I had loaded most of the bike, as much as I could anyway, on the Wednesday
night before we were supposed to leave. Drove the truck to work on Thursday,
then got home about 3:30 and Erin was there. Loaded the rest of the bike,
suited up and hit the road. We rode to Moses Lake, where we landed at Craig’s at about 8 pm . Jeff & Patti were already there, as they had left about 1 or so.
Friday morning came and we hit the road about 7:30, with the intent of
riding to Butte, Montana and crashing at a KOA for the night. Worked out to be about a 400 mile ride, with stops for gas, pictures (over the passes) and food. For lunch, we hit the Silver Dollar Bar near St Regis, Montana. Going into Missoula I lost a sleeping bag off the right side of the scoot. Erin and I turned around to try to find it and Craig &
Jeff continued on, with arrangements to meet up at the first gas exit in Missoula. We never found the bag, so figured we’d just buy one in Butte.
The gas stop in Missoula was just across the street from the Harley dealer, so after filling up and getting a drink, we rode over to pick up a t-shirt. Leaving Missoula had us outrunning a dust storm with the wind at our backs. We headed down I-90 and got into Butte (or, as I like to call it, “Butt” – not an attractive town!), found the KOA and checked in. I had asked the camp host if they had a Big 5 or similar sporting goods store, she said they had a locally-owned storebut didn’t know if they were still open. Jeff asked about a Wal-Mart, and of course, they had one! So off we went and picked up a new sleeping bag. Craig had rented “Kabins” for us, small wooden rooms with electricity, a double bed
and 2 bunk beds. Pretty nice actually.
night before we were supposed to leave. Drove the truck to work on Thursday,
then got home about 3:30 and Erin was there. Loaded the rest of the bike,
suited up and hit the road. We rode to Moses Lake, where we landed at Craig’s at about 8 pm . Jeff & Patti were already there, as they had left about 1 or so.
Friday morning came and we hit the road about 7:30, with the intent of
riding to Butte, Montana and crashing at a KOA for the night. Worked out to be about a 400 mile ride, with stops for gas, pictures (over the passes) and food. For lunch, we hit the Silver Dollar Bar near St Regis, Montana. Going into Missoula I lost a sleeping bag off the right side of the scoot. Erin and I turned around to try to find it and Craig &
Jeff continued on, with arrangements to meet up at the first gas exit in Missoula. We never found the bag, so figured we’d just buy one in Butte.
The gas stop in Missoula was just across the street from the Harley dealer, so after filling up and getting a drink, we rode over to pick up a t-shirt. Leaving Missoula had us outrunning a dust storm with the wind at our backs. We headed down I-90 and got into Butte (or, as I like to call it, “Butt” – not an attractive town!), found the KOA and checked in. I had asked the camp host if they had a Big 5 or similar sporting goods store, she said they had a locally-owned storebut didn’t know if they were still open. Jeff asked about a Wal-Mart, and of course, they had one! So off we went and picked up a new sleeping bag. Craig had rented “Kabins” for us, small wooden rooms with electricity, a double bed
and 2 bunk beds. Pretty nice actually.
KOA KABIN; BUTTE, MT
HOMESTAKE PASS, MT -- 6300 FT
ELAINE, ERIN, PATTI IN MOSES LAKE
It tried to rain on us a bit, but only a few drops. On Friday morning, we packed the bikes again, and hit the road, back onto I-90 toward our next stop, Hardin. Craig wanted to see the Lewis and Clark Caverns, just outside Bozeman, so we peeled off the freeway and rode about 7 miles to the caverns. The tour thru the caves took about 2 hours, plus some waiting time. Really cool place, too! About 3 ½ hours later, we were back on the road.
