Some of you may have followed my previous prep/mods posts in RSD, regarding this trip. What started out last week as a potential peak experience ended as an exercise in drudgery/ endurance.

Let me preface with that I’m 64, never owned a motorcycle before last year and had accumulated 3,700 miles on the bike (2012 S40) prior to the trip, 2/3 of which have been on back roads doing 40-45 mph with my wife on the back and the remainder highway at 55-60 mph.

Day 1:
IN 14 Columbia City, IN to Rochester, IN- beautiful, smooth,  curving and rolling route.
 
IN 14 Rochester, IN to west state line- very rough- I will never use it again.

Illinois state line to Interstate 57- US 52 portion (7 miles) is an industrial area with heavy truck traffic, where I received a facial sandblasting with each passing truck over the grooved road surface.

Ill 116 to Ill 17, arrived at Johnson-Sauk Trail SRA after approximately riding 6 hours and camped in a beautiful pine forest.

Day 2:
Ill 17 to Mississippi River, crossing at Muscatine, Iowa- very nice route.

Iowa 92 from Muscatine to Lake Ahquabi State Park (near Indianola, Iowa) - beautiful rolling hills with long curves and many long distance vistas.

Attempted for 2 hours on my smartphone to email experiences and photos using WIFI at McDonald’s unsuccessfully. It kept dropping when I’d attempt to send, then I would have to start all over. I decided I wouldn’t spend more time on the trip with tech issues and just enjoy the riding experience. I rode for approximately 6 hours and only saw one 18 wheeler all day.

Day 3:
Iowa 92 to Iowa 25 to Iowa 44- beautiful scenery and roads.
     
Iowa 44, aka as a Western Skies Iowa Byway to the Nebraska line is beautiful also.

Up to this point, all the roads have had a speed limit of 55, so I’ve been cruising at 52-58. 18 wheeler traffic has increased a bit.  I’ve noticed that livestock rigs create a unique and very unsettling turbulence. Also, local grain rig drivers seem less patient and more aggressive in regards to the speed limit and interacting with a motorcycle than the otr rigs I encountered.  

During the afternoon, the sky to the west has been clouding up. Crossing into Nebraska, the speed limit increases to 60 mph, but the road conditions decrease i.e. lots of very poor patch work and raised joints. Consequently, I change my planned route to use other roads that will take me north to connect with Nebraska 12 to US 20, both following the north border of the state and hoping at the same time for better road conditions. NOT. It starts to rain, making the roads more challenging. I cancel my plan to camp in a state park. Livestock rigs that pass me in the rain create a “tinted” shower along with their even more intimidating turbulence.

I head for the South Dakota border, hoping for better road conditions and a motel vacancy, as it’s getting late. The road improves, speed limit is back to 55 and Yankton, S.D.’s Starlite Inn has one vacancy.

I unpack in the rain, go to Burger King for a 9:00 p.m. dinner, review my 6 hour riding day and get sick from the food upon returning to my $57/ night, weekly rates, matchbox motel room.

I forgot to mention that the motel desk clerk has told me that the weather forecast is thunderstorms for the next 2-3 days from Wyoming, heading east, southeast. At home, I originally planned an alternate bad weather route, dropping down to Kansas with a new destination of Colorado. However, having now experienced the horrible road conditions in Nebraska, knowing I will have to travel the full height of the state to get there and through bad weather; I refuse, won’t cowboy up or am too chicken nuts to do it. Time to head home.

Day 4: I pack in the rain. Heading east, I cross into Iowa at the tiny town of Akron on route 3 and stop for gas.

While pumping my gas, a thunderous sound announces the arrival of eight Harley riders at the next pump. Six are Hell’s Angels from Connecticut. Several of them discuss weather and road conditions with me, agreeing and stating that Nebraska’s roads “suck”. One spends some time checking-out/ admiring the S40. He has also experienced the livestock rig effect, speculating that it has something to do with the slats/opening in the trailer. Additionally, he comments on the “tinted” shower caused by the “p-ss and sh-t”. Several of us discuss distances, speeds and duration of travel each day.  I state I’m riding for about 6 hrs. covering about 300 plus miles and maintaining 55-60 mph. while cruising. They try to cover about 600 miles a day, cruising at about 100 mph at times. We wish each other “be safe” and I head out into the rain.
After two hours, I feel my chest and seat getting wet even though I’m wearing Road Toadz. My thighs are shaking slightly-no more today. I stop in Cherokee, Iowa, check into a motel and find a laundermat to dry my clothes.

