Day 30 Consantia, NY - De Kalb Jct., NY 115 miles

  We see Melissa off to work and then packed the motorcycle. Then we said good-bye to Andy and Mason and headed for I-81 North.
  The ride to Watertown wasn't too bad even though the road was wet for a while. We pulled into Sugar Creek at the intersection of 37 and 342 just in time for it to start raining. DEJA VU!!!!!!!!! Seems it was like that last year except Julie came to escort us home.
  Well from Watertown North to De Kalb Jct. it didn't get any better. When we pulled into Gouveneur, NY it really opened up and started pouring so hard I couldn't see. We pulled into the old NESCO Yamaha dealer and I told Susie to hold on and I pulled up on the porch out of the rain. We waited about 15 minutes and it let up enough to head out again. So just like last year the longest period of rain we rode in for the whole trip was from Watertown to home in De Kalb Jct.
  Ronn our youngest son and his wife Erica and our Grandson Drew stopped on their way home from Old Forge where they were on a 4 day weekend at Water Safari. They took Erica's mom Joan with them and they all had a good time. Joan didn't want to get her picture taken but it was good to see her anyway. It had been a while.
  So the trip is over. We made it home safe. We had a lot of followers and we are finding out we had more than we thought. I hope you all enjoyed the trip as much as we did.
  Until the next time..........take care.
  Albert & Susie

:^(  No Julie and Susie by the pole this year :^(

Day 29 Howe, IN - Constantia, NY 569 miles

  We left the motel this morning at 6:45 and the temperature was 70*. It stay partly cloudy and warm all the way to just east of Rochester, NY. Then we got about 25 miles from Syracuse and it started to pour. Well we stuck it out until we got to Constantia, NY where our oldest son Andy, his wife Melissa and our grandson Mason lives. We are staying the night and then heading home and it looks like it will be 125 miles in the rain.
  Our youngest son Ronn, his wife Erica and our oldest grandson Drew are in Old Forge, NY and are due home tomorrow so we can see them when they come through.
  That's it for today and we will post tomorrow when we get home.
  Have a good evening.
  Albert & Susie

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Day 28 Black River Falls, WI - Howe, IN 418 miles

  We left this morning at 7:25 and the temperature 68*. It was foggy but you could see a ways so we decided to try it and just pull off for coffee if it was too bad.   At breakfast this morning we met a couple from the Chicago area and had a good visit with them. Richard and Marion was there names. Richard came out when we were loading the bike and gave us a paper with their name and email addy. He said if we were ever in North Chicago area and needed anything even a place to stay or whatever to let him know. So two more nice people we have met since we left. We gave him the address to our blog and he is going to check that out too.
  It turned out to be a real nice day and nice and comfortable riding. We went into Illinois and headed for Indiana. We got into some heavy traffic going around Chicago but it never really came to a dead stop so that was good. So we got to see Chicago without actually going in. Susie wasn't happy that we went across the skyline bridge again but found out it wasn't as bad this time. Must be all the mountain roads with drop offs cured her of her fear of heights a little bit.
  So now we are at the Best Western Howe Inn in Howe, IN and I think we are going to Sturgis for dinner. No, not Sturgis,SD but Sturgis, MI. We are in Indiana and the Comfort Suites across the road is in Michigan. So that is pretty cool....we woke up in Wisconsin, got gas in Illinois, had lunch in Indiana and dinner in Michigan and staying in Indiana.
  Hope everyone is doing well.
  Albert & Susie

Video of Chicago, IL

Day 27 Fergus Falls, MN - Black River Falls, WI 326 miles

   We left our room this morning at 7:25 this morning and it was 69*. The weather man changed our mind of going up to the upper peninsula. They had tornado warnings, hail and severe thunderstorms for the next two days including today. So we headed for Minneapolis,MN and into Wisconsin. We will be headed toward BUT not INTO Chicago. LOL!
  It looked like we were headed for sunny skies and they were for a while. Then it got as dark as night and it came down in buckets in Clearwater, MN. That was an appropriate name for it today anyway. So we held up at a gas station for a while and headed out and it came down again. Then shortly after it stopped raining and got hot and humid.
  It was a pretty good ride in spite of all the rain and we are at the Best Western Arrowhead Lodge & Suites in Black River Falls, WI. Shortly after we got checked in the wind picked up and we got some thunder and lightning. The weather channel says severe storm warnings until 8PM. Let 'em come..........we got a room and there is the Orange Moose Bar & Grill onsite so we don't have to drive to get dinner. They are forecasting a low 70 tonight and sunny tomorrow. :^)
  Later,
  Albert & Susie

Day 26 Bismarck,ND - Fergus Falls, MN 235 miles

  Left our motel this morning at 7:20 and the temperature was 60*. It was foggy and chilly riding. We couldn't see much until almost 10:30. We rode across the rest of North Dakota and into Minnesota. The land was flat, corn and sunflowers and into Minnesota didn't change except a lot of lakes in Minnesota. Actually I think that Minnesota is the Indian name for land of many lakes.

  We checked in early at our motel and had a good visit with Mustang Sally the clerk that checked us in. She used to ride a lot when she was younger and said back then she was a motorcycle mamma. haha. The the General Manager Tom came out and we got talking to him. He mentioned Sturgis last year and we told him we went to Sturgis but stayed in the Best Western in Wall, SD. He said he did too and come to find out after both of us saying it was the day before the baseball size hail, that  he stayed in the same motel the same night as we did. We got a kick out of that. Anyway he gave us a couple of micro fiber towels for the bike with the  Best Western logo and Mustang Sally had already upgraded our room to a suite for no extra charge. They both said if you need anything call. Nice people even without the perks.

  So we checked in early for laundry day and the Harley is filthy with bugs. Montana and North Dakota have more and bigger bugs than anyplace I have seen. Anyway here we are in Fergus Falls, MN at the Best Western The Falls Inn & Suites.

Hope all are doing well.

Albert & Susie

Day 25 Laurel, MT - Bismark, ND 439 miles

  Well we left the motel this morning and it was a heat wave. The temperature 64* and our first stop was Walmart down the road a ways for some water and batteries. Susie has been shooting 200 - 400 pictures a day and a few videos sometimes too, so we are eating up the batteries.
  The trip out of Montana was scenic and when we hit North Dakota it stayed real nice. We went through grasslands, canyons and what resembled the Badlands of South Dakota. It seems to have flattened out now and tomorrow will know for sure.
  It was a nice day of great scenery and we stopped in a couple of small towns for coffee, eats, etc. There are a lot of friendly people around the country. We also met a nice black lab dog called Maggie in Custer, MT population 145. Someplace on I-94 we passed the Oak Ridge Boys too.
  We are in Bismark, SD at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel. I think we were the only ones checking in that didn't have business suits on. I guess they have some kind of investment conference in the morning. Oh and by the way. This place is big.....it even has a small water fun park INSIDE by the pool area.
  Have a good night.
Albert & Susie