Racey
Registered user
Thanks For The Comments
I'm going as fast as I can...
Glad a few of you like it...
Simon
I'm going as fast as I can...
Glad a few of you like it...
Simon
Arctic To Atlantic... A Trans USA Ride...
- Thread starter Racey
- Start date
Racey
Registered user
Life Is All About Compromises...
You might have noticed that since entering Canada I'd got soaked pretty much every day. It got me thinking... Who'd I upset..? Why was this happening..? Then I cracked it... There was a mischevious spirit in my iPod that needed exorcising !!
Be carefull if you travel with an iPod too !! Learn from my misfortune, as the weather had become directly linked to my iPod..!
Why do I say this ? Well, as I analysed it on the way to Prince George - because that's how ordinary this road was compared to what had gone before, I had time to day dream – from the 11,500 tunes on it, it regularly selected weather related songs !
Travis’ “Why Does It Always Rain On Me ?”
Ladysmith “Rain, Rain Beautiful Rain”
Lighthouse Family “Raincloud”
Sting “After The Rain Has Fallen”
Rolling Stones “Blinded By Rainbows”
Stevie Ray Vaughan “Couldn’t Stand The Weather”
Guess what… Despite The Jam valiantly playing “Heatwave” I continued to get soaked..!
Pulling back the curtains in Smithers I had awoken to virtually zero visibility above ridge line level… The glimpses of mountains surrounding Smithers were totally obscured. Oh… And it was raining !!
So I hatched a plan – given check out was not till noon I’d wait for the weather to clear… Genius…
By 10 am it had eased and I saddled up… By 10:35 I’d caught the bad weather up..!
It was through an odd land that didn’t know what it was supposed to be !! Almost wilderness – but some of the shacks had unkempt yards and some cabins had perfectly mowed lawns…
And I started to see cattle… And golf courses… I missed the true wilderness. I can’t believe how quickly I started to miss Alaska… I bet people come through this area and think themselves pioneering spirits on their holidays…
How can you possibly be a pioneer in a place that has a golf course called “Carnoustie Golf & RV Park” ??
I flogged on and got wet again. I also started to get seriously concerned about Canadians behind the wheel...
As one comes up behind someone who is doing well under the speed limit and gets ready to pass they, all of a sudden, accelerate. So I started to drop back. Then they slowed...
Then when one starts to pass again they accelerate like their lives depend on it... It happened again and again...
Bizzare as once past they drop back. Thank heavens the bike can put all his 105 bhp to good use even with a fat 45 year old and a load on board !!
Eventually the sanctuary of “Canada’s Finest Inn” in Prince George was found… If ever there is a Marketing Man who deserves to be tracked down and beaten it is the one who came up with that name…
Thereafter I pushed on to Jasper in Alberta - my 3rd Canadian Province. Once in Jasper, one thing that occured to me as I sat in my bunkhouse was the old adage that "life is full of compromises"... Never more than when one is on the road. And I ended up rather happy with the compromises made on the run into Jasper. Although I didn’t make any conscious decisions !! But someone up there seems to have made some good ones for me…
The only decision I made about the Jasper run – I got wrong… Sort of…
Well, I had phoned ahead from Smithers to book myself into a decent bunkhouse as a treat for all the endless days of rain and cold I'd endured – the forecast had been bad. Honest Susie… I was prepared to camp…
If you are wondering just what I’m referring to about the compromises, I will explain. Instead of the continuing dull, wet and cold conditions that I had been told I was riding towards, I found myself in Jasper Alberta, surrounded by the most magnificent scenery, with clear skies with high fluffy clouds and astonishing views as far as the mountain scenery will allow…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/IX7i2z5Fj1lCjQX7WHLEfA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4QROO6UD1I/AAAAAAAADBs/bh1q8ryIzyE/s800/P1010199%20edit.jpg" /></a>
All those days hunkered down behind the screen with the heated jacket on, getting soaked were a worthwhile trade off… I was happy to have endured the leaden skies in Whitehorse, Watson Lake and Smithers to be rewarded with these glorious conditions. But perhaps I should have stuck with Plan A and camped... But maybe it was me booking a decent hostel that gave the weather a shot in the arm ?
Who cares - things were looking up and that's all that mattered !!
And the roads into Jasper had "perked up too". Particularly once I passed the junction of Highway 5 to Kamloops - things just went overboard in terms of bonkers scenery… It started to climb and twist towards Mount Robson…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/wVruFBhU66SiHY5fRWYIIg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4QPF71CMKI/AAAAAAAADBo/cPbSiXH_3os/s800/PICT0056.JPG" /></a>
I have never seen such an impressive rock face – 3,900 metres of it dead ahead… Ride this road – it will blow your mind – not for long range views as the Top of the World… But for rock architecture it was sensational… Trouble was it was a quick highway and I had to make do with the Head Cam…
I don't know quite what I expected of Jasper, but as I wandered the town I was a little disenchanted. I suppose I had been spoiled by all the quaint, authentic and rustic towns I'd seen along the way in Alaska and The Yukon. This seemed manufactured for the tourists and was full of "souveneir traps" by comparison... The old steamer at the station was impressive though.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/pnSWzXmJ8m7x7H4b1UxBLQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4QSiBluL7I/AAAAAAAADBw/1VcqVxV-5xQ/s800/P1010210%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Still, I ensured the day finished on a high - "one always has to create one's own luck" my Grandpa said - and he was right... A Chef's Signature Beef Tenderloin accompanied by a Cabernet Merlot, with Profiteroles to follow - rounded off with a Glenlivet endorsed his wise words... OK maybe I went over the top !!
Strange though - I'd have swapped all that for a wholesome "nosebag" in the wilderness...
Sadly, I was beginning to feel my journey from "Adventurer" to "Tourist" had started...
You might have noticed that since entering Canada I'd got soaked pretty much every day. It got me thinking... Who'd I upset..? Why was this happening..? Then I cracked it... There was a mischevious spirit in my iPod that needed exorcising !!
Be carefull if you travel with an iPod too !! Learn from my misfortune, as the weather had become directly linked to my iPod..!
Why do I say this ? Well, as I analysed it on the way to Prince George - because that's how ordinary this road was compared to what had gone before, I had time to day dream – from the 11,500 tunes on it, it regularly selected weather related songs !
Travis’ “Why Does It Always Rain On Me ?”
Ladysmith “Rain, Rain Beautiful Rain”
Lighthouse Family “Raincloud”
Sting “After The Rain Has Fallen”
Rolling Stones “Blinded By Rainbows”
Stevie Ray Vaughan “Couldn’t Stand The Weather”
Guess what… Despite The Jam valiantly playing “Heatwave” I continued to get soaked..!
Pulling back the curtains in Smithers I had awoken to virtually zero visibility above ridge line level… The glimpses of mountains surrounding Smithers were totally obscured. Oh… And it was raining !!
So I hatched a plan – given check out was not till noon I’d wait for the weather to clear… Genius…
By 10 am it had eased and I saddled up… By 10:35 I’d caught the bad weather up..!
It was through an odd land that didn’t know what it was supposed to be !! Almost wilderness – but some of the shacks had unkempt yards and some cabins had perfectly mowed lawns…
And I started to see cattle… And golf courses… I missed the true wilderness. I can’t believe how quickly I started to miss Alaska… I bet people come through this area and think themselves pioneering spirits on their holidays…
How can you possibly be a pioneer in a place that has a golf course called “Carnoustie Golf & RV Park” ??
I flogged on and got wet again. I also started to get seriously concerned about Canadians behind the wheel...
As one comes up behind someone who is doing well under the speed limit and gets ready to pass they, all of a sudden, accelerate. So I started to drop back. Then they slowed...
Then when one starts to pass again they accelerate like their lives depend on it... It happened again and again...
Bizzare as once past they drop back. Thank heavens the bike can put all his 105 bhp to good use even with a fat 45 year old and a load on board !!
Eventually the sanctuary of “Canada’s Finest Inn” in Prince George was found… If ever there is a Marketing Man who deserves to be tracked down and beaten it is the one who came up with that name…
Thereafter I pushed on to Jasper in Alberta - my 3rd Canadian Province. Once in Jasper, one thing that occured to me as I sat in my bunkhouse was the old adage that "life is full of compromises"... Never more than when one is on the road. And I ended up rather happy with the compromises made on the run into Jasper. Although I didn’t make any conscious decisions !! But someone up there seems to have made some good ones for me…
The only decision I made about the Jasper run – I got wrong… Sort of…
Well, I had phoned ahead from Smithers to book myself into a decent bunkhouse as a treat for all the endless days of rain and cold I'd endured – the forecast had been bad. Honest Susie… I was prepared to camp…
If you are wondering just what I’m referring to about the compromises, I will explain. Instead of the continuing dull, wet and cold conditions that I had been told I was riding towards, I found myself in Jasper Alberta, surrounded by the most magnificent scenery, with clear skies with high fluffy clouds and astonishing views as far as the mountain scenery will allow…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/IX7i2z5Fj1lCjQX7WHLEfA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4QROO6UD1I/AAAAAAAADBs/bh1q8ryIzyE/s800/P1010199%20edit.jpg" /></a>
All those days hunkered down behind the screen with the heated jacket on, getting soaked were a worthwhile trade off… I was happy to have endured the leaden skies in Whitehorse, Watson Lake and Smithers to be rewarded with these glorious conditions. But perhaps I should have stuck with Plan A and camped... But maybe it was me booking a decent hostel that gave the weather a shot in the arm ?
Who cares - things were looking up and that's all that mattered !!
And the roads into Jasper had "perked up too". Particularly once I passed the junction of Highway 5 to Kamloops - things just went overboard in terms of bonkers scenery… It started to climb and twist towards Mount Robson…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/wVruFBhU66SiHY5fRWYIIg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4QPF71CMKI/AAAAAAAADBo/cPbSiXH_3os/s800/PICT0056.JPG" /></a>
I have never seen such an impressive rock face – 3,900 metres of it dead ahead… Ride this road – it will blow your mind – not for long range views as the Top of the World… But for rock architecture it was sensational… Trouble was it was a quick highway and I had to make do with the Head Cam…
I don't know quite what I expected of Jasper, but as I wandered the town I was a little disenchanted. I suppose I had been spoiled by all the quaint, authentic and rustic towns I'd seen along the way in Alaska and The Yukon. This seemed manufactured for the tourists and was full of "souveneir traps" by comparison... The old steamer at the station was impressive though.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/pnSWzXmJ8m7x7H4b1UxBLQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4QSiBluL7I/AAAAAAAADBw/1VcqVxV-5xQ/s800/P1010210%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Still, I ensured the day finished on a high - "one always has to create one's own luck" my Grandpa said - and he was right... A Chef's Signature Beef Tenderloin accompanied by a Cabernet Merlot, with Profiteroles to follow - rounded off with a Glenlivet endorsed his wise words... OK maybe I went over the top !!
Strange though - I'd have swapped all that for a wholesome "nosebag" in the wilderness...
Sadly, I was beginning to feel my journey from "Adventurer" to "Tourist" had started...
hondated
Registered user
Simon..
brilliant report.Its something I will never get to do either because of lack of funds or bottle but its great to read of your adventure.
