Denver Passport & High Country Ride

July 31, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- Monsoon season is upon us in Colorado. This seasonal flow brings moisture up from the Gulf and dumps it on us. The forecast is for rain and more rain in the coming days. The result is usually flash flooding, rock slides and mud slides. We've been putting off riding to a couple of dealerships on the east side of Denver to get our passports stamped... don't know why. I think it is probably because there are so many other places we'd rather ride than busy metropolitan Denver on a rare Saturday off. So, today was the day we chose to get that done. Then we hoped to get at least a Mount Evans ride in, maybe more.

We had emailed David the day before, but had not heard from him so we decided to ride by his house just in case he got the message. He did not. After waiting for a few minutes to see if he heard us ride up, we reluctantly gave him a call. Working on night shift, we don't appreciate early wake up calls and we don't like to make them. He didn't hear us because set up crews for an upcoming festival were unloading equipment in the sculpture park across the street from his house. Tim says: Hey David - you up? Want to ride? OK. We're in front of your house. Poor guy. What normal person wouldn't still be in the sack at 7:30 Saturday morning? Actually, David usually beats us up. No matter, he was dressed and ready to ride in a matter of minutes.

We took the stay-off-the-interstate as much as possible route into the east side of Denver, locating both dealerships without too much trouble. We had breakfast at an IHOP in between the two. After refueling, we rode C470 along the foothills, turning west on Hwy 74 to ride through Bear Creek Canyon and the small towns of Morrison, Idledale, Kittredge and Evergreen. Motorcycles were everywhere on the road and lining the curbs near the eateries of all the small towns. As usual there were elk roaming the streets and parking lots of shopping centers in Evergreen. Just north of Evergreen is Hwy 66 west, otherwise known as Squaw Pass Road. This road eventually turns into Hwy 103 which goes up and around Mount Evans. At Echo Lake Park and Visitor Center Hwy 5 (there's a fee) will take you up to the top of this massive mountain. The elevation at the summit of Mount Evans is 14,264. This 14 mile drive is the highest paved road in America. We were not planning a trip to the top today.

As we began the ride up I thought I should have insisted a ways back that we slip into our jackets. Clouds were building as we rode along. They were towering and dark. By the time we reached Juniper Pass where Tim and I usually stop it was cold enough to make all three of us hop off and drag out jackets first thing. Juniper Pass is a picnic area that sits at an elevation of about 11,000 feet. Tim and I have shared many a grocery store chicken with each other and assorted critters since we first stopped there in the Summer of 1998. A short stroll down a wooded path leads to an overlook built into the side of a cliff which looks out upon Mount Evans to the west and an amazing valley to the southeast. Mount Evans was shrouded in clouds today and thunder rumbled through the valley.


Squaw Pass Road - Mount Evans, CO near 11,000 elevation

We knew Echo Lake was a short ride a bit further west. So, we opted to see if we could make that point without getting wet before deciding whether to ride on or turn back and choose another route home. The Visitor Center was busy and we could see the glint of several cars on the Mount Evans Road heading up into the clouds. We rolled up beside the lake and took a few minutes to snap pictures. The clouds looked to be lifting and patches of blue sky appeared like celestial puddles in the sky. There wasn't much of a discussion about it, we decided to ride on. Hwy 103 goes down, down, down from Echo Lake. As the road makes a turn north just past the lake it is known as Chicago Creek Road.

Reaching Idaho Springs we grinned because skies had cleared and the day had warmed. We decided to ride a couple of miles on I-70 and connect with the Central City Parkway and ride 8 miles into the gambling towns of Central City/Blackhawk. We stopped up on the parkway for another quick photo op at the point where it looks down on I-70. In Blackhawk we had to make a choice, ride down the canyon into Golden and home or ride up the peak-to-peak highway and home. Either way is a great ride. Naturally, we chose up.

Heading north on Hwy 119, we rode the peak-to peak highway to Nederland where we stopped, as is our custom, to have a cookie/snack and drinks at the New Moon Bakery. We were lucky today -- they even had Jackpot cookies, my favorite. After our refreshment break we followed Hwy 72 until we reached the junction with Hwy 7 riding along at the top of the world under partly cloudy skies. At the junction, the clouds did not look good toward Estes Park. Here again, there is no such thing as a bad choice. Either way is going to be a nice ride. We chose to ride down Hwy 7 via the South Saint Vrain Canyon Road into Lyons where we stopped for a stretch in the park. The traffic was stacked bumper to bumper coming down into Lyons via North Saint Vrain Canyon Road out of Estes Park so we felt fortunate our drive down did not look like that.

