Hours of daylight – 11:15
I may have mentioned this in the past, but it bears repeating: spring and fall in Minnesota are the very best times to be here. This weekend reminded me just how lucky i’ve been over the past four+ years in that i’ve had the chance to experience the change of seasons a host of times.
Let me set the stage: crisp (40’s) mornings with flawless deep blue skies followed by bright, striking sunlight that, due to the season, never makes it overhead and thus is always casting dramatic shadows. I took the motorcycle out yesterday and rode for almost 300 miles.
Here are the stats from the GPS:
Trip: 291 miles
Max Speed: 81.7 mph
Moving Time: 5:42
Moving Avg: 50.9 mph
Stopped: 1:15
Overall Avg: 41.7 mph
I started out heading southeast down along the Mississippi eventually reaching Winona. From there i took the bridge across to Wisconsin and headed back up the Mississippi on the opposite side. However, north of Fountain City, i took the oddly named “88” almost due north. I say oddly named because in Wisconsin county roads are given letters, state and federal roads have numbers. However 88 is much more like a county road in that it’s very twisty and not all that well maintained. Plus it’s not on my GPS basemap.
That all being said it is a pretty amazing road to take on a big motorcycle. It twists and turns and slowly ascends through the eastern face of the Mississippi valley. Grazing holsteins and small farms with red barns dot the hilly countryside. Large tracts of pine on hillsides give way to explosions of reds and golds. The trees seem lit from inside. It looks more like Vermont than Vermont looks like Vermont.
Being more tired than i probably should have been i rode conservatively in the majority of the turns. I tried to remain aware of two very dangerous road hazards: sand and pebbles from the shoulders that had found their way onto the road surface AND the ocasional cow turd/muddy hoof prints left when a herd crossed the road. I did push it a couple of times, dragging the inside foot peg as i leaned the bike hard, but nothing all too spectacular.
Eventually 88 climbs up the side of a ridge and, once crested, opens up a spectacular vista then plunges down the other side with a rapid sequence of very sharp twisties with no guard rail. I embarrassed myself a couple of times by grabbing at the front brake while in a turn. That’s bad. Like i said, i was not riding at my best. It’s always best to slow before a turn. I managed to kick the bike into a lower gear and let the engine handle the majority of my inertia. The big Victory handles like a sport bike, but it’s heavy. It feels nimble right to the point where you let it get ahead of you…. and at that moment you’re reminded just how heavy, i.e. just how much inertial mass, the vehicle has. Like a sporty airplane it is crucial that the pilot/rider stay ahead of the vehicle.
Once down the other side i passed three bikes headed up. I must have looked a bit spooked or more hunkered down than usual because the lead guy, on a Buell, gave me a BIG smile and a thumbs up as we passed. I took this to mean “congrats, newbie, you made it.”
Having started my trek north quite a ways east of home i ended up joining i94 at Menomenie, Wisconsin: 54 miles from Saint Paul. I joined the westbound parade on the interstate at a brisk 75 on the GPS…. not a style of riding i find relaxing. Not sure what it is, but the Victory doesn’t feel all that good at high speeds. It feels solid, but nervous. It reminds me of my first single kayak – a kayak i eventually sold for one i like much much better. At speed it seems to say “pay attention to me… i’m unpredictable.”
The interstate, however, proved uneventful as i blasted along. I let the bike do it’s little “weavy-weavy” on the stretches of grooved pavement. I passed when i felt like passing and dropped in behind slow cars when i felt like it and arrived home in one piece.
Today looks pretty much the same as yesterday, but i don’t feel the need for another 300 mile ride. Maybe just a little ride…. North this time…..