U.S. 2 from Duluth to Glacier?

[meach]

Anyone ridden this highway lately (or at all)? How was it, roads, etc.? Gotta be a wedding near Marquette MI in Aug, loosely thinking of head west afterwards to Glacier then down to Idaho to visit family. May try and do some camping along the way. In the process of getting hitch,trailer, etc. together for that purpose.

[friesman]

I rode it /driven it a few times. I get on it from Western ND and follow it through Montana into Glacier. Its a good road, well maintained as far as I can see, it is sometimes slower going as it goes through a lot of small towns and the speed limits drop, but I like that as it gives a chance to look around and stop. During the day you should be fine but at night keep your fuel full and watch the ditches for deer!

 

Brian

[meach]

I rode it /driven it a few times. I get on it from Western ND and follow it through Montana into Glacier. Its a good road, well maintained as far as I can see, it is sometimes slower going as it goes through a lot of small towns and the speed limits drop, but I like that as it gives a chance to look around and stop. During the day you should be fine but at night keep your fuel full and watch the ditches for deer!

 

Brian

It seems its either U.S. 2 or I94, will probably see how we are doing up in MI. Still debating on cage or bike since we have the wedding to go to. Speaking of deer my daughter hit one just last week in metro Atlanta, go figure. It busted her right headlight assembly all to pieces. Hard to tell if anything else caused by deer due to other damage that was already there. We always watch out for critters.

[spike13]

i ride 2 from Duluth to Bemidji at least one a year good road kinda straight and boring not a lot of traffic which is nice and speed limit is 60 most of the way

[reddevilmedic]

don't know about that road, but, the riding in the UP is awesome!

[meach]

don't know about that road, but, the riding in the UP is awesome!

 

Never been to MI that I can recall, got a former foster daughter getting married early august to a fella up near Big Bay, I think she lives about midway between Marquette and Bay Bay. Hoping to take the bike up if all works out. Might spend a couple days there visiting and seeing the area then head west to eventually end up in Idaho just north of Boise to visit family. Wife has never seen the rockies.

[Black Owl]

Never been to MI that I can recall, got a former foster daughter getting married early august to a fella up near Big Bay, I think she lives about midway between Marquette and Bay Bay. Hoping to take the bike up if all works out. Might spend a couple days there visiting and seeing the area then head west to eventually end up in Idaho just north of Boise to visit family. Wife has never seen the rockies.

 

If you could talk her into rescheduling the wedding until late August, then you could do the Pork in the Pines on your way out to Idaho. So, yah got the gift 'o the gab? :rotfl:

Come Party with a Pig.

[OB-1]

You will likely have problems with all the oil field traffic in western ND and eastern MT. Lots of heavy truck traffic, lots of traffic, stuff falling off of trucks, very few available motel rooms or places to eat. Depending upon weather there could be significant amounts of mud on the road in places.

 

Safe? No

Passable? Yes

Fun? Probably not.

[meach]

If you could talk her into rescheduling the wedding until late August, then you could do the Pork in the Pines on your way out to Idaho. So, yah got the gift 'o the gab? :rotfl:

 

Come Party with a Pig.

 

Somehow I doubt changing the date is NOT going to happen, PP does sound like it would be fun however. Maybe another year.

 

You will likely have problems with all the oil field traffic in western ND and eastern MT. Lots of heavy truck traffic, lots of traffic, stuff falling off of trucks, very few available motel rooms or places to eat. Depending upon weather there could be significant amounts of mud on the road in places.

 

Safe? No

Passable? Yes

Fun? Probably not.

Yea, oil field traffic, (trucks, etc) was a concern. May be pushing it to try and make Glacier along with everything else in terms of $ & wear and tear. We may end up just dropping down to I94 across the plains if we even decide to go west. Spent 10 days a few years ago on my VTX on a western trip but didn't make it up to Glacier, headed back east after yellowstone across SD. After crossing the plains many times, most recently on a bike, I can see why people trailer their bikes.

[OB-1]

The Glacier NP area is very pretty and has great M/C roads. Going To The Sun road is great even with all the cars. Highway 2 is a good ride except for the oil patch. Minot, ND to Wolf Point, MT will be the problem stretch.

 

I wouldn't use the oil patch as an excuse not to go to Glacier, but I would consider dropping south to skirt as much of the 2-lane as practical through the patch.

[chocking]

I've ridden it several times from Duluth west to Glacier...In fact i'll be riding that route out to Glacier and then up to Banff and Jasper in Early June for a 2week trip..

The odds of getting a motel in a 400 miles range from either side of williston,ND is tough with the oil boom and the railroad work along 2. I have camped a few times in Rugby North Daokta and I know from just the other day, that there are still a few motel rooms left in rugby..In minot or williston, they will either be full up or sky high rates...

It's a long ride across the large states..Depends on whether you like open spaces...I love it..The truck traffic on 2 through the oil region is now nuts...

 

I'm riding from Grand Rapids,MN to Rugby, ND.. about 400 the first day, then from Rugby to Havre,MT ( 500+) the next , then a short 4 hour jaunt to Glacier the next morning...

 

Clay

[meach]

I've ridden it several times from Duluth west to Glacier...In fact i'll be riding that route out to Glacier and then up to Banff and Jasper in Early June for a 2week trip..

The odds of getting a motel in a 400 miles range from either side of williston,ND is tough with the oil boom and the railroad work along 2. I have camped a few times in Rugby North Daokta and I know from just the other day, that there are still a few motel rooms left in rugby..In minot or williston, they will either be full up or sky high rates...

It's a long ride across the large states..Depends on whether you like open spaces...I love it..The truck traffic on 2 through the oil region is now nuts...

 

I'm riding from Grand Rapids,MN to Rugby, ND.. about 400 the first day, then from Rugby to Havre,MT ( 500+) the next , then a short 4 hour jaunt to Glacier the next morning...

 

Clay

 

We're hoping to do some camping, which was another question as to what kind of camping possibilities are along the way. I've done several solo camping trips on my vtx but wife hasn't been camping on bike. We're gonna try some local 2 up camping this summer, maybe do the BRP camping and see how the wife likes it which means taking a trailer along for all the stuff. I camped 3 nights on the Natchez Trace solo, nice thing there is the camping was free. Also not sure how many miles we want to try and do day after day. When camping I like to get a site early and then hike, swim, etc. but get up and be gone by shortly after sunrise. Longest so far on RSV was a little over 500 mi on a day trip to south GA & back home but no camping involved.

 

Open spaces don't bother me but wife will be along this time, not sure if thats good or bad. It was pretty cool seeing the Wind River Range on the horizon come up thru WY and seemed like it took about all day to get there with the mtns. rising in the distance (also with about a 30 mph crosswind all day)

Edited April 23, 2013 by meach