Bob at the fire
Well, sorry for the delay on the final days of the trip and I am still having trouble getting pics to load in so there are still no pics for you all. We left Yellowstone Saturday morning and had a fantastic ride, except for some road construction on Hwy 191. We road out to Bozeman and stopped at Yellowstone Harley before leaving town as none of us could say no to a Yellowstone Harley shirt. We then headed up Hwy 287 thru Helena. MT and enjoyed the Montana countryside and ended up in Missoula for the night. We had dinner at a great place called The iron Horse. We sat upstairs and enjoyed the warm Montana evening and good food. we headed back to the hotel where we sat and talked about life and growing up and our kids and who knows what else, but be assured, we had fun.
We took off Sunday morning under another day of beautiful sky's and headed north up Hwy 93 to Polson and eventually decided to hit Montana Harley in Kalispell. The ride along Flathead Lake was beautiful. We headed out of Kalispell on Hwy 2, which most of us did realize went over thru there. We were headed to Libby as the day grew warmer. We stopped in Libby for lunch. This is small town that is surrounded by trees and mountains and is just a great little small town America kind of a place. It was Sunday and the town seemed almost shut down. There is very cool art around the town and because of that we seemed to find the main drag thru downtown. About half way down Main St. we saw the Libby Cafe and it looked just like our kind of place. The folks there were fantastic and the food was just as good. It was getting very warm by the time we stopped and even warmer by the time we left. We ran up thru Bonners ferry and decided to end the day in Coeur d' Arlene, ID. We had dinner once again at Moon Time and ended up calling it a short night as we all were tired from the heat and the ride. We left semi-early to get thru eastern Washington before the heat of the day hit us. We also wanted to stay on Hwy 2 to see some different sights and not be on the freeway the whole way home. We stopped in Leavenworth for lunch at 1p and it was a toasty 100 degrees. we had lunch and hit the road, running a bit ahead of plans which was going to get us home earlier than any of us thought and we were all OK with that.
The trip ended with Di and I putting on 2,224 miles. A great time was had and once again we saw some spectacular sights. Ron left for Los Angeles this morning so we will be seeing both Ron and Lisa only speratically over the next 12-18 months.
Thanks for a great trip you guys.
We decided to make our way to Jackson Hole, WY on Friday. The day started out a little warmer than Thursday but not that much really so we had chaps and jackets on. We headed out on Hwy 20 and would hook up with Hwy 33 rather than going thru the park as some other riders had told us that there was extensive road construction the park toute where they had to ride 25 miles on gravel, so we thought we would go the longer way to avoid that. It turned out to be a beautiful ride and we had a great day. Di had been there before years ago but could not remember much about it. The rest of are thinking maybe she chose to forget it because it was one of "those" kind of trips. We wound our way thru the mountains and down into the farm lands of eastern Idaho and rode across her rolling fields. The weather warmed up and we shed the jackets and enjoyed the little towns we rode thru. As we got closer to Jackson we could see the Tetons towering up over the top of the mountain range that was between us and Jackson Hole. What a spectacular site as you ride along.
We exited the farm land and started up into the mountains as we rolled into Tetonia. The road starts a gradual climb upwards into the mountains that becomes a very steep climb as you make your way to the top. As you come to top of the pass and you crest over and make your way down, you get another unbelievable view as you look down upon the valley where Jackson sits at the base of the 11,000 foot mountains that hold her. It is truely one of the most breath taking views you can see and worth seeing if you are ever in the area. We dropped down into the valley and found our way to the center of town and parked the scoots and started our Jackson Hole adventures.We started out at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar where the decor is just plain fun. We walked around and shopped for a bit and then decided it was time to eat. Two seperate people said to eat at Billy's so we did and they were right, it was good and very fun too.
