“…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

US 310 south our of Laurel MT.

        It is so GREAT to be back on the road. Today my goal is to reach Sheridan WY, following a route suggested by my friends from Alberta, Brad and Murray Reid. My route was I 90 E from Bozeman MT to Laurel, then south on US 310 to Lovell WY. Then take US 14 A east over to Ranchester WY, on to I 90 to Sheridan. Brad promised me that the ride on US 14 A was great.

As I rode south on US 310 the town of Frannie WY, self

 declared “the biggest little town in Wyoming”

        US 310 came out of Laurel with US 212. When US 310 split off it became a two lane roadway. Very little traffic. When I arrived in Lovell I gassed up the bike, because I didn’t know what was ahead of me. I also got lunch at a little gas station. The young lady made me a cheeseburger and fries, and delivered them to my table. Very nice people.

The ride on US 14 A was one of the most memorable I’ve had. 

        As I rode out of Lovell there was a sign stating that there were steep climbs 22 miles up ahead. They weren’t kidding. As I rode towards the mountains the scenery was spectacular. I’ve been saying that a lot on this trip. 

The mountains that US 14 A crosses over. Beautiful. 

        The road started to climb into the mountains, and the grades very steep. The scenery was breathtaking, but I needed to focus on the road. Very curvy. There were some rough patches on the road, but it was great motorcycling.

I stopped to read for a while on the way up. You can see my chair on the other side of the bike.

This was the view from my chair. Again, I simply can’t do the view justice.

        On the ride up there were a number of 25 mph curves, but generally a fun ride. The surprise at the top was what a sign called “ The Highlands.” I rode for about 30 miles across this landscape that reminded me of an alpine meadow. It was fantastic. 

The ride down. Unbelievable. 

        The ride up was super. The ride down might have been as good…or better, from a motorcycling viewpoint. As I rode down I passed rock formations that, signs informed my, were 207, 250, 309, 500 MILLION years old. Again spectacular. The road surface on the was down was better, and I could really get into the curves, some reminiscent of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but with greater scenic splendor. Wow.

The rock formations were sensational!

        When I reached Ranchester I had no choice but to get on I 90. A quick ride brought me to Sheridan, my destination for the night. Tomorrow I am going to take a circuitous route to Casper WY. I plan to take a number of “back” roads and explore Wyoming a little. Should be a very nice day.

Another view from the way up. I just wish I was better at photography. 

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…’

                                                                     SUMMER TRIP 2023

I had to stop and take this picture of the amazing mountains off to my left. 

        Today I decided to take a ride to White Sulphur Springs and have lunch. My route would be MT 86 out of Bozeman to MT  89 up to White Sulphur Springs. I thought there was a good chance of some mountainous scenery. I was right.

Mountains off in the distance along MT 86.

        When I looked at MT 86 on the map I thought it might be interesting. What I found was that MT 86 was a really good motorcycle road. Some nice curves at times, elevations, some 25 mph curves, and it demanded you pay attention. When I hit MT 89 it was more wide open with a speed limit of 70. Rolling, grass covered hills on either side of  the road with the ever present mountains on the horizon.

The Branding Iron Cafe in White Sulphur Springs Montana.

        Reaching White Sulphur Springs I located the restaurant I had read about. The Branding Iron Cafe was obviously the place where the locals eat. The food was good not pretentious. You could tell by watching the interaction of the servers with the customers they all knew each other. It had a real genuine feel.

The popular place for breakfast or lunch.

        It had been about a 90 mile ride there from Bozeman, so I expected to make it back without filling up. Going in the opposite direction provided a different perspective than I had had on the way up. As usual the run back seemed faster. Back on MT 86 I looked forward to the curvey section and enjoyed it greatly. 

Another beautiful view of the mountains. There are no pictures of the curved 

section because I was too busy riding and enjoying the section to stop and take pictures!

        After I got back to the motel I was out by my bike when a friendly guy walked up. We started having a motorcycle conversation and soon his brother showed up. They were from Alberta Canad and out touring together on their BMW’s. We ended up going out to dinner together and planned a ride for tomorrow. 

