Taking the Hard Road or The Art of Flitting from Here to There Firing up the Equine Rocket I occasionally write/photograph for a horse magazine which necessarily involves a lot of traveling to equine shows across these United States. The majority of events I reach by riding my '94 Kawasaki Concours. Loaded down with cameras, computer, camping gear and tuxedo (I'll explain later), much of my travels are serious hard road. Super highways are something I've learned to take in stride. The important thing is you get to see a little bit a Americana here and there, if you just take the time. Here's a condensed version of a typical whacky show season. Living in Maine adds miles to any trip simply because you'll drive a hundred miles or so just getting to a road that actually takes you somewhere. So averaging 20-30,000 miles a summer just going to see horses is par. Destinations are a series of 700-850 mile days mostly on interstate. The show season typically means trips to North and South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, various mountain states and all over New England, New York and Pennsylvania. The art of flitting from here to there Beautiful scenery is available anywhere if you make the time. I had the opportunity to run out to Bozeman, Montana a mid-August affair. By taking Canadian Rt. 17 to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and shooting across S.Rt. 28 of Michigan's Upper Peninsula you can save some miles. If you come north across the Mackinac Bridge through the UP, take Route 2 along Lake Michigan - a delight. Ontario can be dull riding, but the two lane traffic moves briskly and you make good time. Michigan's UP is a scenic drive and you can still maintain a road warrior-type schedule. I'd never circled Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula. This was an opportunity to catch some sections of the lower half on my way out west and return through Thunder Bay and the northern Canadian section. The trip would provide me with one more destination to take off my - been there-done-it list. One of the nicest places you can spend an afternoon and recuperate the road weary body is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore north of Munising. It's a friendly drive into the park and the scenery is unsurpassed. The park is only three miles wide and 42 miles long boasting 50-250 foot cliffs. Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake in the world. And it can be a monster, but when I arrived it was in a calm and friendly mood with barely a ripple on the sunny shore. The weather was August perfect. I rolled into the reception area around dinner time and pretty much had the place to myself. Sandstone cliffs which tower above Lake Superior are painted by the mineral and water seepage which has created caves, castles and other shapes. Formations with names like Miners Rock, Chapel Rock, Grand Portal and Battleship Row are what you want to look for. You can drive to Miners Rock and take the boardwalk. You won't be able to see everything from cliffside platforms though. If time is available take a privately operated boat tour, the three hour afternoon cruise with the sunlight hitting the rocks is special. Miners Castle Road is the only way to the shoreline, do head down to the beach. There's also a campground along the shore, it's primitive and first come first served. For the truly ambitious you can walk along Twelvemile Beach till you drop or twelve miles, whichever comes first. Forget swimming however, unless you belong to the Polar Bear Club. You might catch a rare glimpse of some real black bears, though. If you crave quiet, towards sundown this is that soothing destination camping bikers seek out. Head west, then turn west The next morning was chilly and inhospitable, weather had turned to thick fog and a cool rain. I put my nose to the pavement and road hard to my destination in sunny, warm Montana. This is where I have to make a confession. I really went to Oregon. My sister who I see rarely, moved to Portland and had been hounding me for several years to make an appearance. She's also very persuasive. After all, from Bozeman it's a mere (12?) hours or so of riding, so hey "why not?" I hung up the pay phone and left early afternoon on a Saturday, having said just that. My side trip to Portland was clearly a hard road - don't look back ride. I managed to latch on to a couple of trucks (at a safe distance) who were turning some rousing rpm's down I-90. What did make the trip memorable through this part of the country was a full moon so bright you could ride with your lights off if you wanted to. The moonlight proved invigorating enough to cruise down to Boardman, Oregon before calling it a motel kind of night. I was roughly 140 miles out of Portland and a quick 700+miles from Bozeman in less than ten hours including dinner. Sunday was an enjoyable though breezy sunrise run along I84 and the Columbia River Gorge. Mt. Hood was in clear view when I landed in Portland just in time for breakfast, coffee and a good cigar. My return trip and subsequent finishing loop around Lake Superior was fraught with road construction, rain, mud and cold. Not exactly what I'd expected. My last decent night was spent in Itasca State Park in Minnesota. I had followed a couple of bikers with local plates from Fargo, North Dakota to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. They flagged me down and gave me some camping areas to try. One guy thought Rt.113 to Itasca Lake included some of Minnesota's better, perhaps only twisties. To my delight the route did produce a slow moving black bear casually crossing the road. As far as twisties - well sort of, but its the thought that counts. It was time to finish my northern half run around Lake Superior. Grand Marais, in the northern tip of Minnesota, is some lonely riding through endless sweeping stretches in northern Ontario, Canada. You won't encounter much of interest until you reach Thunder Bay, Ontario. This is a big city more or less with plenty of motels if you are inclined. I rode until Marathon which had a Best Western with get this, incredible food. My internal weather radar told me something nasty was brewing. Heavy rain and swift winds made for a terrible night. When I stopped for breakfast the next morning talk was all from family campers who spent the night pulling their tents out of trees. Honest. But the good part is there are some great stretches of highway on Canadian Rt.17. The road darted from sun to fog with just enough twists, turns and abundant big sweepers to keep me satisfied. The scenery is rough but spectacular as the highway plays hide and seek with windswept Lake Superior. But there are stretches of road inland with towns not worth stopping for except to refuel. Provincial Parks dot the route around Superior, so pick your view and camp. Beware though, some areas may be full so call ahead. This run isn't for everyone but it would make an ideal fall tour for the mega-mileage impaired. Bring a sweater. The equine rocket pulled into my western Maine home base long enough to recover slightly before heading to a national horse show in Louisville, Kentucky. Which brings me to traveling with a tuxedo. Sometimes you can't get into the showring without being attired in your favorite bird suit. But I have to tell you, pulling up to a horse show and stepping out of my Aerostich with a tux on gets a response every time. If you're ever at a horse show and you see a dusty red Concours, it's probably mine. Happy trails. Dennis Kesseler lives in western Maine with Paso Fino, Morgan and Danish Warmblood horses and an assortment of motorcycles. He secretly photographs bears when given the opportunity. Information: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore P.O. Box 40, Sand Point Munising, MI 49862-0040 Ph: (906) 387-2607, (906) 387-3700 Michigan Travel Bureau 333 S. Capital Ave. Town Center Building, Suite F Lansing, MI 48933 (800) 543-2937 Ontario Department of Tourism Queens Park Toronto, Ontario M7A 2E5, Canada (800) 268-3735