Oh yes I have another excuse my Blackbird isn't made for that sort of journey anyway.Keep us informed of your further adventures. Stay safe.
Riding to Boxhill will never feel as adventureous again.
brilliant report.Its something I will never get to do either because of lack of funds or bottle but its great to read of your adventure.
Oh yes I have another excuse my Blackbird isn't made for that sort of journey anyway.Keep us informed of your further adventures. Stay safe.
Riding to Boxhill will never feel as adventureous again.
To be quite honest Simon,
This has been really enthralling to read well done you! you should be proud of yourself!!
Keep going!
Seconded.
Invicta Moto
Registered user
Great stuff, keep it coming
Superb.
rtoilhead
Registered user
Well done, Simon.
Great report and superb photos.
This trip is certainly on my list of things to do.
Also would appreciate a list of items to take or discard - when you get the time!
Must admit never hear of the tyres you used. One for my list.
Regards
Alex
Great report and superb photos.
This trip is certainly on my list of things to do.
Also would appreciate a list of items to take or discard - when you get the time!
Must admit never hear of the tyres you used. One for my list.
Regards
Alex
Racey
Registered user
I'm Glad You Are Along For The Ride...
Thanks again for the comments...
I hope I keep the standard high enough for the remainder...
We've got another 9,000 miles to do together...
Simon
Thanks again for the comments...
I hope I keep the standard high enough for the remainder...
We've got another 9,000 miles to do together...
Simon
NA1959
Registered user
Super keep it coming!
Racey
Registered user
Back In The USA...
For a long time I'd been looking forward to The Ice Fields Parkway... There hadn't been a single person who had anything but positive comments. And a few of these even said "it is the finest and most spectacular road on the planet" !! I wonder how extensively they've travelled..?
Now, for fear of upsetting anyone I am going to state openly and clearly that the Parkway was through some stunning scenery. And that I enjoyed it all… The entire way I was among towering rock architecture and impressive peaks. It was breathtaking…
But it lacked something. The “magic factor”, to make me go off the scale as I had done on previous occasions, was, for the most part, missing. And it puzzled me…
It took me a while to come up with a potential answer… But while I was thinking I rode through mile after mile of very beautiful scenery. So much so I started by playing the tourist by jumping on the Whistlers Tram just outside Jasper to take in the views.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/lcWd_Xa2V2stzCEp_-fDMw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TgWPM0TNI/AAAAAAAADB0/sBfYEEp2oQY/s800/P1010222%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Just round one of the corners as I headed up to Marmot Basin the GoPro was rolling and captured "Mummy Bear and 3 Baby Bears" as they scampered across the road in front of me.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/sCkyuGMRuG1f4slMbybfsg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TguCbFkbI/AAAAAAAADB4/JzSJn7u9LUw/s800/PICT0031-edit.jpg" /></a>
Thereafter I enjoyed the ride all the way to Lake Louise - still trying to put my finger on "the missing ingredient".
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/jl7zGTTelbMEcQOjt4yTcA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TigQwDINI/AAAAAAAADCU/oo6m0B1UmIs/s800/PICT0107%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/OLo7vZJ5Yay1DF2mL4e8KA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Tg__PQWCI/AAAAAAAADCA/7qRFQ2jv4Yg/s800/P1010259%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/v3Dt2FPT3WqkG5-9E7FipQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ThFjO24dI/AAAAAAAADCI/fmrMzYaNnUo/s800/P1010278%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/Ns432IjmufKlMGzUOy3OqA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Tg55-bmZI/AAAAAAAADB8/0MuDXVR0ZeM/s800/PICT0589%20edit.jpg" /></a>
During the 140 miles of the Parkway I drank in the amazing mountain landscape and pondered and came up with these thoughts:
Without doubt the scenery is sensational – but the road is rather boring. As a biker I have ridden roads with the wonderful combination of views and sweepers and exhilarating stretches. This road has few such stretches. There are some. But they are so well spaced on the 140 odd miles and everyone sticks so religiously to the absurdly low speed limits that the adrenalin factor is virtually zero.
Secondly, it isn’t intimate. In the Alps you feel so enclosed by the peaks, the roads twist and turn and you are an integral part of the scenery. Pretty villages are along the way, one crosses and re crosses rivers. The roads are narrow and one really feels "part of the landscape”.
On the Icefields Parkway I felt I was just an observer. The road went “through” the landscape and wasn’t “a part of it”. The scenery was "set back" from the road compared to The Alps.
All in all it is sensational. But manage your expectations better than I did and I am sure you won't be disappointed.
I headed out of the park via Highway 93 through Kootenay Park. Spectacular… Not a car or RV on the road, great scenery and a stunning road. Isn’t it funny how the ride into the area passing Mount Robson and the ride out have been so much better than the main event… Shows how I mismanaged my expectations !!
I was in awe of the devastation from forest fires on the way through Kootenay Park. But there was plenty of wildlife – I must have seen a dozen deer does.
After about 75 miles I reached Radium Hot Springs area and rode through the most spectacular gorges on a recently tarmaced stretch – technical and demanding and taken at warp factor "fun"..!
All too quickly I fell through a black hole into some weird parallel universe at Radium. There was a new and wonderful landscape to experience, but anyone who has traveled this way will know what I mean – Radium town clearly exists off the back of the Hot Springs. But it is a sad mixture of failed “fun parks” and cheap and tacky attractions – long since closed – and massive hoardings for new property developments and forthcoming golf complexes !!
But the views were spectacular
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/IjsieERRux3NrG6e6tvK8g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ThMr7R9cI/AAAAAAAADCQ/tOcygT7H_LQ/s800/P1010294%20edit.jpg" /></a>
As I pushed on it was getting warmer and brighter. Much warmer and brighter. In fact the temperature steadily climbed from the 8 degrees C I had in Lake Louise to over 25 by a halfway gas stop. And by the time I reached the Canada USA border it was showing 28 degrees and by the time I arrived in Kalispell at 1:30 ish it was showing 30 !!
The border crossing was a formality – across in under 5 minutes with the passport again being the only document examined. And I was back in the USA - in Montana.
Despite all the planning and research one needs to do before a trip I'll freely admit that a "healthy dose of good fortune" always helps too... And, in Kalispell I found I had "Lady Luck" riding pillion..!
On arriving hot and steaming in Kalispell I had assumed that The Going To The Sun Highway within Glacier National Park was bound to be open – I mean it was late June – right ?? I was amazed to find out it had only opened 2 days previously !!
But, by heck, word got round fast !! The road runs through a beautiful forest and past MacDonald Lake before climbing through some spectacular Alpine scenery to Logan Pass before descending to East Glacier / St Mary’s.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/ua5qjyep7-R6MvinP5apAA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TmLGKFODI/AAAAAAAADCk/JwigOx--FO8/s800/P1010303%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/ev9Eew9Mi1bsSDUXifILIA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TmQZThNUI/AAAAAAAADCo/Gr3p-flrUHI/s800/P1010314%20edit.jpg" /></a>
I rode it both ways and enjoyed it immensely – apart from the few drivers who wanting to take pictures thought nothing of coming to a dead stop on the road when a pullout was only a few hundred metres up the road… hey ho…
All the way up it was intimate, exhilarating and spectacular – do it if you ever have the chance… and go early…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/EnLcKsKYA-DWf7NmisxY0g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TnCqHg3RI/AAAAAAAADC4/j_l21z-96co/s800/PICT0060.JPG" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/h1AhFbABKg055EMRhkjVyA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TmUlKbYWI/AAAAAAAADCs/XbIH8TvNAME/s800/P1010321%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Heavy snow closes the road early in the Fall and keeps it shut till – well – late June !! It was still apparent at the top of the pass. On the summit area deer of some sort were seen as were the Park’s logo Mountain Sheep. It was slow progress with all the traffic – but very worthwhile.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/g0enPOG7XWxVh_gKdxrdWg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TmZZiqtjI/AAAAAAAADCw/KaMbDHKv4FM/s800/P1010326%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/VqG9mTfOknZcPtsERK04yA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Tqvfbx1sI/AAAAAAAADC8/zOF7jVi1S9k/s800/P1010330%20edit.jpg" /></a>
On exiting at West Glacier it was time for a pee, a tank of gas, a call to Susie and then we set sail for Missoula… And a very well deserved 2 day break for me and the bike...
We first headed down the east side of Flathead Lake – beautiful.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/LF7Hu4MXnlAkSXIUW9sXjw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TmfkuLFEI/AAAAAAAADC0/bUtuh71iNJM/s800/P1010331%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Then, after picking up highway 93 we headed further south on the western side of the Mission Mountains. We flew… and so did the journey…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/lLzK4aU-DT3vRyTTDRf8QQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TrFPxJohI/AAAAAAAADDI/k_ObCaBBSo0/s800/P1010342.JPG" /></a>
Early afternoon we roared into our riverside hotel – jettisoned the baggage and headed off to get the bike some new boots… He’s done with his hiking boots and has requested some super sticky running shoes from Bridgestone for the Beartooth Pass !!
The Heidenau K60s have been sensational – as good as the road tyres when new on the tarmac and without fault on the slippery and loose stuff…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/3sul-15CQ3pAohSLPIvYsg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Tq7Ww26XI/AAAAAAAADDA/8WRNFvdwwhA/s800/P1010340%20edit.jpg" /></a>
These shots were taken after 6,000 hard miles on a mixture of tough gravel – taken at 60 to 70 mph laden, and tarmac where we ran hard at up to 90 to 100 mph with the same load.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/MfcVmVKpQjqSzQ-uaE518w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TrCypmwvI/AAAAAAAADDE/OG0slDJeYrs/s800/P1010341%20edit.jpg" /></a>
They were squared off – but I think there was at least another 1,000 miles left on the rear !!
I know this is going to sound stupid – but it felt odd leaving the bike at Big Sky Motorsports. He had always been a reassuring, calming presence outside each room… Standing there aloof and dignified… And ready… Not flinching no matter what the day or the weather had thrown at him…
Ah well... 2 days fly fishing should help me get over missing my buddy !!
For a long time I'd been looking forward to The Ice Fields Parkway... There hadn't been a single person who had anything but positive comments. And a few of these even said "it is the finest and most spectacular road on the planet" !! I wonder how extensively they've travelled..?
Now, for fear of upsetting anyone I am going to state openly and clearly that the Parkway was through some stunning scenery. And that I enjoyed it all… The entire way I was among towering rock architecture and impressive peaks. It was breathtaking…
But it lacked something. The “magic factor”, to make me go off the scale as I had done on previous occasions, was, for the most part, missing. And it puzzled me…
It took me a while to come up with a potential answer… But while I was thinking I rode through mile after mile of very beautiful scenery. So much so I started by playing the tourist by jumping on the Whistlers Tram just outside Jasper to take in the views.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/lcWd_Xa2V2stzCEp_-fDMw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TgWPM0TNI/AAAAAAAADB0/sBfYEEp2oQY/s800/P1010222%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Just round one of the corners as I headed up to Marmot Basin the GoPro was rolling and captured "Mummy Bear and 3 Baby Bears" as they scampered across the road in front of me.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/sCkyuGMRuG1f4slMbybfsg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TguCbFkbI/AAAAAAAADB4/JzSJn7u9LUw/s800/PICT0031-edit.jpg" /></a>
Thereafter I enjoyed the ride all the way to Lake Louise - still trying to put my finger on "the missing ingredient".
