This is a 'lightened' version of my recent write-up - I removed all photos.
I attended the first Very Boring Rally in August 2003 – celebrating the 20th anniversary of the development of the Aerostich ‘Roadcrafter’ textile riding suit. For some strange reason, the way this rally was touted as a ‘very boring rally’, I was drawn to ride 1400 miles from Philadelphia to be part of this community. And I was not disappointed!
I wasn’t sure if I would attend this second VBR last week until I was invited to a meeting at our New Prague, MN plant, set for the day before the rally began – what a coincidence! I had just returned from a stint in China on Monday night, had only a day to get ready, which included mounting an auxiliary fuel cell on my Can Am SPYDER.
I departed early on Wed morning to make an afternoon departure of the high-speed Lake Express ferry from Muskegon, MI, across the lake to Milwaukee. This would cut out a few hours of riding time, and the dreaded route thru Chicago. There were a few other motorcyclists waiting to board – each had an interesting story.
The boarding process was quick and easy. I secured the Spyder on deck, and settled down in the lounge for the brief 3 hour crossing. After a snack I climbed up to the top deck. . . . VERY windy.
Upon arrival in Milwaukee I found my way to the interstate to knock off at least another 100 miles west before stopping for the night. I passed by Madison as the sun set and the scenery became more scenic and forested. Frequent signs reminded me that this was deer country. Not wanting an encounter, I stopped in Mauston at a nice Country Inn.
The next morning I left in the dark to make the remaining 250 miles across WI and MN to the plant at New Prague, south of Minneapolis. I had 2 meetings that day and a few people to talk with Friday morning, photos to gather, etc. I gained some valuable technical information relating to several current projects I’ve been working on in China.
The ride up to Duluth was about 200 miles, straight up I-35. The rally was based at a beautiful ski chalet overlooking Duluth and Lake Superior. Plenty of space for camping. This was NOT your typical motorcycle rally. Riders were greeted by a violin soloist.
While there were some Harleys present, this was a rally of BMWs, Concours’, KLRs, some sport machines, but mostly long-distance riders, even those who traveled only a short distance. Riders wore helmets and gear, for the most part.
I was looking at every license plate to see which faraway states were represented here, and of course, on the lookout for Iron Butt plate frames.
I stopped by the Aerostich factory in Duluth on my way out to Rt. 2 East. In my mind this old factory is the mecca for ‘serious’ riders, with nearly every type of clothing and misc. gear available, all from one catalog, with super-knowledgeable staff help on the phone. All the suits are manufactured here by a staff of 100 dedicated craftspeople.
For my return ride I chose to head east across Route 2, to Ironwood, then SE past Green Bay to Manitowoc. I had reserved space on the historic S.S. Badger ferry which crosses the lake to Ludington, MI. I chose the 12:30AM sailing with arrival at 5:30AM. I booked a private stateroom in the hope that I could steal a few hours of sleep! The S.S. Badger was built in 1953 to carry rail cars. It is the only remaining coal-fired steam ship operating in the US. It was refurbished a few years ago but has kept its 50s charm. My ‘stateroom’ was tiny but had a real bed, and I was asleep before we left the dock.
Upon arrival in MI I quickly found the interstate and headed toward Grand Rapids and east. As usual I knocked off 100 miles before stopping for breakfast, and forced myself to stop for lunch as I neared Toledo. Just before Cleveland I hit some really heavy rain, and actually pulled over as I could not see. After 20 minutes under a bridge with a couple fellow riders we all took off again. My new Aerostich Darien hi-viz yellow jacket kept my torso totally dry but my AD1 pants gave up after 20 min of heavy pounding and I was soaked from the waist down. Need to check those zippers.
The ride from the dock in MI was 550 miles and I was home by 4:30 PM, for a total of 2010 miles. The Spyder was comfortable, solid on the road under all conditions, and drew lots of attention. I answered lots of questions and got into a few long conversations about the Spyder.
