Friday, September 23, 2016

South Shore 2016 - Addendum

A follow up to the last Post, this one containing images and videos, both from my  Contour +2 helmet cam as well as shots taken on my phone.

Wednesday morning, starting out on the KLR.....


 On Point Detour Road, Red Cliff Reservation.  A Toyota parked off the road...



Toyota still parked along road....


Her reaction after telling me that she had locked her keys in her car and that my cell phone had No Service.....


With a smile, "Well I can walk out, I know how to do that.  Come on dogs."



I stopped at the first house I could to let them know that there was a woman that could use some help.


These square yellow signs have strong magnetic force when I'm on one of the bikes ......


Typical use of the shale granite, especially so on roads more well traveled. If the sand gets too deep or the road gets steep enough for erosion to be an issue, this rock firms the roadbed up.  Often I'd be watching for color changes to read the road conditions and this grey, even when deep was almost always a welcome sight.


 Stopped for gas in Corny, this local resident, formerly of the Twin Cities had a lot of questions and had to listen to lots of my answers.  A potential KLR owner, he was ready to make another trip back to the Superior Kawasaki dealer after my sales job.......I reminded him how much cleaner his was going to be.


The Delta Diner Wednesday afternoon, after closing time.


Late that afternoon, my campsite just ahead, riding complete for my first day out.


3 bear hunting trucks ahead, one bear 'resting' on the truck in front.



I managed to come upon this road grader twice during the week, both times from behind.  On average, his road work improved conditions...but only on average.



The Road Closed sign where I stubbornly refused to see Big Bore Heavily Laden's track both Go and Come Back.....


 There was no going around this one.....Deer Lick Road.


Hunting Hounds.....


 2.995 gallons, 204 miles......


Headed up GG to Mellen, then to Copper Falls State Park.  I'm not sure but I believe that this was the weekend for the big HD gathering in Tomahawk Wisconsin.

My KLR was outnumbered in the Copper Falls parking lot....


 The detour on Hwy 13 between Mellen and High Bridge, due I'm sure to another washed out section still being repaired from summer storms.


 One of the many dips/hollows where there was shiny new pavement and a mangled culvert in the road ditch.


Stopped at the beach in Cornucopia, picnic pavilion along the beach, the gazebo'd spring to the right where many continually come and have been for many years to get their spring water.


 The Corny beach where my wife played as a kid and where we've since played with our kids.  On a hot summer sunny day without a NW wind, this protected Siskiwit Bay can actually have swimmable water temps.....that is down to about 4' deep or so. :)


Back at Camp Herbster, wood is available for sale, but the chunks are big and not all that dry.  I stopped here twice for kindling.



Friday morning started off lovely and with a bit of a scare.  I'd only ridden about 5 miles when I stopped to enjoy this mostly clear cut forested area and pop the top on my thermos of coffee.  Remember, "about 5 miles....."  Climbed back on, pushed the starter button...Nothing.  Pushed it again, no difference.  Multiple button presses weren't really having a different outcome.  Helmet off, jacket off.  I noted that button pushes were slightly dimming the green Neutral light.

The starter is above the transmission, behind the cylinder.  I wiggled the main wire and unplugged/plugged a couple of connectors there.  Remaining starts, and there were many, the rest of the week successfully were accomplished.


It was obvious post-rain that the road grader was out and just ahead of me.....and again, there were places he was doing me a favor while there were many that he was not.






 I stayed back quite a ways.....



 This was a down hill section that had rutted quite badly.  I could tell that he was going to take multiple passes at this mess.


 His back-up lights and beeper going full force.....




Storm damage......



 With the morning sun drifting through, it felt very cathedrally here.


 Battleaxe Road, maintained, straight and nicely graveled.  I don't know, need to find out but think that this parallels an old railroad right of way.  The area had many rail lines back when there was old growth timber to be cut.  Many companies and various rail lines penetrated the entire county, some hauled logs to ports on the lake, some hauled the cargo south.


 More storm damage.....



 More deep sand....


I ate at the Delta Diner twice during my long weekend.  There was Pedro's Mex Benny that I had for Thursday's brunch.  Friday I stopped again, this time for a late lunch.  I couldn't help myself, everything on the sandwich board AND the things Mary ("I knew you'd be back") sat down and detailed for me sounded so very good but I had no choice....once again the PBLT was a no brainer.  Perch, bacon, lettuce and tomato, a bit of chipotle......  I've done this before and can't wait to do it again.



 Bread exclusively for the Diner in Delta...



 I can't even tell you how good this Mocha Pecan pie was so I'm not going to try.  If you can imagine rich and yummy, you're at least heading in the right direction.



Puddle....on the Success Side looking back from whence I'd come.


Videos, 20, 30 and 40 seconds long.  A few show the tipped, bent and broken storm damage.  There's some deep sand, bear hunters, lovely sun and some handlebar/helmet clipping branches.










 
  

11 comments:

  1. Good stuff-well documented! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks Eric, as previously noted, those days were right up your alley.

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  2. Doug I see that there are some people on those roads, but, what with spotty cell service, I would have a Spot on board. I mean if one of those puddles turned out to have a KLR-swallowing hole lurking in it...

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    1. I suppose I'm too much of a city boy. ;)

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    2. David, of course your are right and I do think about it. Justification, at least so far has been that for 90% of my riding, there's a farm house and/or traffic within a short distance away. I do seem to measure risk against confidence and probability, the result speaks for itself.

      I DO know what I should do and thanks for the reminder. Maybe next year?

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    3. To quote a local,(With a smile) "Well I can walk out, I know how to do that. Come on dogs."

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    4. I probably rely a bit more on even this than I should...stuff can happen.

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  3. Sand everywhere. Big sandy logging roads with wooped out hill climbs. Sand bowls. That's were I learned to ride up by the UP/WI border, I was a lucky kid. I don't think environmentally friendly was a thing back then, probably go at it a bit differently these days. Also, I was 14. No plates. No license. No problem. Your trip brings back many good memories, thanks!

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    1. Jason, very much like my start. Pastures and rocky hillsides, not so much sand about 5 miles from where we live....summers in Goodhue County chasing cows, building fence, etc. The cows would establish terraced paths along the steep hillsides and my brother and I did our fair share of vertical trench digging. We both know better now. :)

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  4. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm craving mocha pecan pie right about now.

    Those roads looks like a lot of fun except for the ones the grader was on, some of those looked sketchy.

    Would you have tried down the middle of that large puddle if you were with other riders? I can just picture Troubadour and PolarBear tearing off through the middle of it and sinking in to their axles laughing maniacally the whole time.

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    1. Brandy, I went through or barely around every puddle except one. Judging by surrounding slopes I guessed that one to be sparkplug deep and I wanted no part of it.

      I'm all for getting through them, much less fond of going only part way.

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