U.S. Highway 2 Motorcycle Trip

Have any of you cycled Highway 2? My wife and I would like to make a trip from Wisconsin to Everett, Washington possibly this summer, (more likely to happen when our last kid finishes college). Any experiences to share? The more small towns the better.

Thanks,
Glenn F.

I've been on parts of the road. it's great. when you get to the west coast, then drop down to hwy 12 to head back east!

You're starting too far west. I've been all the way across the UP on it,but no farther.

Glenn,

I envy you that trip. I've wanted to travel the whole route from one coast to the other. Probably won't make it, though.

Don't forget to find the big, big Big Bud tractor out in Montana.

Stan

I've been across most, if not all, of it in Montana; the section through the mountains is gorgeous.

Unfortunately, that tractor is not currently in Montana; I'll see the owners this weekend and find out where it is.

Looks to be 4-lane across the top of North Dakota (can anyone else say that without the accent?). I knew it was in the western half. Be careful up there, with the drilling, the traffic, no, the people in the traffic, can be pretty crazy. No second thoughts about running across narrow gravel roads at 85 MPH and 105,500 pounds! From what I've heard, I'd take the truck route around Williston and keep moving, even in the pick-up.

You can pick up the old highway just west of the elevator at Ross and take it through the White Earth River Valley, though I can't say which one is the nicer route, old vs new. The new has a rest area at the bottom, I hauled wheat out of a field back in across the highway from it.

Another alternate would be to drop down south at Stanley to hwy 23, and catch county road 1804 out of Newtown. It (somewhat) follows the bluffs on the north side of lake Sacajawea, nice little route, and comes into Williston to put you back onto rte 2. Lot more hills than 2 has at that point.

South of Tioga, along county road 21/105th ave, is the marker where they first found oil in North Dakota (in the 50s).

County roads 1804 and 21 are both paved, as is the old highway through the valley. If it holds through the whole state, 2 actually by-passes a lot of the smaller towns.

Returning via Highway 12 is an excellent idea. 12 in western Washington is part of Interstate 5 for about 20 miles, from south of Olympia to south of Chehalis. When you get to Chehalis, give me a call and I'll buy you a cuppa or a barley pop or whatever. Work 36O 748-O24eight, Home 748-8O2six.

Forgot, I ran it from Iron Mountain to the bridge. Nice cool ride in the summer time.

Thanks for the reply. It does get around, for sure. I live about 20 miles north of where it was in Florida, but never saw it - Went looking one time, but all we found was a smaller Big Bud.

Stan

Added a cap to my collection from Barnett Implement, also got another from their store in Mt. Vernon.

Stan

That would be one nice trip. You get to see a lot things that you miss on interstate highway.I have been on it in Minnesota, Wisconsin and upper Michigan many tears ago. Don't wait to long to take that trip take while you can still enjoy it.