Of course, we got lost just outside Billings. Yeah, I know, how do you get lost on the Interstate in freakin’ Montana??? Well, Interstate 90 takes a turn about 4 miles out of Billings, and since we were clipping along in the left lane, passing a couple of semis, we didn’t see the “exit” that allows one to stay on I-90. About 20 miles east on what we later found out was I-94, we turned around and sheepishly made our way back to I-90, and a few hours later, rolled into Hardin.(about 300 miles from Butte) and the KOA. This time, Craig had rented a “Kottage”, a 3-bedroom house with its own kitchen and bathroom. Dinner, copious amounts of refreshing adult beverages, and showers closed out the day, and off to bed we went.
Of course, we got lost just outside Billings. Yeah, I know, how do you get lost on the Interstate in freakin’ Montana??? Well, Interstate 90 takes a turn about 4 miles out of Billings, and since we were clipping along in the left lane, passing a couple of semis, we didn’t see the “exit” that allows one to stay on I-90. About 20 miles east on what we later found out was I-94, we turned around and sheepishly made our way back to I-90, and a few hours later, rolled into Hardin.(about 300 miles from Butte) and the KOA. This time, Craig had rented a “Kottage”, a 3-bedroom house with its own kitchen and bathroom. Dinner, copious amounts of refreshing adult beverages, and showers closed out the day, and off to bed we went.
LEWIS AND CLARK CAVERNS, MT
WOODY HAVING A DRINK
DINNERTIME AT THE KOA
KOA IN HARDIN, MT
KOA IN HARDIN, MT
LEWIS AND CLARK CAVERNS, MT
Sunday dawned clear and fairly warm. Jeff’s phone charger quit working, and he decided
to head into Sheridan to the Wal-Mart to get another one. We told him we’d meet him in Sturgis, and we decided to get off I-90 and take Highway 212 thru the southeast corner of Montana, past Little Bighorn, and into northeast tip of Wyoming. Beautiful road for riding! We saw some antelope along the side of the road, grazing and watching up as we rode by. We were also beginning to see more bikes as we rode further east. As we
passed into South Dakota, the rain clouds got angrier, and we stopped at the Wyoming/South Dakota border to suit up a bit. Lightning was filling the skies around us, and you could feel it and smell the ozone in the air---awesome! The rain came just as we
pulled into Belle Fourche, South Dakota for gas. After we filled the tanks, we opted to have lunch and parked the bikes. In the hour and a half it took to get lunch (they were busy!), the rain came, soaked everything, passed thru, and the sun came out and dried everything back out again. Saddled up and we closed the last 40 miles or so to Sturgis, rolling into the Buffalo Chip under sunny skies.
We checked in, called Andy on the cell phone and he came down to meet us, and direct us to the campsite. We set up camp, and Jeff & Patti finally rolled in a couple of hours
later. Amazing place: holds about 65,000 people and everything from pup tents to $800,000 motor coaches. Here’s a tip: The Chip is an old cow pasture,
so when you camp there in your tent, go to the high ground. When it rains (not “if”,
cuz it DOES fuckin’ rain!), the water all runs downhill. And old cow pastures
have an abundance of “waste” that will infiltrate your tent if you happen to be
in the lower part of the campground. We wandered around for a while, looking at the
sights, getting a feel for the layout of the campground, etc. The wind came up, lightning was again spreading across the skies, and we watched Foreigner and Billy Idol perform
under electric skies! We did get rained on a bit during the concerts, but the real rain came later that night---along with some serious wind! I half expected the tent to blow away with us in it!
Monday morning dawned clear and warm, and we had decided to ride to
Devil’s Tower with Andy and Cindy, and their friends Charles and Jen (from Texas). Great ride, took I-90 out to Sundance, Wyoming, then turned and headed toward Devil’s Tower. After stopping for a bit at the Trading Post, we mounted back up and rode into Hulett – a little town that has vendors and bars galore during Bike Week. We did a little shopping, and then headed back toward Sturgis, stopping for lunch along the way.
