North Dakota to Montana

OK!  We traveled from Jamestown, ND to Glasgow, MT and spend the night at the Cottonwood Inn & Suites.  By the way, at this private owned hotel, you will also find a campground area/RV park for those that prefer to camp.  The hotel has a restaurant, indoor pool/spa and offers transportation.  They are expanding the property to include 22 more rooms for a total of 146 guest rooms and suites.


On our way to Montana, the temperature dropped about 23 degrees (we had to put on a windbreaker).  The view of The Great Plains is very relaxing and beautiful.  Of course it makes me sleepy, so I did sleep a little bit on the way.  Matt also started sleeping, but don't worry... we have a GPS!  LOL Just kidding!!!  The poor guy, slept like a baby last night!  It's amazing how many motorcyclists are out there this week.  We have met many of them; some on their way from New Hampshire to Sturgis in South Dakota, others from Maine and Michigan to Glacier National Park, and others just waiving on the way.


One thing that got me wide awake was to see a pick up truck loosing a wheel barrow on the highway just in front of us!   Thank goodness there was only light traffic and with a swerve to the right Matt got around it. Other than that, the journey was delightful, despite the downpour we got into.  The cumulus nimbus started towering and I started shaking! 


Here are some more pictures for your enjoyment…



 

North Dakota's floods

  





 

 

Break Stop

Heading to the downpour!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

Got Road?

Entering Fort Peck Indian Reservation









Just Pictures...

Got Traffic?  Yes, in VA!


 



There is always light at the end of the tunnel!



Lunch



Countryside in Minnesota



North Dakota



North Dakota

We started the day with a rain/thunderstorm.  I really thought we will have to stay another day in Minnesota, but Matt said it was a thing of a couple of hours, after checking the weather online, he made some changes on our schedule, and his prognostic was right... after 2 hrs of horrible weather, the sky cleared and we were on our way to North Dakota.


Thank goodness my wise husband decided to make reservations in the morning because EVERY single hotel was full!!!  People were looking for hotels all over the place in North Dakota without any success. 


We really enjoyed the ride from Minnesota to North Dakota.  It was so beautiful!  They say there are 10,000 lakes in Minnesota; well we could see at least 200 of them!  No kidding, here are some pictures I took on the way.


Enjoy it! J

Minnesota

This was a super hot day!  We were so happy when we entered Minnesota; the temperature dropped 15 degrees in less than 15 minutes!  After riding all day long under the blazing sun from Washington, IL, we were ready for the relieve we found in Minnesota.   Tomorrow we will be heading towards North Dakota.  I think we will have to deal with some rain once again.  But no worries, our rain gear is ready for action! J

Goodnight, and sweet dreams!

Second and Third Day of Our Journey

After spending a restful night in Burlington, NC, we had an early start.  First some time at the fitness center, then breakfast, checked out and on our way we were.  Thank you Stephanie!

We planned to reach Indiana but got caught by a rainstorm in Kentucky, and had to spend the night in a hotel about 200 feet away from the railroad tracks!  So, no more explanation necessary... Ok, we slept about a total of 2 hours!   Apart from that, the service at the hotel was great, offered a nice hot breakfast, and was very helpful and attentive to our needs. 

Today was a total different experience... it was a beautiful day, hot but beautiful!  We traveled on US 64 and 74 West.  We had some time of fog and humidity early in the morning, but shortly after, the day turned to be just splendid.  It made me sing "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it".  The contrast of the trees emerging from the fog was just a great picture to be painted!  Beautiful hills and valleys, farms and plantations plus a perfect blue sky, made a wonderful combination for any artist to get creative.  We had a really good time as we traveled.   I took some pictures along the way that will be posted tomorrow.

At lunch time we stopped at a restaurant in Indiana, where we met Fred and Carol from Bradshaw Farms, a lovely and very interesting couple from Illinois who love to travel and were curious about our adventure.  Thank you for sharing some of your experiences in farming with us!  It was really interesting.

We checked in at a hotel in Washington, Illinois and there we met another great couple from Michigan, Gerry & Leslie, who are on their way back home from a 5,000+ miles ride. This is one of the things we love the most when we travel... meeting people along the way, sharing experiences and spending some time together.  Many places we have visited have been suggested by these lovely people, and we continue in contact with many of them!  So, here we are ready for a real good night sleep, this time the hotel is located in the middle of a beautiful countryside.

Goodnight and sweet dreams to all!

Getting Out of the House!!!

WOW!  That was a challenge!  After almost a full day at work for Matt and so many preparations at home, we finally made it out of the house!!!  Thanks to our lovely neighbors Brian, Christie & Leah who are taking care of our pets (two dogs and a cat), and of course to our dear daughters Lissie & Aimee who will be around as well. 


We decided to get out on the road and ride for an hour (57 miles on I 40 West), just enough time to arrive before dark at the hotel in Burlington, NC.  After checking in at the Hampton, we went straight to the Outback for dinner.  By the way, the management and service at this restaurant is outstanding.  Two thumbs up for Stephen our waiter, and Outback's management... customer excellence at its best!  After a delicious dinner, we came back to the hotel to get a good night's rest so we can be ready early in the morning and continue our way up north.


Good night everybody...  'til tomorrow.

Almost Ready!

We have been very busy for the last three months.  Visitors from Europe and the Caribbean, weddings, birthdays, and new renovations to the house; have kept us busy but with our eyes resting on...  our well deserved motorcycle tour 2011!   

Okay... 

• New tires - done
• Oil change - done
• New outfit - done!!!

My husband is putting together everything we will need for the weather conditions up north, particularly, Alaska.  This includes, leather jackets, heated jackets and gloves, rain gear, plus the motorcycle cover and our laptop.  I'm taking care of things we will need to endure the hot weather and rain on our way up!  Hopefully, we will have nice, sunny days... hopefully!  

Everyone wants to know how we pack for such a long trip on only 3 saddlebags... this time we will need to pack for two different weather climates! To save space, we roll up the clothes very tight.  This way we have extra space to put the things we buy on the way.  If there is too much to carry, we just use USPS!!!  Usually we pack for four days and on the fourth day, we do the laundry at the hotel and keep on going for few more days with fresh and clean clothes.   We take a pair of sandals; our swim suit, sun block lotion, and our toiletries bag, containing very little makeup for me... pressed powder with UVA protection, lipstick and mascara.  Facial cleanser and moisturizer, razors, deo, perfume, and dental care will complete the package.  You will not believe how much you can put on those saddlebags!   

Yes!  Just couple of minutes, and we will be on our way!