Nice Trip. I have motorcycled US2 in Montana, and driven it in cars many times. Ideas:
James J. Hill put together the financing and conceptual foundation for the Great Northern Railway beginning (under a different company name)the rail lines in 1879.
Steam engines were of course water dependent, and wood/coal dependant. Every 20 miles a town was created. The reason was that the variety of locomotives and mixed goods/passenger trains could manage to need water/fuel at differing intervals. Hill recognized this and created towns (and industries in som of them) to facilitate rail workers, water, and fuel. The towns were named (as legend has it) by spinning the globe of the world and where his finger stopped the nearest town or city became the name of the new town. You will thus travel on US2 along the route of the Rails, and encounter towns big and small and ghost in nature as you travel. US2 is probably the most populated (in a very sparce meaning) road in Montana. Thus there will be fairly close assistance to some medical and accomodations along the way.
Items:
It will be dry. Make plans to use helmet hydration or easy access to water.
It will be beautiful in the mountains, prepare for possible frost conditions at Marias pass and other high spots.
It will have posted speed limits and the experiment with no limits in MT has ended.
Deer antilope, cattle, buffalo, and other critters are prone to cross the road. Night time speed limits reflect this real danger.
Two places to visit. In Havre MT (named for Le Havre, France) give the Iron Horse pancake house/cafe a visit. Quaint and good food. 4th ave. on US2.
The second is Izaak Walton Inn
290 Izaak Walton Inn Rd Essex, Mt 59916 (406) 888-5700 izaakwaltoninn.com Make reservations. It is in the mountains and a highlight of the rockies.
If you are returning on US2, and are not affraid of serious mountain road biking, take going to the sun road on the return trip. Google it.
Adventure is a theam on the Highline. (what the BNSF railroad and US2 are called in the north west. Many towns allow park camping and are friendly in every way. Ask people for places to camp (if you are doing that).
Camping in national forest is always open as an option, becareful of bears (real threat) and rattlers, (real threat) if making a self selected camp site. Absolutely no food or snacks in or near the tent. All food in plastic tubs hung 15 ft in the air from a tall tree 100 ft away from your camp site. Deal with no fire. (best practice,and better star gazing) use propane or gas camping stove methods of cooking.
As you leave Havre to the west, you will pass by Meisners IH dealership at the intersection of highway US87. (behind the dealership and a bit east is a big white building it was the home of Big Bud Tractors)
I hope this limited overview helps. My home was to the right of that dealership on one of the bluffs. (not visible from the road) Jim

Tom R,
I believe Big Bud 747 is in a museum in Iowa now. It was in a museum near Independence, IA for a couple years after it ran at the big show in southern Illinois (name of show???). Last summer or fall it was moved to a museum in north-central Iowa...I think. Could be Clarion, IA.

I've read that the Williams Bros (Montana owners) no longer use that machine....time moves on to larger, quieter, and more efficient (and more expensive) machines.
LA in WI

Did you stop and see the big Cornish pump engine in Iron Mountain? Nice little museum with a BIG engine.
Mining Museum

If you take US Hwy 12 on the return trip, consider stopping at the tractor and car museum on the southern edge of Willmar, Minnesota (I can't remember the name right now, it's part of a salvage yard). Allow two to three hours to see it. Also stop and get your pictures taken next to the World's (3rd) Largest Twine Ball in Darwin, MN. There's good food at the Twine Ball Inn and at Swan's Cafe in Litchfield.

You're gonna have to get another one- They've changed their name to Washington Tractor, Inc. There was a different Barnett Implement in Yakima, and after the local guy started buying up dealerships in eastern Washington, it got too confusing, so he changed the name.

When in MN. stop for a tour of the iron mines they are worth seeing. Also lots of stuff in Duluth.

Schwanke Tractor Museum in Willmar. South on US Hwy 71. West side of road.

Don't know if I'll be able to do that. We've been out there in our RV probably 3 or 4 times, and the old bus is getting up there in miles, but thanks for the advice.

Been on highway 2 from Shelby Montana east twice. Very good steak restaurant 10 miles east of Shelby at Dunkirk. One would not know that it has good food from looking at the building. But I had the best steak there that I have ever had. Across the road from an old elevator.

Western Mn and all of Nd are 4 lane, but its not limited access. While many of the towns are bypassed you just go to the left or right, not through the middle. The traffic in western Nd is relative. Its busy, but if you have ever been out in the world its not that bad. I'll take that for a month over one day in Atlanta...

Nope. I picked up somewhere up there and headed east. I as driving truck at the time. I'd like to get back to some of the places farther north to see again, and be able to stop and look at stuff.

Been on HWY 2 in mid to eastern Montana a dozen times and across northern North Dakota once. Nice open road without a lot of traffic. Caught up with it northeast of Helena so I don't know what it's like in the mountains.

