Rice Lake, WI – Watertown, NY
Sun June 3
(~1112 miles)
We rolled out of our beds as if the alarms were a fire drill, pulled on pants and boots, gathered the few items we hadn’t wanted to leave outside, and hauled ass out to the bikes. I made a return trip inside to get ice for the thermos and grabbed a few sips of coffee in the scantly provisioned breakfast room, which the hotel had opened early for us. Downed an Ensure shake with fig newtons and was ready to go. We had kick-stands up right on time by 05:30.
We all felt better after the few hours rest, and the weather was all clear sailing for now. I tried to take in some of the Wisconsin farmland countryside as we continued south on US-53, but must admit that lack of coffee kept my senses dull for a while after getting started and I took no photos. We rejoined the interstate system on I-94 just past Eau Claire, and soon after made a fuel stop in Black River Falls. The remainder of Wisconsin seems (now) to have passed by fairly quickly, and our next fuel stop was a mandatory one in Roscoe IL (actually anywhere in Illinois would have done). The main topic of our conversation turned toward whether we would be able to shoot straight through Chicago on I-90, or if we would need to detour on a loop highway to avoid any heavy traffic, etc.
Traffic certainly began to get thicker as we neared the big metropolis but that also meant more rabbits to follow and we continued to make good time. As decision time approached, we had three different GPS devices and traffic sources competing on the different bikes, trying to figure things out. Eventually we agreed to “trust Waze” and ended up staying on I-90 all the way through without any real delay. Our last major milestone behind us, I think we all relaxed a bit mentally. There was still some weather to face up ahead at the far end of the lakes, but it was pretty much gas n go from here on out.
My EZ-Pass didn’t appear to be working in Indiana either, so at the Ohio line, I stopped to get a ticket. There was a bit of a line and the other guys zipped on through. Several minutes later, after I finally got going, I picked up a phone call from Marc saying they’d meet me at the pumps in the next service plaza, which was also the next scheduled fuel stop in West Unity OH. I picked up the speed to try to make up the gap. When I arrived, I didn’t see them around so proceeded to fill up my tank, thinking they’d moved on ahead after waiting around too long. OK maybe they figure we’ll meet back up ahead. I quickly got back on the turnpike and called Ken.
Turns out those jokers were back at the service area taking a break and eating some lunch! Being a toll road, there was really no place to pull over and wait or easily exit without paying tolls – besides, we’re all going to the same place in the end. “OK, whatever see you up ahead at the next stop.” Our next (mandatory) fuel stop was in Cleveland. As I got near the city I called Ken again to warn him of some tricky construction lane divisions and we agreed to meet at the gas station, since they were running about 15 minutes behind me. I figured I could use a good stretch, use the restroom, etc. while waiting.
When I finally exited into Cleveland and made my way through some local streets to the Shell station that Roy had chosen for the stop, I was a bit…concerned with the area I found myself in. The station was hopping and let’s just say I don’t think gasoline was the only product for sale around there. Several buildings in the area looked in rough shape or abandoned and my hopes for a restful break while waiting for the guys pretty much evaporated. I got my fill-up and pulled to a corner of the lot next to a Wendy’s to wait them out. This reminded me of my experience arriving in Jacksonville late at night back in March of this year – I was still not in the mood to buy any shoes!
When I saw the guys coming up the road about 15 minutes later, they pulled in to the BP station across the street, which had a lot more empty pumps available. I mounted and shot over there, asking if someone would PLEASE come back across and watch my bike while I used the bathroom in Wendys!? While waiting for them to fill up, one local gentleman that I’d seen walking all around the area and who had approached the other guys already, came up to me.
“I am not a criminal!” he started off emphatically. “I’m just homeless and need someone to bless me…”
“Well, god bless you!” I exclaimed, barely able to hear him, and smiled, hoping that would end it.
He couldn’t help but grin, which was a real moment, but then continued a well-rehearsed spiel about taking the bus, getting a haircut, etc. I finally made it clear I could barely hear him and had nothing for him and he abruptly stopped the presentation and walked away.
OK, that’s enough of Cleveland for one day, let’s get going. The Wendy’s was disgusting and we all took turns using the restroom there while the others watched our bikes. We finally got moving again and I-90 was just a mile up the road. As we got back onto the turnpike, we ribbed Roy about his choice of fuel stop, which in fairness must have looked very convenient to I-90 when scouting things out on the computer.
As we finished out Ohio (they waited for me at the tolls this time) and passed through Pennsylvania, we turned our attention to the weather radar ahead of us. We were following behind the weather system, but gaining on it, so we buttoned ourselves up during our final fuel stop at the Pembroke Service plaza in New York. There was some concern about a reported delay through Buffalo, but it disappeared by the time we rode through, glad that we hadn’t made any detours this time.
We’d been hopeful through much of the trip that we might get back to Watertown in time for last call at Tully’s, to enjoy a celebratory beverage and maybe a hot meal. But we knew now we’d be arriving right at their closing hour so we needed to find another option. I rang up my wife and asked her to help find some hungry riders some sustenance – the guys all agreed pizza and a six-pack sounded efficient and delightful, and Char was kind enough to call in the order to a local Dominos for us, specifying an exact delivery time thus giving us time to finish the ride and get over to the hotel.
We hit some pockets of showers as night fell, but the main storm had already passed and the miles passed quickly on I-90 and then I-81 for the final stretch. We pulled in around 23:00, some 44 hours after leaving the same station yesterday morning. High fives all around and we picked up a six pack to go.
The Dominos guy pulled into the hotel lot as we were still unpacking, talk about timing! We lugged in our gear and cracked a couple Sierra Nevadas while shoveling in some hot food and coming down from our trip high. Everyone was interested in breakfast tomorrow at Crazy Ottos so we picked a time for departure and then headed for bed. Falling asleep was definitely not a problem.
Watertown, NY – Southeast MA
Mon June 4
(~374 miles)
I found myself lying awake before the alarm this time. Ken was up too, so we got going a bit early and had some more hotel room coffee to get things jumpstarted. The other guys were moving too, and we got the bikes packed up in a morning drizzle and got back underway, in much less of a hurry this time.
We hit some nice roads heading southeast toward Herkimer, routes 12 and 28 pretty much got us the whole way there. Breakfast was as good as we’d been imagining and nobody was shy at the table. The coconut french toast were delicious along with the huge handmade sausage patty with eggs and bacon.
The rain had tapered off and the weather looked to improve throughout the day. Roy and I split off from the other two at I-87 and continued east onto the Mass Pike. We then parted ways at the Lee service plaza, so I could get my EZ-Pass looked at. The service center at that plaza was closed so I stopped in at the Auburn location on the way home. They tested the transponder and said everything was working fine. Hmmpf.
This was a memorable trip, and I enjoyed the company immensely. Having three other similarly defective people in your head really makes the miles tick by effortlessly, and I’d join them again in a heartbeat for a future adventure. I was grateful for the additional experience travelling through Canada and look forward to more exploration north of the border.
Taking advantage of the IBA’s electronic submission and premier membership benefits, I sent in my trip documentation the next evening. Four days later, I received email confirmation that my ride had been verified and had my certificate within a week and a half or so – outstanding turnaround time and customer service by the IBA staff! I’ll be proud to add this certificate to my book.
Trip Stats:
Certification miles (GPS): 2479
Certification time: 44:09
Total trip miles: ~3257
Sleep time: ~3.5 hrs
Moose: 2
Pie: check
Laughs: countless