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/jl7zGTTelbMEcQOjt4yTcA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TigQwDINI/AAAAAAAADCU/oo6m0B1UmIs/s800/PICT0107%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/OLo7vZJ5Yay1DF2mL4e8KA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Tg__PQWCI/AAAAAAAADCA/7qRFQ2jv4Yg/s800/P1010259%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/v3Dt2FPT3WqkG5-9E7FipQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ThFjO24dI/AAAAAAAADCI/fmrMzYaNnUo/s800/P1010278%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/Ns432IjmufKlMGzUOy3OqA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Tg55-bmZI/AAAAAAAADB8/0MuDXVR0ZeM/s800/PICT0589%20edit.jpg" /></a>
During the 140 miles of the Parkway I drank in the amazing mountain landscape and pondered and came up with these thoughts:
Without doubt the scenery is sensational – but the road is rather boring. As a biker I have ridden roads with the wonderful combination of views and sweepers and exhilarating stretches. This road has few such stretches. There are some. But they are so well spaced on the 140 odd miles and everyone sticks so religiously to the absurdly low speed limits that the adrenalin factor is virtually zero.
Secondly, it isn’t intimate. In the Alps you feel so enclosed by the peaks, the roads twist and turn and you are an integral part of the scenery. Pretty villages are along the way, one crosses and re crosses rivers. The roads are narrow and one really feels "part of the landscape”.
On the Icefields Parkway I felt I was just an observer. The road went “through” the landscape and wasn’t “a part of it”. The scenery was "set back" from the road compared to The Alps.
All in all it is sensational. But manage your expectations better than I did and I am sure you won't be disappointed.
I headed out of the park via Highway 93 through Kootenay Park. Spectacular… Not a car or RV on the road, great scenery and a stunning road. Isn’t it funny how the ride into the area passing Mount Robson and the ride out have been so much better than the main event… Shows how I mismanaged my expectations !!
I was in awe of the devastation from forest fires on the way through Kootenay Park. But there was plenty of wildlife – I must have seen a dozen deer does.
After about 75 miles I reached Radium Hot Springs area and rode through the most spectacular gorges on a recently tarmaced stretch – technical and demanding and taken at warp factor "fun"..!
All too quickly I fell through a black hole into some weird parallel universe at Radium. There was a new and wonderful landscape to experience, but anyone who has traveled this way will know what I mean – Radium town clearly exists off the back of the Hot Springs. But it is a sad mixture of failed “fun parks” and cheap and tacky attractions – long since closed – and massive hoardings for new property developments and forthcoming golf complexes !!
But the views were spectacular
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/IjsieERRux3NrG6e6tvK8g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ThMr7R9cI/AAAAAAAADCQ/tOcygT7H_LQ/s800/P1010294%20edit.jpg" /></a>
As I pushed on it was getting warmer and brighter. Much warmer and brighter. In fact the temperature steadily climbed from the 8 degrees C I had in Lake Louise to over 25 by a halfway gas stop. And by the time I reached the Canada USA border it was showing 28 degrees and by the time I arrived in Kalispell at 1:30 ish it was showing 30 !!
The border crossing was a formality – across in under 5 minutes with the passport again being the only document examined. And I was back in the USA - in Montana.
Despite all the planning and research one needs to do before a trip I'll freely admit that a "healthy dose of good fortune" always helps too... And, in Kalispell I found I had "Lady Luck" riding pillion..!
On arriving hot and steaming in Kalispell I had assumed that The Going To The Sun Highway within Glacier National Park was bound to be open – I mean it was late June – right ?? I was amazed to find out it had only opened 2 days previously !!
But, by heck, word got round fast !! The road runs through a beautiful forest and past MacDonald Lake before climbing through some spectacular Alpine scenery to Logan Pass before descending to East Glacier / St Mary’s.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/ua5qjyep7-R6MvinP5apAA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TmLGKFODI/AAAAAAAADCk/JwigOx--FO8/s800/P1010303%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/ev9Eew9Mi1bsSDUXifILIA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TmQZThNUI/AAAAAAAADCo/Gr3p-flrUHI/s800/P1010314%20edit.jpg" /></a>
I rode it both ways and enjoyed it immensely – apart from the few drivers who wanting to take pictures thought nothing of coming to a dead stop on the road when a pullout was only a few hundred metres up the road… hey ho…
All the way up it was intimate, exhilarating and spectacular – do it if you ever have the chance… and go early…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/EnLcKsKYA-DWf7NmisxY0g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TnCqHg3RI/AAAAAAAADC4/j_l21z-96co/s800/PICT0060.JPG" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/h1AhFbABKg055EMRhkjVyA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TmUlKbYWI/AAAAAAAADCs/XbIH8TvNAME/s800/P1010321%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Heavy snow closes the road early in the Fall and keeps it shut till – well – late June !! It was still apparent at the top of the pass. On the summit area deer of some sort were seen as were the Park’s logo Mountain Sheep. It was slow progress with all the traffic – but very worthwhile.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/g0enPOG7XWxVh_gKdxrdWg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TmZZiqtjI/AAAAAAAADCw/KaMbDHKv4FM/s800/P1010326%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/VqG9mTfOknZcPtsERK04yA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Tqvfbx1sI/AAAAAAAADC8/zOF7jVi1S9k/s800/P1010330%20edit.jpg" /></a>
On exiting at West Glacier it was time for a pee, a tank of gas, a call to Susie and then we set sail for Missoula… And a very well deserved 2 day break for me and the bike...
We first headed down the east side of Flathead Lake – beautiful.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/LF7Hu4MXnlAkSXIUW9sXjw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TmfkuLFEI/AAAAAAAADC0/bUtuh71iNJM/s800/P1010331%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Then, after picking up highway 93 we headed further south on the western side of the Mission Mountains. We flew… and so did the journey…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/lLzK4aU-DT3vRyTTDRf8QQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TrFPxJohI/AAAAAAAADDI/k_ObCaBBSo0/s800/P1010342.JPG" /></a>
Early afternoon we roared into our riverside hotel – jettisoned the baggage and headed off to get the bike some new boots… He’s done with his hiking boots and has requested some super sticky running shoes from Bridgestone for the Beartooth Pass !!
The Heidenau K60s have been sensational – as good as the road tyres when new on the tarmac and without fault on the slippery and loose stuff…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/3sul-15CQ3pAohSLPIvYsg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Tq7Ww26XI/AAAAAAAADDA/8WRNFvdwwhA/s800/P1010340%20edit.jpg" /></a>
These shots were taken after 6,000 hard miles on a mixture of tough gravel – taken at 60 to 70 mph laden, and tarmac where we ran hard at up to 90 to 100 mph with the same load.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/MfcVmVKpQjqSzQ-uaE518w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TrCypmwvI/AAAAAAAADDE/OG0slDJeYrs/s800/P1010341%20edit.jpg" /></a>
They were squared off – but I think there was at least another 1,000 miles left on the rear !!
I know this is going to sound stupid – but it felt odd leaving the bike at Big Sky Motorsports. He had always been a reassuring, calming presence outside each room… Standing there aloof and dignified… And ready… Not flinching no matter what the day or the weather had thrown at him…
Ah well... 2 days fly fishing should help me get over missing my buddy !!
Racey
Registered user
A Bit Of R&R...
Having loved Norman Maclean's book "A River Runs Through It" I could not have been more excited about my stay in Missoula. As, while the bike was being pampered – I went fly fishing on some of the most hallowed water in Montana.
Some may understand my passion for fly fishing – others might question why I am so captivated by it and why I travel world wide to fish…
Rather than struggle and fumble for words to sum this up – let me firstly quote what Norman himself said:
"Like many fly fishermen in western Montana where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters".
The second quote comes from Robert Traver and is entitled “Testament of a Fisherman”:
“I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing I thus escape; because, in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience; because I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time, and I for one don't want to waste the trip; because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better out there; because maybe one day I will catch a mermaid; and,
finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant - and not nearly so much fun…”
Maybe a few pictures might help:
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/KSCYuJ9M7i4tj7-TzW3HEA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TyAvywO0I/AAAAAAAADDM/tfhHJlrTf64/s800/P1010348%20edit.jpg" /></a>
As my guide prepared the float boat I was reminded we weren't on a manicured English Chalkstream !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/_ibCh0lWBxhVt-EIVRay1A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TyIQzmGJI/AAAAAAAADDQ/tCTf9t742ls/s800/P1010352%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The vistas endorsed that conclusion too...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/QZJrSobeONR5inEQjnX5hg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TybRpHZvI/AAAAAAAADDc/in4h8ltp_wk/s800/P1010368%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/dUwlQ7-4H_7GC_BvrSmyHgauthkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TyPriCjKI/AAAAAAAADDU/QJck2jI6mtA/s800/P1010355%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The day yielded some sensational wild brown trout - so many we were obliged to stop for a breather at lunchtime.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/9wDRY7iQzmaQXOOGsCpO8g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TyiTB4LGI/AAAAAAAADDg/j-21XeEtEys/s800/P1010376%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Having thoroghly enjoyed Rock Creek my guide arranged to take me to fish the Bitterroot the following day...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/_oASsF_GWr-eeNYzXGEldg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TynwZP3xI/AAAAAAAADDk/Y6GlMXVs5z0/s800/P1010418%20edit.jpg" /></a>
An equally enjoyable and rewarding day
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/orX8n2W-yQ2A3CZlFxCj3w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Ty07K-BXI/AAAAAAAADDw/h51H4UlJJb4/s800/P1010443%20edit.jpg" /></a>
On returning to Missoula I was dropped at Big Sky Motor Sports to pick up my wingman… new boots fitted and a fine tune…
I must confess that I hadn’t taken my helmet or gear with me. So I seized the opportunity of trying a ride through town in T shirt and Sunglasses… I took it steady and wished I had hair to get the wind through…
But I didn’t go over 30mph and was so aware of the risk…
An interesting experience – glad I have done it – but I’d never do it on the open road… I say this as Montana has no law requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets – and since I'd crossed the border I could not get over the way most, if not all, riders I saw were in shorts, T shirts and sunglasses ! Have they perfected head and torso transplants in Montana ? I remember what hitting the deck in such attire felt like at negligible speeds from my bicycle as a child. Let alone at 60 mph..
Doesn’t bear thinking about… My potter through town was experience enough...
Next stop Yellowstone via The Beartooth...
Having loved Norman Maclean's book "A River Runs Through It" I could not have been more excited about my stay in Missoula. As, while the bike was being pampered – I went fly fishing on some of the most hallowed water in Montana.
Some may understand my passion for fly fishing – others might question why I am so captivated by it and why I travel world wide to fish…
Rather than struggle and fumble for words to sum this up – let me firstly quote what Norman himself said:
"Like many fly fishermen in western Montana where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters".
