Started the morning with some weather channel, the entire country is bone dry today so no worries. I remember passing through this part of the country on the way down, not that I take the same route, I always go through pains to avoid that! I recall the was a character building head wind that day, and my suspicions are confirmed when I pass through the Smoky Hills wind farm, they don't put up 150+ windmills in an area that the wind doesn't blow in a consistent manner in. Luckily this breeze is now at my back.

This wind farm generates just shy of 250 000 MW annually, enough to power about 37 000 homes. The windmills also generate about $5k each per year in royalties for the farmers whose land they are on. I am sure their individual placement is determined by some set of rules, but from my vantage point, I-70, it looked pretty haphazard. If they were on my land I would insist that they were laid out according to a grid, and the blades would all have to be synchronized and turning at the same speed. This video is just a small representation, the mills extended across the visible horizon.



The challenge of the day was trying to keep our speed under 100 mph. I usually cruise at about 140 kph (85 mph) but with the tailwind and my eagerness to get home I would often look down to see my speed had crept up without noticing it. The US po'lice (sorta like mo'tel) are pretty generous, but going 25 mph over a posted 75 mph could still get a guy in trouble. I have had zero interaction with the po po on this trip and wish to keep it that way. That being said, I am pretty sure I am not going to see any cops on the minor roads I do most of my travel on, gotta watch the Interstates though.

Going 100 mph is also what my Rocket3 was specifically designed for. Designed to run on European Autobahns the initial design stipulation was that the bike need to 'top the ton' (British for go 100 mph!) at under 4000 rpm. I am sure with a lighter under fed British rider and no luggage that would happen. With me on it, The Ton comes at about 4200 rpm. My cruising speed of 140 kph however pegs the tach at 3200 revs per minute, and it will effortlessly do that all day long!

I found myself headed back in the same direction as Scott's Bluff, the stopping point for day 3 of this journey, so I changed directions and headed a bit further north. I ended up in Alliance, Nebraska, just under the Black Hills of South Dakota and the famous (infamous) town of Sturgis. I went through there 1 year, maybe in the late 90's and wasn't impressed. I was about 2 weeks after the 'Rally' and I still had to wait in line for 30 minutes for gas.

Personally I don't think the sport of motorcycling is about posing and showing off your bike, I think it is about traveling, and traveling on your bike. All too often when I am in the US on summer trips you see 'Trailer Queens', people who truck or trailer their bikes to within a day's ride of Sturgis and then ride the rest of the way. Prolly stopping outside of town to rub some dirt and oil on their faces for some rebel authenticity!

I have driven about 11 500 km so far on this trip and the Rocket has been absolutely bullet-proof, until the end of today. I pulled into a mo'tel here in Alliance, NE and as is my usual practice I parked by the office and went in to secure a room. I then walked to my room, dropped jacket and helmet, turned the AC on high and went to get my bike, driving it the 100 or so feet to my parking stall. I then finished unpacking the rest of the bike; 2 x Pelican cases and a couple of bags.

Then as is my typical routine and went in search of tasty adult beverages. Except that my bike wouldn't start! WTF?! It was turning over fast enough, but just not catching. This is bad news! The trip odo that I use to keep track of my fuel (as I do not have an actual gas gauge) was showing 270 km, I usually fill up at 350 km and my absolute range is over 400 km, so I couldn't be out of gas, could I?

I tried to listen for sloshing in my tank, but the results were inconclusive. Putting more gas in it was pretty much the only user accessible change I could affect though, so I was off to the gas station................on foot. The gas station was actually more of a cold beer store, that also had a pump, usually a good combination, but I doubted they were going to have a jerry can. My suspicions were correct, the clerk (a ginger BTW, not a Delta-yeller!) suggested I go across the street to the, wait for it, Dollar General, and buy a gas can there. Oh the ironic irony of it all, being saved by my nemeisis!

As I exited the station I saw a man with 2 kids filling up a gas can at the pump, I seized the opportunity! I learned a long time ago that you don't get what you don't ask for, so I approached him and explained my circumstances and asked for his help. You could see by his body language and facial expression that he didn't really believe me and was expecting some kind of scam, or for me to ask for money or something.

I put him slightly at ease by telling him I was from Canada, and then telling his 2 young daughters about how cold it gets. In the end he gave me a ride back to the mo'tel, and once he saw the Triumph he visibly relaxed. We put about half a litre in and tried to start it, it would catch and run if you held the throttle open to about 2000 rpm, but as soon as you released the throttle it would stall.

I thanked the man, and tried to pay him for the gas or compensate him for his time, but he refused and just asked me to 'pay it forward'. He also declined to be filmed or photographed which really bummed me out, as this is a great story. So I started the bike again, held the throttle partially open and drove straight to the gas station, filling the tank the whole way. Sadly I only put in about $15.00 worth of gas, about half a tank, so I know the difficulties were not caused by being completely out of gas, but the fill up seemed to work. It would now start like normal and idle without being held at high revs.

I started it again this morning at it seems to be running alright, perhaps a little rough, I think I will drive the rest of the way on the Interstate as a precaution. I have about 2000 km left until I get home.

Hopefully I won't have a big story for you tonight!