North Dakota

Last weekend marked the end of another year chasing ducks and geese across the prairie potholes of northern North Dakota. In many ways it seems like the land that time forgot. The birds migrate more or less how they always have, following the water south to Arkansas and the Gulf of Mexico. The big mallards and drake green wing teal wait until the last water freezes up on the Canadian prairie. As long as the sago pond weed remains, canvasbacks will be on the canvasback sloughs, teal in the teal spot. Crops go in, crops come out, and the bar in town has its Thursday night steak fry to raise money for the city park.

Few things in North Dakota have more impact on the economy than water and The Farm Bill. Without crop insurance, too dry or too wet at any given point on the annual crop cycle could be disastrous to a farming economy. But, the right combination of  water and crop prices produce good times at the local implement and Ford dealerships. 

U.S. energy policy is installing windmill farms across the state. The county built a new high school just outside of town and a full service gas station went up just down the road. The old school in town is now apartments and there are some new characters to talk to down at the bar. 

The town is now connected up to city water because of the high nitrogen levels in the groundwater, a large and expensive undertaking. The number of deer tags issued by the state is down to half of what it was in 2010. Our good buddy Ron, son of an implement dealer, driver of combines, and town ambassador passed away last year due to health complications. Far too soon. You are missed buddy. I guess that's what happens when you keep coming back, year after year to the land that time forgot. 

The landscape is forever changing and intimately connected to the Bigger World. The ducks and landowners don't seem to mind the windmills. The people are thankful for the work and the out-of-towners seem nice enough (wind farm workers and duck hunters). 

I'm grateful for the hospitality of North Dakotans, for the ducks, and for my father-in-law and brother-in-law who chase birds and brought  me to this place. And for goose with cream and rosemary, roasted duck stuffed with sweet potatoes and pecans, jalapeno poppers, and Canadian whiskey.

- Ride North

Ravenna Trail Run

When it's 50 degrees (10C) and sunny on November 2nd you take the afternoon off and go for a motorcycle ride. This is just what is done when you ride north. It's the equivalent of heading to the local ski hill for a powder day. Make hay while the sun shines as they say.

I took the first road out of town, cruising down to Hastings Minnesota, a not so sleepy river town on the Mississippi. The Vermillion River cuts through town before heading south, parallel to the Old Miss. It's river valley is the northern most remnant of the Driftless Area's limestone and spring water bounty. 

Much of the river from Farmington to Highway 52 is a cold water trout stream, shifting in and out of  cold and cool water status whenever a new groundwater spring wells up into the river. (Cold water streams are the home of trout, pike and smallmouth bass love the cool water, catfish are found in warm water. Warm water streams have big swings in temperature from summer to winter while groundwater keeps a cool water a consistent temperature all year long, they don't freeze up. )

Ecology lesson aside, The Vermillion also topples over the limestone bluffs of the Mississippi River at the Old Mill Park in Hastings. Next time I stop, I'll have to look into the history of the building that sits over the falls. It houses a hydro electric plant and I'm curious if it's still operating.  

Vermillion Falls/ Old Mill Park in Hastings, MN

I took Ravenna Trail south out of Hastings and turned left into the Prairie Island Indian Community, home of a casino, several communities, farming, mining and a nuclear power plant. The Island is a section of high ground between the Vermilion's back waters and the Mississippi with a complex history (see the people's encyclopedia).

Just north of Red Wing I turned inland again, taking the back roads into Welch. The winding roads in and around Welch are Minnesota's northern most sections of bluff country. I often skip them on my way to Wisconsin, so the ride was more like discovering new roads than retracing my steps, a welcome addition.

Dutch Belted: Few hoof and joint problems, they produce milk that is easy to digest and take well to rotational grazing. Known for their longevity and hipster farmer cred. 

And some Scotties, which are cool too.

Cannon River tubing epicenter in Welch, MN, not much activity on November 2nd. 

From Welch, I took the dirt toads west towards Cannon Falls. Most of these roads are polished smooth by the back and forth trips of old school buses dropping off tubers and their coolers up river. It's a beautiful section of Minnesota road, when nobody is there. Tubing the Cannon id fun but get on the river before noon to avoid most of the drinking and shenanigans. Of course, all that is long gone by November.

the Cannon River

Miesville Ravine Park is the home to Trout Brook, a native brook trout stream.

note to self: go fishing. Take picture of a brook trout. Reread "Brook Trout: a Natural History" as punishment for your crimes.

The City of Miesville is home to the Miesville Mudhens, a AAAAaaaaaa league baseball team and the 2016 state champs! www.miesvillemudhens.com/

West of Miesville, new marble sized gravel has been spread across the road, making the conditions closer to riding on ice than sand. I may have broke 20 mph but not for long. My touring tires squirmed under the bike with every change in direction. "Go slow young man" was my mantra.

(Maps by Google, recorded via https://rever.co/)

I also took this opportunity to test drive a new smart phone app, Rever. The base maps were well labeled and it is really easy to start and manage new rides. I'll have to test is out on an all day ride to see how much battery it munches. Overall though, it was not bad. 

Nov 1st | 2:40 | 120 miles

- Ride North

Good morning America.

How are you?

Good morning St Paul.

- Ride North

Nostalgia and ice cream

I bought my first street bike in River Falls, Wisconsin. Some clever soul had parked a spray painted black, 1982 KZ550 in the lot on Main Street and Division. The three digit number on the for sale sign caught my eye immediately. A thorough inspection found that the seat cover and chrome were in good condition so a deal was made and I was on the road.