The second quote comes from Robert Traver and is entitled “Testament of a Fisherman”:
“I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing I thus escape; because, in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience; because I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time, and I for one don't want to waste the trip; because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better out there; because maybe one day I will catch a mermaid; and,
finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant - and not nearly so much fun…”
Maybe a few pictures might help:
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/KSCYuJ9M7i4tj7-TzW3HEA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TyAvywO0I/AAAAAAAADDM/tfhHJlrTf64/s800/P1010348%20edit.jpg" /></a>
As my guide prepared the float boat I was reminded we weren't on a manicured English Chalkstream !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/_ibCh0lWBxhVt-EIVRay1A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TyIQzmGJI/AAAAAAAADDQ/tCTf9t742ls/s800/P1010352%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The vistas endorsed that conclusion too...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/QZJrSobeONR5inEQjnX5hg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TybRpHZvI/AAAAAAAADDc/in4h8ltp_wk/s800/P1010368%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/dUwlQ7-4H_7GC_BvrSmyHgauthkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TyPriCjKI/AAAAAAAADDU/QJck2jI6mtA/s800/P1010355%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The day yielded some sensational wild brown trout - so many we were obliged to stop for a breather at lunchtime.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/9wDRY7iQzmaQXOOGsCpO8g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TyiTB4LGI/AAAAAAAADDg/j-21XeEtEys/s800/P1010376%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Having thoroghly enjoyed Rock Creek my guide arranged to take me to fish the Bitterroot the following day...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/_oASsF_GWr-eeNYzXGEldg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4TynwZP3xI/AAAAAAAADDk/Y6GlMXVs5z0/s800/P1010418%20edit.jpg" /></a>
An equally enjoyable and rewarding day
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/orX8n2W-yQ2A3CZlFxCj3w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Ty07K-BXI/AAAAAAAADDw/h51H4UlJJb4/s800/P1010443%20edit.jpg" /></a>
On returning to Missoula I was dropped at Big Sky Motor Sports to pick up my wingman… new boots fitted and a fine tune…
I must confess that I hadn’t taken my helmet or gear with me. So I seized the opportunity of trying a ride through town in T shirt and Sunglasses… I took it steady and wished I had hair to get the wind through…
But I didn’t go over 30mph and was so aware of the risk…
An interesting experience – glad I have done it – but I’d never do it on the open road… I say this as Montana has no law requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets – and since I'd crossed the border I could not get over the way most, if not all, riders I saw were in shorts, T shirts and sunglasses ! Have they perfected head and torso transplants in Montana ? I remember what hitting the deck in such attire felt like at negligible speeds from my bicycle as a child. Let alone at 60 mph..
Doesn’t bear thinking about… My potter through town was experience enough...
Next stop Yellowstone via The Beartooth...
Deleted account rno
Guest
A great read and some fabulous photographs.
I especially liked this one
Edit: I went to propose it for the banner title shots but was beaten to it
I especially liked this one
Edit: I went to propose it for the banner title shots but was beaten to it
Racey
Registered user
Thanks Ronno...
That was a sensational spot. Particularly in the early morning light...
Well worth the early alarm.
That was a sensational spot. Particularly in the early morning light...
Well worth the early alarm.
Racey
Registered user
Looking For Yogi...
I set off from Missoula having had a great time - but with a heavy heart...
I'd been corresponding with a fellow biker called Robert Harvey for several months - who ran a Motorcycle Accessory business in Georgia. We'd exchanged many emails and calls and he'd been so helpful and obliging during my planning stages. Before I got into Missoula he'd wanted an address from me to "send my Brit pal a welcome to the USA gift". Given I was to be in Missoula for 3 nights I'd given him that address.
I wasn't too concerned that nothing had arrived - but I did leave him a message saying I was moving on. My message was responded to by his wife Clayton - saying Robert had died the week before... That same week he had been told by his Doctor he had been virtually cured from his cancer - he died 36 hours later...
It reminded me how critical it was that I completed my ride and my did my best to maximize my fund raising for the charity that had helped Susie when she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
Clayton said she had an envelope with Robert's gift to me in it... Although I said it was not a priority she was determined to get it to me. I gave her an address where I was staying for a few nights in a couple of weeks time...
RIP Robert Harvey. I'm so sorry I didn't get to meet him.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/lnD7jeJwvc3dZb9jT-7m0w?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3c_NSilIrH7wE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UNpkizAUI/AAAAAAAADFs/wpULZKFvCDE/s800/ScreenShot075.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/8VxQotaJJzvIwI5_qUqsuw?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3c_NSilIrH7wE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UNubkh28I/AAAAAAAADFw/_K2xqvNQT8E/s800/ScreenShot076.jpg" /></a>
From Missoula I'd decided I was going to go "the long way round" into Yellowstone. Why ? Well I'd read this about the Beartooth Pass from Red Lodge into Yellowstone:
"The first 15 miles out of Red Lodge takes you from the canyon floor and climbs almost 4,000 feet in elevation, taking you past Precambrian rock slides and red and yellow rock outcroppings. Expect hairpin curves, U-curves, and sinuous S-curves in the road as you climb to the canyon rim past forests, rugged cliffs, pristine lakes, mountain peaks, alpine tundra, and snow banks even in August. At 45 miles in length, you will cross the highest point in the Beartooth Highway at 10,947. Here, you leave Montana and enter Wyoming. The descent takes you along switchbacks which meander through rolling hills saturated with lakes, forests, and wildlife. Finally you will enter Yellowstone National Park".
It seemed the only way to go...
From Missoula I did my best to stay off I-90. It was worth the effort and I found some great "back roads" over MacDonald Pass.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/hTNy6_bsYpkPrIfqsDam_g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-RC0v9HI/AAAAAAAADD8/Xkn7WDLSbRI/s800/P1010455%20edit.jpg" /></a>
And then across some of Montana's plains
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/rSUzwqxVR9FzupjTcV6b3Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-WJmOxOI/AAAAAAAADEA/7ePi_9qay1c/s800/P1010461%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Of course, any day on the road wouldn't be complete without a deluge. And sure enough as I rolled into Red Lodge the skies gathered
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/dwh2dmqH8u2Hn2kXKgLbhQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-ZQHZMbI/AAAAAAAADEE/eW-HZUArNk4/s800/P1010463%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Determined to avoid the massess in ther RVs I was up and away absurdly early. It was well worth it. The roads were empty... And sensational... Just look:
The road out of Red Lodge
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/V5GsfwER4zICN_oJjIuRag?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-y6QeAXI/AAAAAAAADEI/IIursmQCjCA/s800/PICT0015%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Starting to climb on the Montana side
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/rEjZRXNOzDBXwLmlraH_cQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-3amJLeI/AAAAAAAADEM/Do70pFUE3BQ/s800/PICT0026%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Back and forth the road snaked as it climbed
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/rqZ55h-36HwRtk7AYAPXfg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-7yme7HI/AAAAAAAADEQ/F7Mc2HmfcUs/s800/PICT0041%20edit.jpg" /></a>
This was sublime
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/JlxX_iJ92S1P2uJnouRwpw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_BHtpQ7I/AAAAAAAADEU/3XAwv2R1cCU/s800/PICT0062%20edit.jpg" /></a>
As I crossed from Montana into Wyoming, at the summit of 10,947 feet, the fun continued but the road standard deteriorated significantly
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/0mlImUNrwx_MNQ1zG96x2g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_FUPCmdI/AAAAAAAADEc/HT944Hno_fA/s800/PICT0084%20edit.jpg" /></a>
But the views were just as good
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/UtYTWT8NY7zY9LxQo1fCQw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_KGHy3CI/AAAAAAAADEk/7YPfuQ7mgus/s800/PICT0112%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Remember - this was early July !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/TwUiebdbJhKbOgcmqN0jpg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_PViZl1I/AAAAAAAADEo/u1gMuml6iv4/s800/PICT0129%20edit.jpg" /></a>
It really wouldn't have been the same following a cortege of RVs !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/cKoVBa43vS1e-LLpbAbnig?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_UHT_t4I/AAAAAAAADEs/gHgehvjLl7s/s800/PICT0133%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The descent was as good as the ascent
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/FAfrGxKzH09N5l1UV_OqUA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_ZJZtlfI/AAAAAAAADEw/iZYDy3Eoh_k/s800/PICT0152%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Forgive the fact I didn't stop to use a decent camera... I was having too much fun...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/aFDPaaBrBM1DFdwPuExFng?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_eOWEWZI/AAAAAAAADE0/k-x5kPbND3E/s800/PICT0162%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Even when it was straight it was sensational
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/1IONnVhcv9yB_T_vi8ijzA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_i6FBnyI/AAAAAAAADE4/mTxY8rU7v0M/s800/PICT0270%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/xdGr5Aamo2sqEtNGVY3cNQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_oif4rhI/AAAAAAAADE8/n3mZO08hEdc/s800/PICT0276%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/DMVsAfniGCKeRcxlULiCKg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_t4UK6zI/AAAAAAAADFA/KtjOxO4Euik/s800/PICT0328%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The views towards Beartooth Mountain were magical. I was half tempted to take The Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to Cody - but that will have to wait until next time.
I pressed on. I'll tell you why later...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/kBBmu4dBuml-vT8wR4wX8A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_yvtdihI/AAAAAAAADFE/UX5DLi0uo-0/s800/PICT0331%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/3Sn0Zp031JwUAhBFG4RS3g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_3UXpc_I/AAAAAAAADFM/3Xn5RD1Kls0/s800/PICT0350%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Shortly after Cooke City I'd completed my 64 mile ride of The Beartooth Highway and I'd arrived at Yellowstone.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/JmYH7h_vKzJbAi3It8i5cg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_83Dx33I/AAAAAAAADFQ/Wq_-FOyNTvs/s800/PICT0357%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Arriving so early I amost had the place to myself
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/Mf8BLo_QpW0hZhQylL92Ng?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UABTtLOwI/AAAAAAAADFU/q6C_rI0th3w/s800/PICT0364%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/s-ovuThOzAqDuU54PigdXQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UAHkm995I/AAAAAAAADFc/CxgEg3ca5po/s800/P1010469%20edit.jpg" /></a>
I mosied around the Northern part of the park and managed to get the last hot breakfast served at Mammoth Hot Springs !!
Thereafter, I explored the thermal terraces. Not quite as spectacular as the ones Susie and I had seen at West Thumb when we explored the Park 3 years ealier on Snow Mobiles. But still amazing to behold...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/yXd4V-2lWzNi2qOZ0BMv5Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UAKEXE8TI/AAAAAAAADFg/GhsD7rm3f1g/s800/P1010476%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/Wc3pY3mS103y6axtOXBfig?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UAOxltKEI/AAAAAAAADFk/5mqbBCjsGP8/s800/P1010479%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/AFSI0lRdAPEvjg3aNihVrg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UATkm_ufI/AAAAAAAADFo/crbKMLuMt6A/s800/P1010486%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Next stop was West Yellowstone - where I found a motel with a decent bath instead of just a shower !! I needed to soak and scrub to try and ensure I looked my best.