to head into Sheridan to the Wal-Mart to get another one. We told him we’d meet him in Sturgis, and we decided to get off I-90 and take Highway 212 thru the southeast corner of Montana, past Little Bighorn, and into northeast tip of Wyoming. Beautiful road for riding! We saw some antelope along the side of the road, grazing and watching up as we rode by. We were also beginning to see more bikes as we rode further east. As we
passed into South Dakota, the rain clouds got angrier, and we stopped at the Wyoming/South Dakota border to suit up a bit. Lightning was filling the skies around us, and you could feel it and smell the ozone in the air---awesome! The rain came just as we
pulled into Belle Fourche, South Dakota for gas. After we filled the tanks, we opted to have lunch and parked the bikes. In the hour and a half it took to get lunch (they were busy!), the rain came, soaked everything, passed thru, and the sun came out and dried everything back out again. Saddled up and we closed the last 40 miles or so to Sturgis, rolling into the Buffalo Chip under sunny skies.
We checked in, called Andy on the cell phone and he came down to meet us, and direct us to the campsite. We set up camp, and Jeff & Patti finally rolled in a couple of hours
later. Amazing place: holds about 65,000 people and everything from pup tents to $800,000 motor coaches. Here’s a tip: The Chip is an old cow pasture,
so when you camp there in your tent, go to the high ground. When it rains (not “if”,
cuz it DOES fuckin’ rain!), the water all runs downhill. And old cow pastures
have an abundance of “waste” that will infiltrate your tent if you happen to be
in the lower part of the campground. We wandered around for a while, looking at the
sights, getting a feel for the layout of the campground, etc. The wind came up, lightning was again spreading across the skies, and we watched Foreigner and Billy Idol perform
under electric skies! We did get rained on a bit during the concerts, but the real rain came later that night---along with some serious wind! I half expected the tent to blow away with us in it!
Monday morning dawned clear and warm, and we had decided to ride to
Devil’s Tower with Andy and Cindy, and their friends Charles and Jen (from Texas). Great ride, took I-90 out to Sundance, Wyoming, then turned and headed toward Devil’s Tower. After stopping for a bit at the Trading Post, we mounted back up and rode into Hulett – a little town that has vendors and bars galore during Bike Week. We did a little shopping, and then headed back toward Sturgis, stopping for lunch along the way.
BILLY IDOL
BUFFALO CHIP CAMPGROUND
CRAIG AND HIS EASY CHAIR
BUFFALO CHI[ ENTRANCE
DEVIL'S TOWER
NEAR DEVIL'S TOWER
HULETT, WY
MAIN STREET, HULETT, WY
As we neared Spearfish, we could see the clouds building, then saw the sign:
“Severe Thunderstorm Ahead”. Now, we thought this would be a good place to pull
off and see if we could wait for the storm to go past, even though we were
still under sunny and hot skies. Pulled into Spearfish and hit the Safeway store for some groceries and beer. When we came out, the storm had pretty much passed over the freeway and was headed north…at least, until the wind shifted and blew it right back over the highway—and onto us! We pulled over and suited up as best we could, having no rain gear…or even coats. Back on the highway, the rain hit us full force, sideways and hard! We were going to try to get back to Sturgis, but it was coming down too hard and I could not see anything! I pulled up at the next overpass, parked the bike and Erin & I got out and hid under the overpass with about 100 other riders! Finally the storm let up a bit and we hightailed it back to camp…soaked to the skin. As we rode through downtown Sturgis (at about 3 mph), we were literally steaming as we dried! Got dried off, did some laundry, and got some food, and we were ready to roll. Montgomery Gentry and George Thorogood were playing that night at the Chip, and we weren’t too hip on watching them, so we just hung out.
IT MIGHT RAIN...
HIDING OUT WITH 100 OF OUR CLOSEST FRIENDS...
JUST A LITTLE MUDDY
THE TIRES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WHITEWALLS
Tuesday was Mt Rushmore day, we rode up to Rapid City, and I thought it would be cool to
hit the Harley shop there to get a t-shirt. Yeah, me and 5000 other people!