The bike would only start if it was parked in the sun. I have great memories of driving to work in North Hudson on sunny afternoons, then returning the next day to pick it up. It ran well enough for long enough to entertain the opposite sex on occasion, which was important. The woman who would later become Mrs. North was known to putt around town on it.

I took out a loan at the local Credit Union, these were very understanding people.

Today, memories drew their own purple lines on the GPS. My trip from St. Paul to Selma's ice cream parlor in Afton passed through River Falls and Prescott with a stop at Kinnickinnic State Park. I haven’t been on M and MM for years, I forgot how good they are. The fields and barns are all still there, only the farm dogs have changed.

Bob Ross was painting today.

The USGS crest gage on the Kinnickinnik River at County Road F. 

River Falls saw 5 inches of rain this weekend. 

Native prairie restoration.

Lake St. Croix, where the St. Croix river joins the Mississippi.

After all that, I did remember to stop at Selma's for a cone. Zanzibar in a sugar cone. I even found a new road out of town. Sometimes I'll take a road because I like its name. Any road named Indian Trail is worth a 180. I knew where it ended up but I didn't know it wound around some hills, wetlands and a small lake.

- Ride North

Good morning Saint Paul!

Poppa needs some quiet time.  

To that end, I’ve been taking the long, long way to work lately and squeezing in some much-needed exploration time. 

Mounds Park, St. Paul

Down Town St Paul from Dayton's Bluff

The Airway Beacon came many years after the Phalen case.

500 CCs to freedom!

 - Ride North

Road songs

Who knows where they come from? They just appear.

Oh Lord wont you buy me a Moto Guzzi.

My friends all drive Beemers and red Ducatis.

Ride through the corners across the country.

Oh Lord wont you buy me a Moto Guzzi.

- the Rooster

Oh Lord wont you buy me a Triumph that's blue.

My friends all drive Thruxtons and I'd like one too.

Ride through the city avoiding the bars.

If I had a Triumph, I'd know I'd go far.

- Ride North

Oh Lord, won't you find me a smooth curvy road.
Without any traffic so I won't be slowed.
My tires are scratchin' a twisted speed passion.
Oh Lord won't you find me a smooth curvy road.

- the Rooster

Todd and the Rooster somewhere in Arkansas  

Riding slow bikes on the super slab

5 tips for riding slowly on the 4 lane super slab

Sometimes you just can’t avoid the freeways and bypasses that dominate urban infrastructure. They are often the  only means of traversing a major metropolitan area, or in the case of Minneapolis/ Saint Paul, two. This, more so than our wide open landscapes, is why Americans love big motorcycles. It's a survival tactic. We need to cruise at 75 miles an hour and have enough left in the tank to accelerate out of harm’s way. (not the best technique, but it’s always good to have options)

What if you’re not the proud owner of a big-bore, bread for the American West, road burning machine. How do you safely navigate the distracted driving, boy racer, fun fest that is our highway system? This was the question I faced if I wanted to arrive safely, on two wheels, at a Memorial Day BBQ. I’m currently rebuilding (insert anything you can think of with 20 year old rubber components here) on the Trophy so my 38 year old, 500 cc Yamaha was to be the beast of burden.

The little bike will do 60 mph all day in comfort thanks to its counter balanced engine. It will even hammer down the road at 70 when asked. I just didn’t want join the race for pole position on this beautiful day. A nice relaxed cruise was called for, and the challenge of doing so safely sounds like fun to me. Below is a list of things I put together to help me stay safe at slow speed.

Good mirrors. One of the biggest hazards any slower-than-traffic vehicle faces is the rubbibn’ is racin’ amateur sprint cup driver. Know your enemy. Anyone who is overtaking you at a faster-than-traffic speed is not your friend. They will have a difficult time judging distance and the rate that they are overtaking you, they’re probably pre-disposed to tailgating as it is.

Choose your roads and times carefully. My go-to route for this particular trip it the interstate, 6-8 lane freeway. I just couldn’t bring myself to deal with that level of crazy. A quick look at Google Maps revealed that I could link up some secondary roads on the front and back ends of the trip and take the 4 lane, 55 mph Crosstown bypass instead. This road is almost always less crowded than the interstate.

Don’t push it. Your bike should be comfortable at 5 under and capable of 10 over when needed. Most freeways have a minimum speed limit for good reason. If your bike tops out at 50 mph don’t go bombing down a 65 mph road. The difference in speed between you and the truck fast approaching behind you is just too great.

Take advantage of other slow moving vehicles. (and even moderate traffic.) I worked this one out on the fly. Don't ride behind them, speed up and jump in front of them. Then settle into their pace after building up a cushion. Don’t tail gate! You stand a good chance of an approaching driver looking right through you and only seeing the car that you’re following.

Lane position. This is a tip I picked up from a commuter friend of mine. When riding in the right-hand lane, position yourself just right of center. It puts more room between you and the tailgating over-taker (if they are passing you on the left). I move around a lot in my lane, as the situation calls for it, but this took some getting used to for me. My default position is usually left of center, the idea being that I’m more visible. (If you're worried about visibility, I can't recommend high-vis yellow enough, or anything other than black.) 

I put these strategies into full effect and arrived to a nice, relaxing cook out at a nice relaxing pace. I don’t do a ton of this kind of riding but it’s good to have some of these tools in my toolbox when the situation presents itself. One of the funny things I found myself thinking is, “Wow, I’ve got this road all to myself, now I can ride slow!”

-          Ride North