Why ?? Well, I'd heard Susie had landed safely at Salt Lake City after flying in from London. She had picked up her hire car and was ensconced in her motel - ready to rendez-vous with me the following day in Jackson Hole...
I set off from Missoula having had a great time - but with a heavy heart...
I'd been corresponding with a fellow biker called Robert Harvey for several months - who ran a Motorcycle Accessory business in Georgia. We'd exchanged many emails and calls and he'd been so helpful and obliging during my planning stages. Before I got into Missoula he'd wanted an address from me to "send my Brit pal a welcome to the USA gift". Given I was to be in Missoula for 3 nights I'd given him that address.
I wasn't too concerned that nothing had arrived - but I did leave him a message saying I was moving on. My message was responded to by his wife Clayton - saying Robert had died the week before... That same week he had been told by his Doctor he had been virtually cured from his cancer - he died 36 hours later...
It reminded me how critical it was that I completed my ride and my did my best to maximize my fund raising for the charity that had helped Susie when she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
Clayton said she had an envelope with Robert's gift to me in it... Although I said it was not a priority she was determined to get it to me. I gave her an address where I was staying for a few nights in a couple of weeks time...
RIP Robert Harvey. I'm so sorry I didn't get to meet him.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/lnD7jeJwvc3dZb9jT-7m0w?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3c_NSilIrH7wE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UNpkizAUI/AAAAAAAADFs/wpULZKFvCDE/s800/ScreenShot075.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/8VxQotaJJzvIwI5_qUqsuw?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3c_NSilIrH7wE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UNubkh28I/AAAAAAAADFw/_K2xqvNQT8E/s800/ScreenShot076.jpg" /></a>
From Missoula I'd decided I was going to go "the long way round" into Yellowstone. Why ? Well I'd read this about the Beartooth Pass from Red Lodge into Yellowstone:
"The first 15 miles out of Red Lodge takes you from the canyon floor and climbs almost 4,000 feet in elevation, taking you past Precambrian rock slides and red and yellow rock outcroppings. Expect hairpin curves, U-curves, and sinuous S-curves in the road as you climb to the canyon rim past forests, rugged cliffs, pristine lakes, mountain peaks, alpine tundra, and snow banks even in August. At 45 miles in length, you will cross the highest point in the Beartooth Highway at 10,947. Here, you leave Montana and enter Wyoming. The descent takes you along switchbacks which meander through rolling hills saturated with lakes, forests, and wildlife. Finally you will enter Yellowstone National Park".
It seemed the only way to go...
From Missoula I did my best to stay off I-90. It was worth the effort and I found some great "back roads" over MacDonald Pass.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/hTNy6_bsYpkPrIfqsDam_g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-RC0v9HI/AAAAAAAADD8/Xkn7WDLSbRI/s800/P1010455%20edit.jpg" /></a>
And then across some of Montana's plains
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/rSUzwqxVR9FzupjTcV6b3Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-WJmOxOI/AAAAAAAADEA/7ePi_9qay1c/s800/P1010461%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Of course, any day on the road wouldn't be complete without a deluge. And sure enough as I rolled into Red Lodge the skies gathered
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/dwh2dmqH8u2Hn2kXKgLbhQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-ZQHZMbI/AAAAAAAADEE/eW-HZUArNk4/s800/P1010463%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Determined to avoid the massess in ther RVs I was up and away absurdly early. It was well worth it. The roads were empty... And sensational... Just look:
The road out of Red Lodge
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/V5GsfwER4zICN_oJjIuRag?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-y6QeAXI/AAAAAAAADEI/IIursmQCjCA/s800/PICT0015%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Starting to climb on the Montana side
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/rEjZRXNOzDBXwLmlraH_cQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-3amJLeI/AAAAAAAADEM/Do70pFUE3BQ/s800/PICT0026%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Back and forth the road snaked as it climbed
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/rqZ55h-36HwRtk7AYAPXfg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T-7yme7HI/AAAAAAAADEQ/F7Mc2HmfcUs/s800/PICT0041%20edit.jpg" /></a>
This was sublime
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/JlxX_iJ92S1P2uJnouRwpw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_BHtpQ7I/AAAAAAAADEU/3XAwv2R1cCU/s800/PICT0062%20edit.jpg" /></a>
As I crossed from Montana into Wyoming, at the summit of 10,947 feet, the fun continued but the road standard deteriorated significantly
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/0mlImUNrwx_MNQ1zG96x2g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_FUPCmdI/AAAAAAAADEc/HT944Hno_fA/s800/PICT0084%20edit.jpg" /></a>
But the views were just as good
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/UtYTWT8NY7zY9LxQo1fCQw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_KGHy3CI/AAAAAAAADEk/7YPfuQ7mgus/s800/PICT0112%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Remember - this was early July !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/TwUiebdbJhKbOgcmqN0jpg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_PViZl1I/AAAAAAAADEo/u1gMuml6iv4/s800/PICT0129%20edit.jpg" /></a>
It really wouldn't have been the same following a cortege of RVs !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/cKoVBa43vS1e-LLpbAbnig?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_UHT_t4I/AAAAAAAADEs/gHgehvjLl7s/s800/PICT0133%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The descent was as good as the ascent
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/FAfrGxKzH09N5l1UV_OqUA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_ZJZtlfI/AAAAAAAADEw/iZYDy3Eoh_k/s800/PICT0152%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Forgive the fact I didn't stop to use a decent camera... I was having too much fun...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/aFDPaaBrBM1DFdwPuExFng?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_eOWEWZI/AAAAAAAADE0/k-x5kPbND3E/s800/PICT0162%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Even when it was straight it was sensational
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/1IONnVhcv9yB_T_vi8ijzA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_i6FBnyI/AAAAAAAADE4/mTxY8rU7v0M/s800/PICT0270%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/xdGr5Aamo2sqEtNGVY3cNQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_oif4rhI/AAAAAAAADE8/n3mZO08hEdc/s800/PICT0276%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/DMVsAfniGCKeRcxlULiCKg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_t4UK6zI/AAAAAAAADFA/KtjOxO4Euik/s800/PICT0328%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The views towards Beartooth Mountain were magical. I was half tempted to take The Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to Cody - but that will have to wait until next time.
I pressed on. I'll tell you why later...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/kBBmu4dBuml-vT8wR4wX8A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_yvtdihI/AAAAAAAADFE/UX5DLi0uo-0/s800/PICT0331%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/3Sn0Zp031JwUAhBFG4RS3g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_3UXpc_I/AAAAAAAADFM/3Xn5RD1Kls0/s800/PICT0350%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Shortly after Cooke City I'd completed my 64 mile ride of The Beartooth Highway and I'd arrived at Yellowstone.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/JmYH7h_vKzJbAi3It8i5cg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4T_83Dx33I/AAAAAAAADFQ/Wq_-FOyNTvs/s800/PICT0357%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Arriving so early I amost had the place to myself
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/Mf8BLo_QpW0hZhQylL92Ng?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UABTtLOwI/AAAAAAAADFU/q6C_rI0th3w/s800/PICT0364%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/s-ovuThOzAqDuU54PigdXQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UAHkm995I/AAAAAAAADFc/CxgEg3ca5po/s800/P1010469%20edit.jpg" /></a>
I mosied around the Northern part of the park and managed to get the last hot breakfast served at Mammoth Hot Springs !!
Thereafter, I explored the thermal terraces. Not quite as spectacular as the ones Susie and I had seen at West Thumb when we explored the Park 3 years ealier on Snow Mobiles. But still amazing to behold...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/yXd4V-2lWzNi2qOZ0BMv5Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UAKEXE8TI/AAAAAAAADFg/GhsD7rm3f1g/s800/P1010476%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/Wc3pY3mS103y6axtOXBfig?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UAOxltKEI/AAAAAAAADFk/5mqbBCjsGP8/s800/P1010479%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/AFSI0lRdAPEvjg3aNihVrg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UATkm_ufI/AAAAAAAADFo/crbKMLuMt6A/s800/P1010486%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Next stop was West Yellowstone - where I found a motel with a decent bath instead of just a shower !! I needed to soak and scrub to try and ensure I looked my best.
Why ?? Well, I'd heard Susie had landed safely at Salt Lake City after flying in from London. She had picked up her hire car and was ensconced in her motel - ready to rendez-vous with me the following day in Jackson Hole...
Racey
Registered user
What better date for Susie to make her way from Salt Lake City - 4th July... Without incident and after doing Interstate 15 and Highway 26 she and Mustang Sally (her hired steed for the next month) rocked up in The Mangy Moose Saloon at lunchtime…
I’d left West Yellowstone about the same time (7:00am) but because I had such a short distance, compared to her 283 miles, I was able to play the tourist. Having said that it didn’t feel as though playing the tourist was going to be easy as I departed my bunkhouse in fog and dampness…
As has been proven many times on this trip already, it doesn’t much matter what the weather might be when you set off – it is bound to change. And so it did today…
The mist and swirling cloud added to the drama of this majestic landscape and with the early start came relative peace and tranquillity… What I would have given for a trout rod this morning… As the mist rose and played across the water I could imagine flicking a tiny dry fly to tempt a trout…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/RcmpW7zgCEq27Llwj8sM0A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnRqEwIeI/AAAAAAAADHQ/DMuj6UuMhFc/s800/P1010499%20edit.jpg" /></a>
As I headed on a herd of large Madison River Elk dashed across the road. A gift…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/-MSz3lg-A7Q1Emwe5w8HOg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnTx6t2HI/AAAAAAAADHU/pOL7BKKRSn0/s800/P1010488%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Instead of following the shorter, obvious path to Jackson Hole via Old Faithful I opted to head left… To take in a few areas I wanted to see in the Summer conditions and to lengthen my day so Susie didn’t arrive to meet a dribbling, intoxicated and incoherent fool…
First diversion was Virginia Cascade Drive. A scenic detour to take in the most beautiful and gentle water cascade.
Thereafter I managed to find by accident the North Rim Drive and Lookouts of the Yellowstone Canyon. I stopped at each of the points along the way in peace and solitude – looking across at the hoards that had made their way to the more popular South Rim Lookouts.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/cuQOyNBjKW8yGorSOD4ilQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UndgNn0wI/AAAAAAAADHY/EWZHjMt0r4o/s800/P1010523%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Every National Park appears to have an “Inspiration Point” and I paid a visit. A breathtaking and dramatic landscape.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/vBtfmgE9Y_p2mI9JahocvA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnmqcTxfI/AAAAAAAADHc/AvOX4M6qPNw/s800/P1010531%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/-JuB-jw4dr6-UJcJsG14Aw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Unv8Bv70I/AAAAAAAADHg/XghvQLNDpn0/s800/P1010532%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/8akLnIQCAgrQVuu2W7DlWg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Un6ko0z-I/AAAAAAAADHk/MbEmdLlkRyA/s800/P1010543%20edit.jpg" /></a>
After the Canyon I made a bee line, via Yellowstone Lake, to the South Exit / Entrance (depending whether you are coming or going) and picked up the road to Jenny Lake.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/DV4AhtMSn52YoC_9Tv-c1Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UoCk6gPmI/AAAAAAAADHs/DLuitStRMXI/s800/P1010562%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Into Grand Teton Park and thence the dirt of Moose – Wilson Road.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/tlJ00UIka1DtXHDTA-qYng?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnADwTzLI/AAAAAAAADG8/lvJvliC9Vo4/s800/PICT0067%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/FQepP8LoA7JCv2Slvp74Pw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnIszYxVI/AAAAAAAADHA/ubmQ-pd_gDU/s800/PICT0108%20edit.jpg" /></a>
And then the madness of Teton Village on 4th July.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/UZ4JouMNHvItBGhLy-O7_Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnQfK7xMI/AAAAAAAADHI/Q_pn2zoXbhs/s800/PICT0118%20edit.jpg" /></a>
I arrived at 12:15 and had time to sink a pint at the Mangy Moose Saloon before I was swept up in a big embrace and almost bowled off my stool..! Fortunately it was Susie and not the idiot in a 4x4 I had passed as he was doing 12 mph on a patch of dirt on the road to town !! He’d never make it to Prudhoe Bay !!
