It's official.  House is sold in Byron- well almost.  Have a signed purchase agreement in place, for more than our asking price.  Also have a purchase agreement on the new place in Baxter.  Lots of details to work out for closing dates & moving everything. 

Just in case anyone had any doubt, moving in the winter sucks!

I saw the pictures of the deer that was hit the other day.  That one turned out very well.  Most do not.

Some of you know already, but I work in a 911 center in SE MN.  I take all kinds of emergency and non emergency calls- then dispatch law enforcement, fire & ambulance.  I commute through rural farm country almost exclusively on my motorcycle (Kawi C14) April - October.  Working 6AM to 5:30PM puts me riding in low light.  I see a lot of animals out there- both wild & loose domestic.  I installed Denali DM1 auxiliary driving lights to help with both night time lighting and daytime visibility.  I know not everyone will find them appealing, but I love them.

Today on my way to work it was quite foggy.  I chose to take the US Hwy (4 lane for 2/3 of the trip) rather than the county roads I normally take.  I don't know why. 

First call I take today was a motorcycle vs deer on the same road I chose not to ride in on.  The report I got is the rider was injured, but sounds like he should be ok.  Bike (wing) slid quite a ways down the road.  The deer (dead on impact) was claimed by a nearby landowner. 

I saw this guy nearly every day on my way home from work.  We usually met going opposite directions right near the scene of the crash.  I don't know the guy or his riding abilities.  I can't say if he where going too fast or other rider errors.  Maybe this was just a plain old "accident". 

I don't intend this to come across as judgmental, lecturing, or persuasive in any way.  Only to share a story.  This just sits in the back of my head maybe that could have been me had I chose to take my normal route to work.  I'm not going to change what I do.  I'll still ride, tour, and commute.  I'll continue to use that route most of the time both on the bike and in my truck.  I will be a bit more cautious in the low light, and rural areas.  I've hit plenty of deer before, but all with 4 (or more) wheels.  I hope to keep it that way.

Earlier this week I got the permission from the family to take a few days to myself (and my C14) and go.  My plan was for 3 days/2 nights in the tent.  Where was not decided until I left.  2 options where on the table.  Rapid City SD & Copper Harbor MI.  About as different as can be, but the better weather forecast made Copper Harbor the winner. 

Being my first solo trip I had some trial & error packing everything, but eventually all found it's place.  Quick test ride around home confirmed a well balanced load that did not obstruct the mirrors. 

I left 9:30 AM 6/23 from just west of Rochester, MN.  Still no real planned route, just went with it.  I hit a few local favorite roads on my way out.  Places like WI Hwy 95 from Fountain City to Hixton, WI.  Then just made a general east direction through middle Wisconsin.  Headed north from near Wausau to head to Lake Superior. 
I camped in Ontonagon, MI in their nice little city campground.  Maybe 30 feet off the water of Lake Superior.  410 miles for the day. 


Weather was perfect all day and into the evening hours.  Just as I was headed into the tent, the weather changed! Temps dropped into the 40's and the wind hit hard off the lake.  Blew in a thunderstorm, which made for a long night. 

About 5:30 I ran into town to get some breakfast.  Only the gas station was open, so Holiday coffee it was.  I went back, packed up camp, and headed for Copper Harbor. 

Not a real exciting ride until past Houghton.  Then once on M26 the fun factor went up fast!  One of the most fun roads I have been on anywhere!  No traffic, tight curves, rolling hills, beautiful scenery... you know the kind. 
Hard to read the sign in the picture, but it references the snow records in the area and shows the 3904" of snow in 1978-79, as well as the arrow marker for last winter which is adjusted each year.


Falls and dam at Eagle River

I had a suggestion from my dad to hit the Brockway Mountain Dr.  He has ridden it in the past.  I guess things changed!  More suited to a KLR, if that!  Really rough with on and off gravel sections (which where the best parts of the road surface).  There was some great views from up there. 
Brockway


Copper Harbor outlook

Nearing the end of the Brockway I was flagged down by a hwy construction worker that advised I may not  want to continue as they had just dumped loads of gravel and had not packed it in yet.   This was in a very steep section (down hill) with a 180 degree switchback, and the dumped material (a stretch to call it gravel) was nearly 8" thick.  I made it through, but wasn't pretty. 

Copper harbor was a nice little tourist trap town.  Picked up a few gifts for the family as a thanks for letting me go, and started home. 

I'm not really sure why, but on the return trip through Houghton I decided to push it and get home that day rather than another night in the tent.  I enjoy camping, maybe just missed the family.  I didn't care for Google's suggested route, so I decided to wing it.  I had not been through that area in years, and forgot how nice the riding is west of Ironwood, down through Mellen, Clam Lake, Hayward.  Then back on very familiar roads to get back home at 8:00.  About 935 miles for the 2 day total and 49MPG average.  Happy to be home, and off the seat for a while. 

My only bike related complaint is the OEM seat.  Not bad for me until around 8 hours.  Then I want something else.

I was out riding in the wind yesterday.  3 states worth of it.  Roads that I was on where in good shape for the most part.  One exception- Hwy 60.  The few miles of it I rode (Co Rd 4 to Co Rd 2) where really bad in the center part of the lane. 

I'm over 1000 miles so far this year.  The C14 has some advantages with the wind protection over many bikes out there.  Not much choice the last few days with my truck in the shop.  Mornings are a cold commute, but later in the day has been nice. 

Posting this link for my neighbor.  Parting with his bike to finish his education.  Please excuse the messy garage pics.

http://rmn.craigslist.org/mcy/4943860208.html

If you want to keep the gnats out of your face when stopped use a drop of vanilla extract between the eye & ear.  Old mountain man trick, and it works.  Just not for mosquitoes. 

I rode a KTM Adventure 1190 last month.  Really nice suspension, nice riding position, and very manageable even for my short legs.  Engine had some vibration (not bad, I'm just spoiled on my C14), but good power that came on hard at 5K RPM.  Lots of great accessories out there too for these. 
Last week on my way home from NW WI, I ran into a guy on a F800GS.  He seemed happy with it on pavement, but said it did not ride as well in the dirt & trails. 
As for your trip to Fairbanks... My dad did that last year on his Honda NT700V.  Picture half Honda ST, and half Pacific Coast with the non-removable hard bags.  Little EFI 700 V Twin motor, shaft drive, light weight, decent wind protection and adjustable wind screen.  I'd say just about any bike could work.