It was time to call it a day. Sort of. We wandered our way home angling across on country lanes rather than the main highways. David peeled off a couple of blocks from home in Loveland and we continued on to Fort Collins.

Mount Evans - Juniper Pass Lookout -- You hear that thunder? Yeah. We might get wet. Yeah. You ready to ride on? Yeah. Ha!

Today's ride was 285 miles. We managed to stay dry despite the rumbling threat of clouds we ran under. Some of the miles we covered today were a first for David. It was great to ride with him and show him our favorite roads and places. It's hard to describe the ride as a whole... mountains, valleys, rivers, incredible skies -- you have to take it in curve by curve. We rolled out of the drive at 7:30 this morning and rolled back in the drive at 7:15 this evening... that's a long day to some - we enjoyed every minute of it.

Here is a slide show of today's high country ride (105 photos):

Riding with Respect for Navy Veteran

July 28, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- Mission: Robert F. Ezzel, a U.S. Navy and Korean War Veteran. This one turned out to be rather soggy.

Here is a slide show of Dad and his buddies doing what they do so well:

Photos compliments of John "Snapshot" Bailey. Thanks again -J-. Details about this mission can be found on John's blog, North Texas Bikers IV.

Road Trip #2 2010 Recap

July 28, 2010
Colorado, USA

Flaming Gorge Utah

Just back from Road Trip #2 (July 20, 2010)... 2438 miles through five states in six days. Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana. Lots of photos... stay tuned...

I'll list the links to the posts below as soon as I get them done.

Road Trip #2, Day 1 - Flaming Gorge - Colorado/Wyoming/Utah

Road Trip #2, Day 2 - Bear Lake, Logan Canyon - Wyoming/Utah/Idaho

Road Trip #2, Day 3 - Sacajawea Scenic Byway, Salmon River, Lost Trail Pass - Idaho/Wyoming

Road Trip #2, Day 4 - Flathead Lake, Glacier National Park - Montana

Road Trip #2, Day 5 - Birthday Ride South from Choteau to Helena to Billings - Montana

Road Trip #2, Day 6 - First Custer National Cemetery, Little Bighorn Battlefield and Rippin' it on Home

This concludes the links to Road Trip #2 2010 posts.

Sunday Passport Ride

July 25, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- Thinking we have recovered from Road Trip #2 we thought today might be a good day to ride close in, maybe get our passport stamped in Greeley. It was near noon I guess when we called David to see if he wanted to ride along. He said he had just pulled in from a morning ride and had already been to Greeley last week, but he was game to ride again.

As we rolled past and then back to David's house, friends Raul and Vicky drove up. They had some computer business with David. We all chatted for a few minutes before they were on their way and we were on our way. Since David had already been to the Greeley dealership, he lead the way.

David knows the way

It didn't take long to get there. Greeley is about eleven miles or so from Loveland. We prowled around in the dealership for a little while. David found a new helmet. In the parking lot were some nice custom rides but we zoned in on a Marilyn Monroe themed ride.

Marilyn Monroe Bike

Tim checking out Marilyn

Nice ride

We were thinking about a late lunch. David said he had a hankering for a steak and Tim wasn't about to argue with that idea, so we rode a few blocks to a Texas Roadhouse and had a nice meal. They had fried pickles - yum!

Afterwards, we asked David to ride us by his new house... he has a contract in on a new build near the small town of Johnstown. It's a lovely place and he's going to have lots of room for himself - and hopefully his friends - wink-wink.

Right on cue, late afternoon storms were building over the mountains. We called it a day and rolled toward home. We rode David home and then took the long way around the lakes. About the time we had settled in with a second beer, the rain came down. We're calling that good timing.

Storm rolling in over the tooth

Beating the heat in Texas breakfast ride

July 24, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- Mom reported this morning that Dad and friends (Laura and Tex) left out about 6:45 this morning for breakfast at the Green Frog in Jacksboro, TX. You have to ride out early at this time of year in Texas to beat the heat of the day. Later, they decided to take the long way back through Graham, Olney and Archer City, where it's a sure bet Dad will stop for ice cream. Eventually they plan to ride back to Red River Harley-Davidson.

This is the first long ride for Laura and Tex on their beautiful new (new to them) red and gray H-D Ultra Classic. Watch that stop at the Harley dealership guys - that sucking sensation you feel as you walk through the door is aimed at your wallet! Ha!

Congrats on the new ride - it's a beauty!


In the meantime, we have gray, unsettled skies in northern Colorado today and Tim is at work. So, I am editing photos from Road Trip #2 - should have a post up soon.