My two new friends. 

Sign from inside the Branding Iron Cafe. 

“…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                            SUMMER TRIP 2023

Montana is amazing. The contrast in geographic features is wonderful.

        Today did not go as planned…the tires on the bike have reached the point where they have to be replaced. No Honda dealer in the state ( 8? ) had both the front and rear tire. I had to ride 200 miles one way to get a rear tire from a dealer in Great Falls MT ( really nice guys! ) so that the dealer in Bozeman can mount the front tire he has and the rear I picked up today on the bike Friday morning. 

Just a sample of the various types of geographic features in Montana.

        The ride to Great Falls would be I 90 west to US 287 north to I 15 north to Great falls. Once I got off of I 90 ( 30 miles west of Bozeman ) there was very little traffic. This was a nice ride through amazing scenery to I 15. When I reached Great Falls I found an Air Force base there, resulting in an impressive city. The people at Sports City Cyclery, the Honda dealer there, were great. They had my tire ready to go and offered to help any they could if I needed them. Nice guys.        

Part of the view at the scenic stop off of I 15.

        If you have been observant  you can see my new rear tire on the back seat of the bike. Using bungee cords I secured the tire to my bike. The whole way back I checked to be sure the tire was secure. I stopped twice on the trip back I stopped twice, once at a scenic overlook and once at a historical marker. My mediocre  attempts to show you some of the diversity of the landscape simply don’t do it justice. It is a beautiful state.

 

Interesting story of the impact of the discovery of gold on this area.

 “…it’ about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                            SUMMER TRIP 2023

Today’s ride on the Beartooth Highway. That is NOT styrofoam 

in the background. Isn’t it August?

        The plan today was to ride US 212 west to the Beartooth Highway, then into Yellowstone, and then on to Bozeman. I did get this done. The problem was that it took so much time to ride the Beartooth and go through Yellowstone that I had to hustle to make it to my motel in Bozeman before 6pm.

Overlook on the Beartooth Highway.

        

        It was around 100 miles from Billings to the Beartooth Highway. I rode west on US 212 from Billings and topped up with gas before riding up to Beartooth Pass. As you ride up towards Beartooth Pass there are probably around 20 turns that are 20mph turns, essentially 180 degree turns. This is not like the Blue Ridge Parkway where you can ride along at a pace…and that’s OK. The scenery is spectacular. You need to focus on riding the bike, you can see incredible views of the mountains as you climb up. There are a number of places to pull over to enjoy the view. That is where you can take in the majesty. Of course there is a place where you can pull over at Beartooth Pass to take pictures. Then you start the ride down.

I am simply not good enough to do the scenery justice. You have to go see for yourself.

        While the ride up is challenging the road surface is great. This is not true on the way down. There is a sign declaring you are leaving Montana, and I guess the road goes into Wyoming. One thing that is clear the road can be rough. The scenery is still spectacular but the road could be rough at times. There are also fewer 20mph curves on the way down. 

The view of mountains, high mountains, that are off in the distance is awe inspiring.

        The road leads you to the town of Silver Gate just outside of Yellowstone National Park. Then you must pay a fee ( thank goodness for my Lifetime Senior Pass ) to pass into the park. When I got into the park I noticed a strong pine smell from the thick pine forest you pass through. Then I rode into the Lamar Valley. Beautiful. You are surrounded by mountains in this wide valley. There some “obstacles” you need to be aware of…buffalo. They roam freely in the park, but here, the the wide expanse of grass to feed on, they are all around you. Traffic moves very slowly, sometimes not at all, as you pass the huge beasts. This can be concerning when you are on a motorcycle. There were a number of times they were just acoss the road on the opposite shoulder, or on the shoulder on my side of the road. Park instructions are to keep you distance from the animals in the park. They are wild animals and can be dangerous if provoked. What provokes a buffalo? The sound of a motorcycle engine or exhaust? The sight of humans on sitting some contraption just 5 feet away? Who knows? 

