Travels With Connie #75 Recalculating
Sometimes I know exactly where I am going. In that case it’s easy, pick a route and go.
More often I have an idea where I’d like to end up, and generally speaking a direction to go.
Once in a while I just follow the front wheel and see where it takes me.
This is as good a representation of US Highway 2 as I can make. It runs from Everett, Washington to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. After this year's travels Connie and I have now ridden every foot of this road. It tends to be lonely and lightly traveled, right up my alley.
There is stuff here. Stuff to see, stuff to smell, stuff to feel. The Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park is part of Highway 2. In remote eastern Montana you go through lots of famous places. Harlem, Lucerne, Zurich, Malta. These tend to be less than 1000 population and ALWAYS have a place to get a cup of coffee. I'd stop every 100 miles or so and check in on road conditions and report on what I'd been over.
You see, I grew up near Highway 2. It was the way to the BIG city, Spokane, Wa. I am here to report that there are some miles of 4 lane controlled highway but generally speaking it is a two lane road that goes more or less directly about it's business. Namely transporting people and goods from point A to point B.
There is a lot of people in the world fed off Highway 2. In Washington that includes cattle, wheat, apples and soft fruit. In Idaho there is timber, mining and spectacular scenery. Western Montana is mostly high and beautiful with tons of rivers and lakes along the road. Eastern Montana tends toward cattle ranching and farming with some oil and gas thrown in. North Dakota is mostly ranching and farming with oil, gas and coal along the way. Minnesota shows a lot of timber and farming with water everywhere. By the time you hit Michigan and Wisconsin you also hit Lake Superior with it's hustle and bustle. Wisconsin in particular has big agriculture and dairy farming. Think cheese and ice cream!
It's quite a highway, US 2 I'm really happy to have ridden the whole thing. It's not famous but it is 'America'. Small towns, big towns, cities. It is one of those 'blue highways' that travels well and wears well.
All these photos were taken right off of highway 2. Some have the actual road in the frame. All in all, it has been a joy to ride and I thank you for joining me.
Do I have a target for the next 'ride every foot' road? I think so. It will probably be either the 191 or the 89. Mexico to Canada 2 lanes that I just happen to know have some great scenery.
All words and photographs in this post are mine. For better or worse
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That is really neat that you were able to complete the Hwy 2 excursion this year and that we got to ride along with you, I am game for the Canada to Mexico trip, I have my seat right where I did for this year's trip. When do we leave?
I'm going to my 50th HS reunion in late June. The 191 (formerly known as the 666) will take me quite a ways east of my destination, but I think that's the time. I am REALLY familiar with the Arizona portion, it's known as the Cortez Highway and is maybe the best motorcycle road on earth. I rip up and down it at least once per year. I did about 400 new miles of the highway this year (we'll get to it) and REALLY need to go back over that. Amazing place. So, I probably have less than 500 miles to finish it up. Should be fun.
One of my best buddies did what is called 'the three flag rally ride'. Mexico to Canada in 48 hours. He did it both ways and the rip home was the 191. Unbelievable feat.
Sounds good. That three flag sounds rough, in 48 hours seems hard to do.
Oh, man is it tough to do. It is an official iron butt event. He rode North on 95, spent two nights in Canada and rode south on the 191. Those events have to be certified (in this case you get a time stamp at both borders) and you get a license plate ring for every one you do. He's slowed some (but not much) in the last 15 years...
The license ring says "Iron Butt. The Worlds Toughest Riders"
I guess when you are an Iron Butt you could literally be deemed a "hard ass" as well. :-)
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Thank you. Again. It's just an incredible group to be part of.
very very nice, love this ride. the water and mountains are so fresh and clean. gorgeous. i want to go on one of these rides now! LOL
It's just freedom, a topic you know quite well. I wanted to finish Highway 2 this year, but I am always just an idea away from changing my whole trip. I am the captain of the trip and I go where I want. :)
nice that you can do this, yo wouldn't it be awesome if we had a steemit trip like this? like a trip to nowhere in bigtom's camper? bahaha awesome
Sounds like an adventure!
Looking forward to read more.
Enjoy the ride and safe travels @bigtom13!
Thanks Joy. This is obviously my preferred way to travel. It just makes me happy.
I can never get enough of hearing about your travels my friend. It is to bad you couldn't make it a little further this time. I want to get to Wisconsin to see the Packers play on the frozen tundra. Well, maybe when it is a little warmer. lol
To quote CCR "Ran out of time and money, looks like my plans fell through." I really wish I could have made Ottawa, too. It's on the 2019 list for a fact.
Green Bay is a lot like a city to me, but I still really like it. It's just the upper midwest at it's best. I wouldn't mind seeing a game there too. In September :) I'm thinking some of those cheese head women look good with out the parka, too!
What cool goals you set yourself with travelling every mile of a road or highway,
I didn't start out doing it like that. Just realized that I'd had a lot of miles of it covered when I was routing my way before I left for the trip. It wasn't like a big priority, but I finished it, just cause I could.
Even if not planned it is a cool thing to have achieved i am sure not to many have
Are you going cross country on Highway 2???
Or did I miss understand something?
/FF
I did go cross country on Highway 2. I actually picked it up in Spokane, Wa this time, and went the rest of the way from there. My original plan was to take Highway 20 in Washington to where it meets 2 in Idaho, but then my phone broke and I had to go to Spokane to replace it.
I have done quite a lot of it in the past. All of it in Washington and Idaho and quite a little in Wisconsin and Michigan. Now I've been on all of it.
Cool man! You are very well-travelled! =)
/FF
This looks am amazing 'road less travelled' and I love the UP and and that part of Canada. I have been to Sault St. Marie or 'the soo' as it is lovingly called by Michiganders :)
I'm glad to be back from my two day break, but it went by so fast!
I'm glad you are back too! I look forward to 'camping stories'. Means you have to tell...
Very cool! US-2 is pretty awesome. There is a section they had shut down this summer over Cut River that has some awesome views and I was sad we had to miss it. The detour didn't take us anywhere near the "gorge". It is nice that they have increased the speed limit through most of the UP, but those logging trucks are crazy!
Wow, do I know it. Those loggers get paid by the load and they move out. Don't tell anybody but I have about 5 miles in Minnesota that I haven't been on. A bridge washed out this spring and they routed the detour over county roads. Part of which was the original highway so I counted it!
I won't tell a soul! :)
you're busted, i saw this LOL
Awesome series, my brother is doing this type of traveling. Cool stuff. 😊
Thank you. I certainly enjoy doing it. I am notorious for seeing stuff or wanting to see stuff and veering off. It's fairly amazing that I made this whole run this summer.
Thanks for stopping by!