Day 5:
I pack in the rain. I take US 59 south to US 20. The rain is heavy, visibility dropping to about ¼ mile at times.
I drop my speed to 45 and turn on my emergency flashers, hoping to avoid getting rear-ended.  The rain feels like hail (and hell) on my face. I’ve readjusted my rain hood, but still getting wet. So, I stop in Fort Dodge to dry my clothes at a laundermat, rest and get some hot food.

Two hours latter I’m on the road again determined to reach the Illinois border, putting me within reach of my home the next day.
It rains 6 of the 7 hours it takes me to get back to Muscatine, Iowa on the Mississippi River.

It’s interesting how a beautiful landscape and good roads (Iowa) can be liberating and a joyful experience. Then, with a change in the weather become so intimidating, depressing and create such a sense of loneliness.

Day 6:
No rain! I ride east, the first 2 hours into a strong wind.
The wind farms that stretch across this portion of Illinois coincide with the experience. The remainder of the day is uneventful as I stretch my riding time to eight hours, reaching home.

I didn’t make it to Wyoming. However, I rode 1800 miles, experiencing just about every road condition possible and at times in horrible weather conditions. I know my bike better and I’m probably a better rider for the experience. I guess I’ll evaluate my gear and regroup for another trip, another time.

       

Thanks for the encouragement.

Rick

In his song "Roll Me Away" about a motorcycle trip across the high plains, Bob Seger sings of standing alone on a mountain top and staring out at the great divide. This after seeing a young hawk fly and picking up a girl in a bar where he stopped to have a brew.

You, on the other hand, get rained on, soaked by the spray off stinky cattle trucks, stay in cheap motels, and eat at Burger King and McDonald's.

But you tried and you made it home safely. I wonder how many never try. The last line in your post tells me you will do it again, "time to reevaluate and regroup." The next trip may be just as wet and taxing....but, then again, maybe not.

Keep us posted and keep riding.

After the McDonald's tech torture, I simply rode. Here's a few before shots:


Camping at Johnson-Sauk Trail SRA in Illinois.


The Mississippi River at Muscatine, Iowa.


Indispensable product used by marathon runners and not messy like Monkey Butt!

A plus on the trip was the gas mileage- 66mpg.

Solo.

However, in late September my wife and I will head west together, bike loaded on my truck or trailered. We'll camp in yet to be determined national park(s) and use the bike for day trips.

Yea, some rain gear is "supposed" to be water proof and then there is other gear that is Flat Out GUARANTEED to be 100% WATER PROOF.
Of course it costs more, but if you want to be DRY regardless of the weather then you have to pay for it.
I have not used the Road Toadz gear so cannot comment directly about it's performance but I went through several individual pieces and a couple of sets before getting something that was in fact water proof.
Same goes for boots, water proof goes a long way in heavy weather.

