This is all great advice.

Having never traveled to the midwest, I truly have no idea about what to expect. I was a little worried it would be a lot of flat, farm-land. Even though it would be great to color in my patch of the states, this may not be the best time.

I'd originally thought about going back similar to the way we came because I know that'll be beautiful...and shorter to boot. From the sound of the advice so far...that may be the best plan... esp since we can drop the bikes in Santa Fe where I'm spending the rest of the summer.

FWIW, going to Sturgis, we're leaving from Santa Fe and riding up through southwestern CO, NE corner of UT, WY, Yellowstone, etc & up Beartooth Hwy and back down into WY and across WY to Sturgis. Our mileage avg is about 240ish/day...175 being the shortest and 300 our longest. Definitely taking time to enjoy ourselves. Total mileage will be 1600...leaving on a Tuesday and arriving in Spearfish on Tuesday before noon. We'll have the guys for that part of it (safety) plus my sister in law following along in an RV. I know this part of the country pretty well, so it was pretty easy to plan.

We could definitely come back a different route through the same states. It might be that we drop the bikes in the Denver area as we are seriously considering going to the AMA Women's Conference in Keystone on the 19th. Are even signed up for a dirt-bike school! Was going to ship my bike to Denver or Santa Fe after Sturgis anyway. That would allow me to fly back to Dallas...gather my dogs and drive back to Santa Fe in plenty of time to go to the Conference. This would work out well.

Keep the ideas and suggestions coming...it's good to hear what your wives can handle in a day because I'm of the opinion guys can tolerate longer days in the saddle than women (of course, there are exceptions). I'm not such a women's libber to realize (and celebrate) the differences between the sexes!

Oh, I do have a Zumo & Scala headset. I'll be carrying my Atlas for backup because there is nothing better than a good ole map!

As said going east out of the black hills is pretty much flatland until you reach Lacrosse,wi. And if the wind is blowing it can wear you out pretty good. A few years back when I left Rapid City the wind was blowing steady from the north at around 35MPH all the way to Lacrosse. The wife and I rode 2 up from yellowstone last year in 3 500 mile days. She actually could outlast me in the saddle between rest stops buy 40 to 50 miles. (but I think her vicoden helped) Either way you go it sounds like a good trip, so ride safe and enjoy.

If you're riding east on I-90, the scenary will improve about the time you hit Winona, MN. That's about 20 miles from LaCrosse, WI. There are lots of great riding opportunities once you reach there.

Just enjoy and let it happen you are smart women you know when enough is enough, a half day's rest will do wonder for you when it's all an adventure! Go for it but be safe! You can do it no problem.

For your information Illinois and Iowa will not honor your CHL's. I agree with carrying the airweight Smith.
My wife has done 400 miles for a day or two and then things begin to dwindle down a little until she gets her second breath. I live in the Midwest not much here to see. Sounds like a great time be careful, weirdos out there you know. Good Luck take pictures and post when you return.

I've done some long trips, but not like some of the others here. Still, here are some ideas:

* Have a towing service handy in case of breakdown. AAA is a good option. Others like HOG - but if you do some searches on the forum you'll find that AAA generally has a better reputation for getting tows to you in remote places and on weekends/holidays, etc.

* AAA also can help you with route planning, provide maps, and offers discounts at many hotels.

* Chains such as Marriott offer 'frequent guest' programs. These offer benefits even if you don't have that many nights, and are worth joining. (They're free.) You can also call the number on the card to find closest hotels with rooms available, etc. - which can come in handy if you don't have reservations made in advance.

* The Zumo is a great tool - it will find gas stations and restaurants (Wal-Marts, H-D dealerships, etc.) along your route and get you to them, and can be real handy if highway construction or accidents forces you to detour.

* Try to pick a place to stop by 4 or 5 each afternoon. If you start early, when its a bit cooler, you'll be ready to stop by then anyway. The hotels start filling up much after 5.

* In my experience at least, its more dangerous to ride after dark. The trucks all seem to come out, and you can't see whats going to suddenly show up underneath them as you ride behind them. The critters are out and moving. And I at least (with my aging eyes) simply can't see as far out in front of the bike after dark. There would need to be some critical need for me to plan to ride all day long and then far into the night as well.

* Take a swimsuit to soak in hotel pools or hottubs. ;) A soak and a glass of wine can help you get better sleep!

* Photocopy your insurance policy and take it along with you with your owners manual.

* Some guys like to plan their route using "loops" off a main highway. If they get radically behind schedule they can jettison one or two of the loops, without blowing the general route that they are following.

* Take a camera with lots of extra memory chips!

Hope you have fun. It sounds like it will be an awesome trip!

Ride safe,

Doc

id take hwy 385\out of the black hills to cheyenne wy then turn west in to colorado.rocky mtn.nat.park is pretty cool.the road from silverton to durango iis killer.

my wife and I just got back on sun. 2910 miles in 11 days. 2 days the bikes didn't move. we did 2 500 mile days and rode 290 in the rain(including the going to the sun road) finished up last day nemo S.D. to home 632 miles. the trick is to start early. north half of mn. is beautiful. when in the sturgis area have lunch at the guest ranch in nemo. great place. are you moteling or camping or combination? we do both

Just a suggestion, From Milwaukee you could drop down to Chicago and do the Route 66 trip down to I-35.

As far as Wisconsin and Minnesota,some of the best parts are up north but would be a couple hundred miles north of your route to Milwaukee. The drive around LaCrosse is a dandy if you follow down the river.

If I see you at the Full Throttle on the 3rd Monstead, I will help with your plan. I am a great trip desinger and have been all over the country on the bike and with the Army. If I don't , just be safe and know your limitations. Mine are about 500 a day and then I'm ready for the bed and TV in a hotel.