Category Archives: Motorcycle

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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Soggy Tofu and High Fructose Corn Syrup

Posted on August 2, 2013 by smspangler

Waking up to a high gray overcast and news that is was raining in Sturgis was all I needed to know. We were going to get wet. On the road at 0749, we got maybe an hour or two down … Continue reading →

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Gettin’ Out of Town on a Twisty Road

Posted on August 1, 2013 by smspangler

FAIRMONT, MN: Being an anal retentive person who takes quiet joy in the passage of arbitrary milestones large and small, nothing gives me greater pleasure than watching Ole Blue’s odometer turn to the next thousand, or even the next hundred. … Continue reading →

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An Adventure in Search of a Headline

Posted on July 27, 2013 by smspangler

Idle minds are often dangerous. With Ed riding east on his solo leg of our hybrid journey, I’ve been consumed by a journalist’s obsession, summarizing our adventure with a headline or title. Like all good headlines, it should succinctly describe … Continue reading →

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Reality Grows From Fantasies Planted in Daydream Fields

Posted on July 23, 2013 by smspangler

Sitting at the picnic bench on the service porch at Michler’s BMW/HD in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, a technician is giving my 2004 BMW R1150RT a close inspection during its 42,000-mile service. Named for the color of its fairing, Ole Blue … Continue reading →

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