St Cloud to Sioux Falls SD, then to Valentine Nebraska

 It’s also about the people you meet. Yesterday when I was stopped for gas in Cold Spring Minnesota guy walked over from his pickup to have a look at my motorcycle. As it turns out he’s a Vietnam War veteran and a Harley rider, which you can tell from the tattoos on his big beefy arms, and has been for a long time and has gone to Sturges, the location of the largest annual motorcycle rally in America, and possibly the world, some 50 times. He remembers when it wasn’t the tamed version it has now become. Brawls between members of different groups were common, often involving blades of one type or another, and I disturbed by officers of the peace who would only step in after the fighting had stopped.  In 2018, because his knees weren’t so good anymore and he still wanted to ride, my friend bought himself a three-wheel CanAm that is much easier to steer than the Harley trike. He wished me safe journey; I don’t know his name, nor he mine, but we both have a love of riding a motorcycle.

A picture of one of the wide streets in the downtown core of St Cloud MN.

The Paramount, a former movie theatre has been turned into a performance centre.

This is the court building in St Cloud

The St. Cloud State University Administration Building

There was thunder and lightning all night in Sioux Falls and the weather forecast for today called for more of the same. After a quick breakfast from the buffet at the hotel I decided to take advantage of a break in the weather and make a run for Valentine Nebraska. Well the first hour was ok, but the next two, not so much. Rain by itself isn’t so bad, but when wind, lightning and thunder join the mix, well, it can slow you down quite a bit, an that’s what I did for a fair distance in Nebraska.  Honestly there’s a reason why there are fly-over states; there are fields, and fields, and more fields, with herds of cattle and large wind farms.

So I am now in Valentine Nebraska where I have had a good prime rib roast dinner, and where I am now going to catch up on the news with a call to Jane and with my friends at CNN.