Wandering Retirees

Duluth, MN to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 

We left lovely Duluth this morning in less than lovely weather, heading up MN Rt. 61 along the western shore of Lake Superior. Our goal was to make Thunder Bay, Ontario by this evening, the first stop on our loop above the Great Lakes. Of course we had to stop at the Duluth AAA store to get maps. You know, GPS 1.0. Thus reinforced we set out on our roughly 200 mile journey.  
Frankly, the weather was rotten and succeeded in getting worse. Rain, cold and gusting winds made an otherwise beautiful ride a lot of work. Whining figured prominently during the day. Something about a cold trickle from the neck down through that gap you didn’t know you had. Wanted to call the “Waaaambulance several times. At each stop we were encouraged by friendly locals who use couldn’t say enough about this cold and drizzly weather. “Sure don’t feel like summer, eh?” And, “Sure would like some sun and some heat, don’t you know?” We said we know.  In fairness, we’ve had so much lovely weather we really have no rational basis to complain. (“Pity party, table for one!”). 😉 

As I write this, we are warmly ensconced in a local motel, having had hot showers. And a chance to relax. Life is wonderful.  

Coming across the border was interesting. The Canadian border control officer was friendly and asked the standard questions. How long you staying? Why are you here? Where are you headed? Have anything to declare? So forth. Much less intrusive than at other borders we’ve crossed in our travels. And it seems we weren’t terribly suspicious characters so he let us pass with kind wishes. And so we now measure our distance in kilometers, pay in Loonies, and expect cheese curds with our fries. (A delicacy, I assure you. It’s called Poutine and should not be eaten by anyone who can’t take a bacon triple cheeseburger. But I digress.) 

The people here are friendly open and kind. We met Ben who is traveling to Winnipeg to see his daughter. It’s a long way from Toronto, eh? And he was really happy to share his story, weather forecasts and all the rest. And two riders: a young man from Florida who is riding around Lake Superior with his granddad (both on big Harley’s). Pretty cool, though I’m sorry we didn’t get their names.  

We are back on Eastern time.  A proof we are getting closer to home.  

Tomorrow we continue on our way. But for now, good night.
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“Borrowed” from the internet.  We had no sun today.

Beautiful stop along Lake Superior.

Minneapolis, MN to Duluth, MN

Monday morning we bade good bye to Jeff and Rosemary, and Joe. We had so much fun and they were so generous with their time and energy, providing welcome respite for our battered bums. Jeff shared richly of his hobby. He has a jeep, you see. Built in 1944 it is an olive drab (that’s a color, you know) monument to the army’s drive to replace the horse as its primary mode of moving supplies and people to and from the war front. It is beautiful. All of its three gears and 50 mph top speed and death trap suspension. He even gave me the chance to drive it! It has no powered features whatever, making turns and braking an adventure in living. It is beautiful. Jeff had the pleasure of carrying two Korean War vets along Edina’s July 4th parade in style. Well done!

We wound our way to Duluth at the western end of Lake Superior for a couple of days of exploration. On the way we saw considerable evidence of Minnesota’s sense of humor. I can think of nowhere else where electronic caution signs would tell drivers: “You don’t have Spidey sense. Pay attention.”   

We stopped to see the manse in which our father grew up on Branch Street. Nothing too special about it, though I think I spotted his bedroom window – the one he’d climb out of to shinny down the tree. He was smart enough to tell this story after his younger sons had reached their majority and couldn’t be corrupted. Well, moved out of the house any way.  

Stopping for provisions on the way to our hotel, we saw the city’s beautiful lakeside park. They have done a lot to make Duluth attractive and accommodating for its denizens. Considering winter lasts about 9 months of the year, this is truly commendable. Just kidding. It only lasts from October to June. Well, maybe May. 

Today we walked around the waterfront park area taking in the sights. And we went to Duluth Trading, on Superior Street. Maker of Firehouse Workpants and Buck Naked Underwear (yes, they really call them that) and the fantastical commercials that promote them, this emporium of anti-fashion is a delight. Imagine, clothes marketed to real people. You ought to look them up on Google and view their commercials on YouTube. Educational as well as amusing. Then there’s Grandma’s. Didn’t realize it, but she is building a mighty conglomerate beginning with restaurants. We found her corporate offices. Go Grandma!  

We so enjoyed our stay here. And we’re close to the harbor and the Coast Guard base. If you like things nautical, this is a great place.  