This place was not only HUGE, but packed! We picked up a shirt, and hit the road again, riding through Rapid City up to Mt Rushmore. I'd always read about the monument and seen the "school films" about it, so it was always like "what's the big deal?". I'll tell ya, the monument is just awesome in person! If you have never seen it, it should be on your bucket list. The visitor’s center has all kinds of cool exhibits and storyboards, plus a theater that shows a 15-minute film about the construction. We got caught in a little rain going up, and while we were there it just poured! Luckily, we were in the visitor’s center during that deluge, and when we left it was sunny again. Rode down and had lunch in Keystone, then back through Rapid City onto I-90 and into Sturgis. The concert
that night was Gretchen Wilson and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and I wanted to be as close
to the stage as I could get. Andy was cooking dinner when it was time to go, at least to try to get a good seat, so Jeff and I went down and Erin and Patti were going to come down and find us. By the time we got to the stage area, it was so packed we had a hell of a time getting up front (but we did!). The girls tried to find us but couldn’t get through the crowd, so we missed them. But what an awesome show! Skynyrd absolutely rocked the place!
hit the Harley shop there to get a t-shirt. Yeah, me and 5000 other people!
This place was not only HUGE, but packed! We picked up a shirt, and hit the road again, riding through Rapid City up to Mt Rushmore. I'd always read about the monument and seen the "school films" about it, so it was always like "what's the big deal?". I'll tell ya, the monument is just awesome in person! If you have never seen it, it should be on your bucket list. The visitor’s center has all kinds of cool exhibits and storyboards, plus a theater that shows a 15-minute film about the construction. We got caught in a little rain going up, and while we were there it just poured! Luckily, we were in the visitor’s center during that deluge, and when we left it was sunny again. Rode down and had lunch in Keystone, then back through Rapid City onto I-90 and into Sturgis. The concert
that night was Gretchen Wilson and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and I wanted to be as close
to the stage as I could get. Andy was cooking dinner when it was time to go, at least to try to get a good seat, so Jeff and I went down and Erin and Patti were going to come down and find us. By the time we got to the stage area, it was so packed we had a hell of a time getting up front (but we did!). The girls tried to find us but couldn’t get through the crowd, so we missed them. But what an awesome show! Skynyrd absolutely rocked the place!
LIKE IT SAYS...
MT RUSHMORE
AWW..AIN'T WE CUTE?
LYNYRD SKYNYRD AT THE CHIP
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
We had decided to go do our shopping in downtown Sturgis on Wednesday, so headed
out in the morning about 9 or so. It was already heating up, and traffic was a bitch! Once we got into town, we turned and went up a block or two off the main drag, parked the bike and walked. And walked. And walked! Bought the requisite t-shirts, Erin got some cool patches on her vest, and I got a couple on mine. At one point, we went over to the
convention center and went in (it was air conditioned!). After shopping the vendors there, we went out and sat on the grass in the shade for a bit, and realized the noise level: it was just like sitting on a runway with a plane ready for takeoff 100 yards away or so—a constant howl from the bikes, the people, the music, and so on. Anyway, we
walked back downtown and hit a few more stores, then decided to get back to
camp. Kid Rock and Blue Oyster Cult were the show for the night, and I didn’t really care about Kid Rock, but I used to like BOC. Erin and I walked down to the Jack Daniels Bar so we could sit and watch the show (and the people) from there, and met up with Jeff, Patti,
Charles and Jen. As we were making our way down, I thought that BOC hadn’t started yet and they had some local band up there killing time…they sucked. But, it
wasn’t a local band, it was BOC! It actually was painful to listen to, they definitely don’t “have it” anymore! We hung out for about ½ hour, and I told Erin we should go back to camp (no one else was there) and spend some time relaxing. So we did.
We could easily hear Kid Rock from there, and, yeah, he sucked too.
Guess you have to be a fan… On Thursday morning when we got up, Andy and Craig
were talking about leaving that morning and Erin and I thought the same way. We really wanted to see some sights going home, and not just blast through everything. Jeff was mad at everyone, because when he finally got up everybody was breaking camp!
