miles!!
It was gorgeous.. The shadows that were cast on the land were unreal!!

Thankfully I changed time zones and that bought me some more time before sunset.. Now where I am it is two hours early than what it is in Lowell, MA. 

I eventually got to my hotel in Rapid City as the sun was completely behind the mountains that are west of Rapid City... Biggest downside of driving west is that every afternoon the sun just gets more and more in my eyes as the day goes on!!

Day 6 Lacross, WI to Sioux City, Iowa

6/27/13
Distance traveled 370 miles.

Drove nearly straight across the entire state of Minnesota but instead turned south in order to go to Sioux City, Iowa... Funny thing is that I really meant to got to Sioux Falls but when I asked a man (Larry Potter) how much further to Sioux City he told me and had me follow him some of the way... Whoops I said Sioux City not Sioux Falls (Potato Patato) It was an extra adventure.... & an extra state I got to explore...

States I've been through- NH, MA, NY, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, IA

After crossing the Mississippi River I entered some hilly, heavly wooded areas along the river and for about 30 minutes on I-90... It didn't take long though for the terrain to completely flatten out and I entered mostly flat farmland... At this point the winds were unbelievable.. I had to lean my bike just to go straight and then a gust of wind would come and I would have to lean even more in one direction... then the gust would pass and I would have to lean my bike the other way to stop from getting out of my lane... I couldn't rest my hands by taking them off the handlebars at all.. too sketchy!!! 

After experiencing the wind I can see why there are wind turbines all over the place... 

I noticed while driving that there seemed to be a lot of brown, unplanted farmland where you could see the old stalks (stems) of corn plants from last years crops. I was wondering why these hadn't got planted with new corn plants this year??? Later on I did get the answer to my question from a man I met named Larry Potter who owns a truck stop out in western Minnesota.

Below is a short slightly edited clip showing some of the brown, unplanted cropland. Larry explained that it had rained nearly the entire month of may so the ground was so wet that they couldn't plant and by the time things dried out it was too late to plant corn.. Plus the ground consists of so much clay that when it dries up the soil becomes rock hard and the seeds cant sprout through it.

The rest of the drive consisted of very lightly rolling terrain (mostly flat) farmland either corn or grasses. Luckily the speed limit through much of Wisconsin and all of Minnesota on I-90 was 75mph and the flow of traffic was 85mph..Just trying to get through this state and on to more exciting terrain...

 Eventually I arrived in Sioux City... Once again at night fall...

Day 5 Milwaukee, WI to Lacross, WI

Distance 266 miles

From the eastern border of Wisconsin (Lake Michigan) to the western border (Mississippi River)

I noticed when I was driving through Chicago that my chain was so loose that it was rubbing against my tire every time I would turn one direction.... It was literally eating up the side of my tire. So before I left the Milwukee area I found a bike shop to fix the problem... All they had to do was extend my axle back (the axle is what holds the wheel/tire to the bike)...






After being stuck at the bike shop until about 1ish I hit the road and decided I should go through the Madison Wisconsin, the capital. On the way to Madison was a lot more farm land mainly corn, dairy farms, and wind turbines (giant fan looking structures that use the wind to make electricity).
To get to Madison I got off of  I-90 and got onto the state route SR-151 and then on SR-10. SR-151 was like driving on Daniel Webster highway (Pheasant Lane mall road at Christmas time... I swear I had to stop at every light and there were probably 20+ lights to get to Madison... The whole time I could see the giant state capital building, which is the tallest in the country.

I left Madison on SR-10 and drove towards Sauk City, WI. The majority of the ride was past farm land, mainly corn again..The terrain is rolling, no mountains around but definitely a bunch of rolling hills, and windy roads. By the time I hit Sauk City I was starving.. I prefer to stop at family run small restaurants... Why eat at a chain if I don't have too.. and thankfully I stopped here @ Turn It Luce because this is where I met Bob & Mary & i had fried cheddar cheese curds (basically taste like mozzarelle sticks but better)

Since I'm dressed like an astronaut I am a walking conversation piece.. It doesn't take long for people to realize I am not from around here.. Between my accent (I don't think I have one) and the camera strapped to my helmet I stick out like a sore thumb. Bob  & Mary gave me some great suggestions on roads to take and things to see.. Like taking the car ferry across Lake Wisconsin... and when I get to Lacrosse my end point for the evening he told me I had to get to Old Grandad Bluff which overlooks the Lacross, WI and the mighty Mississippi River.

So I took the ferry which was pretty awesome to be on and then rode through a bunch of farmland to meet up with Kelly who was camping out in Lodi, Wi. Said goodby and rode off through a ton of farmland to get back to I-90 westbound for Lacross, WI.

Thanks for the free ride! Crossed Lake Wisconsin on the ferry.

On the way to Lacross I passed the Wisconsin Dells which is mile after mile of indoor and outdoor waterparks.. I believe someone said there are over 60 in the Dells area.. I must have seen atleast 10-15 right from the highway alone.. but before and after the Dells I rode past farmland after farmland. Luckily the terrain isn't completely flat here like in parts of Indiana.

