3 Days ( or is it 4 ) out of Sturgis and the motorcycle sightings have become more scarce, and people have resumed waving when we pass... this is a tradition that is abandoned near major motorcycle gatherings. We have somehow continued to avoid rain despite the daily predictions on the weather channel, USA Today, Internet and Al Roker. The ride the last few days offers little to report. Minnesota was flat and nothing but corn fields interspersed with olfactory evidence of nearby cattle ranches, however upon crossing the Mississippi into Wisconsin, the landscape immediately changed to tree covered hills. The one thing missing all day was any sign of civilized life except for the occasional truckstop. We met 2 other couples at the Dairy Queen in La Cross who had taken backroads that day. They assured us the corn fields look just the same from a 2 lane road as they did from the interstate. When we arrived at our intended resting place for the night, we found but one hotel, which fell far below standard so we continued on another hour and settled for a spot just slightly better.
Dinner was at C J's Italian restaurant, which is apparently the nicest place in town. I can say that because we rode around and found few alternatives to this which came highly recommended by the lady who checked us in. If that were not evidence enough soon after we arrived, the lone waitress began combining tables to accommodate a party of 15 soon to arrive. I immediately pegged these as the local insurance agency employees who were being treated to dinner by company reps... I can smell these gatherings as they begin to form, and in a small town like this can distinguish the agents from company folks by the shoes they wear. (company people have shiny shoes, locals carry a layer of dust)
Thinking back, I failed to mention an unusual happening several days ago while riding near Mt Rushmore. As we rounded a curve there was a family of large birds, I will call them pheasants because it sounds good, but I actually have no clue. In any case 3 of these feathered creatures were strolling casually across the road. As we slowed taking great care to assure their safety and ours, a tiny bird flew in from the left and made a perfect kamikaze attack on Debbie's helmet, leaving a few feathers as evidence of the incident. We think the little guy is ok but didn't stop to see for sure.
Today we made it into Illinois, and Thursday will be Indiana. The small town paper today reported on the front page that there is one liquor establishment for every 454.5 residents...not much to report? I predict that tomorrow there will again be little excitement, which when you are riding a bike, is not always bad. I did take time to visit the local dealership here to have them verify everything is in good condition for the rest of the ride.
The other news of note is that today, Wednesday is Jace's first day of kindergarten, time flies!
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