Road Trip #2, Day 6 - Custer First then Rippin' it Home Ride - Montana/Wyoming/Colorado

July 20, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- We were up early in Billings this morning, knowing we had a long ride ahead of us today. Thanks to Mother Nature, we didn't get as far down the road yesterday as we planned, but we were not worried about it - the last day of vacation is still vacation and we intended to enjoy our ride out of Montana and across Wyoming.

The day was a bit gray out the window but we thought those were just morning clouds as we walked down the hall to the breakfast room in our hotel. The Days Inn offered some hot food on their continental breakfast bar. Biscuits and gravy works for me any ol' time. We lingered over a couple of cups coffee and engaged in the usual motel morning chit-chat, answering tourist curiosity about where we had been and where we were headed on the Harley. When we arrived back in the room to finish packing, a glance out the window showed moisture on the ground and the cars in the parking lot. Maybe it was a light shower, maybe it was a heavy dew, maybe it was fog slime (condensation) - who knows? Anyway, it was damp and chilly riding out just after 7 am.

A few miles out on I-90 south, we noticed a sign that said Little Bighorn Battlefield. Since this was not the road we had originally planned to ride in this area, we had not noticed that this bit of history was on our route. Let's stop and check it out! OK!

We paid our $10 entry fee and rolled in, found a spot to park The Ride and shed our leather jackets. I wasn't prepared to see a National Cemetery at the battleground. We took a moment to take it all in... white markers spread out before us, some of them obviously very old. In the distance was the monument at the summit of Last Stand Hill.

The first thing we encountered as we began our stroll through the cemetery just about ruined Tim's morning. We disturbed a little snake (just over a foot long) sunning on the walk. Tim has this thing about snakes - he believes anything that slithers should be dispatched immediately - that means make it dead and quick. The only good snake is a dead snake was his reply to my comment I think it is just a regular ol' itty-bitty bull snake. It is a good thing there wasn't a hoe handy. He cautioned me not to get too close to it... so of course I had to get a couple of good pics... ha!


Custer National Cemetery

The Custer National Cemetery was established in 1879 to protect the graves of the Seventh Cavalrymen who fell in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. In 1886, President Grover Cleveland set aside more land and over the next decade the remains of soldiers and other military personnel were moved from various abandoned forts in Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas. Wives and children of military personnel are buried here, many of them dying of disease or in some accident at isolated frontier posts. The graves of many Indian scouts are here, too. Other sections of the cemetery contain the remains of veterans from other conflicts from the Spanish American War to World War I & II to the Korean War and Vietnam. The Stone Lodge near the entrance to the cemetery was built in 1893 as a home for the superintendent.

One of the legends of the battlefield: The first flag pole was erected in 1896. It was wooden. The Indians (this is Crow territory) called the superintendent the ghost herder. They believed that the soldiers rose from the grave every evening when the flag was lowered and returned to their graves when the flag was raised in the morning. The steel pole was erected in the early 1900s after lightning destroyed the original.

The cemetery is amazing to stroll through. There are nearly 5000 burials and the cemetery is officially closed (except for spaces reserved for spouses of the deceased). Just reading the names and dates is a lesson in history and humility - so many who gave their lives in service to this country. Many graves were marked with flags or plaques for those who earned the medal of honor.

Strolling up to the monument erected on Last Stand Hill, we noticed the markers. Markers are placed throughout the battlefield area where it is known a soldier or Indian fell. Custer's marker has a black face so that it stands out among the others. We noticed at least two other markers in this area with the name Custer. The Last Stand markers are fenced in below the monument. Others are scattered throughout the many acres in fields and along ravines and ridges. Some of the Indian Markers are of red stone.

The remains of about 220 soldiers, scouts and civilians that were originally buried where they fell were gathered up and buried at the base of the monument. Officers remains were moved to various cemeteries across the country. Custer's remains are buried at West Point. Nearby a marker designates an area where the remains of all the horses from the Seventh Calvary are buried. Signs are posted along the pathways with information about the significance of that particular location in the battleground. After investigating the area close to the monument and studying the plaques in the nearby Indian Memorial we spent some time in the museum looking at a very nice collection of artifacts. Before leaving the battleground, we cruised the five mile road that winds through the battlefield which is larger than you might expect.

OK - moving along now - hope I didn't bore you with the history lesson... but we found it all really interesting.

