Category Archives: Travel

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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Making All the Right Turns, Counter to the Traffic’s Flow

Posted on August 13, 2013 by smspangler

HAVRE, MONTANA—Thunderstorms awakened me in Kalispell around 0245 this morning, and when I reawakened at 0730, I was afraid to look beyond the curtain. Partly cloudy and sunshine. With no free breakfast or coffee at the Blue & White, 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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Badland Restoration of Proper Perspective

Posted on August 5, 2013 by smspangler

GILLETTE, WYOMING—Plotting our way out of the Sturgis vortex of unmuffled chaos, we decided to give the Badlands one more shot. Our passes were good for a week, and the CD 240 loop through the park was, on the map, … 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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