Alaska 2006 - Daily Ride Report

Alaska 2006 - Day 1	home \| next >
Friday, July 21, 2006
Starting location: Franksville, WI, USA	Miles traveled today: 672
Ending location: Grand Forks, ND, USA	Total miles traveled: 672

Lodging
Location:	Select Inn, Grand Forks, ND
Cost:	$ 53.27 (including tax)
Notes:	Clean and quiet (except for the railroad tracks out our windows). They mixed up our reservation so half the group ended up at another hotel. We would stay here again.

Weather Conditions
Skies	Temp	Wind
Morning: Clouds Afternoon: Sun	Morning: High 60's Afternoon: 80's	Strong

Fuel
Stop	Location	Price / Gal
1	Poynette, WI	$ 3.09
2	Eau Clare, WI	$ 3.05
3	St. Paul, MN	$ 2.92
4	Perham, MN	$ 2.99
5

Lowest Price:		$ 2.92
Highest Price:		$ 3.09

Road Conditions
State / Province	Road	Road Surface	Construction Information
Wisconsin	Interstate 94	4 Lane divided interstate highway, paved, smooth	No construction
Minnesota	US 10	4 Lane divided highway, paved, smooth, some curves, some congestion	No construction
Minnesota	US 59	2 Lane country road, paved, smooth, straight	No construction
Minnesota	US 2	4 Lane country highway, paved, smooth, some curves	10 miles of construction, one lane in each direction

Today's Route (planned)

Today's Route (actual)

The first day of our big adventure. The group was smiling and in good spirits, despite the planned 06:00 AM departure time.

Today was mostly about getting some miles behind us so we planned to spend most of our time on interstate highways. We left Franksville, WI at 06:18 AM and headed North on I94. We stayed on I94 until we crossed the Mississippi River.

Our first fuel and cookie break (Mike's wife sent along some homemade cookies for the group) occurred after only 115 miles at 8:06 AM when we reached Poynette, WI. We're still not sure if we stopped because Dave E's tank was running dry or if the cookies were calling our name.

Crossing the mighty Mississippi as we head into Minnesota.

We snapped a quick picture of the Welcome to Minnesota sign as we rolled by.

We stopped for lunch just West of St. Paul, MN at TGI Fridays.

Sometime after lunch we were buzzed by a local crop duster. Is insecticide bad for the paint on our motorcycles (it sure tastes funny)?

As we were traveling North on US Highway 59 through the White Earth Indian Reservation, we attracted the attention of local law enforcement, who expressed a great interest in the accuracy of our speedometers.

After the completion of our safety and cultural awareness seminar, we had an engaging conversation regarding the local farm crop status on the reservation.
After taking a photograph with our new friends, we continued on our way to Grand Forks, ND attempting to beat the setting sun.

Dave decides to avoid any further interactions with local law enforcement by switching to a less conspicuous form of transportation.

We pulled into Grand Forks, ND just after sunset. We checked into our luxurious accommodations and headed out for dinner. Had dinner at a Chinese all you can eat buffet. Not sure what we ate (there are no dogs in Grand Forks, hmmm) but after 15 hours on the road, we didn't much care.

Tomorrow ... Through North Dakota and into Montana

home | next >