A lazy afternoon catching up and getting settled into our home for 2 nights. And educating Susie on the habits and routines that had been formed during life on the road…
While sheltering from the obligatory afternoon storm we found out that the Gondola to the top of Rendezvous Peak was running and free that evening. Seemed apposite to get Susie up to the top – where I have skied from on many occasions over the years. Particularly as it is called Rendezvous Peak after over a month apart…
Oh yes... There were “Fire Works” too that night..!!
I’d left West Yellowstone about the same time (7:00am) but because I had such a short distance, compared to her 283 miles, I was able to play the tourist. Having said that it didn’t feel as though playing the tourist was going to be easy as I departed my bunkhouse in fog and dampness…
As has been proven many times on this trip already, it doesn’t much matter what the weather might be when you set off – it is bound to change. And so it did today…
The mist and swirling cloud added to the drama of this majestic landscape and with the early start came relative peace and tranquillity… What I would have given for a trout rod this morning… As the mist rose and played across the water I could imagine flicking a tiny dry fly to tempt a trout…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/RcmpW7zgCEq27Llwj8sM0A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnRqEwIeI/AAAAAAAADHQ/DMuj6UuMhFc/s800/P1010499%20edit.jpg" /></a>
As I headed on a herd of large Madison River Elk dashed across the road. A gift…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/-MSz3lg-A7Q1Emwe5w8HOg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnTx6t2HI/AAAAAAAADHU/pOL7BKKRSn0/s800/P1010488%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Instead of following the shorter, obvious path to Jackson Hole via Old Faithful I opted to head left… To take in a few areas I wanted to see in the Summer conditions and to lengthen my day so Susie didn’t arrive to meet a dribbling, intoxicated and incoherent fool…
First diversion was Virginia Cascade Drive. A scenic detour to take in the most beautiful and gentle water cascade.
Thereafter I managed to find by accident the North Rim Drive and Lookouts of the Yellowstone Canyon. I stopped at each of the points along the way in peace and solitude – looking across at the hoards that had made their way to the more popular South Rim Lookouts.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/cuQOyNBjKW8yGorSOD4ilQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UndgNn0wI/AAAAAAAADHY/EWZHjMt0r4o/s800/P1010523%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Every National Park appears to have an “Inspiration Point” and I paid a visit. A breathtaking and dramatic landscape.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/vBtfmgE9Y_p2mI9JahocvA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnmqcTxfI/AAAAAAAADHc/AvOX4M6qPNw/s800/P1010531%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/-JuB-jw4dr6-UJcJsG14Aw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Unv8Bv70I/AAAAAAAADHg/XghvQLNDpn0/s800/P1010532%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/8akLnIQCAgrQVuu2W7DlWg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Un6ko0z-I/AAAAAAAADHk/MbEmdLlkRyA/s800/P1010543%20edit.jpg" /></a>
After the Canyon I made a bee line, via Yellowstone Lake, to the South Exit / Entrance (depending whether you are coming or going) and picked up the road to Jenny Lake.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/DV4AhtMSn52YoC_9Tv-c1Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UoCk6gPmI/AAAAAAAADHs/DLuitStRMXI/s800/P1010562%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Into Grand Teton Park and thence the dirt of Moose – Wilson Road.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/tlJ00UIka1DtXHDTA-qYng?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnADwTzLI/AAAAAAAADG8/lvJvliC9Vo4/s800/PICT0067%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/FQepP8LoA7JCv2Slvp74Pw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnIszYxVI/AAAAAAAADHA/ubmQ-pd_gDU/s800/PICT0108%20edit.jpg" /></a>
And then the madness of Teton Village on 4th July.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/UZ4JouMNHvItBGhLy-O7_Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4UnQfK7xMI/AAAAAAAADHI/Q_pn2zoXbhs/s800/PICT0118%20edit.jpg" /></a>
I arrived at 12:15 and had time to sink a pint at the Mangy Moose Saloon before I was swept up in a big embrace and almost bowled off my stool..! Fortunately it was Susie and not the idiot in a 4x4 I had passed as he was doing 12 mph on a patch of dirt on the road to town !! He’d never make it to Prudhoe Bay !!
A lazy afternoon catching up and getting settled into our home for 2 nights. And educating Susie on the habits and routines that had been formed during life on the road…
While sheltering from the obligatory afternoon storm we found out that the Gondola to the top of Rendezvous Peak was running and free that evening. Seemed apposite to get Susie up to the top – where I have skied from on many occasions over the years. Particularly as it is called Rendezvous Peak after over a month apart…
Oh yes... There were “Fire Works” too that night..!!
What a wonderful report, I've just spent an enjoyable lunch hour reading through.
I've done the drive from Banff to Jasper and didn't think it was up to the things everyone says about it, for very much the reasons you mention. I have to say it was a gray overcast day when I did do it, with a howling wind, but even so, I think it was just a little too 'easy' to drive.
I certainly understand the fly fishing, although I'm a real novice at it. I've been lucky and had guided days in New Zealand and New England, and one in the UK but it wasn't until I was in Tahoe that I really got a feel for it. I was on my own and just had my little 6wt folding rod with me. Went into one of the local outfitting shops, told them I was a beginner and they sold me some suitable flys and gave me directions and a license to a little spot they recommended.
The rest of the day I quietly wandered my way along this deserted little river, stopping now and again to just sit amongst the amazing countryside and marvel at where I was. I hooked a couple but failed to land them, but the thought and concentration needed to fly fish captivated me completely and the hours just rolled past in no time at all.
I haven't fished in years but really should try doing something about that again some time.
Looking forward to reading the rest of your story, thank you for taking the time to share it and the glorious photos, so many of which are worthy of the front page.
Cheers,
Justin.
I've done the drive from Banff to Jasper and didn't think it was up to the things everyone says about it, for very much the reasons you mention. I have to say it was a gray overcast day when I did do it, with a howling wind, but even so, I think it was just a little too 'easy' to drive.
I certainly understand the fly fishing, although I'm a real novice at it. I've been lucky and had guided days in New Zealand and New England, and one in the UK but it wasn't until I was in Tahoe that I really got a feel for it. I was on my own and just had my little 6wt folding rod with me. Went into one of the local outfitting shops, told them I was a beginner and they sold me some suitable flys and gave me directions and a license to a little spot they recommended.
The rest of the day I quietly wandered my way along this deserted little river, stopping now and again to just sit amongst the amazing countryside and marvel at where I was. I hooked a couple but failed to land them, but the thought and concentration needed to fly fish captivated me completely and the hours just rolled past in no time at all.
I haven't fished in years but really should try doing something about that again some time.
Looking forward to reading the rest of your story, thank you for taking the time to share it and the glorious photos, so many of which are worthy of the front page.
Cheers,
Justin.
Racey
Registered user
Justin
Thanks for your note. I'm pleased you found it interesting. It was reports from other riders that galvanized me into action. I hope mine inspires others to "get out and ride" rather than "just dreaming".
Persevere with the fly fishing. It is well worth the odd tangle and frustration... If you are interested, keep watch of the report. Susie and I had a magical day fishing for wild trout in Yosemite on a virtually undiscovered stream (apart from the bear we tracked all day !!).
If you are interested in some decent fishing on Hampshire and Dorset Chalkstreams, PM me... I have quite a bit of access...
But I warn you, once hooked you could end up like us - travelling the planet to catch diverse salt and fresh water quarry on the fly.
Tight lines. The offer is genuine if you are interested...
Simon
Brilliant
Really enjoying this report, thanks for the time and effort you must be putting in
Really enjoying this report, thanks for the time and effort you must be putting in
Racey
Registered user
Hallowed Ground
Sunday morning chores hunt you down wherever you are !! Even on a day off !!
After Susie's arrival we had a fabulous evening, a brilliant meal, a gondola ride to see the sunset from Rendezvous Peak and a night cap watching the fireworks. Then we'd wandered past the Old Road Warrior to see he was ok - only to find he'd a flat front !! Bugger !!
So the following morning it was out with the old repair kit... Welcome to life on the road Susie !! The small cut was quickly found. No sign of a thorn nor a nail and it was not a hole - but a 2mm long cut… Odd…
The hole was reamed out and a plug inserted. It held pressure and I hoped it stayed that way. I'm not tight - but I am loathe to junk a brand new Battle Wing with less than 700 miles on it. We will have to wait and see how long an an Office Boy repair lasts !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/1jpaUv9nTb6G3wHtqLnfcQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VEfjYtl6I/AAAAAAAADII/d5yvb6RIlbA/s800/P1010574%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Jackson Hole was great fun for a day off the bike. Breakfast was taken in Corbett's Cabin at the top of the mountain.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/syp2gj8XIxzexoi0hR7uVA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VEm3n5buI/AAAAAAAADIM/EtNFTqzkYJI/s800/P1010586%20edit.jpg" /></a>
We contemplated the quick way down
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/1MVWkQYnPxfsd2RbXY9mMQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VEusmp7dI/AAAAAAAADIQ/AVKnRofyHFY/s800/P1010599%20edit.jpg" /></a>
But guilt after the waffles encouraged us to stretch our legs and walk down. It was fascinating to see a mountain I know so well in Winter in its Summer attire - for skiers that have been to Teton Village - this is Laramie Bowl.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/-Erd_Uq_vLtNC9RWddEqfw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VE1WPbxpI/AAAAAAAADIU/-T6kElYVivw/s800/P1010612%20edit.jpg" /></a>
And this is from the traverse looking back up Aprez Vous
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/_1GyLGyAc5A1swu3LTgeuA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VE_tbwZnI/AAAAAAAADIY/5rXNIIEHBj0/s800/P1010622%20edit.jpg" /></a>
On descending there was a classic car auction going on. Susie's attention was understandably grabbed by a little red number...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/4LZ8o09ASEhkVFvbA8H6Fw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VFHXBBv_I/AAAAAAAADIg/Ijux8nt9Gyk/s800/P1010627%20edit.jpg" /></a>
But she elected to stay with her rented steed for the next month...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/whn06JSuBpEs3poEMY6M5w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VFN7-aR8I/AAAAAAAADIo/_tK5xfqttjs/s800/P1010625%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Remembering "Its an adventure - not a holiday" we hit the road. Hoping the office boy's tyre repair would hold...