Tomorrow we head north to Thunder Bay, Ontario. We plan to head east along the north shore of Lake Superior, ultimately to return to the States near Kingston, NY. So the adventure continues.

On the Schwedes’ History Trail

We have had a couple of wonderful days with the Minneapolis Schwedes. On Friday evening we were treated to a wonderful performance of Stephen Sondheim’s, Sunday in the Park With George at the Guthrie Theater, a marvelous modern venue for the performing arts. The story revolves around the brief but brilliant life of the French painter, George Seurat, and his greatest work. So much fun and so well done. As you can tell, we loved it. 
On Saturday we went to the little Mississippi River town of 2,500 souls, Wabasha, MN, where a couple of generations of Schwedes ancestors lived and worked. It’s also the setting for Grumpy Old Men, which put the town on the map. (Your challenge is to find it on a map. Google is cheating. 😀) 

My
great great grandfather, Henry Schwedes, had the good sense to to fall in love and marry Mary Kuehn, the daughter of the owner of Kuehn’s General Store in downtown Wabasha. (Spelled Kühn with the German umlaut, you know, the double dots above the vowel.) Eventually, Mary and Henry inherited the store and became rather prosperous folks. They had a beautiful home on Main Street right next to her parents. Both the homes and general store are still standing and look well preserved. The store has become a hardware emporium owned by the Hill family and is a part of the Hardware Hank’s chain. Good name. But I digress. The name Kühn (with the umlaut) is still engraved on a marker stone inset at the top of the storefront. We also visited the local cemetery where my father’s parents, Walter F. and Leila are interred alongside the larger Kuehn family. 

We had lunch in Slippery’s, a riverside formerly run down haunt where several Grumpy scenes with Matthau and Lemon were shot. The food is good and the site is popular – a lot of bikes. Our waiter told us that it has expanded and been renovated a lot since Grumpy Old Men came out. We thoroughly enjoyed our outing with Jeff and Rosemary. They have learned so much family lore and proved wonderful, entertaining guides.   

That night we went to a neighborhood block party and met some of their terrific neighbors. Patrick Henry (yep, that’s his name) stands out for his enthusiastic welcome and delightful stream of funny stories and anecdotes. A lot of fun. 

Sunday we were treated to a wonderful tour of the Mill City Museum. Minneapolis is located at the only falls on the Mississippi. That falling water has provided power for a number of industries over the years. Logging was huge in the 19th Century, and the falls provided ample power to run saw mills. Literally millions of trees were harvested upstream and floated down to be collected and milled here. Eventually lumber gave way to textiles which mostly gave way to milling flour. Minnesota and surrounds produce huge quantities of grain that have to be ground. There were 26 mills on the West Bank of the Mississippi alone at the peak of water mill power. Electricity eventually displaced water as a motive power. The two largest were General Mills and Pillsbury, names we still see today. Sounds kind of dry, but it’s not. The mills drove industry which drove the economy and attracted talented people. Through the years Minneapolis has grown to be a truly cosmopolitan center where the arts and culture are treasured and supported The well. 

Monday it’s on the road again.
The Kuehns Building.  The store is now named Hill’s Hardware Hank.

An historical tour of Downtown Minneapolis.  Pillsbury and all.

The only waterfalls on the Mississippi.

Hank’s brother, Jeff, his wife, Rosemary and their son, Joe.  And the dog is Romi.  We had a wonderful visit.

Sorry for the delay on yesterday’s news, but we arrived at Jeff and Rose’s home in Edina and had such a great time catching up we simply ran out of time.  

Yesterday, we left Little Falls to set out to Mille Lacs, MN, the site of a great little museum chronicling the life if the Ojibwa Tribe from around 1750 through the present. The Ojibwa were originally from the Northeast but migrated west to what is now Minnesota and southern Manitoba. The move was fortunate because Europeans began arriving in numbers not long after. Some established native people, particularly the Dakota, were not always pleased with the their arrival which led to some relatively fierce wars. In the end, the Dakota took the worst of it and moved west and a bit south into, you guessed it, the Dakota territories. The Ojibwa were themselves pushed onto progressively smaller and more restrictive reservations due to pressure from white folks moving westward and the abrogation of solemn treaties with the US government and the states. (The principal reservation is called White Earth; a smaller one is in the vicinity of Lake Mille Lacs.) The history of the this relationship is not pretty and overwhelmingly one-sided.  

