Cracks in the Concrete: A Motorcycle Odyssey Through Modern America

If you’re like me you probably haven’t heard of the town of Superior, WI. But at one point in time, is was billed as the next Chicago. That is until the people of Duluth, MN dug the canal. You see Duluth, MN and Superior, WI are separated by a harbor at the delta of the St Louis River, which is protected by a large natural sandbar. Back in the mid 1800s, the only nautical access point for this calm harbor was on the Superior/Wisconsin side of the bay. Fearing that Superior would boom as the harbor grew and that they, on the Minnesota side of the river, would become an afterthought, Duluth decided to build a canal through the sandbar to allow nautical access on their side of the harbor and thus steal some of the harbor traffic and profits from Superior. Superior caught wind of this plan, though, and lobbied the federal government to bar the building of a canal on the Duluth side. The federal government did in fact rule in Superior’s favor, ruling that no *new* canals could be built at t...

This post's title takes its inspiration from the classic Wood Brothers song .  In Wisconsin, I dismounted in the town of Bayfield for a boat tour of the Apostle Islands. I had wanted to kayak out and camp them, but the logistics proved difficult and the boat tour was actually cheaper than renting a kayak. Another thing to save for next time.   Not the tour boat I went on, but if you look closely this boat has 2 smokers on it, which is just next level The Apostle Islands are an archipelago of 22 islands in Lake Superior on the northern tip of Wisconsin. 21 of the islands are part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Per the boat captain on the tour, the origins of the name “Apostle Islands” has been lost to history - we know the name came from the French Voyageurs who were the first Europeans in the area, but there are 22 rather than 12 islands and none of them bear the names of apostles (or anything biblical for that matter) so who knows what those explorers were thinkin...

After leaving Mackinac Island, I rode across Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula. The ride was stunning with the sun beginning to set to the west, but also a little nervy as there were strong winds, low guard rails, and some lanes that only had metal grating for a drive surface.  I camped near Carp River, which offered stunning views of Lake Huron and the night sky. Golden Hour at Carp River Campground Moon Rise at Carp River  The next morning I headed a few miles south the town of St Ignace for some Taco Bell: Taco Bell St. Ignace was solidly above average Atmosphere: Fun designs on the wall, a country radio playlist if I recall correctly Facilities: Average cleanliness Staff: I ordered on a screen - don't believe I interacted with any staff Food: Solid but unspectacular, met expectations without disappointing My secondary reason for heading St Ignace was laundry (don’t do your laundry in St Ignace - it’s highly overpriced compared to other laundromats in the UP and their ...