HWY 2 - Day 2 - Crystal Falls, MI to South Range, WI

Morning seemed to come quickly after the encounter with Bigfoot yesterday.  Had to think...maybe it was all just a dream?  Time to get on the road.  Needed the time to clear my thoughts.  Leaving Crystal Falls HWY 2 west turns into a classic two laner.  Few cars.  The road was mine.  Wind on my back.  Surrounded by green.  Blue sky dotted with a few puffy white clouds.  Just doesn't get any better.

Pulled into the old main street of Ironwood MI.  Ironwood is the western most U.P town.  Population 6,800.  In it's payday it was the center of the Gogebic Range iron mining district. The area is now about a fifth of what is was during the 1920's peak.  The center of Ironwood is easy to miss.  Rode slowly through town looking for Joe's Pasty Shop.

Joe's has been serving pasties since 1946.  Holds the claim of being the very first pasty shop in the U.P.  Walking in it was easy to see the place has not changed in over 70 years.  Finish on the counter has been rubbed off from customers enjoying pasties over the years.  Met Mary.  With a smile she quickly asked "Traditional or Cornish".  The Cornish was the quintessential miner food.  It was introduced 100-odd years ago by the immigrant Cornish miners.  The Cornish is beef, potatoes, onions, and rutabagas.  She served one up hot from the oven. Quickly decided Joe's was definitely a four calendar cafe.

All over town the sides of buildings are covered with murals and tributes to the miners of the community.

The faces and names are real.  Felt as if it would be easy to reach out and shake hands with the individuals who worked the iron mines to produce steel for the building of America.

In a small hillside park just south of downtown is a 52 foot high statue of Hiawatha, the fictional hero of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem.  A tribute to the beginning history of our country.

HWY 2 continues to wind through forests and meadows.  Entering Wisconsin passed through the Bad River Reservation.  1,800 descendants of the original Ojibwa Loon Clan who settled near the delta live here today.  Lake Superior filled the horizon.

Kickstand down tonight South Range, WI  220 miles.  The beauty and history of this stunning land fills my thoughts tonight.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

HWY 2 - Day 1 - St Ignace, MI to Crystal Falls, MI

 

Left St Ignace this morning  as the sun was breaking the horizon of Lake Michigan.  HWY 2, dubbed the Great Northern, in memory of the pioneer railroad, is truly the most stunning and unforgettable, not to mention the longest, of all the great transcontinental two laners.  The day would take me along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, into and out of Wisconsin, an opportunity to fully experience the "Lake Effect",  eating a pasty for the first time, and coming face to face with Bigfoot.

The Mackinac Bridge  at St Ingance is what locals like to call the "Eighth Wonder of the World".  It is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world at 7.400 feet (with its approaches, the total length is over five miles).  Total length of wire in main cables is 42,000 miles.

Sand dunes, grasses, waves, never ending horizon.  For a moment it seemed as if I could be standing along an ocean shore.

Signs along the road for pasties  Jack's Pasty, Mary's Pasty, Bill's Pasty.  Best pasty in the UP. (That's upper peninsula)  Had to have one.  Stopped at Dobber's Pasties in Escanaba.  Taylor handed me a hot out of the oven with gravy meat pasty.  Shared the history of the pasty with me.  When the iron mines were in full operation in the UP the miners wife's would put together the dinner left overs in a dough pie.  Bake until perfectly crisp crust.  Still a main stay in the area.  They bake hundreds of pasties a day at Dobbers.  It was a four calendar experience. 

Big miner with a pick beside the road.  Got my attention.  Iron Mountain mine.  Began mining in last 1800's. Ore was transported by rail to the Great Lakes, loaded on steamers, shipped across the lake, ending up in the iron foundries in PA.  

Near Crystal Falls movement in the woods along the side of the road caught my attention.  Could it be Bigfoot.  Definitely well know for sightings in the area.

Hit the brakes, pulled to the side of the road in a spray of gravel.  Yes, it was Bigfoot.  What was that on his head?  A cap?  Was that what I thought it was?  Cap with Harley logo?  Should I try to make contact with a fellow biker?  He WAS wearing a biker vest.

Pulled into the Bigfoot Hideway Motel in Crystal Falls. He followed me to the parking lot.  He pointed to my bike.  Let me tell you, when Bigfoot points you respond.

Before I knew it...Bigfoot was in the saddle.  He was a Biker Bigfoot at heart...and the grin on his face said it all as he patted the tank with a loving hand.