By the time I hit Lacross it was almost 12 at night.. Once again riding in the dark stinks.. Stopped to get food and went on Hotwire.com to find my hotel for the night. I learned early on to not book my hotel to early in case I didn't make it far enough and so I could make sure it was close to things I wanted to possibly see in the morning.

In the Morning I took Bob & Mary's suggestion ( Thank you both for the awesome conversation, suggestions & the map of Wisconsin). Old Grandad Bluff was awesome plus there was an awesome hidden gem of a reastaurant 3/4's of the way up the bluff.

Overlooking Lacross, WI and the Mississippi is in the background before the hills

Gotta Represent...

On the way down the bluff I stopped at the Alpine Inn Grill

for some food & refreshments..

Homemade Chicken Cordon Blue Niggets (filled with ham and cheese) :) 

I love Chicken Cordon Blue so I couldn't help myself

Off to Sioux City, Iowa now and once again I am not leaving town till after noon.. Gonna be a long drive again probably at night...

Oh the people you meet..... (Shout Outs to People/Places)

This trip has reminded me that... 

 everything you see and everyone you meet all have a story to tell....(all you have to do is want to know/ask)

there are so many great people in the world (despite what the news and newspapers show us)...

Whether it is....

- Leaving Niagara and stopping along the Niagara River Corridor Parkway and meeting this really nice guy who was on his motorcycle too... we talked for over a half an hour (Day 2)

-Riding through the grape country of NY & Pennsylvania and you see the abandoned old headquarters of Welch's Grape Juice Co. in Westfield, NY (Day 2)

-Meeting the lovely lady who works at the Johnson Estate Winery and after she found out what I was doing came running out to me to tell me that I had to drive up through the vineyards to get a great shot of the vineyards with Lake Erie in the background... FYI It was a sketchy ride on the dirt road (Day 2)

-Checking out of the Comfort Inn in Downtown Cleveland and talking about life and children with Sheila and another beautiful woman who were both working the front desk there. You were both awesome!! Keep on being amazing! (Stay active in the community they need you Sheila) (Day 3)

- Driving through Cleveland and seeing all of the remnants (remains of) all the steel factories - reminds me of why we should try to buy American made products when possible. (Day 3)

- Stopping to get postcards to mail out to all of you (Wang Students) in downtown Cleveland and I had no change for the parking meter :( Luckily I saw the Officer who was giving out tickets and we talked... He rocked! He put a blank ticket on my bike so that if another officer came by they would think I already got a ticket!! (Day 3)

- Going to Walmart to get a portable hard drive because my computer couldn't fit any more video (didn't think about that happening BUT I should have) & I ran into the SOULS OF MISCHIEF crew!!!
I don't think they were too thrilled when myself, dressed as an astronaut, approached them but they warmed up quickly! Thanks guys and have a great tour! (Day 3)

- after getting scared to death in an awful storm I stopped under a bridge.. When the storm passed I went to a truck stop and met a family who was at the truck stop with their kids because they lost power... You know your not in Mass or NH when a family goes to the truck stop for a night out when theirs no power... Obviously not a lot of stuff around there.. (Day 3 - Indiana- East of South Bend)

- Patrick & Reggie from the Days Inn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.. Patrick owns the hotel and he was working the front desk when I arrived. He was such a genuinely great person.. Super helpful, and caring.. When I wanted to go to the store he told me not to walk "that" way but go "this" way. I wanted to grab a bite to eat and he told me he would have Reggie give me a ride..  & Reggie - I think the best thing to say is "Reggie Rocks"!!! There are some people in life that go out of their way to care (Patrick & Reggie) and I was walking down the hallway when I first got there and Reggie beat me to saying hello & asking how I was doing.... At one point I was thinking about going to the store and he pulls out his keys and says you got it!! I'm rambling now so in closing Thank You ALL and tell that lovely young lady that was late to work to show up on time and then I'll give her a ride on the motorcycle!

Still to come 

-Man at gas station outside Madison WI
-guys at the Ducati Shop
-Mary & Gary of Sauk City
-Larry Potter of Minnesota
- hairdresser on Main St. Sheridan WY
- Ken Weber of Honda Valley Motor

...... more will be added and eventually a final video will be made

Day 4 Michigan City, Indiana to Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Going into this entire trip I promised my self I wouldn't ride at dawn, dusk, or at night.. too dangerous... Well I have found myself riding at dusk and at night too much... Everything takes longer on a bike... Every time I stop everything has to come of my bike unless I will be really quick or can keep an eye on my stuff... I've gotten better and quicker - I park near shopping carts in parking lots and put my stuff in... Went to return the external hard drive I bought becasue I forgot to look for whether it was compatable with a Mac..  It wasn't so....