Tim - Little Bighorn Battlefield, MT

Vik - Little Bighorn Battlefield, MT

Back on the road again traveling I-90 south it wasn't long before we crossed the state line into Wyoming. We enjoyed a view on our right (west) of the Cloud Peak Wilderness area. Cloud Peak (elev 13,187) is in the Bighorn Mountains.

We stopped for gas and lunch in Sheridan, WY. Lunch was at the Country Kitchen Restaurant just off the interstate, not our first choice but the street leading to the downtown area of Sheridan was completely tore out... so we passed on looking for something more interesting. Several other bikers apparently decided the same thing.

The landscape in this part of Wyoming (between Buffalo and Casper) varies between wide open grasslands to sudden rock outcroppings and shallow canyons. It is rugged and wild and sparsely populated. We had shed our leathers at the battleground. The day had grown hot and bright and windy. Wind is a fact of life in Wyoming. By the time we rolled into Casper, we were hot, wind-burned and thirsty. We stopped for gas and water, but not for long. As we rolled east on I-25 (the number changes as the road splits just north of Buffalo) we noted with interest some of the changes, mainly new restaurants and stores that have sprung up since we moved from Casper in 2005. We live there for 2 and a half years - don't ever do that - ha!.

The landscape doesn't change between Casper and Cheyenne. Still rugged. The mountain range viewed far in the distance along this stretch is known as the Laramie Mountains. This area is a bit more populated, but the farm/ranch towns are not large. I-25 passes beside Glendo Reservoir which has more water in it that we've ever seen. We thought about taking a long and lonely road due south out of Casper into Laramie but it appeared the valley we would travel through along that route was getting some nasty weather and there is barely a sign of civilization along the way, so we stayed on the interstate. We stopped twice just before Wheatland, once at a rest stop for obvious reasons, next at a truck stop that houses an A&W Root beer. I called the folks to let them know we were getting close to home, so far so good. We had an ice cream cone and a root beer. In the short time it took to make this stop, a nasty little cloud had developed. We stopped for gas in Wheatland and got the heck out of there.

We should have put our jackets on at the last stop because as we rode along it got colder and colder. At Chugwater, it turned cold. The winds were still howling. We finally wussed out as we rode into Cheyenne and stopped to put on our jackets and chaps. So far we had managed to miss the rain by riding in the gap between clouds, although we rode on wet roads for a few miles.

From Cheyenne, it is 37 miles to Fort Collins. We made the rest of the ride in good time, arriving just after 8 pm, as the sun was sinking. Road Trip #2 2010 had come to an end. We rode 538 miles today.

Road Trip #2 stats: Six days, Five States, 2438 miles and smiles.

Of course, there are lots of pics from today although the Wyoming part of the trip is not as well documented because of the wind...

Slide show of today's ride, Custer National Cemetery and Little Big Horn Battlefield (120 photos):

Indian Memorial Plaques and Museum (30 photos):

Road Trip #2, Day 5 - Birthday Ride South, Choteau, Helena, Bozeman, Billings - Montana

July 19, 2010
Colorado, USA

Billings, MT -- Happy Birthday Tim! What a great night's rest in The Bella Vista Motel of small town Choteau, MT! Before rolling out about 7:30 this morning Tim took the opportunity to open his cards from myself, Stormy (daughter) and family, and the Folks. He was much pleased with the cash and a Harley gift card found inside the cards.

Once again we rode out in full leathers as the morning was quite brisk. We by-passed the convenience store in town hoping to find a cafe somewhere down the road for coffee and a birthday breakfast. Traveling Hwy 287 south toward Helena, we did not find a single cafe open for business. The small town of Augusta looked promising, but other than a couple of mule teams hooked to buckboard wagons on the side of the road, we saw no other signs of life. What we found was wide open country bathed in bright morning sunlight and long, long, winding roads.

On the road as we neared Helena, we rode through the area called Gates of the Mountains, a canyon named by Lewis (of Lewis and Clark) for the illusion created by steep limestone cliffs that seem to open as you travel the Missouri River. Shortly after arriving in Helena, we found a JB's Restaurant. We haven't been in one of those in a good many years. The breakfast buffet suited the birthday boy, so it suited me as well. Later, we drove some of the downtown streets of Helena. I love the variety of turn of the century (last century) architecture. The courthouse is a classic example of Greek Renaissance design. The Cathedral of Saint Helen is a glorious example of Victorian Gothic architecture. Helena is a place I would like to visit again... and maybe take a walking tour or bus tour of the town which is rich (no pun intended) in gold mining and other western history.


