Road Trips

Well, not too much to say about Minot, ND—the clerk at the motel we stayed at thought that out Volvo was cute. One thing we discovered was that, ever since that movie Fargo came out, North Dakotans apparently liked the way all the actors talked and have learned to talk just like them.

We spent virtually the entire day again today on US Route 2, for the third day in a row. No complaints, tho, since it's a two- and four-lane road with hardly any other vehicles that snakes its away across the northern plains. The weather today was beautiful—sunny and in the sixties. We also had a 30 MPH wind at our back again, keeping our gas mileage up to slightly over 20 MPG.

Tech corner: Not much to report (which, of course, is good news). We did have to make a high-speed swerve around a low-speed skunk—does that count? The car's great to drive—we don't even get very tired despite spending nine or ten hours on the road.

We made it across half of North Dakota, all of Minnesota, and into Wisconsin today, and are spending the night in Ashland, WI on the southern shore of Lake Superior. We found out that there is a new brewpub opening tonight here! May not be getting a real early start tomorrow...

The Horizon, Part 1
This is what it looked like driving down the road in central North Dakota...

The Horizon, Part 2
...and here's what it looked like in western Minnesota. It's actually still pretty flat, but more lush and with more trees. Note that the trees are just beginning to leaf out—a few weeks behind New England.

A Minnesotan Lake
Here's a shot of the Warrior parked beside one of Minnesota's lakes. Not shown are the other 9,999 lakes.

Duluth
The descent into Duluth, MN. Note the bridge over the end of Lake Superior that we took into ... Superior, WI.

Fly-by
As you recall, yesterday we exchanged waves and toots with a railroad engineer. Today we did one better. This guy swooped down for a closer look, no doubt, before roaring off. We tried to catch up, of course, but ... maybe with some wilder cams and headers ...

Beautiful Lake Superior
Our motel was billed as "on the water". Here's our view—of a coal-burning power plant and a couple of sludge ponds. Note the compelling hue of the Lake itself.

Oatmeal Stout and Black and Tan
Gray's Brewing Company, Janesville, WI

We liked the former but not the latter. Ya know, we're really kind of spoiled these days. It's gotten too easy to find decent microbrewed beer. Except, maybe, in Long Creek, Oregon, where these would have been much welcomed.

(Various)
South Shore Brewing Co. / Deep Water Grille, Ashland, WI

OK, we were really looking forward to this. South Shore Brewing was a company that sadly lost its brewery to a fire a year and a half ago. On the road to recovery, they spent oodles of dollars on a marvelous new brewpub: a large facility; multi-level with a mezanine; tastefully decorated with much dark oak and brass; friendly and professional wait staff, and excellent food. Only problem is ... MY CAT could make better beer! And I don't even HAVE a cat! I mean, their beer really sucks. Avoid this place.

We'll cherish this moment forever—what an honor to be able to pose beside The World's Largest Ox Cart. The next time you're in Crookston, MN, make sure not to miss it. The Warrior's looking pretty funky, eh? Ya, sure, ya betcha.

Day 1	0	(Except for a bunch while still in San Francisco)
Day 2	0	(No Alfas, but one Fiat X-1/9 parked, but standing on its own wheels)
Day 3	0	(No Alfas, no Fiats, but one Corvair that looked like it might have run)
Day 4	1	The Milano parked in Doug Zaitz's driveway when we pulled in.
Day 5	23	That's 20 or so on the Wine Tour, plus the three in Doug's loft.
Day 6	12	(All of them in the Veloce Motors garage.)
Day 7	0	Hey, we were in Idaho and Montana.
Day 8	0	Hey, we were in Montana and North Dakota.
Day 9	0	But we've got something up our sleeves for tomorrow—stay tuned!
__________	_____
Total	36

Day 9 - May 17