Now, on a great weather day, why weren't we travelling like this ??
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/97rnV1L6-nljAeYsqZTYkA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4U0ssaX2KI/AAAAAAAADIA/OfqABO2dnKM/s800/PICT0004%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Into Idaho the scenery changed dramatically. Drier and flatter to start with - with, initially, irrigated fields and farmland. Thereafter, as we cut across towards Twin Falls it changed again. More rugged and volcanic.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/WoUV1REZsje8i1zkry249g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VLlyLKkCI/AAAAAAAADJM/zWVSR9CI_aA/s800/P1010636%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The Craters of the Moon National Monument was well named !! It spreads across 618 square miles (1,601 km2) and is the largest mostly Holocene-aged basaltic lava field in the lower 48 U.S. States. The Monument and Preserve contain more than 25 volcanic cones including outstanding examples of spatter cones. The 60 or so lava flows that form the Craters of the Moon Lava Field range in age from 15,000 to just 2,000 years.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/eIzO1jKQLwetfhaa0iHUhw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VFUFRq31I/AAAAAAAADIs/Bmuj0YBrkUc/s800/P1010642%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/-mUReJ4wdvold91AgmAx-Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VFxtF-ZHI/AAAAAAAADIw/avGj-skQqgY/s800/P1010646%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Just outside Twin Falls we crossed The Snake River Bridge - a far easier and safer way of crossing the canyon than a certain E Knievel Esq tried to use. This was snatched from the bridge. He tried to cross a short distance from here. Nutter...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/aXkO6FL5dV86n4js2arP5w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VOiiZPl3I/AAAAAAAADJQ/g544Hv5XW-o/s800/Snake%20River%20Canyon%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The canyon warranted further exploration - these are The Shoshone Falls just outside Twin Falls.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/pkbQA8oe-E3jVVCJwiE36Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VF5zhhcwI/AAAAAAAADI0/naqy2ziGtBk/s800/P1010675%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/b9oBtRUWQeYK5daWF67nZg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VF_S7PIGI/AAAAAAAADI4/NRBLGuapm10/s800/P1010676%20edit.jpg" /></a>
We had a fascinating run from Twin Falls towards Wendover. On the Idaho portion of the route we again encountered arable farm land. Admittedly the land looked as though it was only productive if massive irrigation schemes were deployed – but just about everything either side of the road appeared cultivated and fertile…
No sooner had we crossed the Nevada State Line than everything changed dramatically. Without climbing a great deal, all of a sudden we found ourselves in strikingly beautiful high desert landscapes. Barren, arid and dramatic… For the most part !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/6SBrWMGsNTtj6FVsdeXidA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VSHJUG9qI/AAAAAAAADJY/E62d0-uLUGI/s800/PICT0073%20edit.jpg" /></a>
I say "for the most part" as no sooner had we crossed into Nevada than one of those “pop up casino” towns materialised… Called “Jackpot” !! Say no more !!
The remainder of the run to Wendover was dramatic and strikingly different to what had gone before. The green had gone - this was harsh and unforgiving - yet beautiful. Forgive me for not stopping for many photos on this stretch. There are plenty of the high desert to come. I was on a mission - I wanted to get to Wendover. Badly...
Not Wendover itself - for this is a strange town that literally straddles the Nevada / Utah State Line with its usual clutch of sad Casinos that couldn't get closer to the border:
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/B2t7J5tMgf2597KpWvMvUA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VSC27DohI/AAAAAAAADJU/b-aTuoA3_7M/s800/PICT0043%20edit.jpg" /></a>
But because just outside the town is Bonneville Salt Flats and Bonneville Speedway... We found a motel and I quickly changed from all my riding gear. And we headed off to scope the place out - I was determined that tomorrow, in the morning light, I would return with The Road Warrior to experience this hallowed place properly...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/KHT8MDGJbl5Q3bzebIM0Mg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VGFPL5euI/AAAAAAAADI8/eOZCWIDNfKk/s800/P1010700%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/r-xcpyea5RMIncuivmz3AQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VGNvtasDI/AAAAAAAADJE/XgIa7b7ZRro/s800/P1010702%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/Gtln7Nl2Ck1keZ3Aeks0Eg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VGHU6PtdI/AAAAAAAADJA/XZMc_vmVFqg/s800/P1010701%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/8IL2EvH7JPVTcKos7LIzeQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VUhpz_Y7I/AAAAAAAADJg/aEeAJ6P1GXc/s800/P1010715%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The Flats were a spectacular sight… There's nothing at the end of the service road except a sign and a turning point... And that's stunning as far as I am concerned...
People drove up - grunted, snapped a shot and left - maybe because there was no coffee shop. Brilliant... If you don't get this place - clear off quickly...
Me - I stood there for ages... It gave me goose bumps standing on the same salt as Sir Malcolm Campbell, Craig Breedlove, Art Arfons, Richard Noble and, of course, my greatest hero – Burt Munro – of Indian fame !! We stood and took in the scene for ages… Planning our return with The Warrior…
It brought home how beautiful the creations of Mother Nature can be - in contrast to the man made casinos we'd seen earlier...
It also made me think about the multitude of sensational sights and experiences this trip is yielding. I have been blessed... and I cherish every one...
I couldn't wait to be back with my bike...
Sunday morning chores hunt you down wherever you are !! Even on a day off !!
After Susie's arrival we had a fabulous evening, a brilliant meal, a gondola ride to see the sunset from Rendezvous Peak and a night cap watching the fireworks. Then we'd wandered past the Old Road Warrior to see he was ok - only to find he'd a flat front !! Bugger !!
So the following morning it was out with the old repair kit... Welcome to life on the road Susie !! The small cut was quickly found. No sign of a thorn nor a nail and it was not a hole - but a 2mm long cut… Odd…
The hole was reamed out and a plug inserted. It held pressure and I hoped it stayed that way. I'm not tight - but I am loathe to junk a brand new Battle Wing with less than 700 miles on it. We will have to wait and see how long an an Office Boy repair lasts !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/1jpaUv9nTb6G3wHtqLnfcQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VEfjYtl6I/AAAAAAAADII/d5yvb6RIlbA/s800/P1010574%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Jackson Hole was great fun for a day off the bike. Breakfast was taken in Corbett's Cabin at the top of the mountain.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/syp2gj8XIxzexoi0hR7uVA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VEm3n5buI/AAAAAAAADIM/EtNFTqzkYJI/s800/P1010586%20edit.jpg" /></a>
We contemplated the quick way down
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/1MVWkQYnPxfsd2RbXY9mMQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VEusmp7dI/AAAAAAAADIQ/AVKnRofyHFY/s800/P1010599%20edit.jpg" /></a>
But guilt after the waffles encouraged us to stretch our legs and walk down. It was fascinating to see a mountain I know so well in Winter in its Summer attire - for skiers that have been to Teton Village - this is Laramie Bowl.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/-Erd_Uq_vLtNC9RWddEqfw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VE1WPbxpI/AAAAAAAADIU/-T6kElYVivw/s800/P1010612%20edit.jpg" /></a>
And this is from the traverse looking back up Aprez Vous
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/_1GyLGyAc5A1swu3LTgeuA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VE_tbwZnI/AAAAAAAADIY/5rXNIIEHBj0/s800/P1010622%20edit.jpg" /></a>
On descending there was a classic car auction going on. Susie's attention was understandably grabbed by a little red number...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/4LZ8o09ASEhkVFvbA8H6Fw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VFHXBBv_I/AAAAAAAADIg/Ijux8nt9Gyk/s800/P1010627%20edit.jpg" /></a>
But she elected to stay with her rented steed for the next month...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/whn06JSuBpEs3poEMY6M5w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VFN7-aR8I/AAAAAAAADIo/_tK5xfqttjs/s800/P1010625%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Remembering "Its an adventure - not a holiday" we hit the road. Hoping the office boy's tyre repair would hold...
Now, on a great weather day, why weren't we travelling like this ??
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/97rnV1L6-nljAeYsqZTYkA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4U0ssaX2KI/AAAAAAAADIA/OfqABO2dnKM/s800/PICT0004%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Into Idaho the scenery changed dramatically. Drier and flatter to start with - with, initially, irrigated fields and farmland. Thereafter, as we cut across towards Twin Falls it changed again. More rugged and volcanic.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/WoUV1REZsje8i1zkry249g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VLlyLKkCI/AAAAAAAADJM/zWVSR9CI_aA/s800/P1010636%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The Craters of the Moon National Monument was well named !! It spreads across 618 square miles (1,601 km2) and is the largest mostly Holocene-aged basaltic lava field in the lower 48 U.S. States. The Monument and Preserve contain more than 25 volcanic cones including outstanding examples of spatter cones. The 60 or so lava flows that form the Craters of the Moon Lava Field range in age from 15,000 to just 2,000 years.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/eIzO1jKQLwetfhaa0iHUhw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VFUFRq31I/AAAAAAAADIs/Bmuj0YBrkUc/s800/P1010642%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/-mUReJ4wdvold91AgmAx-Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VFxtF-ZHI/AAAAAAAADIw/avGj-skQqgY/s800/P1010646%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Just outside Twin Falls we crossed The Snake River Bridge - a far easier and safer way of crossing the canyon than a certain E Knievel Esq tried to use. This was snatched from the bridge. He tried to cross a short distance from here. Nutter...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/aXkO6FL5dV86n4js2arP5w?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VOiiZPl3I/AAAAAAAADJQ/g544Hv5XW-o/s800/Snake%20River%20Canyon%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The canyon warranted further exploration - these are The Shoshone Falls just outside Twin Falls.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/pkbQA8oe-E3jVVCJwiE36Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VF5zhhcwI/AAAAAAAADI0/naqy2ziGtBk/s800/P1010675%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/b9oBtRUWQeYK5daWF67nZg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VF_S7PIGI/AAAAAAAADI4/NRBLGuapm10/s800/P1010676%20edit.jpg" /></a>
We had a fascinating run from Twin Falls towards Wendover. On the Idaho portion of the route we again encountered arable farm land. Admittedly the land looked as though it was only productive if massive irrigation schemes were deployed – but just about everything either side of the road appeared cultivated and fertile…
No sooner had we crossed the Nevada State Line than everything changed dramatically. Without climbing a great deal, all of a sudden we found ourselves in strikingly beautiful high desert landscapes. Barren, arid and dramatic… For the most part !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/6SBrWMGsNTtj6FVsdeXidA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VSHJUG9qI/AAAAAAAADJY/E62d0-uLUGI/s800/PICT0073%20edit.jpg" /></a>
I say "for the most part" as no sooner had we crossed into Nevada than one of those “pop up casino” towns materialised… Called “Jackpot” !! Say no more !!
The remainder of the run to Wendover was dramatic and strikingly different to what had gone before. The green had gone - this was harsh and unforgiving - yet beautiful. Forgive me for not stopping for many photos on this stretch. There are plenty of the high desert to come. I was on a mission - I wanted to get to Wendover. Badly...