The story that is most personal to me and my family starts with a young girl who was adopted (perhaps forcibly) by a missionary couple from Massachusetts named Ayer. She was given the English name, Margaret Ayer and grew up within white culture, ultimately marrying and having two daughters, one of whom had a daughter, Leila Sparks, grandmother to the Schwedes clan established in eastern Minnesota. Leila had two daughters, Mary (Findlayson) and Margaret (Chisholm), and a son, Walter Schwedes (my Dad). I won’t go deeper into the details, but will say only that it was a remarkable experience to visit a place that opened a window to my family’s past. I am so blessed to have had this chance to connect with my heritage in this powerful and moving way.  

We left for Edina, just south of Minneapolis, about two hours away. From the time we arrived until late last night, we talked and caught up on so much. Jeff is an articulate student on the Schwedes’ connection to their Native American roots, and he was able to fill in a lot of the story. A wonderful night.

Today I took the bike in for some scheduled service (oil change, safety check and new tires) so our stead is ready for the next leg of our adventure. Tonight, Jeff and Rose are taking us to a local production of a Sondheim play, Sunday in the Park with George. Really looking forward to it.

Not a lot to write about it seems, but the days are wonderfully full. Be well.

Mille Lac

Fargo, ND to Little Falls, MN.

We left Fargo, ND this morning and headed into western Minnesota to find the headwaters of the great Mississippi River. Turns out someone else discovered it first and made a State Park to mark it. The north end of Lake Itasca has its outlet and the mighty river has its start as a trickly little stream. By the time it reaches New Orleans, 2550 miles along, it is a mighty thing, miles across having collected the input from a number of large rivers, including the Illinois, the Missouri, and the Ohio. More than 40% of the country’s watersheds flow into the Great Muddy. From such humble beginnings… 
There were a surprising number of families at the lake, many were dangling their feet and even swimming. Kids being kids were simply enjoying getting wet. Not sure they cared so much about the significance of this stream that heads north before curving the the east and south on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. Connie got some great pics and we were quite impressed. Met some nice people along the way as we always seem to do. A fellow named Rick was tending the counter at a store near Lake Itasca and he generously shared his advice on visiting the park while ringing up a welcome cold soda.  

It was another hot day so we ditched our riding pants to get the cooler air at 65 MPH, heading for our night’s destination in Little Falls, MN. We had been planning to visit the White Earth Reservation of the Chippewa, but decided to stop at a good museum in Mille Lacs tomorrow to learn more about my family’s heritage. Looking forward to tomorrow.

And off she goes …

My rider. ❤️

Dickinson, ND to Fargo, ND.

Another traveling day, so not a lot to report. We covered nearly 300 miles from Dickinson to Fargo, ND. Our only exploit was a stop at the gigantic statue of a Holstein cow, Salem Sue in New Salem, ND. She was built in 1974 for $40,000 and stands 38 feet long, is 50 feet long, and weighs 6 tons. Built of reinforced fiberglass, she is visible for miles around and is “the goddess of dairy”. I’m going to beat Mark to the punch: it’s udderly ridiculous. But a moooooving experience. 😄 Of course we got our pic taken standing before the goddess.

Then we got back on the highway, I-94. It was hot and we got lots of snarky and sort of clever comments from passers-by when we stopped for a cold soda. (We wear riding jackets and pants on the road, just in case.) We surely added a certain something to their day. Silly easterners, and all that. Hope they enjoyed themselves. Really.  

Arrived in Fargo about 4:00 Central time, having lost an hour east of Bismark when the time zone changed. Fargo folks are not really like they are portrayed in the movie. Intelligent, open and kind are the orders of the day. Very glad. Met several folks traveling through to somewhere else. A number of Cannucks who wished us a happy 4th, and a brother-sister combo from Georgia who looked a bit bewildered. Maybe because we met at Salem Sue’s and they couldn’t believe it either. Nice folks, though. 

We’ll spend the night here and probably view the fireworks on TV. It’s very, very dry here, so pyrotechnics may be out of the question in town. Supper is from the feedbag tonight. We just can’t seem to muster the energy to get on the bike to find a decent hotdog. A cool swim in the pool looks like a better bet.  

Tomorrow it’s on to Minnesota to browse a bit in the arcana of my Chippewa (Ojibwa) heritage. Then Thursday it’s on to Minneapolis to visit Jeff and Rose and Joe. Looking forward to it.

New farming, old farming.

Big clouds.

Rapid City, SD to Dickinson, ND.

