Saturday, July 25, 2020

The Tri Trek on Thirty

I get better and better at my Titles...huh??

Here's the 'Thirty' part....Minnesota State Hwy 30. 


I've ridden the eastern section from its start in Rushford, MN and gone as far west as Hayfield, this back in 2009.


Discovering more of Hwy 30 wasn't the main goal however, only a means to that end as they say.  Considering all of the construction along the way, I did the best that I could.  The red line is Friday's trip west, most of it on or very near '30.  All day Friday, I only had to work so hard to limit my speed, the highest recorded on the Zumo was 57mph.  A few County roads but mostly State 30 and I never really was in anyone's way.  Today on the Interstates, speed went up, highest recorded for the trip 78.

Gas mileage went way down.


Here was my real goal with hopefully some other discoveries along the way.  The Tri-State Iron Post intrigued me and came as a bit of a surprise since it was something I'd never really thought of before.  You might not think that odd but it's out of character for me....the kind of thing I'd have wondered about or at the very least looked into.


I've been to the famous Four Corners out west and stood in all 4 States at once.  Too many of our crazy States come together in some sort of waterway making it really difficult for a guy on a motorcycle to get there.  Our very own Tri-Corner was something that I could get to....so I went.


Not even 30 minutes from home.....



I stopped and walked around a short while at Rice Lake State Park, one of my failed destinations the other weekend when I had the flat tire.



The VStar's previous home was just outside of Ellendale!



 Not everything in small Minnesota rural towns is tranquil.....


I've seen detours on graveled roads, I've seen gravelly detours but I've never in all my born days seen a State Highway detoured onto a gravel road.  There was a sign warning everyone...in so many words, if you need pavement, you should follow the Truck Route.

I took the graveled path least traveled by and have been forever grateful.



I've got a few friends that live in the vacinity of Ontario's Thousand Islands.  Farmsteads/woodlands in SW Minnesota resemble those islands in seas of soybeans and corn.  South Central Minnesota is 1000 islands, as I went further west, size of the islands went down, their frequency as well while they grew further and further apart.  By the time I got in far SW Minnesota, we must have been down to 100 islands.



Found some gravel....on the grid.







I knew the Visitor Center was closed but I really wanted to stop anyway....I've never been here.  My only time in Pipestone was for a sheep shearing class back in the late nineties when our flock was growing.








Another State Park visit....


 Kids....and summertime...




After Split Rock Creek State Park it was further south, right down into the Minnesota/Iowa/South Dakota corner to my destination, the Tri-State Iron Post Historical Marker.  I had big plans with the drone but it was way, way too windy.  All day long, a strong south wind made the windmills spin hard.  My poor little drone would have ended up in Fargo, possibly Winnipeg.


I had some fun with it, check this out....


It took me 323 miles to get there, a very warm, lovely prairie type of day.  I love traveling in this country!




Back up through Luverne and my last State Park visit, Blue Mounds State Park.

 

I checked into my Worthington, MN motel, tired, hot and very thirsty.  Boots off, shorts on, A/C on and it was time for dinner in my microwave.  I brought dinner, dessert, coffee and breakfast along, all made with hot water.  Things are different....


This morning I woke to lightning and hard rain.  I had really planned to use my preferred 'shortcut' home, Hwy 60 back up through Mankato and Faribault.  I always refer to it as the hypotenuse rather than I-90/I-35 as the legs of the triangle.  But today, the best way was determined to be the busy Interstate to hopefully not follow through the storm as it moved NE but to get out ahead far enough to sneak north before it got that far east.

The first 50 miles were very wet though I was moving faster than it was.


Rain....


A coffee stop in Blue Earth....just ahead, just barely ahead of the rain that was chasing me on my way east.


Last year's Guzzi Rally provided these neck gaiters....very timely!


Some other events at home, a couple of big exciting ones but I'll fill you in on those very soon.  I'm back in Iowa for at least part of the coming week and then soon, some more time off, hopefully for some more Exploring.

7 comments:

  1. I actually watched your video before I saw the post. (Your blog post not the truth-state iron post)

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    1. :) I normally try to have the blog post ready right away once the video uploads but went ahead yesterday and did it early. Hope you weren't disappointed!

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  2. Like! I've had my eye on Niobrara State Park in Nebraska for some time. A solo trip out there, through the seas of corn and bean would be amazing. Glad to see you went for it, I get excited just thinking about it. :)

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    1. Jason, this is really good to hear and I do understand. Not everyone appreciates these wide open spaces like they might. As Scott says, "anyone can love the mountains, it takes soul to appreciate the prairies"

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    2. Jason, I can see why that caught your eye; looks very worthy of a trip. That section of the MO River has been a target for awhile now and it's just bubbled closer to the top.

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    3. There are some good day trips out of there too, and you'd have the place to yourself! I may need to make this happen.

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    4. Thanks Jason, plans are being made.

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