Category Archives: Lodging

Tonka Trucks Discover the Spirit in North Dakota

Posted on August 15, 2013 by smspangler

DEVILS LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA—North Dakota’s license plate is a colorful image of the plains, and in the sky it says “Discover the Spirit.” In the lower left corner stands a bison on two stems of wheat, opposite of the ready-to-harvest … Continue reading →

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Alone on the Range Under a Big Cloudy Sky

Posted on August 14, 2013 by smspangler

MILES CITY, MONTANA—Alone on the range, where the buffalo no longer roam, deer were no where to be seen, and a lone antelope glumly stared at me from behind a barbwire fence. After turning right at Harlem, Montana, where I … Continue reading →

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Riding Reality Road: Unexpected Surprises Good & Bad

Posted on August 12, 2013 by smspangler

KALISPELL, MONTANA—When I awoke this morning in Spokane Valley, I planned on walking the vital and varied streets of Sandpoint, Idaho, this evening, setting out from my room at the La Quinta to find a good healthy dinner at one … Continue reading →

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Interstate Decisions: Which Road to Ride, Where to Stay

Posted on August 11, 2013 by smspangler

SPOKANE VALLEY, WASHINGTON—Return trips are essentially restarts of a trip because you have to make all the same directions, only going in the other direction. With a business call in Spokane Valley, I spend Saturday trying to decide whether to … Continue reading →

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Seattle Separation: Getting Ready for the Solo Ride Home

Posted on August 10, 2013 by smspangler

RENTON, WASHINGTON—From my driveway in Omro, Wisconsin, it is 2,883 miles to Ed’s backyard in the Seattle metroplex city of Renton, Washington. We arrived the afternoon of Friday, August 9 at 1541. Reflecting later on our eight day adventure, Ed … Continue reading →

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The Four Faces of Yellowstone National Park

Posted on August 7, 2013 by smspangler

HELENA, MONTANA—Today was my first visit to Yellowstone National Park, but it’s not the first time I’ve laid eyes on it. For a half century or more I’ve watched uncountable TV shows and movies about the park and read stories … Continue reading →

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Living Large in Wapiti: Breakfast in Bed at the Trail Shop

Posted on August 7, 2013 by smspangler

WAPITI, WYOMING—When we awoke this morning, it was a crisp 46F outside. So said the weather report on Ed’s iPhone, and he suggested that we take out time getting on the road. We’d had enough cold on our way over … Continue reading →

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Sturgis: Coloring Outside the Lines

Posted on August 5, 2013 by smspangler

GILLETTE, WYOMING—Traveling through the hemisphere that surrounds Sturgis on the eve of the 73rd annual Bike Rally was such a disruptive emotional experience that I needed to let it ferment for a day before making sense of it and putting … Continue reading →

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Vignettes of a Disconnected Day

Posted on August 3, 2013 by smspangler

KADOKA, SOUTH DAKOTA—Plugged into my MP3 player I’m sitting with my back against the west wall of America’s Best Value Inn at Exit 150 of I-90. Like a child playing peek-a-boo, the sun is stetting behind fingers of clouds stretching … Continue reading →

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Dakota HorizInn: Making Ends Meet in a Small Town Economy

Posted on August 2, 2013 by smspangler

The Dakota HorizInn reminds me of the small-town businesses in northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula because it offers a number of unrelated services to make ends meet. Parkston, said the sign by the south parking lot driveway, is “A … Continue reading →

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