Today was a simple travel day. Because of the high heat, we decided to skip the 2 hour detour to Teddy Roosevelt National Grasslands. Kind of sad, but we were melting and pushed on to Dickinson, ND for the night. We had some fun along the way, though. In no particular order …  
We stopped for lunch near the SD/ND border and met 3 women taking a break from their travels. Two younger women (a couple?) were taking mom on a bucket list trip. Mom wants to visit all 48 contiguous states in her lifetime. They will be near fulfilling mom’s wish at the end of this trip, which includes the Dakotas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming. Wonderful and interesting women. The two younger are also bike riders who expressed admiration and a bit of wistfulness about our trip across the country. Maybe they’ll find inspiration to try it for themselves.  

At this same stop we saw a cautionary sign that we’ve never seen before. Here’s betting you haven’t either. 😉 Connie has the pic attached. Amazing. 

We passed 10,000 miles this morning. We wanted a pic of the tripmeter, but it only turned over to “0”. Ugh. We did, however, stop along the side of the road and do a little happy dance. We had an audience of about 20 and they were very appreciative. We think. Pic also attached. 

Later we stopped in the shade of the only tree visible for a long way. Along side the road again, but it worked. Passing trucks gave us a breeze and a weather beaten antique shop (with old shot-put balls as door stops) providing a cold soda. We know how to roll!

On the way out of Rapid City, we rode through Sturgis, site of the annual August bike rally. A lot of road work going on and a lot of big, empty venues waiting for the 100,000+ bikes that will roll in. We tried to figure how and where they will all fit. Not sure of the answer and glad we didn’t have to fight our way through the throng. Amazing what humans will do in search of a good time.

We got a taste for the wide open prairie. It is green and brown and tan and red and not even a little flat. Rolling hills and sharp gullies are the order of the day, all day. So is the wind which is constant and can be relentless. We tip our hats at the kind of folks who can make a go of it out here, especially the farmers. Ranching and growing crops in support of the stock look like the lion’s share of agriculture, and the expanses are BIG. There was a sign advertising a “small” farm for sale – only 510 acres.

We noticed drill rigs and pumps for Bakken Formation oil and gas all along our route so far in ND. The Bakken Formation underlies Montana, ND, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Trains with Bakken shale oil pass through Philly and NJ on the way to east coast refineries and ports. It’s a long way to go.

Tomorrow, we’re heading across ND the long way to Fargo where we’ll spend the evening of the 4th. It promises to be another scorcher so we will move along with dispatch and as much air flow as we can manage. Hoping to get in a little early, before the revelry hits high gear. So an early start in the morning. In the meantime, Happy Independence Day to you all.

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Celebrating our big milestone.

Our cheering section!

Geomapping the exact location.

Random Americana.

Evidence of our morning obligatory ride through Sturgis.

We set off for a fun ride to the Mt. Rushmore and Chief Joseph monuments this morning. The roads are twisty and a bit challenging and filled, this holiday weekend, with a lot of vehicles filled with people with the same idea. Mt. Rushmore is a fantastic emblem of our nation’s heritage carved into a solid granite mountain. Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln are among our greatest presidents (Lincoln has my vote as number one) and it is fitting they should be memorialized this way. Coming to this memorial should be a ritual for all Americans if they can afford it. We decided to forego the pleasure of paying Xanterra Inc. their parking fees and the very long line into their parking lot, but enjoyed the view from several pullouts along the highway. The view is especially fitting on this July 4th weekend.

We then headed toward the monument honoring Chief Joseph (aka Crazy Horse) that is still under construction. It is also fitting to honor one of the great chiefs representing all tribes of the first Americans. When completed, it will depict the 19th century Chief of the Lakota pointing from horseback to the land where his people are buried. The welcome center is filled with memorabilia and pictures recording important moments from Native American history. This was definitely worth the modest entrance fee with proceeds going to the continuation of the monument. Glad we stopped.

From there, we set out to do some serious riding, first on the Needles Highway. The highway, Rt. 87, winds through the Custer State Park within the Black Hills. There’s an entrance fee ($10) in case you’re interested in trying it some time. There are distinctive vertical granite pinnacles akin to hoodoos (sandstone) all along the way, with multiple one lane tunnels through the rock. There are no lights, so whoever gets there first, and has a bit of guts, goes first. We were happy to follow on the heels of several humongous SUV’s at those junctures. This was one of the twistiest roads we’ve been on, with 5, 10, 15 and 20 MPH curves. Remember to keep your head turned through the curves and your hand easy on the throttle. They were fun and even a bit thrilling. There were a lot of bikes out, including a club from Montana composed of Harley’s from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Helmets are not required in SD, so some of the hats and headgear were authentic and fascinating. We felt just fine wearing our helmets, thank you. The traffic was heavy, though, and even slower than conditions called for. We would suggest visiting and riding on a non-holiday weekday.