Several years ago I took a trip much like yours except I was lucky!  Rode from Portland Or. to Illinois on my 650 and the first rain I ran into was in Fort Dodge, Nebraska. Idaho was pretty and felt like you stepped back in time 50 years.  Wyoming was boring and you could ride for a long ways without seeing another vehicle on the roads. Only 500,000 people in the state. Horrible roads too but nothing like what Nebraska had to offer!  I agree the Methane smell gagged me and at the end of the day I smelled like poop. I had to shove a rag soaked in whiskey inside my full faced helmet to keep from throwing up. I met this guy who told me when he was in high school and the kids got bored they would have Huff parties where they would take a plastic one gallon milk jug and cut the bottom off. lay it over a fresh cow pie and take deep nose hits to get high!  The Sand Hills are windy and scary. Traveling 60 to 65 mph I would ride the center line and the gusts would blow me all the way over to the outside of the lane. Not much to see either except cow, and windmills which were everywhere. Spent about a week in Sioux Falls Iowa visiting a friend, and we rode on into Illinois where we set on the Mississppi on a warm afternoon and drank a beer and smoked a cigar and watched a couple of old paddle steam boats go by. My friend headed home and I was on my way to tour some Civil War battlefields on the East Coast but they were having record rains so I decided to go elsewhere. While sitting out a rain squall with another rider in this rest area we were robbed by a car load of punks. Knew we were in for some trouble when they got out of the car, pouring down rain with no shirts on and tattoo's everywhere. We were the only people other than them  in the rest area. They stole my helmet, jacket, camera, $350 in cash  and some other small stuff. I had my debit card stuffed in my sock.  I lost a tooth and had one chipped and ended up with a black eye that swelled shut. While sitting on the picnic bench being checked over by medical staff and the police, a darn bee stung me in the throat!  At that point I decided to head back home so I turned around and from that point on I had the best time of my life!  It was no longer about how many miles I tacked on but the people I met and the experiences along the way. It seems people like travelers, especially those traveling alone and I ran into many of them. The cops in Illinois gave me a beat up old helmet with a face shield duct taped on and a coat 2 times too large but served the purpose. When I made it back to ONeil Nebraska the rain and wind started so I decided to stay in a motel with a connected restaurant. The manager was a church member, which most are in the Midwest it seems because churches are almost on every block. I told him I wanted the cheapest room they had available and I told him my story. I guess he took pity on someone in a duct taped helmet and since I no longer had a rain coat, I was wearing a black plastic garbage bag duct taped over my coat and bread bags taped to my feet. He let me have the room for free and when I got up the next morning there was this cardboard box outside my door that some of his parishioners left for me. A better coat, some rain gear, a envelope with a $100 bill inside and another with $40 and a free breakfast voucher in the restaurant. I tried to give it all back because I did have my card with me but the people in the restaurant would not allow it. I was kinda embarrassed because they said a prayer for me and all they asked is for me on the way out of town to stop by this church and give thanks to this statue of Mary in front of this Catholic church. not being terribly religious, I did anyway and it must have worked because i was getting ready to ride back across the Sand hills and it was once again gusting really hard. i got about 10 miles out of town and decided to head north into South Dakota with the wind at my back. I rode across highway 44 so to avoid highway 90 which everyone was traveling 80 mph and spent the Memorial weekend in Rapid City and went and saw the National Monuments which tons of bikes were out from Sturgis and they took a liking to the little Savage and invited me back to Sturgis with them for a BBQ. Nice ride and rode with a bunch of maybe 50 bikes which was kinda scary since it was my first group ride but I made it and had a blast. Went to this cool Harley Davidson motorcycle museum while there. Rode into Deadwood, the home of Wild Bill Hitchcock and Annie Oakley, went and toured the wounded Knee massacre sight and rode thru the Badlands then on into  the Black Hills a day or so later and the weather was nice and the scenery surprised me. I always thought SD would be ugly but quite the opposite. Rode thru Montana which was kinda boring on the east side but the west side was some of the most beautiful country you will ever see anywhere. Spent a day at Custers battlefield and it looks pretty much like it did the day the 276 calvary soldiers were slaughtered. If you ever go to Montana there are two things you need to check out. Flathead lake which is one just north of Missoula. I did not even know it existed and out in the middle of nowhere is this lake that will make you swear your at the Ocean! Something like 50 miles long and 30 miles wide. Kept going and ran into the highlight of my trip, Glacier National Park almost on the Canadian border, You can not ride 50 ft without having to stop and take a picture. Check it out on the net sometime and you will see what I mean. From there I rode back across the pan handle of Idaho into Spokane Washington, dropped down into Oregon and followed the Columbia river back to Portland. I was pretty sad that my trip was ending and I knew it was a once in a lifetime experience that not many get the chance to do. I was going to share my riding experience  in here with everyone on my ride each day but like I said, my camera was stolen and I was not sure anyone would have wanted to read them anyway. But I still have my pics from my ride back and maybe someday I might even post them. In all, I put almost 7,000 miles on my Savage in just a little over a month and it ran like a clock and got me back home with not one problem at all except for my license plate falling off in Cody Wyoming which caused me to get pulled over quite a few times thru all of the states,  but never was cited for it because I had proper identification for myself and bike. best time of my life except for the birth of my son and I would do it again on my Savage except with 54,000 miles I do not think it would relish the journey as well as me.
Like I said, I had many great experiences but one even worse than being robbed in Illinois that caused me so much grief when I got home I plan on backtracking to a couple of places and make things right. I hope!  A story for another day!  Sorry for the long post!

Figured out how to enlarge photos (camping at Johnson-Sauk Trail SRA, Illinois)



Mississippi River at Muscatine, Iowa




The better than powder product (Gold Bond)