July 15 - Sturgis to Sturgis, Portland to Portland!

Woohoo! Thirteen states, three time zones, and over 2,100 miles in less than 44 hours. I made it to Maine and hopefully earned a Saddlesore 2000 from the Iron Butt Association as well. I left Sturgis, South Dakota on Tuesday morning, went over 1,000 miles to Sturgis Michigan, rested for a few hours, then kept going to Portland Maine. I love the symmetry – Sturgis to Sturgis, Portland to Portland. Today I took the time to sleep, eat, catch up on some paperwork, and treat myself to a nice dinner on the water. In the picture you can see my route in orange on the map.

The ride from Sturgis to Sturgis was rather uneventful as the weather was mild, I was well rested, and the roads were clearly marked and easy to follow. I did take a small detour from Minnesota south to Iowa and then back up again as Iowa is one of the states I hoped to tag this summer. Once I hit Ohio the next day, I noticed a marked difference in the road experience itself. There were more police patrols, more toll roads, and more traffic than earlier in my ride and the roads became harder to follow. For instance, to continue east on highway 90 around Cleveland I had to take at least four different roads, none of which were marked with helpful information like “take this road to continue on I-90 east.”

I would say things became most challenging once it became dark on the second night, particularly since there was a heavy fog significantly reducing visibility. The thing is, the semis must not have had a hard time seeing because they were still careening down the road as if it were daylight. To me, I felt a little bit like an avatar in a video game – bobbing and swooping here there and everywhere in the fog in the dark while semis screamed past me and signs warned me of jumping deer, falling rocks, and electronic toll surveyance.

One incident that could have been debilitating was the failure of my phone charger right in the middle of the first day. I hadn’t noticed the problem until a note came up telling me my phone was almost dead. Fortunately, I always carry a spare charger for my bike when I am on the road. I pulled over immediately right on the interstate and set up my phone with the new cord. Whew! There is no way I could have navigated the dozens on roads I was on at all hours of the day and night without the help of my GPS.

I had learned several things from my several earlier IBA rides and used that information to buy myself some time, allowing me to rest for several hours after about 1,100 miles. So I was physically feeling strong but mentally a little overwhelmed by the traveling conditions. Thankfully I asked a few friends to pray for me and I immediately felt more calm and focused.

I have to say, both hotels I stayed at the last two “nights” were amazing. When I arrived at the Travelodge in Sturgis Michigan around 7am to sleep for a few hours they not only gave me a ground floor room (per my request) but also told me they had decided not to book anyone in the room above me so that I could get the best sleep possible with the few hours I had. Isn’t that amazing?

Then when I arrived at the Ramada Plaza in Portland Maine around 7am this morning they brought breakfast to my room (they don’t usually have room service) and also made copies for me of all my IBA paperwork for free.

I ended the day by treating myself to an incredible fish dinner at DiMillo’s, a fine dining establishment on a boat on the harbor in Portland. I have to say, the pecan encrusted haddock was one of the best fish dishes I have ever eaten – the fish was so moist and fresh it melted in my mouth, the crust was lightly applied and perfectly flavored, and it was served with a stuffing filled with vegetables and more wonderful spices that almost seemed like a dessert. Wow!