Wisconsin through Minnesota, (American Journey).

While in Wisconsin the clouds keep coming in and threatening rain. I wanted to get moving and get as far west as I can before the heavy rain started. It seems that most of the country is covered with clouds and rain.

Wisconsin is dairy country. Lots of farms and cows. I met a distributor for Carr Valley Cheese at a local store. He gave me some Cheddar that was made fresh that morning, in fact it was still cooling. Can't get it much fresher then that. Thanks for the cheese and beef jerky Pal.

I road out of Wisconsin and crossed the Mississippi into Minnesota.

Minnesota was a challenging part of the ride. First the rain had started. Then as I was doing 75 mph approaching a construction zone I started to get ready to downshift. As I moved my foot to the running board it didn't feel right. My foot wouldn't fit on the board. I looked down and saw the whole shift assembly hanging off the bike resting on the board. I guided the bike without shifting between some construction cones and to a stop. After all, it is a Harley! Those of you who ride know what I'm saying...lol.

I called a local Harley dealer to come get the bike and get me back on the road. The whole shift shaft, lever, etc...were worn down and starting to strip. I had to stay the night to get the bike fixed the next morning. I want to thank Scott and all the guys at Rochester Harley for checking out the bike and doing a good job getting me back on the road.

I've been meeting alot of good folks out on the road. You have seen some pictures of them and you will continue to see them in the blogs. A shout out to my friend over in Rochester.

The sky started to look like it did in the movie Twister. There were tornado warnings in the area. It felt like you were standing in a basement with a very low ceiling.

I thought I saw alot of corn in Ohio and Indiana. I didn't see anything until I got to Minnesota. I rode through a nearly 200 mile long sea of corn and soybeans as far as the eye can see, literally. The governor of this state, Tim Pawlenty, has made Minnesota a leader in energy reform. Not only is the state growing corn for ethanol but I saw dozens upon dozens of windmills in the east and western parts of the state. The windmills are in the corn fields. So they are taking up a relatively small amount of space where crops are planted all around them. They are providing a clean, cheap and endless source of energy. Without the dependence on forging supplies. Way to go!