I left Fountain City WI with my new strategy hot off the press. Stick to the big highways to cover ground fast. The issue in the US is that the distances are vast. Much bigger than even us Africans are used to. We tend to think of the miles as Kilometers whereas in fact each mile is 1.6 kms. So for every two miles you are in for over 3 kms.

Then in the US the non highway interstate roads have a speed limit of 55 mph which everyone sticks to religiously. This is a very god fearing country! Then as you go through each little town the limit drops to 35 mph and in some places 25 mph. And once again everyone slows down and trundles along. This is all well and good if you are in your Ford F150 with air conditioning, a soda in the drinks holder and a Big Mac in your right hand with Sirius FM on your sound system and all day to waste.

But when you are on a bike trying to get to Alaska, 4000 miles away. The outside temperature is 95 and humidity is over 90%, it is a bit trying. You go nowhere fast in this country at an average speed of 30 mph. On the other hand the big highways are nauseating as a motor biker because of all the traffic and in particular the big trucks “rigs as they are known here” So the trade off is small but interesting roads v highways. To get to Alaska and back in this decade it is going to have to be more of the highways, unfortunately.

The other thing I have realised very quickly is that there is no time to stop and look at every interesting thing that comes up along the way. There is so much of interest and each town and state tries as hard as possible to sell itself and their attractions. So everything is marked and aimed at pulling you in.

So my plan is only to have a few “big things” to see and do along the way.

So the principal aim of the trip is to get to Alaska to take part in an organised 10 day ride around Alaska and then back to Michigan – safely and in one piece. I have to be in Anchorage on 25 July to have my bike serviced and tires changed before the tour which starts on 28 July. You can see the details of this tour at http://www.motoquesttours.com

The tour finishes on 8 August and then I will head back for our house in Michigan. About 3800 miles. This will be about 14  days of riding but I figure at that point I will be Ultra Bike Fit. If not, the fall back is to have my bike shipped from Anchorage when I finish the tour and for me to call Inge to book a ticket for me to get back from Anchorage to Michigan.However I always prefer to finish off what I start so hopefully it will be ride back to Michigan!

So my “big things” are

• Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. This happens tomorrow and I have booked into a decent hotel for two nights as I have 350 miles to get there and I want to be able to spend some time in the park on Thursday and then just regroup with some “off”time.
• Visiting Randy and Lynn Norris in Oregon for a few days.
• Vancouver for some wine business and seeing Eveanne’s cousin.
• A visit to Red Rooster winery in Penticton BC.
• On the way back  from Alaska visiting Regina in Saskatchewan, also for wine business as Canada is an increasingly important market for Moreson and not too many wine salesmen from South Africa arrive on motorbikes!!
• The Alaska Highway

In any event I set off this morning knowing that there was a step up in the daily distance Today was a 340 mile day v the 250 and 200 miles of the previous two days.  I would be traveling in three states, including all the way across Minnesota.

Early on my strategy went out the door. Starting off on the I 35 up the east side of the Mississippi the road was perfect. A great surface, magnificent scenery and almost no traffic. Cool and no wind. The right hand could not help but twist the throttle more than in previous days. Hoping that no elected official (aka The Sheriff) was trying to supplement his budget, I was thoroughly enjoying what this bike does best on road, high speed touring. Of course by SA standards it was not high speed as we are used to riding at 130 to 140 kph which translates to about 80 mph. So I was doing between 75 and 80 mph but here that is fast. The odd buck lying on the side of the road was also a reminder that Sheriffs are not the only thing to be looking out for.

But most importantly the miles were ticking by quickly and enjoyably. I stopped in Minneapolis for lunch and to visit a Barnes and Noble for some maps, Google map and GPS’s are great but you need to look at the real thing to get a real feel of where you are and where you are going to.

So I continued to stick to the smaller I roads and it worked perfectly. Great roads. Little traffic. Towns more widespread and less than in Michigan and Wisconsin. So my average speed was considerably higher and the riding much more enjoyable.

From Minneapolis I headed due east on the I 212 through some of the most beautiful farm land I have ever seen. The scale of agriculture in this country blows my mind away. More about this and other thoughts on Thursday when I have a bit of time on my hands.I will also download more of my photos.

Today I rode really well and was disciplined – stopping every 60 -70 miles to rehydrate and stretch out etc.. This worked well and I was quite strong when I arrived in Watertown, South Dakota. It is not a place you are likely to have heard of or will get to. Like the rest of Michigan, Minnesota and South Dakota, there is water everywhere and it has its name for a reason. They tell me there is lots to see and do here but I will leave that for another day. My destination is Rapid City SD near Mount Rushmore. My plan is to get up earlier than the past few days and ride in the cooler weather. My bike is full of gas. I will pack everything up tonight. Stop writing and get into bed.

So expect lots more and pictures on Thursday evenings update. I leave you with one thought. Today I went though the Lutefisk capital of the USA. Yes it is spelt correctly – lutefisk. It is another Madison, this time in Minnesota. Look it up!

Night all from Watertown South Dakota.

Follow this link to see the map of my trip

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1635980