Not having enough mountain riding, we headed immediately north onto the Iron Mountain Road, a 17 mile stretch of seriously challenging curves and changes in altitude. It’s lots of fun unless you get stuck behind someone who’s intimidated. Fortunately, most folks going slowly will pull off into one of the many turnouts to let quicker folks pass. Now “quick” is a relative term. The speed limit is 35, but no one reaches that exalted velocity. The key is to take your time and pull off to take in the sights. There are many views of Rushmore and beautiful mountains from many spots along both the Needles and Iron Mountain highways. One tunnel framed the monument as though through a telescope. Fascinating and beautiful. Though there are folks who will stop their vehicles mid-tunnel to catch that pic. Some do a family portrait. Good for them. Really, I mean it. So saying while holding our bike on a 10% grade, but I digress.  

We covered about 170 miles today, which brings us into spitting distance of 10,000 miles. We’ll cross that marker tomorrow on our way to western North Dakota. Still excited about seeing what’s on the other side of the hill with my Queen. Still looking forward to the beauty of our country. And looking forward to visiting (brother) Jeff and Rose and Joe in Minnesota in a few days. In sum, we’re still having fun. See you.

Chief Joseph, Crazy Horse

The plan for the completed monument to Chief Joseph and the Lakota.

The landscape is more lush than yesterday.

Badlands, SD.

Our journey today took us to the Badlands National Park about 60 miles east of Rapid City. It’s an amazing preserve that combines many characteristics of the Grand Canyon (but not on the large scale) and the petrified dunes we saw in New Mexico and the southern Colorado Plateau. The land is really dry except for the occasional small stream, so there is a lot of brown vegetation. And it’s striking to ride/drive/walk along gently rolling grassland and suddenly come upon canyon walls that plunge steeply to a narrow defile carved over the ages by water and wind erosion. We learned that the face of the Badlands has changed quite quickly in geological terms, and will continue to do so. In 500 years it will not resemble its present shape. The rock lacked the red of iron oxide we have come to expect: it was very light tan, grey and white that stood out in stark contrast with the vivid blue of the sky. Austere and pretty.

Along the way we saw several colonies of prairie dogs who seemed to like putting on a show for silly humans; big horn sheep who couldn’t have cared less, and a rough-legged hawk who was being harassed by a couple of smaller birds. Some birds of prey.

The ride was a lot of fun. Apparently this is a popular ride during the rally in Sturgis during August when 200,000 bikers come from all over North America. The roads are fun and relaxing, so, we can see why. Frankly, we’re just as happy to miss the crush of traffic.

We covered about 180 miles today and returned to the AirBnB in time to do some laundry and have a cocktail with supper. We’re happy with the fruits of the day. Tomorrow it’ll be Mt. Rushmore and the Chief Joseph/Crazy Horse monuments, and a ride on the Needles Highway. In the mean time, have a great night. We will.

Interior, SD – a little town with a big heart.

And a big trade in animal skins??

Rapid City, SD.

We had a nice, relaxing day riding around the Black Hills of Western SD today. We covered about 150 miles including the town of Deadwood where Wild Bill Cody and Calamity Jane are laid to rest. The movies “Dancing With Wolves” and “A River Runs Through It” were filmed nearby in Spearfish Canyon, which has a beautiful road about 14 miles long. Kevin Costner has a restaurant in Deadwood called the Midnight Star that features a number of props used in his films. (We didn’t eat there ourselves – a little too touristy.) Connie got some nice pics, including the Bridal Veil Falls. We do love our waterfalls. We liked the road through the canyon so much we rode through both ways!

We had supper tonight with Arnie, a fellow rider from Florida, whom we first met at a Redwood Forest in Northern California. It was great sharing stories and suggestions for rides. We may meet up again further east as we move closer to home. We are following each other through FB.

It was a short day of riding. We have topped 9,600 miles, though.

Tomorrow we will be a bit more adventurous. We plan to ride east to the Badlands, a unique geological feature in SD.  Really looking forward to it.