I believe Big Bud came from near Havre. There's a pretty good choice of food and lodging in Havre. We stayed in a motel across the fence from the Great Northern rail yards and round house there. It looks to me like they do heavy work on locomotives and I would have LOVED to been able to sneak in the door of that place! Jim

Other than a traffic light, there's not a lot of interaction between the highway and the towns.
I would have explored a little bit up there as we were stuck there (in Tioga) for 6-8 weeks waiting in weather, I think we worked there for less than 2. The second powerjoke the harvester I was working for had, was getting its wheels driven off by a couple owner-operators he had hauling wheat as well, and the grain cart guy and I couldn't afford to feed the DT466 in the service truck.
As far as traffic, yes it still beats most any major metropolitan area, but many would probably not expect to find it there. And the way people were driving while I was there (August-October 2010), It could be downright dangerous at times. Not enough law enforcement to patrol those huge open spaces so the chances of getting caught are slim so who cares, right?

been on it 4 times on motorcycle. nice road a lot of open country worst is around Williston ND lots of traffic [oil boom] make sure you don't get caught with out a place to stay at night very few motels in ND and Mont. small towns don't have many Motels and the ones that have aren't very good but it's a place to sleep. gas is easy to find but not so on a Sunday. any of the towns in ND are over run with oil workers and prices are high . last time we came across there it was 109 deg. hot dam hot! nice ride if you like wide open places

what part of WI you from we live in Fremont

DePere.

Glenn

Move to Clarion makes sense as Larry Maasdam and the Williams Brothers are good friends. I engineered a tour of the now closed Mehmke Museum here at Great Falls for them several years ago. At that time I was told how Larry had helped arrange moving it back East for the Half Century of Progress Show.

Tom, Several years ago I watched an RFD-TV show featuring Mr. Mehmke as he gave a tour of his collection (that was way before the 99.8% air time about horses they have now). I remember him as a very polite and intelligent man. In the fall of 2010 my wife and I followed the Lewis & Clark trail from Sioux City to Ft. Clatsop. I drove out to the Mehmke farm, but found he was no longer living. A young man said I could look at the tractors. I remember the family dog followed me around....he wasn"t threatening or anything, but seemed more lonely than wary. I took the dog"s picture while he was standing on a big flat rock near the driveway. Mr. Mehmke also had a very nice large Case "Eagle" globe by the driveway.

If you live in that area, I wish I would have known that. The walk along the river front in Ft. Benton is a feet-tingling experience (Ag museum great also). And standing on the hill by the mouth of the Marias River is spell binding....I could just see Lewis & Clark discussing with the men as to which river to follow.
I saw a smaller Big Bud working up near Loma.
LA in WI

Marlow, that is good advice. We pulled into Williston early Oct of 2010 about 5 pm enroute west. Found out there wasn't a room available in the whole area! We drove about 100 miles SW to Glendive, MT, before we found a room. The lady at that Williston motel said "Every room is booked up for at least 5 months". It has to be worse than that now.
LA in WI

If you're in Duluth be sure to look at the big locomotive that hauled iron ore out of the mines to be loaded on the ore boats. That thing is huge.

our rider friends live in Green Bay. we do a long tripe every year with them. ride safe

You are going to have a beautiful ride even before you get to Duluth.
I live just southeast of Superior. I have rode Hwy 2 in MI WI MN ND MT ID and WA.
Make sure you see the 'Going to the Sun' road.(I have missed it twice due to time constraints)
I did, however, see the 'Dry Falls' in Eastern WA.
Good luck
k

We never have made that trip, but think it would be a nice trip. A few years ago We ran across a Father and Son by the bridge that were going to the West coast by US 2. The Son was from Michigan and the Father was from Maryland. He had BMW, and the Son had a Honda.

Watch out for deer and other animals. They are out there and WILL jump out in front of you. For that reason, I would NEVER travel by motorcycle at night.

I like Montana. But lots of the distance along Hwy 2 is very undeveloped and it might be a real problem getting help if you happened to break down. I think there is cell service most of the way.

Good luck, and keep the shiny side up!

Brilliant, I never dreamed to ask about motorcycle travel advise on here. I have sent some time on 2 in western Montana, as others have said "road to the sun" is something to see. we usually cross in to Canada and run up to Banff and once we ran on up to Fairbanks. Friend got a ticket in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Wife wants to ride east this year, and I have been trying to figure out how to get from Cambridge, Ohio to Beach Lake, Pennsylvania on a scooter. I wish you the best of luck and keep it vertical.

Tommy