Color Tim happy with a birthday breakfast buffet

Soon we were on Hwy 287 again traveling toward Bozeman, MT. The ride would take us through small farm and ranch communities situated in lush, green valleys with mountain ranges nothing but jagged purple shadows in the distance. Here are the headwaters of the Missouri River. At Three Forks we connected with I-90 east and covered the 30 miles or so to Bozeman in good time, stopping at the Yellowstone Harley-Davidson dealership in Belgrade for a rest and some birthday shopping.

An accident happened just in front of us on the I-90 stretch. I saw Tim's head jerk up as we approached a bridge construction area and was immediately on alert. A small SUV hit something (probably debris fallen from the bridge construction) in the road, smacked the retaining wall in the center of the highway hard and then backed across both lanes of traffic, rolled backwards down an embankment narrowly missing a piece of construction equipment before coming to a stop. People from a couple of vehicles immediately rushed to the aid of a child and grabbed the family dog who both vaulted from the vehicle... they were on the phone moments later calling for emergency help. We pulled off to the side of the road and waved a warning to the traffic coming over a rise behind us. As we eased back up on the road we saw a construction foreman headed down from the bridge. Scary.

We stopped for gas and continued east on I-90 toward Billings which was a pleasurable and scenic ride. We had planned to turn off the interstate at the small town of Laurel and head south into Wyoming to pick up Alt Hwy 14 and ride the Medicine Wheel Byway across to I-90 and end up in Sheridan or Buffalo, WY for the night. Mother Nature had other plans. As we neared the cut off the skies grew more troubled and then became blue black and ominous, forming a healthy wall cloud. We pulled off at a rest stop and broke out the rain gear for the first time this trip. We weren't the only ones. We tried to tune in the weather band radio for a forecast but there was no reception where we were sitting. As skies began to spit on us, we decided to make for Billings. Fortunately, we stayed mostly dry except for splash back and had missed the bulk of the rain cloud that deposited a good amount of rain on the road.

In Billings, we rode down motel alley and back as light rain began to fall, finally crossing the highway and settling on a Days Inn because the rude desk clerk at the Super 8 across the street refused to answer a simple question - do you have a room? - without entering all of our personal information. Hmmm... first time we have encountered that and it cost them our business. The desk clerk at the Days Inn was very nice and knew immediately we would want a ground floor room facing on the parking lot where we could keep an eye on The Ride. We very much enjoyed our stay there.

Billings was alive with motorcycles. We remembered from conversations with bikers during our trip that they were all converging on Billings for the International Convention of the Blue Knights (July 18-23). I am thinking we are lucky we found a room at all.

Later, I asked the desk clerk about possible eateries within walking distance. She referred us to an Irish Pub called Fiddlers Green Sports Bar and Grill a few blocks away on Southgate Dr. So, after Tim called the Folks and the daughter with thanks for his birthday cards, we cleaned up and cheering our good fortune because the skies had cleared somewhat, me and the birthday boy strolled the few blocks to the pub and ordered a couple of beers and onion rings. Later, Tim ordered a hamburger while I chose a BLT. Both of the sandwiches were monster-size and loaded. The portion of fries on the side was huge. We could have made a meal by sharing either one of our sandwiches. And both orders were cooked to perfection. We spent a couple of hours there, munching and smoothing out the day with a couple more beers. The atmosphere was friendly and comfortable. Our waitress was good-humored and efficient. Did I mention the food was excellent? This was not just a burger joint, the prime rib and steaks that passed by on the way to another table looked excellent. Get off the beaten path and ride away from chain restaurants when you visit Billings, MT and seek out Fiddler's Green - you will not be disappointed.

Birthday Beer - Cheers!

The clouds had dissipated by the time we strolled (waddled) back to our hotel. We covered The Ride and lounged around our room before calling it a night.

Today's ride was 364 miles. So far we have loved every mile we have traveled in Montana. Here is a slide show of today's ride (70 photos):

Happy Birthday Tim!

July 19, 2010
Colorado, USA



Making certain Tim has a Happy Birthday is fairly easy. Since this is day four of Road Trip #2 I reckon the Harley is doing most of the work... later!

Road Trip #2, Day 4 - Flathead Lake, Glacier National Park - Montana

July 18, 2010
Colorado, USA

Choteau, MT -- What a great day! We were up and ready to go early this morning. The continental breakfast at the hotel was so-so but we had enough to get us down the road a few miles. We were loaded and rolling at 7:30 am. It was chilly (in the 40s) starting out so we pulled on our leather jackets. We had clear blue and wide open skies. There’s a reason they call Montana “Big Sky Country”. We appreciated the jackets as we rolled through the shade of the hills and it wasn't too far out that we stopped and pulled on our chaps.