The Lamar Valley within Yellowstone National Park.

        Let me be clear about this. I did not pull out my phone to take pictures of the buffalo. They are huge, and what kept occurring to me was what would happen if one of these animals “inadvertently” bumped into my bike. I kept both hands on the handlebars and focused on riding the bike. Due to the amount of vehicles in the park, and the number of buffalo this resulted in moving along at 5 to 7 mph for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Sometimes you would come to a complete stop and start moving in 5 seconds. Very challenging on a bike with a clutch. By the time I got out of the Lamar Valley my left hand was aching! 

The Lamar Valley looking west. The buffalo were just up ahead.

        Due to the traffic and the pace the ride through this part of Yellowstone was not fun. LOTS of fellow tourists. At Tower-Roosevelt I chose to make a right and ride towards Mammoth Hot Springs. Here there were LOADS of people, and vehicles. I made a left making my way towards Norris, and the west entrance to the park. The ride here was more fun, higher with some curves and elevation changes.Once past Norris traffic thinned out and the ride was better. When you pass out that entrance you ride directly into the town of West Yellowstone, where I gassed up. From there it was around 90 miles up US 191 to Bozeman and my motel. On the way I gassed up and got a sub for dinner. When I got to the motel I carried my to the front desk, registered, and then on to my room. I did not leave my room again until 6 am the next morning.

The park service map of Yellowstone. Look at the mileage between places

The park is huge! 

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                                SUMMER TRIP 2023

On the road by 8am I reached the border by 9am.

               Todays goal was Billings MT. The land consisted once again of rolling hills. Something I didn’t mention before is that Sturgis is going on now. Lots of Harley’s! The majority of them were going towards Sturgis while I was heading away from it. There were some who were out for a ride and going in my direction. When I stopped to take the picture at the Montana border two guys stopped and offered to take my picture in front of the sign. Not wanting to ruin a perfectly good picture I declined. They were impressed that I had ridden all the way from Delaware. Nice guys.

While there was some traffic on the route I chose it was never heavy.

    The route took me across the north east tip of Wyoming. In South Dakota the speed limit on the interstate was 80 ( I found that the cruise control on the Goldwing would not set above 77! ). I found out later this was also true in Montana. This meant that there were many drivers going 85 or 90 mph! I was just about the slowest thing on the road. 

In the background you can see some of the rolling hills I talk about.

        I stopped for gas in Broadus MT and then as I continued to ride west I came across a little roadside table. I pulled in and read for a while, watching a rancher ride around his domain now and then. Back on the road I decided to stop in Ashland MT for lunch. There were no restaurants in Ashland MT. So I stopped at a convenience store and had some chicken strips for lunch. As I ate I noticed a sign stating that the store was tribal owned. The last Native Americans known as “Plains Indians” had been in this part of Montana in the 1860s and 1870s. More about this later.

You have to look closely but in the background you can see the monument. 

Look closely and you can see the small white markers that show where each one of Custer’s men fell.

        As I got closer to Billings I saw a sign for a visitor center for Custer’s Last Stand. I went inside the visitor’s center I looked at a number of interesting displays, saw a short film, and rode up the monument for this historical event. The remains of Custer and his men are under the monument. As you can see in the picture above there are a number of white markers showing where each of Custer’s men fell. Quite a sobering visit.

At the monument site thunderstorm could be seen in the distance.

        With threatening weather in the area I decided it would be best to get to Billings and into my motel. It took around 35 minutes to get to Billings, and to my motel. I just didn’t want to get caught in a thunderstorm. Into the Days Inn, settled into my room. Later out to dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. I managed to get dinner, and get back to the motel before the rain came. Tomorrow US 212 to Yellowstone on the Beartooth Highway. Can’t wait!

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                                  Summer Trip 2023

Now you have some idea of the weather I rode inn ALL DAY!

     The fourth day of the trip proved to be the most difficult. I only rode about 340 miles, but hit rain by     9 am. The rain would be heavy at times, really reducing visibility down to yards. There was fog at times, and windy conditions. Very challenging riding conditions. 