to see where I am now click here

The weather took a turn for the worse so I stopped in McDonalds to let the storm pass and met a lady who gave me some pointers for going through Chicago. Skyway Highway and Lake Shore Drive here I come (after driving though South Side Chicago)

Chicago is Boston on steroids the skyline is just the first row of really tall buildings behind them there are more!! In addition Lake Shore Drive is similar to Storrow Drive but instead of 2/3 lanes it is 4/5 lanes (in each direction) and rather than looking at the Charles River, Lake Shore Drive overlooks Lake Michigan (which looks more like an ocean)








Unfortunately since I was not able to take all of the videos off  my video camera the night before the cameras memory filled up... So the next 2 1/2 hours were spent downloading the video onto my NEW external hard drive... 2 coffees / 3 waters and a sandwich later I was leaving Chicago and just made into Milwaukee Wisconsin by night fall.
In between the two cities I didn't have to look at as much corn fields and other crops.. but there were still  some... I did however pass an outlet mall and since I'm running out of clean clothes already I decided to stop and find my favorite store........

notice the Puma store in the background :)

Then it was off to Milwaukee... just made it into town by nightfall but I'm having some motorcycle issues. My chain is expanding so much that it is rubbing and ripping up the side of my rear tire.... Gotta find a shop tomorrow!

I met a lot of amazing people in Milwaukee between Patrick Reggie and Kelly its been a real awesome trip and I'm loving Wisconsin so far.










I'll add more later ( I know I am behind)

 As of writing this I am broken down at the base of the Rocky Mountains but my parts got overnighted (1 day shipping) from Texas to Sheridan WY so they should be arriving any minute now!!

Day 3 Met Hip Hop Legends

I went to Wal-Mart to get an external hard-drive because I ran out of room on my laptop already and I pulled in an met my legends in the Underground Hip Hop seen.

I grew up listening to Hip-Hop and all the goodies like Tribe Called Quest, Jurassic 5, Digable Planets, De La Souls, DJ Premier, Souls of Mischief.

So I park the bike and ran into the Souls of Mischief / Heiroglyphics crew. (Little did they now that this white boy (Mr. Potter) who looks like an astronaut in my gear still has their "93 till Infinity" album on tape.

This was an amazing moment.. and guess what they checked out my blog. :)

They have a new album that came out so they were on tour in Ohio and beyond

**Eventually I will have time to edit the videos and not have to keep throwing screen shots up**

93 till Infinty meets Coast-to-Coast

Day 3 Cleveland to Michigan City, Indiana

Cleveland, Ohio to Michigan City, Indiana (300 miles)

Click here to see where I am now

I planned for a lot and packed a ton of stuff but one thing I DIDN'T think about is data storage.... All of the videos I am shooting take up a lot of space on a computer. By the time I got to cleveland I couldn't fit any more video on my computer... So I stopped off at Wal-Mart to get an external hard drive to put all my videos on... and I'll have to get another one in a couple of days

Souls of Mischief/Heiroglyphics Crew (Walmart Parking Lot)

Plus someone dressed like they're going to the moon

Land:

Leaving Cleveland the land gets flat quick and all that is around is truck stops and corn. I know I told all of the 7th graders about how every time we eat corn we see it twice.... well I've seen my fair share of corn and it's only going to get worse from here... 

Weather: 

It was really windy because the land is so flat and there are no trees, hills, mountains etc.. to break up the wind and slow it down.. I was getting blown around a lot.. 

Then....

I was trying to make it to Chicago today but then this happened...

The sky blackened & I could see lightning. I pulled over to put waterproof covers on my bags but didn't have time to put my liners inside of my jacket and pants.. it takes about 10 minutes and never mind I cant take my pants off on the side off the highway.. At this point the wind is really wipping and I start to get poured on.. You could see the wall of water coming and then...

... I had to get to cover. I start driving
& I CAN'T see.. (The picture doesn't do it justice
because my visor on my helmet wasn't this clear..)  I was getting blown from one side of the lane to another and there are tractor trailers going by. At this point I am driving around 40 MPH and tapping my brakes so that people coming up behind me see me... I was praying for a bridge to be coming soon. I have been in a motorcycle accident and this was scarier (because I had to live this for about 10-15 minutes until I got to a bridge)

Walls of water carried by the wind gust would just hit me and sent me one way and then another... Was  definitely a sketchy feeling but then..... I got to a bridge and a bunch of cars pulled over behind me.. I was shaken up a bit.. This was the first point where I was like what am I doing out here...

Got under the bridge, relaxed and then started shooting footage.. as the storm passed (about 10-15 minutes after getting to the bridge) this is what I saw

The intense light from the lightning blinded my camera

 After the rain really lightened up I got back on the bike and headed for the nearest coffee shop (truck stop). When I got there someone asked me if I was out in that because there were 80 mile per hour winds... I told him I didn't really have a choice I had to make it to a bridge... Power was out in much of the area and tree limbs were down..

Next stop! Michigan City ( nearest place that has restaurants and hotels)