Monday, December 18

1 down 4 to go: Next stop: Lake Superior Circle Tour

My plans are underway for the Lake Superior Circle Tour. If this solo journey is even half the fun as circling Lake Michigan turned out to be, I'm in for a really great adventure! Started collecting and ordering maps, magazines, and reading tales of others who have made the journey. I've not come across many solo efforts--and definitely none of women. Yet, I remain steadfast in my determination to go it alone.

I've said it before--but it bears repeating--the best book--IMHO--for anyone wanting to ride any road that includes in part or in whole the state of Michigan is, Motorcycling Across Michigan by William Murphy. He sees Lake Superior as the mother lode of all the lake tours in terms of its sheer beauty, size, and the variation in terrain. On this trip, I'll have to watch for a lot more wildlife than on the Lake Michigan trip, where I watched for: deer, moose, wolves and the same small critters I encounter in Illinois. Lake Superior, however, promises more: deer, elk, moose, caribou, bear, wolves--and someone told me, mountain lions but I've read nothing to confirm the veracity of that claim. Don't mountain lions hang out around mountains?

One thing I only now realize is that this over 3000 miles journey will only increase by 1, my goal next summer to cover as many new states as possible. That right, all that riding will only add Minnesota to my list. For a brief moment I debated the value (i.e., pay off) of the trip and considered picking something else for my "big" '07 trip. Now, I am embracing the notion that my riding should not ever be solely about how many states I can add to my list. The idea is "the ride." I hear motorcyclists talking about that all the time and after one summer riding around with my gal-pal, I'm a true believer.

So far, the Lake Superior Circle tour looks like it's going to be one heck of a ride--that's what I need to appreciate and remember.