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FALL 2019 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 04
What Don ’ s Honda Shadow lacked in wind protection , he made up for with a layered look .
On a smaller scale , hawks work the updrafts over the bluffs along the river . We share the sense of flight .
We take a rest stop by the river , watch a local drive his pickup to water ’ s edge and slightly beyond . He tosses sticks into the river for his dog to retrieve .
If we had a timetable , an ETA to reach a specific town by nightfall , we abandon it immediately for a pace that allows good food , conversation , reflection . Mileage is not our master . When night falls we stop in Frederic , a small town 72 miles shy of Duluth . We walk to dinner .
Over dinner we discuss the learning curve . This is Don ’ s first long trip . He has discovered that his bike can run all day , mile after mile , and be as fresh at the end of the day as the beginning . ( Something not to be said for the riders .) And it can do that for days on end . Anything is possible .
Lesson : Stop one town short of the obvious destination , i . e ., don ’ t end a day in a major town . Everyone will be headed there .