We packed up and he said he’d meet up with us on the road, which was
cool.
out in the morning about 9 or so. It was already heating up, and traffic was a bitch! Once we got into town, we turned and went up a block or two off the main drag, parked the bike and walked. And walked. And walked! Bought the requisite t-shirts, Erin got some cool patches on her vest, and I got a couple on mine. At one point, we went over to the
convention center and went in (it was air conditioned!). After shopping the vendors there, we went out and sat on the grass in the shade for a bit, and realized the noise level: it was just like sitting on a runway with a plane ready for takeoff 100 yards away or so—a constant howl from the bikes, the people, the music, and so on. Anyway, we
walked back downtown and hit a few more stores, then decided to get back to
camp. Kid Rock and Blue Oyster Cult were the show for the night, and I didn’t really care about Kid Rock, but I used to like BOC. Erin and I walked down to the Jack Daniels Bar so we could sit and watch the show (and the people) from there, and met up with Jeff, Patti,
Charles and Jen. As we were making our way down, I thought that BOC hadn’t started yet and they had some local band up there killing time…they sucked. But, it
wasn’t a local band, it was BOC! It actually was painful to listen to, they definitely don’t “have it” anymore! We hung out for about ½ hour, and I told Erin we should go back to camp (no one else was there) and spend some time relaxing. So we did.
We could easily hear Kid Rock from there, and, yeah, he sucked too.
Guess you have to be a fan… On Thursday morning when we got up, Andy and Craig
were talking about leaving that morning and Erin and I thought the same way. We really wanted to see some sights going home, and not just blast through everything. Jeff was mad at everyone, because when he finally got up everybody was breaking camp!
We packed up and he said he’d meet up with us on the road, which was
cool.
ENTERING STURGIS
ERIN RELAXING
YES, IT'S A STRIPPER ON A HONDA
A BIT WARM TODAY
MAIN STREET, STURGIS
MAIN STREET, STURGIS
Craig and Elaine rode into town to finish shopping and Erin and I went for breakfast.
We figured we’d hook up at the first gas stop, about 150 miles away. We stopped for breakfast in Whitewood, then hit the highway again and rolled down I-90 into Gillette, where of course we stopped at the Harley shop. Played phone tag with Craig, and figured he was about ½ hour behind us. We gassed up and continued on, headed for Sheridan. Stopped in Sheridan for gas and a snack, and missed them again. We had planned on going toward Cody and stopping for the night, there was actually a KOA in Greybull that looked good so we headed there. About 10 miles out of Sheridan Highway 14 takes off westbound into the hills, and we jumped off I90 and started climbing. Rode up over Cutler Hill (8347
feet) then started down toward Greybull. Met up with Jeff and Patti at a rest stop about 45 minutes out of Greybull, and rode into town with them.
I had a voice mail from Craig saying he and Elaine would meet us at the KOA there, I guess they passed us up while we were in Sheridan. We found the KOA but they had no Kabins available, so I went looking for a hotel. Sleeping in a tent is OK for a night or tow, but I'm old...give me a motel! I found one just up the street, with a pool and everything! Jeff and Patti had landed at a hotel the other end of town, and we all met for dinner about an hour later. We had heard that the East entrance to Yellowstone was under construction, and about 17 miles of gravel road awaited us. I called Jeff to see if he was up yet, and got voice mail. Craig, Elaine, Erin and I hit a gas station on the way out of town, and started talking to a couple of guys who had just come through Yellowstone. They said
the Northeast entrance was being worked on too, but the roads were all paved. They were showing us the maps they got of the park, and said we could have them if we wanted, which just happened to have their receipts on them! All we had to do was show the receipts
and we were in, without forking over the $20 fee. Cool! We rode up through Cody, stopped for breakfast at McDonald's and had a voice mail from Jeff saying they took off early and were already headed to Yellowstone. I replied we were going to hit West Yellowstone
(the town) for the night and hopefully would catch up to them there. We rode out of Cody and up onto Highway 120, then 212 toward Cooke City at the entrance to the park. This route took us the northeast corner of Yellowstone and down toward Tower Falls. We saw a few herds of buffalo next to, and on, the road, as well as eagles and antelope. At one point there was a bear just off the road in the woods, but we couldn’t get a clear view of it.