Rolling due north on Hwy 93, we soon found ourselves riding through the Flathead Indian Reservation and along the edge of the 18,000 acre National Bison Range. We rode under the Animal’s Bridge which I have heard about but had no idea it was on our route. Apparently, there are several of these bridges to be constructed in the near future, but most of them run under the road. The signs along the way were written in both English and Native American language. The road leveled out after a few miles flanked by what could only be described in my limited knowledge of the area as marshlands or wetlands and populated with an amazing variety of water fowl.

Our first stop was the small town of Ronan. Our so-so breakfast had worn off and the golden arches lured us off the road. While munching on our dollar menu sausage biscuits, we spoke with a man who lived in the community of Lakeside on Flathead Lake. He told us about the lake and then gave us some good information about Glacier National Park. A few miles up the road we rounded a bend and there it was – just like he said - this huge lake.

Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, supplied by the Flathead and Swan rivers. It is very impressive, being twenty eight miles long and about 15 miles wide at one part. Here are the other specs: 160 mile shoreline, 188 square miles of water, 300 feet deep. There’s a State Park located on the largest island in the lake called Wild Horse Island. It is framed by the Swan and Mission mountain ranges.

The small lakeside community of Polson (Poison Tim called it – yes, he needs to wear his bi-focals) sits on the southern end of Flathead Lake. As we entered town, we noticed vendor tents set up on one of the streets of town. They were having a Cherry Festival. Tim loves cherries and I know in his mind he was thinking a slice of cherry pie or a turnover or some other delicious pastry so we drove around until we found a shady spot to park The Ride not too far from the scene of the action or our line of sight. We strolled through various craft and other vendor tents, but other than a few freebies from the Army vendor and a $2 patriotic lapel pin made by a group of young local dance club members trying to fund a trip to Las Vegas, nothing looked like it needed to come home with us. You could buy a whole pie, but not a slice. We found home-canned jars of cherry jelly but no fresh cherries. Oh well! It was a nice stroll on a beautiful morning.

Before long we were on the road again, riding across The Armed Forces Memorial Bridge and along the western shore of the lake which is quite scenic. We stopped at one pull over to admire the view and for a photo-op. The mountains loomed ever larger in the distance. We rolled on through Kalispell and a few other small towns, agreeing that it will be worth a trip back just to explore the towns and some of the other roads. We stopped for gas before entering the park as we had no idea what was on the other side of the park or if anything would be open (since it was a Sunday). We knew on the other side was an Indian Reservation. We’ve ridden through Indian Reservations before on a weekend without much luck.

The entrance to the park was stacked up, but eventually we got to pay our $24. We asked about the roads since we had heard about construction from various sources. We were told a couple of short stretches were down to dirt but they were not too “bad” and there would be a couple of short construction delays but not too “long”.

The ride through Glacier National Park was in-a-word a -- blast. In two words then -- worth it. This is the park's centennial year. The road between West Glacier (west side entrance) and St Mary (the east side entrance) is 50 miles. It was built in the 1930s and the road itself is considered a national landmark. It is called the Going-to-the-Sun Road and is accurately described in the brochures as narrow, steep and winding. This road is closed in winter and has opened as late as July. Around every bend is another oh-my-gawd view. Even the same view changes because of difference in perspective, proximity and shifts in light.

Oh-My-Gawd View - Waterfall

Oh-My-Gawd View - Mountains and Glaciers

The first thing you spy upon entering the park along a thickly forested road is glacial Lake McDonald through the trees with a spectacular backdrop of rugged mountains. This is the largest lake in the park. It is 10 miles long, a mile wide and over 400 feet deep. Today, it was calm and serene, the reflection of the surrounding trees and mountains a landscape artist's dream. At the end of the drive along the edge of McDonald Lake is McDonald Falls. This was a stop for us. We were ready to get the jackets off, because the temperature had warmed to darn near perfect. It was also a photo-op because it was stunning.

McDonald Falls - Glacier National Park

McDonald Creek (looks more like a river) rushes alongside the road for about half of the trip. Heavens Peak (elev 8987) is the highest peak in the immediate area. It has perpetual snow. We crossed through two tunnels on the road I believe.

Water Fall alongside the road

The marvels seen along and from the road are too numerous to mention. From the road one can see many waterfalls, several of which are directly alongside the road not to mention the ones seen cascading into the wilderness valley far far below.

