Moose outside my window! Alaska to Argentina

[BaitongBoy]

Did u ever read the book by Ted Simon? "Jupiter's Travels"

Great book...made me think of Mr Earl...along with other motorcycycle 'diaries'...

Best of luck to you in your travels, Earl...may the road rise up to meet you...may the wind be always at your back...

[bsnub]

Man I cant wait for the next update!!

[Loy Toy]

Now this is what TD is all about..........first a great thread by SEA Traveler, a good short thread from Chairman Mao, an update from Sabang, great picture reports from others and now this epic from Mr Earl.

TD can only get stronger with these great contributions.

[Mr Earl]

So after after Alberta comes Saskatchewan, never been there before.

I got bored with the main roads and took some side roads, found this interesting iron bridge.









interesting oil rig support creatures.


Oil rig support creatures


Road kill



poor fellow probably didn't get to use that equipment much.


oil rig on the prairie



Hay bales on the prairie, the contrast of shape and color is pretty cool! I took a bunch of pics to try and capture that sense. Sometimes the sun would hit the bales just right.



Didn't quite get it, but I tried!



some magnificent thunderstorm buildups. Fortunately didn't have to run through any.



big oil refinery



these black tanks are also some kind of oil rig, haven't seen them anywhere else.



Nice old chevy truck, I coulda spent much more time taking pictures in these little prairie towns, but I had so many miles to cover.



I love these motels where you can park right outside your room.
This was Battleford SK, where I made the previous post.

[Mr Earl]

I only spent one night in Saskatchewan.
I pushed on and crossed the border in the wee hours of the morning. Got to Minot North Dakota and couldn't find a room for less than $120! So I nodded off in a Denny's restaurant and later slept on a picnic table is lovely state park surrounded by giant cottonwood trees, had the place all to myself. I was too beat to take pictures!
I'm in the middle of North Dakota at a motel run by a friendly fellow from Mumbai.

Here some pics of Saskatchwan.

Interesting old concrete bridge.









Great big old barn, ya don't see many of these around anymore.



Stopped in Saskatoon, for a coffee at a Mickeys D's, only took one picture!
I wonder what I was thinking about.



Saskatoon was a busy congested place with a bunch of morons driving around yacking away on cell phones. Like pretty much any city in the world!
I was glad to get out and fing this wonderful restaurant where I had the best burger, fries and soup of the trip so far. The soup was a great homemade beef barley which felt really good after all those cold wet miles in AK.
I can never remember to take pictures of the food before I eat it!
If you eve pass by be sure to stop in. Just south of Saskatoon.


Moving house on the prairie.




Got bored again and made another side trip through the prairie on farm roads.




These roads went on for miles and miles.


Contrast of golden wheat field and prairie lagoon



Then out in the middle of it was this lovely old American laFrance firetruck



big fancy combines



The old farmhouse where people used to lived. They now live in mobile homes.



The white bull thing never caught on!



miles and miles of gravel roads.







Every town on the rail line has these grain elevator, this is the old style. The new ones are giant!








That was it for Saskachewan.

[Mr Earl]

Crossed the border into ND at a town called Portal.

It was late I just had a coffee and a 7/11 burrito to fortify myself and my GPS got me lost! Had me routed down a closed road! As I backtracked in frustration I got stopped my a Royal Canadian Mountie! I was going 70kph in a 50 zone! Fock!
It's late, about midnight, his lights were incredibly bright. Absolutely blinding they were.
He asks for license and registration I hand him my NM license and smile explaining how I was lost. I was also hoping he wouldn't push the registration issue and notice my expired NM plates!
Anyway he was a fine fellow and super courteous and gives me an escort out of town.
I got me my police escort out of town!

I wish I had the presence of mind to take pictures when those things happen.


I get to the border and cross after being questioned my a rather sad and stupid US young immigration guy.
Where do you live? Err Thailand!
Where are you coming from? Err Anchorage!
Why were you in Canada? err to get here!
He wanted to know what my job was, I told him I was retired. Retired from what?
And it went on and on. jeez!

It's now after midnight and I'm wired from the adventure with the Royal Canadian Mountie, so I push on to Minot ND.

I see lighting in the sky off in the distance.

I get to Minot around 03:00 and the edge of a big thunderstorm is whipping things up, it's wet and very windy.
I cant find a room, exhausted I go into a Denny's and nod off for a bit, and eat something, drink more coffee.

I continue on, but I'm so tired I have to stop.
After nearly getting stuck in the mud and nearly dropping the bike I find a picnic table to sleep on.

Posted 06:14 from Edgely North Dakota. Time to get back on the road!

[pickel]

The Borden Bridge. I've been across that thing countless times. It's now closed with a new bridge beside it being used. Quite a few people have died on that bridge, it was a real accident trap.