We figured we’d hook up at the first gas stop, about 150 miles away. We stopped for breakfast in Whitewood, then hit the highway again and rolled down I-90 into Gillette, where of course we stopped at the Harley shop. Played phone tag with Craig, and figured he was about ½ hour behind us. We gassed up and continued on, headed for Sheridan. Stopped in Sheridan for gas and a snack, and missed them again. We had planned on going toward Cody and stopping for the night, there was actually a KOA in Greybull that looked good so we headed there. About 10 miles out of Sheridan Highway 14 takes off westbound into the hills, and we jumped off I90 and started climbing. Rode up over Cutler Hill (8347
feet) then started down toward Greybull. Met up with Jeff and Patti at a rest stop about 45 minutes out of Greybull, and rode into town with them.
I had a voice mail from Craig saying he and Elaine would meet us at the KOA there, I guess they passed us up while we were in Sheridan. We found the KOA but they had no Kabins available, so I went looking for a hotel. Sleeping in a tent is OK for a night or tow, but I'm old...give me a motel! I found one just up the street, with a pool and everything! Jeff and Patti had landed at a hotel the other end of town, and we all met for dinner about an hour later. We had heard that the East entrance to Yellowstone was under construction, and about 17 miles of gravel road awaited us. I called Jeff to see if he was up yet, and got voice mail. Craig, Elaine, Erin and I hit a gas station on the way out of town, and started talking to a couple of guys who had just come through Yellowstone. They said
the Northeast entrance was being worked on too, but the roads were all paved. They were showing us the maps they got of the park, and said we could have them if we wanted, which just happened to have their receipts on them! All we had to do was show the receipts
and we were in, without forking over the $20 fee. Cool! We rode up through Cody, stopped for breakfast at McDonald's and had a voice mail from Jeff saying they took off early and were already headed to Yellowstone. I replied we were going to hit West Yellowstone
(the town) for the night and hopefully would catch up to them there. We rode out of Cody and up onto Highway 120, then 212 toward Cooke City at the entrance to the park. This route took us the northeast corner of Yellowstone and down toward Tower Falls. We saw a few herds of buffalo next to, and on, the road, as well as eagles and antelope. At one point there was a bear just off the road in the woods, but we couldn’t get a clear view of it.
PACKING UP, BUFFALO CHIP
JUST OUTSIDE SHERIDAN, WY
GETTIN' HIGH
ON THE ROAD, WYOMING
THIS WAS IN 2006!
BUFFALO, YELLOWSTONE NAT'L PARK
GRAND CANYON OF YELLOWSATONE, WY
EVEN HIGHER
They call this the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone” as it follows the Yellowstone River; then carries you up over Dunraven Pass (8859 feet) and into Canyon Village (7734 feet). Some of the most beautiful scenery ever! We down into Madison and thought about going the extra 20 miles or so to Old Faithful, but we were tired and getting hungry! So we tooled out of the park into West Yellowstone, Montana. As you go out the West gate of Yellowstone, you are right on the main drag of the town, 6667 feet above sea level. All of a sudden, as we were looking for the hotel (I had called and booked a room at the
Super 8), Jeff and Patti pulled up! I guess they had been there most of the day, and he said they were going to head for Bozeman and stay the night there---about 2 hours away. We saw a number of hotels with vacancies, so when Craig and Elaine went off to the KOA, Erin and I went looking for a cheaper room…and found one! The Super 8 wanted $98, we found a nice local place for $70. We got settled in and went downtown for dinner, then went walking through town. Cool little town, lots of touristy, artsy-fartsy type shops but some cool stuff too.
We knew Saturday would be a hard day’s ride, as we wanted to get as
close to home as we could, so we wouldn’t end up getting home Sunday
night.