The 100 ft section known as the Weeping Wall, unlike other waterfalls in Glacier National Park, was not entirely put there by Mother Nature. The veins of water running through the rocks in the mountains, were natural, but man opened them up by blasting to build the road. When these veins and springs were exposed, the water poured out on to the road. This section of road was fun. We felt the mist as we rode by, but got lucky in that we were on the outside lane. As we were riding by, we heard a woman scream out because the man driving swung close enough to the wall to let a spray of cold water enter through the sun roof of their vehicle right on her head. I heard a laugh so hopefully she had a sense of humor.

The Weeping Wall - Glacier National Park

Another interesting sight along the way was a sort of bridge known as the The Triple Arches. This was built in the 1920's to direct the flow of water from a mountain gap. I learned later the original plan did not call for the Arches but rather a retaining wall. They look like some ancient aquaduct.

At Logan Pass (elev 6646) the road had climbed 3000 feet up from Lake McDonald. It is the highest point on this trip. There's a Visitor Center at the summit and this is where the road crosses the Continental Divide. A sign posted on the road said the Visitor Center parking was full so we rode on by.

Riding along the road the view is one spectacular vision of waterfall and mountain, forest and river after another and then you ride up on Saint Mary Lake. This is the second largest lake in the park (over nine miles long). At an elevation of over 4400 feet and at a depth of 300 feet, you can bet those waters will freeze your tootsies. Little Chief Mountain poses as a spectacular backdrop. On the east end of the lake is a tiny island known as Wild Goose Island.

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I have to share the romantic legend of the island here:

Wild Goose Island
A Montana Legend
as retold by S.E. Schlosser
Source: American Folklore.net

In the middle of St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park is a small island halfway between two shores. Many moons ago now, there were two tribes living on either side of the lake. While there was no direct warfare between them, the two tribes avoided one another and had no dealings one with the other.

All this changed one day when a handsome warrior on the near shore saw a lovely maiden from the other tribe swimming toward the small island in the middle of the lake. He was instantly smitten by her beauty and leapt into the lake to swim to the island himself. They met on the shore of the little islet, and the maiden was as taken with the warrior as he was with her. They talked for hours, and by the end of their conversation, they were betrothed. After extracting a promise from his beloved that she would faithfully meet him at the island on the morrow, the warrior swam home to his tribe, and she returned to hers.

Oh, what an uproar they met upon their return. Neither tribe was happy at their meeting, and all were determined to break the betrothal instantly. What to do? The man and the maiden had no doubts at all. In the wee hours of the morning, each swam out to the little island to meet one another -- from their to flee to a new land where they might marry. As soon as they were discovered missing, warriors from both tribes set out in pursuit, to bring the renegades back by whatever means available.

But the Great Spirit was watching, and took pity on the young lovers. He transformed them into geese, which mate for life, so they could fly away from their pursuers and so that they would always be together. When the warriors arrived on the island, the found not a man and a woman, but two lovely geese walking among the small trees and bracken. At the sight of the warriors, the two geese stroked their necks together lovingly and then flew away, never to return.
From that day to this, the little island at the center of St. Mary Lake has been known as Wild Goose Island.
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We did encounter road construction and 15 to 20 minute construction delays along the way. Those sections of road were down to dirt, rutted and washboarded with loose gravel and construction rubble to keep it interesting. Tim did an excellent job of keeping the shiny side up. Our biggest concern was staying back far enough to keep rocks from the vehicles in front us from damaging the windshield.

Saint Mary Lake - Glacier National Park

Once out of the park we found ourselves on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, still on Hwy 89. There was a large lodge/visitor center just outside the eastern entrance but it was packed with tourists so we opted to ride on and look for a place to stop a little further down the road. A few miles down the road we were rethinking that decision. About 20 miles later, we rode through the tiny town of Kiowa (nothing going on there or any of the other tiny towns along the way) and about another 12 miles on to Browning. We stopped at the only convenience store in Browning, but the convenience part of the store was closed. We stretched our legs for a few minutes. A passerby said there was a rest stop of sorts up the road a few more miles. We spoke with two women who stopped us to ask if we had been through the park that day. We gave them all the information we had, including road conditions. I mentioned that there were plenty of accomodations on the other side but I didn't know about vacancies. We thought it was a bit late to head over but twilight is long on the western slope. I'm betting they saw a spectacular sunset from a dozen different angles. They were on Harleys and had ridden from Sacramento CA to New York for a huge women's rally and were on their way home. Wow! That's some ride. I told them if they had ridden all those miles, a little rubble in the road in the park wasn't going to trouble them much.