I attended the first Very Boring Rally in August 2003 – celebrating the 20th anniversary of the development of the Aerostich ‘Roadcrafter’ textile riding suit. For some strange reason, the way this rally was touted as a ‘very boring rally’, I was drawn to ride 1400 miles from Philadelphia to be part of this community. And I was not disappointed!
I wasn’t sure if I would attend this second VBR last week until I was invited to a meeting at our New Prague, MN plant, set for the day before the rally began – what a coincidence! I had just returned from a stint in China on Monday night, had only a day to get ready, which included mounting an auxiliary fuel cell on my Can Am SPYDER.
I departed early on Wed morning to make an afternoon departure of the high-speed Lake Express ferry from Muskegon, MI, across the lake to Milwaukee. This would cut out a few hours of riding time, and the dreaded route thru Chicago. There were a few other motorcyclists waiting to board – each had an interesting story.
The boarding process was quick and easy. I secured the Spyder on deck, and settled down in the lounge for the brief 3 hour crossing. After a snack I climbed up to the top deck. . . . VERY windy.
Upon arrival in Milwaukee I found my way to the interstate to knock off at least another 100 miles west before stopping for the night. I passed by Madison as the sun set and the scenery became more scenic and forested. Frequent signs reminded me that this was deer country. Not wanting an encounter, I stopped in Mauston at a nice Country Inn.
The next morning I left in the dark to make the remaining 250 miles across WI and MN to the plant at New Prague, south of Minneapolis. I had 2 meetings that day and a few people to talk with Friday morning, photos to gather, etc. I gained some valuable technical information relating to several current projects I’ve been working on in China.
The ride up to Duluth was about 200 miles, straight up I-35. The rally was based at a beautiful ski chalet overlooking Duluth and Lake Superior. Plenty of space for camping. This was NOT your typical motorcycle rally. Riders were greeted by a violin soloist.
While there were some Harleys present, this was a rally of BMWs, Concours’, KLRs, some sport machines, but mostly long-distance riders, even those who traveled only a short distance. Riders wore helmets and gear, for the most part.
I was looking at every license plate to see which faraway states were represented here, and of course, on the lookout for Iron Butt plate frames.
I stopped by the Aerostich factory in Duluth on my way out to Rt. 2 East. In my mind this old factory is the mecca for ‘serious’ riders, with nearly every type of clothing and misc. gear available, all from one catalog, with super-knowledgeable staff help on the phone. All the suits are manufactured here by a staff of 100 dedicated craftspeople.
For my return ride I chose to head east across Route 2, to Ironwood, then SE past Green Bay to Manitowoc. I had reserved space on the historic S.S. Badger ferry which crosses the lake to Ludington, MI. I chose the 12:30AM sailing with arrival at 5:30AM. I booked a private stateroom in the hope that I could steal a few hours of sleep! The S.S. Badger was built in 1953 to carry rail cars. It is the only remaining coal-fired steam ship operating in the US. It was refurbished a few years ago but has kept its 50s charm. My ‘stateroom’ was tiny but had a real bed, and I was asleep before we left the dock.
Upon arrival in MI I quickly found the interstate and headed toward Grand Rapids and east. As usual I knocked off 100 miles before stopping for breakfast, and forced myself to stop for lunch as I neared Toledo. Just before Cleveland I hit some really heavy rain, and actually pulled over as I could not see. After 20 minutes under a bridge with a couple fellow riders we all took off again. My new Aerostich Darien hi-viz yellow jacket kept my torso totally dry but my AD1 pants gave up after 20 min of heavy pounding and I was soaked from the waist down. Need to check those zippers.
The ride from the dock in MI was 550 miles and I was home by 4:30 PM, for a total of 2010 miles. The Spyder was comfortable, solid on the road under all conditions, and drew lots of attention. I answered lots of questions and got into a few long conversations about the Spyder.
