[ST] Trip report (long)

["Pete Berg" <peteberg@xxxxxxxx>]

This week I returned from a 2,960-mile road trip.  My original plan to take
three weeks and ride from Detroit to California turned out to be unworkable
for a number of reasons.  I ended up with a one-week plan to ride in a loop
taking me as far west as Wyoming.

My ?99 Sprint ST performed almost perfectly, without any major problems.
The trip was accident-free (thank goodness), and drop-free.  The minor
problems were a troublesome chain that required frequent adjusting (time to
replace it?), a Thottlemeister that slipped most of the time, and a fuel
leak (the well-publicized ST fuel sender problem?).  Average MPG was 46.0.
It would?ve been higher, had it not been for the gas leak.  The maximum MPG
was 53.5.  The minimum was 42.8, when I was headed directly into a serious
all-day wind.

I packed up the ST and left on Sunday morning, September 16.  The ride up
I-75 through the lower peninsula of Michigan was fairly unremarkable.  Then
I had my first of many Ahhh experiences.  As I rode over the five-mile-long
suspension bridge, underneath me the Straights of Mackinac were vivid blue.

Immediately after the bridge is the eastern-most point of U.S. Highway 2.
Here is where I started heading west.  I remained on 2 almost to Montana.

The western Upper Peninsula and parts of Wisconsin is where the riding
became more fun.  The terrain consists of gentle rolling hills and curves.
In parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota, the road surface is red.  This was new
to me.  Here in Michigan we have gray concrete.  I guess the rock that is
indigenous to some states colors the concrete so it looks like terra cotta.
When I asked a kid at a gas station in Minnesota about this, he replied
?What red roads??  Sometimes we?re too close to our environment and what?s
unique about it escapes us.

In Duluth, Minnesota, I took a slight detour to visit the
Aerostich/Riderwearhouse store.  This is where my Aerostich jacket came
from.  If you?ve ever seen their catalog, you can appreciate what it?s like
to be a kid in a candy store.  They are one-stop shopping for the
long-distance motorcyclist.  Visit them on-line at www.riderwearhouse.com.
This was only my second day of riding, and already the muscles in my lower
back were getting sore.  I purchased a ?kidney belt? and this proved to be a
wise investment.  It straightens your back out and allows you to accumulate
more miles per day.  Someone at the 2000 ST Rallye first told me about
these.  It really helped.  By the way, I noticed a photo of Eric Sheley?s
Union Jack ST pinned to the bulletin board.  Eric, it must?ve been a long
ride from Florida to Duluth  . . .

Near Poplar, Wisconsin was my first (and only) encounter with law
enforcement.  A sheriff pulled me over for speeding.  Fortunately, he let me
go without a ticket.  But he lectured me at great length about the stupidity
of passing him.  (But Officer, there was a semi in front of you, and you
were both in the slow lane, and I used the passing lane . . . )

Eastern North Dakota was straight, flat, and on a hot day, buggy.  I was
beginning to doubt the wisdom of my route selection.  After spending the
night in Minot, I debated whether to cut my westward travel short.  I?m glad
I didn?t.  Highway 2 became interesting west of Minot.  I headed into
beautiful rolling hills, smooth curvy roads, hay bundles dotting the fields
in random patterns, and the sun rising behind my back.   Then I hit pea-soup
fog.  For the next 45 minutes, visibility was really bad, at times no more
than 20 feet.  After the fog broke, it turned into a clear, sunny day.

Something I?ve never encountered in southeastern Michigan is cows in the
middle of the road.  On southbound U.S. 85, I rounded a curve and there were
two cows who had liberated themselves from the adjacent pasture.  They were
just standing there, and looking at me blankly, as if to say, What?s the
problem?  I gave them a toot of the mighty (wimpy) ST horn, and went around
them.

For me, motorcycling nirvana was western North Dakota (including Theodore
Roosevelt National Park), and the Black Hills in South Dakota and Wyoming.
This was my first time out there.  The weather was perfect, there was
virtually no traffic (being off-season), and the roads and scenery are what
we as motorcyclists live for.  The nice thing about the western states is
the wide-open spaces, panoramic views, and the opportunity to safely crack
open the throttle.

I was treated to numerous wildlife sightings early Friday morning.  At 7:45
a.m., on my descent from Mount Rushmore, there was a herd of white mountain
goats on either side of the road.  Then, soon after, I encountered dozens of
wild turkeys, and deer.  Later in the morning, a herd of wild mules was
hanging out near the road.  I putted along at 15-20 mph, trying not to scare
any of these magnificent creatures.

One of the things I enjoy about traveling solo is people seem more willing
to talk to you.  One instance was at a rest stop along the interstate in
Minnesota.  The custodian, an old-timer, asked ?They still make those
motorcycles??  (?Motor sickles? was how he pronounced it.)  So we had a nice
chat about Triumphs.  It wasn?t until my last two days of travel when no one
seemed to want to engage in conversation with me.  I suspect it had
something to do with the weather: highs around 50 (Fahrenheit), constant
rain, and high winds.  Anyone riding a motorcycle in this weather must be
crazy and too dangerous to talk to.

A final note: No matter where I was?-in cities, in remote rural farm towns,
or wherever--almost every restaurant I visited had a collection box near the
cash register for the Red Cross or the New York City Firefighters.  And
everywhere there were flags flying at half-staff.  The awful tragedy of
September 11 touched everyone.

I?ll have photos to post, as soon as the film gets developed.

- - Pete Berg
  Royal Oak, Michigan



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