Road Trip #6 Day 4 - The road home

September 5, 2011
Colorado, USA

Today was get on home day. After saying our good-byes to our excellent host and hostess at the Greybull Motel and so long to the Vets that were stirring early, we rolled out of Greybull about 8:30 am. It was chilly but sunny. We took a back road called first the Greybull River Road and then the Lower Greybull Road (recommended by our host) to travel through the small town of Meteetsee where there is allegedly a small bar with good food. This was a pleasant drive following a river through farmlands. When we arrived at Meteetsee we were diverted around town because of a Labor Day Parade. We decided to ride on and seek breakfast a little further down the road.

We gassed up in Thermopolis and found breakfast at the Lil Wrangler Restaurant. It was a fairly long wait because one of the waitresses had up and quit that morning and the just-out-of-surgery-hostess and a boyfriend were filling in. We enjoyed our coffee which they kept coming and when the food finally arrived it was hot, plentiful and tasty. What more can you expect out of breakfast?

Riding the beautiful Wind River Canyon

By the time we walked out of the restaurant the chill was out of the air. We wisely decided to keep our jackets on until we reached the other end of the Wind River Canyon. What a great ride!

We remarked again about how the little town of Shoshoni had changed, being all but dried up. The dusty Main street looks like a ghost town with weeds growing in the cracks of what is left of the asphalt, doors hanging off hinges and windows with no glass. We wondered if the malt shop had set up house elsewhere in town.

Traveling on, we stopped at the rest area between Shoshoni and Casper and peeled out of long sleeves, happy to ride warm the rest of the day. It was a long haul to get home so we did not linger. We stopped for gas in Wheatland and indulged ourselves with pie and ice cream at the Wheatland Inn which just happens to sit next door to the Shell station.

For once the weather cooperated on our ride out of Wyoming. We expect the weather to change about Wheatland, for certain at Chugwater but today is was clear sailing under sunny skies all the way in. We had winds of course, but that's normal. It is Wyoming.

Terry Lake - just a few miles from home

We rolled in about 7 pm, unloaded The Ride, checked in with the Folks in Texas and the neighbors and found we had plenty of time to enjoy a beer and a Mikes on the patio. Yep, the grass needs mowing and the garden needs picking but that will all keep until tomorrow or the next day.

Todays ride = 470 miles. Total road trip = 1361 miles.
Total Ultra mileage = 28461 miles

Slide show of the ride home from Wyoming (48 photos)

This is the last road trip of 2011. As usual at the end of a summer, especially since we got a Harley - we are out of vacation and money. Ha! We have had some great rides this year, but now it is time to enjoy what we hope is a long Indian Summer nearer to home and when cold weather does settle in, we will spend that time planning next year's rides.

I shot video on all our road trips this year - stay tuned for the mini-movies - coming soon. :)

Road Trip #6 - Day 1 - North to Wyoming and Wind River Canyon

September 2, 2011
Colorado, USA

Greybull, WY -- This morning, about 8:30 am, we rolled north out from under some clouds hanging low and dark over the foothills. Tim pointed out the odometer was sitting at exactly 27,100 miles. Normally, we will roll south or west but there is rain in the New Mexico forecast, it is still too durn hot in Texas and Oklahoma and we just spent nine days riding in the Colorado's southwest corner. The Wyoming forecast is sunny and warm so, here we are sitting in a cozy little motel in Greybull, WY.

It was jacket weather riding out but we ran out from under the clouds not long after we crossed the Wyoming border. First stop was for fuel and breakfast in Wheatland, WY. We had a great breakfast at the Wheatland Inn (right next door to the Shell). When was the last time you had a breakfast special (2 eggs/bacon/hash browns/short stack) priced at $3.99? Add a couple (ok several) cups of rich, black coffee and color us fat and sassy and ready to ride on.

We stayed on I-25 through Casper, then travelled Hwy 26 the long, long, long, hot, hot, hot 100 miles across no-mans-land Wyoming to Shoshoni where we turned north on Hwy 20. It has been several years since we have been through these parts. We were surprised to see the deterioration of the small town of Shoshoni. We had planned on stopping at a historic malt shop that was once very popular, but the building where it was located is deserted. Rats!

The best part about turning north in central Wyoming is the ride through the Wind River Canyon. The canyon drive is about 35 miles or so and runs through the edge of the Wind River Indian Reservation and Boysen State Park skirting the edge of the Boysen Reservoir. The canyon walls loom over 2000 feet above the road. Interpretive signage all along the way points out the geology of the area, many of the rock formations from the Precambrian period (some of the oldest rock formations in the world). The road runs beside the Wind River until near the end of the canyon where we get the Wedding of the Rivers as it joins the Bighorn River.
Vik - Wind River Canyon, WY

Wind River Canyon Ride -2011

Thermopolis, WY is home to the world’s largest mineral hot springs. The state park is worth the stop, but we have seen it before and decided to ride on through this time. Upon arrival in Greybull, WY we cruised the main drag before rolling into the charming Greybull Motel where we have secured a nice room. I had read the reviews online about this motel and knew this was likely the place we would stay. The hosts are friendly. The walks in front of the rooms are lined with beautiful flowers. There are several sheltered picnic tables and lots of cozy spots to relax. The room is clean and neat. We have booked a couple more days here.

The owner of the motel recommended a restaurant within walking distance so we took a short stroll to Lisa's Western Cuisine and Spirits. We stepped in, but it seemed a bit stuffy inside so we chose a table on the patio and ordered a couple of Ultras. The food was a bit pricey, we thought. Tim says his steak was OK, but rather small and he liked the sauce. I ordered the special (chicken and pasta). The Young and somewhat snooty waitress said it was not a special it was a feature. La-tee-dah! The pasta was OK, the chicken - mostly rubber, so I have to agree with her -- there was certainly nothing "special" about my $18 "feature". Ha! The atmosphere was simply buzzing. I think Lisa's should invest in citronella candles or install something to move the air - flies were a nuisance.

After dinner, we strolled down the all but deserted streets of sleepy little Greybull, listened to a man broadcasting his own music across quiet main street from a swap shop (he was pretty good) and picked up some beer and snacks at a convenience store. We met a group of Vietnam Veterans staying at the same motel and talked over a couple of beers at a cozy table near our room about our ride tomorrow. The owner of the motel is a motorcycle rider... he recommended a ride to Cody, Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (both of these we already had in mind) and the Beartooth Scenic Byway.

Today's ride was 440 miles... looking forward to tomorrow... yawn!

Slide show of today's ride to Wyoming (76 photos):