A new day, bright and clear in the early a.m. as expected given the nature of the system.
I wonder if I can find a nice little place for breakfast somewhere on the road again this morning?
Category Archives: On the road
Ride to eat
I needed fuel, so obviously I had to pull into Fergus Falls on the high end. To my complete and utter surprise, right beside the gas’n’go, I discovered these two places side-by-side. After I had a date square the girl told me the brownies were to die for. She was right.
They also had a variety of fresh-baked bread sitting on the counter. Fortunately, I didn’t have a pound of butter stashed away, or I’d have been in bread heaven.
Take a look at the storefronts.
And the next time you’re passing by Fergus Falls, Minnesota, stop in at the Falls Baking Company. I’m glad I did. And before I forget, I’m going down to my saddlebag to get the final brownie.
The Falls Baking Company
Breakfast
All was not lost, however.
Just after departing Jamestown I happened across a delightful place to have breakfast in the quaint little college town of Valley City. I rode past all the fast food eat’n’puke places to get to the field where the local football team had a match. I passed that, and came across this little gem right downtown.
Not bad.
And the sun was shining for a change.
Lone Steer Motel, Steele ND
Updated: Arson is alleged. Bond set at one million dollars.
Updated August 13, 2013: Here’s a link from The Bismark Tribune with a couple of photos of the remains.
Updated August 12, 2012: It looks like the Lone Steer is no more as of today. Judging by the comments on Amy’s page, the Lone Steer held a lot of memories for the residents of the community. Thanks for posting the link in my comments, Amy.
Updated May 26, 2012: Well folks, according to jim and Kenny down in the comments section –
the rooms they remodeled are nice… They have new carpets, beds
So then, all is now well and good at the Lone Steer Motel.
*
Well, let me tell ya about back in 2008…
I’ve been trying to get to Chicago for two days now, and the weather is just not cooperating in the slightest. Since yesterday I’ve been following a system with lightning, hail, extreme high winds and torrential rain with the possibility of tornadoes.
Last night I pulled over at a place called Steele, ND and checked out a room at the Lone Steer Motel. Yes, that’s right. The Lone Steer Motel Casino Restaurant Lounge Campground.
I have some advice for you, people. Before you pony up the cash for a room at this place, get your key and check out the room first at the Lone Steer Motel in Steele, ND off of I94. When I stayed there, it was filthy. The room was filthy. The carpet on the floor was filthy. The walls were filthy. The ceiling was filthy.
It was dark and dingy.
Would you like to know why the lights in the room were underpowered? They were underpowered to disguise the fact that the sheets on the bed were hiding pubic hair. Fresh pubic hair, as far as I could tell. I wasn’t going to get too close.
The restaurant chef – such as he was – cooked me an egg over and served it with toast that wasn’t warm and wasn’t toasted either. The toast was dried bread that had obviously been left out on the counter to get hard and/or stale, and thus was served as toast. It was as white and as cold-as-the-driven-snow cold, but let me tell you, it had a crust.
At 0130 hours I loaded up and headed east on the 94 one more time.
I got as far as Jamestown before yet again catching up to the storm system.
I should have followed my temptation to ride south on the 15.
Meth is bad
Last fall in 2007, while I was on a ride through Montana country and route 200, I noticed quite a few roadside posters bemoaning the problems related to methamphetamine use. While I was in the Lunch Box in Circle, I asked Bobbie what was going on, since I didn’t think the area was a hotbed for meth use or production. She told me that there was a poster competition going on, and that the winner’s poster would be painted on the the side of the local sheriff’s building.
Well, here it is:
Get the picture?
The cards get their name from the legend of it having been the five card draw hand held by Wild Bill Hickok at the time of his murder.
Temptation
All right, so I’m weak. Sue me.
I hit the road a tad earlier than Wednesday.
The weather was good – clear blue and plenty of sunshine with temps in the low 90s. In other words, excellent riding weather. Neither wild horses nor a fine woman could have held me back.
I was sorely tempted when I kept seeing this sign. The 15 south starts at my front door and rolls all the way to Mexico and the Baja, and even though it’s hotter than Texas tar in those parts now, once you get on the coast there’s a nice refreshing breeze.
Maybe next time.
Yeah, yeah, and I’m still weak, but I headed east on Montana 200 out of Great Falls. I still think 200 is a great little two-lane stretch of blacktop. It runs through some pretty nice country, and at this time of year everything is green, except for the canola which has stared to bloom its vibrant yellows. Back in September, the landscape here was all brown.
This time I’ve stopped at a mom and pop in Lewistown called the B&B Motel – 51 bucks a night, tax in, and with wireless to boot – and it’s extremely clean, neat and well kept up. Mom is a former northern California farm girl who’s been living here for 30 years. I can tell by the shape this place is in that mom is one of those people who cares.
A couple of hundred early miles tomorrow morning and I’ll hook onto the boring 94 headed for Minneapolis, good for making time, bad for interesting places and people.
I did a hard and fast ride today. The bike is running well.
And so am I.
Every sign I see says “South”.
What’s with that?
Perhaps it’s an omen.
Ragtops
Update #2: Look for Under Armour skull caps and pick a silk cap. You might end up with an elastic ring around your head, so I can’t vouch for the look.
Update #1: I searched around and found some welding caps that I wear under my helmet. They’re made of cotton, cost about the same, and you can buy them anywhere. I turn the peak around and it shades the back of my neck. Added bonus: the welding cap seams are sewn flat, and thus don’t feel like they’re cutting into my head after a couple of hours of wearing one under the helmet.
If you do much long distance riding, the thick seams on the front of the silk or cotton helmet liner will dig into your bald head like a knife after a couple of hundred miles. Unlike welding caps, the silk or cotton liners sold by online motorcycle stores aren’t stitched with flat seams, thus making such seams too thick to be comfortable over the long haul riding, which is what I do a lot of. On the other hand, if you’re doing short rides around town, you won’t notice a thing.
A baseball stitch would be a great addition to any silk helmet liner. Unfortunately, probably because of cost, you’re not going to see any flat stitching in a helmet liner.
* * *
Helmets are a great invention. The keep your head warm when it’s cold, dry when it’s raining, and sweaty when it’s hot. Thus was invented the silk helmet liner, an accoutrement that makes a rider look like a dork when he puts it on, but quickly turns from a fashion nightmare into an item that makes for a more comfortable helmet. Added bonus: the helmet doesn’t stink up as fast.
If you’re going to get a helmet liner, buy two. That way, you can switch them out on a ride and one dries in the wind while you wear the other. I prefer welding caps, since the seams are sewn flat and won’t cut into your head after a couple of hours.
Helmet sanitation tip
Now that I’m finished with my rant, here’s a tip on helmet sanitation for those of you that don’t have a removable liner: When the old brain-bucket does begin to get ripe–and it will–put it in the dishwasher, without soap, and run it through a wash cycle. Just remember to take the helmet out before the heat cycle comes on. Let it air dry, and voila! Good as new.