As I rode across South Dakota I went through this town. 

For a minute I thought I had made a wrong turn!

        The route today was simple. Ride US 212 across South Dakota from Watertown SD to Belle   Fourche SD. The route was not the challenge, the weather was. Hour after riding through rain, heavy at times, and the Gold Wing did not miss a beat. I stopped for lunch at Eagle Butte SD, eager to get out of the rain for a while. Just west of there I came to a sign that said pavement ends. No…this can’t be right! Right away I had to brake hard. The road turned into mud with many pot holes for about 2 miles. Not fun on a big bike, in the rain…obviously very slippery conditions. 

Not many pictures today. It was simply too wet to stop for photos!

        By the time ( 11:00 ) I stopped for lunch I had ridden a little over 200 miles. I had about 140 miles to go. This should have taken 2 1/2 hours or so. It ended up taking just about that. I got to the motel around      3 pm. When I ride in these type of conditions I ride “gently.” No sudden braking or turning. Easy on the throttle, leave plenty of room from me to vehicles in front of me. I reduced speed, looked over the windshield, not through it. By riding gently I got to my chosen destination. The weather is supposed to break tomorrow. Around 260 miles to Billings MT. Plenty of time to “smell the roses.” After today I’m looking forward to it!

        

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                        SUMMER TRIP 2023

Another day riding in the heartland of America.

       The third day on the trip was planned to be the third 500 mile day in a row. I do this so that I can “get out there” away from population centers. My goal was to make it to Watertown SD where I had already reserved a room. The route I chose was IA 3 west until it met SD 75 north. Then north on SD 75 until it ran into US 212 west. Then US 212 west to Watertown SD. As I look at it now this was overly optimistic.

IA 3 west. Notice how much traffic there is!

        The day started out fine. The bike was, of course, running great. The thing about a Goldwing you simply get on the road, set the cruise control, play the music you prefer and enjoy. The bike is EXTREMELY comfortable. Miles simply melt away. However….when you’ve got 500 miles to do you really have to spend part of the day rolling at 70 mph or above. Clearly the route I chose ignored this! 

I simply HAD to take a picture of this sign. I wonder if the “old GRUMP” is a distant relative?

        The ride was really good out of Dubuque. IA 3 west is a very nice road, and the land consists of rolling land with some curves thrown in for fun. As the day went on the roads became straighter, but generally remained hilly for most of the day. 

LOTS of windmills as you ride across Iowa.

        I stopped for lunch in Cherokee IA. As I looked at the day I had only covered 200 miles. This may sound like a lot, but my preference is to get 300 miles in by lunch ( by riding on interstates ). This way when it is hottest, and you get tired, you are much further than 1/2 way. Looking at a map I decided to get up to I 90, take that west to Sioux City where I would pick up I 29 north to Watertown SD. Simple. 

This is in southern Minnesota. Looks a lot like what I rode through yesterday.

        I decide to use GPS. It makes the ride easier. I got to I 90, took it west and was making good time. THEN…the GPS told me to get off  I 90 to save time. Should I listen or not? I decided to follow the GPS, so I got off I 90. BIG mistake. The next several  hours saw me wander around norther Iowa, and southern Minnesota. Ultimately the GPS simply stopped navigating, leaving me in the “middle of nowhere.” In this area it may be 24 or 30 miles between towns, and gas stations. This could be a problem.

I had to take this picture to show there are indeed people “in the middle of nowhere.”

        Ultimately I simply stopped, look at a map, and came up with a route that would get me to I 29 and then on up to Watertown SD. Simply to make things more complicated it was clear there were rain showers in the area. I did ride on some wet roads, there were times that there were raindrops on the windshield, wet roads, and cooler air. In the end I was lucky. I could see showers around me but, with the protection of the large windshield of the Goldwing, I never got wet. I got to the hotel an hour later than I should have, but no harm done. Tomorrow starts the fun part of the trip. Only 360 miles to do. I will have over 1/2 done by lunch, will be able to stop several times and simply enjoy the day. Looking forward to it.