Kickstand down Crystal Falls, MI  230 miles. Enjoying a moment with a new biker buddy on HWY 2.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

Leaving Milwaukee heading north to HWY 2

At the motel this morning realized I can't leave Milwaukee without seeing where the Mother Ship had it's actual beginnings.  Found the simple wooden shed where the first Harley heartbeat was heard.

A little additional looking around discovered the actual first motorcycle Harley and Davidson designed and assembled.  Morning well spent!

Kickstand down in St Ignace, MI tonight at the Pines Motel.  Wind was blowing from more directions than a compass has bearings for today.  Had to use ziplocks to keep my leathers from unsnapping.  Good to be at the beginning point for the ride west.

Two things to look for when you are on the road.  Local cafe with two to three calendars on the wall...not found today.  Room with a door to hang your leathers on, clean bathroom, and always a coffee pot. Check.  Ready to head  west on Hwy 2 tomorrow.  Be looking for Big Foot.  Heard he had been sighted crossing HWY 2  near Crystal Falls.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

The Mother Ship

At 3am this morning the annoying musical alarm interrupted my deep dreams.  Ever have a moment like this?  What day is it?  What am I suppose to be doing?  Ok...reality creeps in.  Need to get up.  This is not a dream.  Catching a flight today to visit the Mother Ship in Milwaukee.

Two flights and  seven hours later the dream becomes a reality.  Standing at the exact location where Harley-Davidson had it's humble beginnings.  It is the Mother Ship of the motorcycle world.  Met the team from HOG Magazine.  Incredible people.  Dedicated, sincere, brothers and sisters each one.  A classic Sportster stands proudly ready.  Strap on my bag, hit the switch, roll on the throttle, rumble of the pipes...nothing feels like a Harley.

Headed to St. Ingance, MI in the morning to ride US HWY 2, the Great Northern, west across this beautiful country of ours to the Pacific Ocean and Seattle.  Stay tuned.  This is what American is all about.

be strong, be safe, Talon

BLM Handling of Oil and Gas Leases in the Greater Chaco Landscape

Environmental groups and Navajo government officials are criticizing the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over the bureau’s handling of oil and gas leases approved in the Greater Chaco area. 

Navajo leaders and 16 tribal and environmental organizations addressed their concerns in a letter sent to BLM’s New Mexico state director Tim Spisak last week calling for more public hearings on the issue. “We urge you to reject the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Findings of No Significant Impact and Environmental Assessments,” the letter reads. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in May that BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it approved environmental assessments for five sets of oil and gas wells that did not address the cumulative water impacts of nearly 4,000 horizontal Mancos Shale wells in the Greater Chaco region. The ruling covered environmental assessments approved by BLM for 25 applications to drill in the area. 

The group also criticized BLM’s handling of the historical sites in the region, arguing that the department “has only narrowly assessed adverse impacts to historical sites” in the Greater Chaco area. The letter claims BLM limited the scope of its assessments to possible direct impacts of isolated ruins and archaeological sites that have been previously identified. It also noted that the department had promised to analyze some 5,000 cultural sites in the region but has not yet begun. 

“The Greater Chaco region is more than a handful of iconic ruins. Rather, the region is an interconnected fabric of Ancestral Puebloan cultural influence and impact,” the letter stated. “As such, preservation of the historical values of this region requires a landscape-level approach to analysis and conservation.” 

be strong, be safe, Carlan

Valley of Dreams - Greater Chaco Landscape

The Greater Chaco Landscape contains vast expanses of incredible eroded rock formations of every color and form, ancient fossil forests, and complete dinosaur skeletons.  Most of these areas are Public Lands managed by the BLM.  Some are protected as wilderness areas; others are virtually open to future oil and gas industrialization.  The Valley of Dreams is presently not classified for protection by the BLM.

Valley of Dreams is one of the most stunning landscapes I have ever worked in.  It is a very special place.  How long these areas will remain as they are is an unknown.  Oil and gas industrialization has increased 400 percent in the last decade in the Greater Chaco Landscape.  Click here to see and experience this Greater Chaco Landscape Sacred Site.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

BLM New Mission Statement

The Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency that oversees more than 245 million acres of public land, has stripped its conservation-focused mission statement from agency news releases.

Boilerplate language ― the bureau’s longstanding mission statement ― was printed at the end of BLM press releases throughout President Donald Trump’s tenure: “The BLM’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.”

That language was recently cut from all agency releases, including those that predate the Trump administration. The text now exclusively highlights the economic value of America’s public lands:

"The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $96 billion in sales of goods and services throughout the American economy in fiscal year 2017. These activities supported more than 468,000 jobs."

What will the Diverse Activities leave for Future Generations?

be strong, be safe, Carlan