We walked around a bit more and decided it was time to make our 3 hour trek back to West Yellowstone as the weather seemed to be changing and it was about that time anyway. We head out and start to feel a few drops coming down. We start up the mountain and I take advantage of some open road just in front of the two cars ahead of us and I pass them annd have the pass to myself. As we get to the top I can see that it is raining on the other side and I want to wait for Ron and Lisa anyway so I swing into the lookout and put on my chaps and jacket as I get ready for the rain. It looks like we will ride thru it, but it's cool enough out here that I don't want to go thru it sleeveless and no chaps. As I am putting on my chaps and Di is digging for her jacket, we see Ron and Lisa coming up the mountain behind a truck and trailer. We then see them ride by and hear Lisa saying, "there's Bob and Di" and and pointing as Ron, focused on the road never saw us and rolled right down the mountain and into the rain sleeveless and Lisa with only her sweatshirt on......oh well. We caught them at the bottom of the hill as we all waited for road construction. We laughed about that for a bit as we both looked at Lisa's face as they rolled by as she was as surprised as we were that they weren't stopping. The rest of the ride back was warm and dry and we had a great evening laughing and sharing. It has certainly been a great trip so far and we head towards home.....the long way, Saturday morning.
WE had a great day in the park. Saw lots of bison and elk. The weather was fantastic but cool. We would think it was warming up and then it would cool back down. This was the first day Di and I road with jackets and chaps so far on the trip. We had 3 close encounters with bison throughout the day. Like 15-20 feet close, and when you are on a bike, they are bigger than you are and you feel somewhat vulnerable. We rode the lower loop and saw spectacular views and meadows. We had a bull elk off the road a bid and my spectacular wife could not get there quick enough. She was off the scoot and down the bank and after a shot. Well, as you can imagine for those of you who know her, she did in fact get the shot. He was huge beautiful 7x6 point bull elk. Di was so excited and she is so fun. We finished the day at Old Faithful and had great seats to watch her erupt in all her glory. We headed back to West Yellowstone when we can across a mother elk and her young son by the river and Di was off again. She brought back with her more great shots and a smile that cannot be beat. They are doing road construction in the park in a couple of areas to repair damage done this past winter. Well, this has water and mud all over the road and we managed to ride through it going out this morning as well as coming back, so Ron and I had a small chore to get the bikes cleaned up and ready to ride again on Friday. WE had fun looking at the pics and the videos of the day and managed several rounds of uncontrollable laughter. Friday is looking like a trip to Jackson.
First off I need to apologize as I am unable to post any pics yet. Please hang in there as we are hoping to remedy that today maybe.
Di and I started Wed on a casual note and did not get out of town till just before 10a which was actually a great way to start the day. We jumped on I-90 and headed east to Butte, about 120 miles away, where we would stop at Thunderbolt Harley, get gas and a bite to eat. The weather was cool but not too bad so we dressed with some gear on but not too much. Well, as luck would have in, while Seattle is burning up with the hottest temps on record, we managed to lose heat as we got closer to Butte. We pulled into the Harley shop and it was 59 degrees and Di was frozen and I was a bit chilled. We got some coffee and looked around. The gal working in motor clothes asked us where we were from and where we were headed. She asked which road we were taking to West Yellow stone and then pulled out a map and said here is the way you want to go. One of the great things about riding is any shop knows the best roads to ride in there area, so if you need any help on a route, they are the usually the best ones to ask. She said to go to The Montana Club to eat, there would be gas right there as you come out and then take a right before you get onto the freeway onto Hwy 2 and take that to Hwy 41 and then Hwy 287 to 191. Well, she was right, we road on great roads and saw great scenery all day.
WE tooled along the beautiful back roads of Montana and ran through some quaint little towns that are the picture of middle America. Then we rolled into Nevada City........Montana. This is a historical city and has 90 buildings from across Montana that have been moved there to save and recreate the town of the mid-1800's. We pulled off and wandered through the town taking pictures and shooting video. WE hopped back on the scoot and went on our way but very shortly came across Virginia City......also in Montana. It just seems funny that both Nevada and Montana would both have historical cities with the same name. So, of course we stopped and looked around in Virginia City as well. Virginia City is bigger than Nevada City and was not "put together" as much as Nevada City. There was a plaque on one building that said that in 1863, the man who owned that particular building was one of 73 licensed liquor retailers in the town at that time. Now from what we can see and figure, the town is only about 4 blocks long so it seems the competition and choices for where you can go to get a drink is almost overwhelming.