[Bobcock]

I'd love to photograph that big ol' red barn....

[Dick]

I continue on, but I'm so tired I have to stop.
After nearly getting stuck in the mud and nearly dropping the bike I find a picnic table to sleep on.

Small foldup pup tent with a thin mattress roll would come in handy.

[Mr Earl]

I continue on, but I'm so tired I have to stop.
After nearly getting stuck in the mud and nearly dropping the bike I find a picnic table to sleep on.

Small foldup pup tent with a thin mattress roll would come in handy.

I got the full camping gear, but was too wasted to set anything up. In my full paded riding gear a concrete picnic table is passable comfort!

[Satonic]

Any problems with the bike so far Mr.Earl?

[Cujo]

Great thread Mr earl, I'm out of greens unfortunately.

[Bobcock]

it was a real accident trap.

why?...it's a short straight piece of road with no Thai drivers on it.

[Phuketrichard]

lots of pics of objects and i wonder ( until the post about the Mountie) if u actually talked to anyone :-) Just kidding but those small town bars/diners are great places to pick up some interesting people conversations.

Not to knock ur means of traveling but it seems ur thread bears that ur trying to get from A to B as fast as u can. (traveling at midnight)?? Do u have a time to be finished?

Ever read "Blue Highways" by William Least-Moon? great travel book on Ameriks back roads and people that one meets

[pickel]

it was a real accident trap.

why?...it's a short straight piece of road with no Thai drivers on it.

The reason why is behind Earl's back when he took the picture. There is a hill that descends down to the bridge. Saskatchewan roads can get very icy in the winter, and couple that with bridges that get even icier, and you have a lot of accidents.

[Mr Earl]

Any problems with the bike so far Mr.Earl?

The bike has been stellar! I just hose the chain once or twice a day with wd40. Haven't had even to adjust the chain yet. Getting a consistent 50+mpg's.

I was expecting to have to change a tire along the way, but that lasted longer than expected.

[Mr Earl]

Made it to MN. I was hustling a bit to arrive in time for the Agro Ecology Summit hosted at my friends farm.
Will post more pics of cool trains, tractors and stuff when I find a decent IT upload connection.

[astasinim]

Magnificent scenery Earl. Im truly envious of your trip, it looks like your having a great start to your adventure. Looking forward to more.

[sabang]

Tremendous journey, tremendous thread mate.
I reckon this ones a defo for 'famous threads'.

[Mr Earl]

lots of pics of objects and i wonder ( until the post about the Mountie) if u actually talked to anyone :-) Just kidding but those small town bars/diners are great places to pick up some interesting people conversations.

Not to knock ur means of traveling but it seems ur thread bears that ur trying to get from A to B as fast as u can. (traveling at midnight)?? Do u have a time to be finished?

Ever read "Blue Highways" by William Least-Moon? great travel book on Ameriks back roads and people that one meets

interesting feedback, "Blue Highways" was certainly influential in my life. I'd like to read it again now.
I talk to plenty of people but it's on a pretty superficial level and not really note worthy much of the time. Like what am I going to tell ya bout the pleasant interchange with the lady who served me the beef barley soup. Or about the whinging local geezers talking about recent highway constructions.
I had a nice chat with the fellow from Mumbai but cant really remember what it was about other than his brother lives in NM.

Anyway that was a good book and I certainly aspire to communicating on that kind of level.

Pics finally uploaded but the barn party it just getting going!

[Bobcock]

The reason why is behind Earl's back when he took the picture. There is a hill that descends down to the bridge. Saskatchewan roads can get very icy in the winter, and couple that with bridges that get even icier, and you have a lot of accidents.

An intelligent and insightful answer on TD....

I PROTEST!!!

[Bobcock]

Will post more pics of cool trains, tractors and stuff when I find a decent IT upload connection.

You arrived in the US, next decent connection will be Panama then....

[Mr Earl]

I followed US highway 281 south through North Dakota and US highway 212 through South Dakota into Minnesota.

I found Ellendale ND pretty interesting; the home of Trinity Bible College.

Not good rates just "fair"



High cost of low living.






Can't really argue with that!








this thing is huge!



The thing Americans get into
South Dakota.



They make a lot of sunflower seed oil.



These wind farms are popping up all over the Prairie. One wind turbine will supply power for 3000 homes!



1960 Ford Falcon straight 6 with 3spd column shift. Huron MN.



Tracy, MN





Land O Lakes!



This is the farm where the Barn Party is happening.

[Agent_Smith]

A Mexican for President? Anything's possible in the land of opportunity...

[natalie8]

^That's what I was thinking too, AS! They forgot to post his last name.

So, MrEarl, where are you now and how is everything going?