| Jamestown, North Dakota to Eau Claire, Minnesota | |
| Day's Route Overview: From Jamestown, North Dakota, I will be heading out due East on Interstate 94. This interstate was my constant companion all the way to Eau Claire, Minnesota. For pretty much the whole
day, the weather was extremely pleasant. Planned 425 miles, actual
442 miles.
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Starting out: Trip / Odometer / Time: 0.0 / 41,454 / 8:32 AM PDT |
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Jamestown, North Dakota was a nice place to
stop for the night. In North Dakota, there are not that many
choices. I'm starting from here this morning. First, I had to ensure that I have a photo of a place that shows the name of the state. |
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| Remember the movie Fargo? At the very East of
North Dakota is Fargo. Approaching, there are areas that look
like they might have been in the movie. Particularly the long,
straight highway in open fields that seem to go on forever.
Fortunately for me, this was much warmer weather than in the movie. There is a Harley dealer there. Bad news is that it is not open on Sunday. Fargo Harley-Davidson Sales & Service 600 West Main Street, West Fargo, North Dakota 58078 Open Monday thru Saturday, 701-277-1000 |
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| Minnesota rest stops are great. More below: |
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| Counties with an "O" name are not all that common.
Particularly rare are those with interesting names. Minnesota is home toOld Otter Tail Courthouse and the county seat is in Fergus Falls. |
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| Alexandria, Minnesota has a Harley Dealer. Unfortunately, it is closed on Sunday. Bummer. Apol`s Harley-Davidson, 1515 42nd Street, Alexandria, Minnesota 56308 Open Monday thru Saturday, apols.com, 320-763-9800 | |
| St Cloud, Minnesota is another nice place to stop. | |
| I had been offered a place to stay a night by some
very kind folks. This is exceptionally nice of them since they
will be away to a family reunion on the day I pass their way.
Unfortunately, I hit the area with several hours of daylight
remaining. There is a Harley Dealer in Elk River Zylstra Harley-Davidson, 19600 Evans Street NW, Elk River, Minnesota 55330 Open Monday thru Sunday, zylstrahd.com, 763-241-2000 Since I wanted to cover more ground and since they were not home, it made better sense to keep in rolling and not take the side trip through Elk River. I really appreciate their kind offer in any case. |
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| Just west of Minneapolis on Interstate 94 is the
best rest stop I have visited. Along with the normal stuff, there are picnic areas in a little glen that is surrounded by trees which mask the traffic noise at least a little. There was a beautiful hedge of flowers. Notice my on-going efforts to photograph my finger in each state I visit. There is also a walking path that leads down to a dock on a large creek. I took a few photos and, as I was watching, a tree branch seemed to be moving upstream. At first I thought maybe there was a fisherman somewhere who had snagged his line and was reeling it in. But then I realized it was a beaver swimming with a tidbit for his dinner. |
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| Minneapolis does not have a Harley dealer, but St. Paul does.
St Paul Harley-Davidson, 2899 Hudson Blvd, St Paul, Minnesota 55128 Open Monday thru Sunday, stpaulhd.com, 651-738-2168
The time I was passing through was after closing so I missed this
dealer. Too bad. I don't know when I'll be back. |
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| Wisconsin, I'm a bit ahead of schedule. |
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| Back in Montana, there was an area that was
declared to be the "Port of Montana". I'm guessing that this
is a duty free area through which international trade can be
transacted. But, it brings forth mental images of big ships
making their way across the continent finding Montana a convenient
port in which to dock for a while. Now in Wisconsin there is a rest stop that is name after one of those prickly little sea creatures, although the spelling is a bit off. Now I'm guessing that one of those trans-continental ships must have dumped bilge water containing these animals. |
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| In the middle of Wisconsin is the city and county
of
Eau Claire. A county with an "E" is rare. Although I
am planning on going through another in Eagle Colorado, and although
I got one yesterday at Emmond, North Dakota, I will stop
and get a photo here in case something is particularly interesting
or I miss the one later. Eau Claire County Sheriff Office, 728 Second Ave., County Courthouse, 721 Oxford Ave., Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703 It's late when I hit Eau Claire. I may try to get a photo tomorrow. |
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Done for the day: Trip / Odometer / Time: 64.1 / 41,896 / 7:27 PM PDT |
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ABC Letters: Counties: O; States: North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin Day's Totals: 442 miles, 10 hours 55 minutes |
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Updated: Tuesday, May 27, 2014 10:23:43 PM