We had fun looking around town and decided it was time make tracks and catch up with Ron and Lisa. The weather had warmed up to be very pleasant throughout the whole day, hut it was 4:30p by now and we were a little over an hour away and it was looking to start cooking down a bit. We hit the road again and continue to ride across some spectacular country side. We are headed towards Ennis on Hwy 41 as we came out of Virginia City and we headed down into the valley where we would join up with Hwy 287 in Ennis. I cannot describe the beauty of this valley as we made our down out of the mountains. It was right out of movie and hope some of you take the opportunity to see it one day. We came through Ennis and along a couple of lakes and arrived in West Yellowstone at 5:30p after a great day of riding and seeing the world that is right next door. We caught up Ron & Lisa and had a good dinner and shared our stories from the road. Thursday we head into the park and are very much looking forward to that.
I know the title is for Tuesday, but I will start on Monday. Di was working all day, open till close, at The Nines, so I knew I would not see her till late which was OK cuz I had plenty to do to keep me busy in the mean time and she tends to distract me in all the right ways. I got on a plane in San Diego after working ComicCon for 6 days and was ready for some much needed sleep and very much looking forward to the road trip. Our son, Chris, picked me up at the airport and we headed over to The Nines to stop by and kiss my lovely bride and say hi before heading home and getting ready to roll. It turns out, one of her many guests that she loves, Tom & Pam, are moving and had some furniture for sale that Di wanted me to look at. Well, it was just what she had been wanting, so we added another thing to do to the evenings "to do list". Chris and Tom and I muscled the pieces into the trucks and took them home. With the help of one of Chris's friends, John, we managed to get them into the house and ready for the next phase when we return.
Di got home and now we both are getting the final preparations done for the trip. After we got most of the chores done, Di convinced me to come to bed and finish the rest in the morning. By this time it was 1am and we had an ETD of 5am in order to make it to Moses Lake for an 8:30am appointment with her dentist to get her first installment of her new braces which she is very excited for. Well, as it turns out, neither one of us sleep very good and I have the alarm set for 3:30a so I can finish getting the scoot ready to go. So, after maybe an hour or so of good sleep through the night, I am up and at it again at 3:30a. We manage to hit the road at 5:15a and are on track to make our 8:30a appointment with Dr. Craig Harder. We have a great ride up and over the pass and into eastern Washington. 3 hours later we are at Moses Lake Family Dentistry, ready for Di's braces and the scoot needs gas. Dr. Harder is great guy and his whole staff is fantastic. We have a great time with them whenever we are there.
We stopped by Bob's Cafe on the way out of Moses Lake for a fantastic breakfast and hit the road again at 10:30a heading east on I-90 to Idaho and Montana. I figure we will be ready for a stop again for gas and a leg stretch at about noon which will get us to Coeur d Alene, Idaho. I remember a place I have stopped at before and I think I can find it. We pull off the freeway and go through the cute little town and I pull in for gas and it feels like we are very close. Di asks the attendant and we are a short block from The Moon Time Cafe. This is a cute little place with great food and always a great assortment of beers of which I usually have only heard of half of. We stop for something cold to drink and give ourselves a break. It is 1pm when we head out and have already put on 320 miles. We take off, and an hour later find ourselves at another one of Bob's "must stops", at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Saloon-Cafe and Gift Shop. This is one of those fun quirky places I like to stop at whenever I am rolling by. Di and I buy a silver dollar to be put up with our names on it when the next batch gets put up on the wall next February.
Well, it's back on the road and we are hitting a fair amount of road construction which has us slowed to 35-45 mph off and on for maybe 30 miles over the next 100 miles. We are not making the time I was hoping due to this but we are having fun and we have picked up a fellow rider as we get on the freeway leaving The Silver Dollar. I realized, and had not added it into my planning that we lost an hour by this time of the day moving east, so that may affect what we do by the time we hit Missoula. Our friend rides with us to Missoula and pulls off with us to get gas. He asks if we are headed to Sturgis as he may be going there but is not sure. He is out of North Carolina and has been on the road for 5,600 miles so far and plans on being home on Aug 10th. He was fun to chat with but was headed up to a buddies about 50 miles out of town so we parted ways and wished each other a save ride. By now, it is 5pm and Di's teeth are giving her some pain and with the Montana late afternoon weather, we decide to stop for the night and find a place to call home. We managed 490 miles for day one and should be in Yellowstone with Ron and Lisa mid afternoon on Wednesday. Another fantastic day on the road and we will get to ride some beautiful roads today that I am really looking forward to. That's it for now. I will add pics by late Wed is my plan.