Not Wendover itself - for this is a strange town that literally straddles the Nevada / Utah State Line with its usual clutch of sad Casinos that couldn't get closer to the border:
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/B2t7J5tMgf2597KpWvMvUA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VSC27DohI/AAAAAAAADJU/b-aTuoA3_7M/s800/PICT0043%20edit.jpg" /></a>
But because just outside the town is Bonneville Salt Flats and Bonneville Speedway... We found a motel and I quickly changed from all my riding gear. And we headed off to scope the place out - I was determined that tomorrow, in the morning light, I would return with The Road Warrior to experience this hallowed place properly...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/KHT8MDGJbl5Q3bzebIM0Mg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VGFPL5euI/AAAAAAAADI8/eOZCWIDNfKk/s800/P1010700%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/r-xcpyea5RMIncuivmz3AQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VGNvtasDI/AAAAAAAADJE/XgIa7b7ZRro/s800/P1010702%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/Gtln7Nl2Ck1keZ3Aeks0Eg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VGHU6PtdI/AAAAAAAADJA/XZMc_vmVFqg/s800/P1010701%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/8IL2EvH7JPVTcKos7LIzeQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4VUhpz_Y7I/AAAAAAAADJg/aEeAJ6P1GXc/s800/P1010715%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The Flats were a spectacular sight… There's nothing at the end of the service road except a sign and a turning point... And that's stunning as far as I am concerned...
People drove up - grunted, snapped a shot and left - maybe because there was no coffee shop. Brilliant... If you don't get this place - clear off quickly...
Me - I stood there for ages... It gave me goose bumps standing on the same salt as Sir Malcolm Campbell, Craig Breedlove, Art Arfons, Richard Noble and, of course, my greatest hero – Burt Munro – of Indian fame !! We stood and took in the scene for ages… Planning our return with The Warrior…
It brought home how beautiful the creations of Mother Nature can be - in contrast to the man made casinos we'd seen earlier...
It also made me think about the multitude of sensational sights and experiences this trip is yielding. I have been blessed... and I cherish every one...
I couldn't wait to be back with my bike...
Racey
Registered user
I'm sure sometimes pictures are so much better than my ramblings... So all I'll say is that this was truly special for me. Standing with my bike looking out along the Silver Island Mountains towards Floating Island along the Speedway was so evocative. As we stood there, I could almost hear the ghostly sounds of jet engines, rocket cars and screaming internal combustion powerplants... Made the hairs on the back of the neck stand up...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/vITOwQpUhpEoNvtmpnv9pA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZU5UlBfkI/AAAAAAAADJ8/s-8tB4Fw3_E/s800/P1010747%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/SZ3AK3dOo8-jnIJ7QqMWtg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZU-tmUbcI/AAAAAAAADKA/qlPq6m45KSc/s800/P1010748%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Then it was time for my go !! But no records were set !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/xw6CRYr7JQyJfT8yQw8--A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZVDt5BemI/AAAAAAAADKE/Ux9PkfclUp4/s800/L1010269%20edit.jpg" /></a>
After a stop at a car wash to spray the bike down it was off to Ely.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/cIcrWEzp02Sd2xOHtV4UXg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZVgj5VPjI/AAAAAAAADKc/K558HxrMeuc/s800/PICT0094%20edit.jpg" /></a>
It was another sensational ride. Conditions were gorgeous. The scenery was stark and beautiful. And the roads empty - this was heaven.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/NmRjFMQeE9Fxbr1XyH1c1Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZVm1xf5_I/AAAAAAAADKg/gIue15SC2Ms/s800/PICT0096%20edit.jpg" /></a>
But it was hot !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/mt8f83rtHdgLoQlRMXepAQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZVKt79-MI/AAAAAAAADKI/OUhLtXwBKOU/s800/L1010275%20edit.jpg" /></a>
On we went... I couldn't help thinking about those that had "Pioneered" these areas. They didn't have such roads or machines to forge their way through these landscapes all those years ago... An amazing endeavour...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/T9zLI5dzEExj-_ekLXNZZg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZVNeByLzI/AAAAAAAADKQ/5Y7Ll9ymsbA/s800/P1010751%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Our stop at the end of a sensational day was a wonderful oasis in the desert. If you ever want to stay in Ely and avoid the mass market motels with their never ceasing slot machine jingling and jangling - try this place.
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/v154Vpt9v7nWZdwia1HumQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZVTKP9WiI/AAAAAAAADKY/9BDrVAkgpEw/s800/P1010754%20edit.jpg" /></a>
I'm not sure what you'd envisage in your mind's eye about Highway 50 - known as America's loneliest road ? I had an image in my mind of it being a desolate, lonely, straight road through a desolate, lonely landscape…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/EePFNpxPotQ2-_BmmOPv5Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZcsYB0UuI/AAAAAAAADLY/g8WHkSC0Vb8/s800/P1010775%20edit.jpg" /></a>
I could not have been more wrong… This is a sensational road… From the start from Ely it twists and turns and climbs and falls through the most breathtaking scenery…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/XvgDHTPKYTSlmxbJzze6nA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Zb4YuFO9I/AAAAAAAADKw/NZ4aLBElEG0/s800/PICT0010%20edit.jpg" /></a>
We left Ely and the next stop was Eureka… This stage was, well… Magical… And we had some fun along the way...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/xwe1HZxywqz1Y4F_R6xEMA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZcepIzAgI/AAAAAAAADLE/NEtE5ioyZ9I/s800/L1010282%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Then Austin… Another breathtaking, sinuous and spectacular stretch… Oh my word I could have riden that again and again…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/5xGJ7mRWFrzU1o9yeRIHgw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4Zb-J9Kj4I/AAAAAAAADK0/HKo8dwAlhrc/s800/PICT0039%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/obinqRC4jYxbmao_acUleQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZcidpTKgI/AAAAAAAADLI/HUfLKBRlnds/s800/L1010284%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Coffee and gas along the way in Eureka, Austin & Middlegate Station fuelled all of us and on we went… Through continuously beautiful and interesting scenery… How wrong were my pre conceived ideas ?? Massively !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/0pC4H38moyrQALspDPlz2g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZcmF0JaoI/AAAAAAAADLM/r_JsZ-Dbuxg/s800/P1010772%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/WMh1DunXHQNQPKWaxlEkJg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZcpuSp4RI/AAAAAAAADLU/-ioq7kJlGPs/s800/P1010773%20edit.jpg" /></a>
This is one of the most interesting roads on the trip – BUT it is not the loneliest… Jeez it was busier than I'd imagined !!
Unfortunately our agenda was influenced by Mustang Sally’s need for fettling and pampering !! She’d decided she needed an oil change and announced it to the world in garish neon lights on Susie’s dash… Oil change needed – 5% oil life left it said..! Crikey !! Then what happens ??
Reno turned out to be the nearest Service Depot… Oh my !! I'd rather we hadn't had to detour via that place... On the run in on the Interstate we observed some of the worst driving I have ever encountered on a major road - in the world !!
Why do people do 65 mph in the outside lane only to swoop to the slip road at the last minute..? Without indication ?? I got sick and tired of having to hit the brakes again and again as cars and vans cut across in front of me… Worse than India !!!!!!
Then on to Tahoe on another spectacular swooper… US 431… Magic…
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/Oj94rLqz_SJ7N3SirgJLZw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZcDWbla5I/AAAAAAAADK4/9bqB8XV25jc/s800/PICT0053%20edit.jpg" /></a>
The run along the lake was stunning too
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/AHuapVTOw24vOCl_LNnbcg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZcRpB03CI/AAAAAAAADK8/ivKoz6IQpzY/s800/PICT0238%20edit.jpg" /></a>
We rocked into Tahoe - found our bunkhouse and wandered to get a beer. And instantly felt old… I’d put my baseball cap on – peak forward as we wandered out… How stupid… It has to be worn peak to the rear or side… Why ???!!?? I felt so British and old !!
We sat on the lake shore and watched the sunset. Perfect...
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/8zQZSsPzAHKGwBhVJE30jg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZcyrTBmrI/AAAAAAAADLc/K7-kJhes1Sc/s800/P1010793%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/vITOwQpUhpEoNvtmpnv9pA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZU5UlBfkI/AAAAAAAADJ8/s-8tB4Fw3_E/s800/P1010747%20edit.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/SZ3AK3dOo8-jnIJ7QqMWtg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZU-tmUbcI/AAAAAAAADKA/qlPq6m45KSc/s800/P1010748%20edit.jpg" /></a>
Then it was time for my go !! But no records were set !!
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/xw6CRYr7JQyJfT8yQw8--A?authkey=Gv1sRgCJeZ3om20ajSAw&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tyu_mgErIOA/S4ZVDt5BemI/AAAAAAAADKE/Ux9PkfclUp4/s800/L1010269%20edit.jpg" /></a>
After a stop at a car wash to spray the bike down it was off to Ely.
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It was another sensational ride. Conditions were gorgeous. The scenery was stark and beautiful. And the roads empty - this was heaven.
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But it was hot !!
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On we went... I couldn't help thinking about those that had "Pioneered" these areas. They didn't have such roads or machines to forge their way through these landscapes all those years ago... An amazing endeavour...
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Our stop at the end of a sensational day was a wonderful oasis in the desert. If you ever want to stay in Ely and avoid the mass market motels with their never ceasing slot machine jingling and jangling - try this place.
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I'm not sure what you'd envisage in your mind's eye about Highway 50 - known as America's loneliest road ? I had an image in my mind of it being a desolate, lonely, straight road through a desolate, lonely landscape…
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I could not have been more wrong… This is a sensational road… From the start from Ely it twists and turns and climbs and falls through the most breathtaking scenery…
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We left Ely and the next stop was Eureka… This stage was, well… Magical… And we had some fun along the way...
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Then Austin… Another breathtaking, sinuous and spectacular stretch… Oh my word I could have riden that again and again…
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Coffee and gas along the way in Eureka, Austin & Middlegate Station fuelled all of us and on we went… Through continuously beautiful and interesting scenery… How wrong were my pre conceived ideas ?? Massively !!
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This is one of the most interesting roads on the trip – BUT it is not the loneliest… Jeez it was busier than I'd imagined !!
Unfortunately our agenda was influenced by Mustang Sally’s need for fettling and pampering !! She’d decided she needed an oil change and announced it to the world in garish neon lights on Susie’s dash… Oil change needed – 5% oil life left it said..! Crikey !! Then what happens ??
Reno turned out to be the nearest Service Depot… Oh my !! I'd rather we hadn't had to detour via that place... On the run in on the Interstate we observed some of the worst driving I have ever encountered on a major road - in the world !!
Why do people do 65 mph in the outside lane only to swoop to the slip road at the last minute..? Without indication ?? I got sick and tired of having to hit the brakes again and again as cars and vans cut across in front of me… Worse than India !!!!!!
Then on to Tahoe on another spectacular swooper… US 431… Magic…
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The run along the lake was stunning too
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We rocked into Tahoe - found our bunkhouse and wandered to get a beer. And instantly felt old… I’d put my baseball cap on – peak forward as we wandered out… How stupid… It has to be worn peak to the rear or side… Why ???!!?? I felt so British and old !!
We sat on the lake shore and watched the sunset. Perfect...
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