Super 8), Jeff and Patti pulled up! I guess they had been there most of the day, and he said they were going to head for Bozeman and stay the night there---about 2 hours away. We saw a number of hotels with vacancies, so when Craig and Elaine went off to the KOA, Erin and I went looking for a cheaper room…and found one! The Super 8 wanted $98, we found a nice local place for $70. We got settled in and went downtown for dinner, then went walking through town. Cool little town, lots of touristy, artsy-fartsy type shops but some cool stuff too.
We knew Saturday would be a hard day’s ride, as we wanted to get as
close to home as we could, so we wouldn’t end up getting home Sunday
night.
ON THE ROAD, WYOMING
HOT SPRINGS, YELLOWSTONE
HOT SPRINGS, YELLOWSTONE
GASSING UP, WEST YELLOWSTONE
PAINT POTS, YELLOWSTONE
We got up about 7 on Saturday, got packed up and called Craig…he and Elaine were
still in bed and I got their voice mail, so I said we were going to head out and get as far as we could. I was thinking about Coeur d’Alene, but we’d just play it by ear. We rode
out of West Yellowstone and headed up Highway 191 toward Bozeman.
We hit a little rain squall as we rode through Belgrade, not really even enough to get wet,
but it was cold. I put my heavy leather coat on, and we hit I-90 again and headed west. We rode into Butte after crossing the Continental Divide, and gassed up; then got into Missoula and had lunch. Gassed up again and went up over Lolo Pass before dropping into
Idaho. After a brief stop in Pinehurst for gas and a drink, we rolled into Spokane,
where it finally was hot enough to shed the heavy gear. I got a voice mail from
Jeff saying he and Patti were at the LaQuinta in Ritzville, and had a room held
for us. We rode the hour or so into Ritzville and met up with them. After checking in and unloading, we had dinner then sat out front of the hotel and had a drink. All in all, about 575 miles in the saddle that day.
Sunday was already sunny and warm by the time we hit the freeway at 8:30am set the
cruise at 80 and rolled home; hit the driveway at 12:30. Awesome ride, awesome
vacation, awesome friends! Had to clean the scoot, took me over 2 hours to get it shiny again! We clocked 2984.6 miles since leaving the house, 10 days earlier.
still in bed and I got their voice mail, so I said we were going to head out and get as far as we could. I was thinking about Coeur d’Alene, but we’d just play it by ear. We rode
out of West Yellowstone and headed up Highway 191 toward Bozeman.
We hit a little rain squall as we rode through Belgrade, not really even enough to get wet,
but it was cold. I put my heavy leather coat on, and we hit I-90 again and headed west. We rode into Butte after crossing the Continental Divide, and gassed up; then got into Missoula and had lunch. Gassed up again and went up over Lolo Pass before dropping into
Idaho. After a brief stop in Pinehurst for gas and a drink, we rolled into Spokane,
where it finally was hot enough to shed the heavy gear. I got a voice mail from
Jeff saying he and Patti were at the LaQuinta in Ritzville, and had a room held
for us. We rode the hour or so into Ritzville and met up with them. After checking in and unloading, we had dinner then sat out front of the hotel and had a drink. All in all, about 575 miles in the saddle that day.
Sunday was already sunny and warm by the time we hit the freeway at 8:30am set the
cruise at 80 and rolled home; hit the driveway at 12:30. Awesome ride, awesome
vacation, awesome friends! Had to clean the scoot, took me over 2 hours to get it shiny again! We clocked 2984.6 miles since leaving the house, 10 days earlier.
ON THE ROAD, MONTANA
WYOMING
STURGIS TITTIES
WASTED JEFF AT STURGIS
TITTIES AT LYNYRD SKYNYRD CONCERT
GRETCHEN WILSON AT THE CHIP
GRETCHEN WILSON
CAPT AMERICA BIKE FROM 'EASY RIDER'
ERIN AT LOOKOUT PASS
LOOKOUT PASS, MT
LITTLE BIG HORN, MT
LOADED UP!