Thinking it was about time to get on down the road and find a spot to park for the night, we continued south on lonely Hwy 89 toward Choteau, on and on and on meeting very few other vehicles and those were mostly motorcycles. We stopped along the way at an abandoned store pulloff. The sign across the road said US-Canadian border 38 miles. When we turned at Saint Mary we were within about 20 miles of the border. We did eventually find that rest stop of sorts which offered the convenience we were seeking, but I cannot tell you exactly where in the route it was exactly - it was somewhere after the abandoned store. This was an amazing stretch of road, straight for miles then twisting and turning for miles.

Rolling into the small town of Choteau, we were much relieved to see signs of civilization, amused to see dinosaur monuments everywhere and surprised to see a courthouse. As we rode by a small tourist court, we saw a couple on a white motorcycle we had seen throughout the day in the park and riding past us while we were stopped in Browning. We stopped for gas immediately and I called the Folks to check in and let them know how our day went. We rode the length of main street, looked at what motels (there were two more) and restaurants (there were three - one was closed) were available. I suggested we take a better look where we saw the other couple. We did and booked a room at the Bella Vista Motel. They had everything we could have needed including a truly non-smoking room with two beds, a ceiling fan, an a/c we did not need and WIFI. The rate was so reasonable we almost didn't believe it. The manager was pleasant and helpful. Our room/cabin was on the very end. It was clean, quaint and comfy. This would turn out to be our favorite overnight stay of the whole trip.

After checking in and dropping off our stuff, we traveled back down Main Street to the Log Cabin Cafe where we had a couple of great burgers and an appetizer called jo-jos (deep fried jalapeno slices). The other biker couple walked in about half an hour later and were shown to another dining area. On the way back to the room, Tim picked up some well-deserved beer and we strolled out to the shelter on the lawn where we sank into a couple of comfy lawn chairs and struck up a conversation with the biker we had seen check in just ahead of us. Soon we were joined by his wife and one of the locals who lived in the motel. Tom and Linda were the biker couple. They were from Seattle following her son who was racing on the late model circuit. He had raced in Kalispell the day before. We talked until after 10 pm and had a great time. A storm had built in the north and it looked as if we were going to get wet but the clouds suddenly dissipated and the remainder of the night was cool and clear.

Did I mention it was a great day? We rode 316 miles through some of the purtiest country we've ever seen... and that's saying something profound given that we live in Colorado with the Rockies right out our back door.

FYI: Mom told me she googled Choteau (pronounced Show-Toe) after I told her where we were staying for the night. She said the hisotry of the area was interesting so I did the same. This Montana town is named for French fur-trapper and explorer Pierre Chouteau, Jr. Choteau is near one of the most important paleontology sites in the world, Egg Mountain (bones of juvenile dinosaurs were discovered at this site in 1977). Fossil eggs and dug out earthen nests were found in the nearby Two Medicine Formation.

OK - settle in folks - this was a big day of almost non-stop picture taking...

From Missoula to Flathead Lake and thereabouts (40 photos):

Glacier National Park (137 photos):

Hwy 89 to Choteau, MT for the night (21 photos):

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Some outstanding pics and lots of detailed information about Glacier National Park and the surrounding mountains can be found here: The Summit Post.org

Road Trip #2, Day 3 - Sacajawea Scenic Byway, Salmon River - Idaho/Montana

July 17, 2010
Colorado, USA

Missoula, MT -- We rolled out of Great Falls about 8 am on day three of Road Trip #2 2010 heading north on Hwy 15. After listening to a local warn us about fires in "the desert" as he called it, I checked and approved one of our routes. We planned to ride the Sacajawea Scenic Byway (Hwy 28) from Sage Junction, ID to Salmon ID (136 miles) and then on to Missoula, MT today.

Stopping at Sage Junction Port of Entry Station for a cup of thermos coffee before heading out across "the desert", Tim asked about fire and smoke danger on our route. We were given the "all clear", the haze in the distance was residual smoke. I didn't realize until later how much the haze would affect the photos so part of the landscape shots have sort of a washed out fuzzy look to them. We heard the officers warn another person that Mud Lake was the last stop for fuel for a good many miles.

The first part of the road was lined on either side with either sage land or farm land (yep, those are potatoes, Tim). Mud Lake, from what we could tell is a farming community although we could see a large lake (Mud Lake) in the distance as we rode along. Over 8000 acres are designated as a wild life management area focused on waterfowl.

With the Bitterroot Mountain Range (Continental Divide) looming in the northeast and Flatiron Mountain (elev 11,019) looming to the southwest on either side of the road we traveled at a leisurely pace with very little traffic, loving every minute of it.

Part of our ride along Hwy 28 would take us across INL Industrial and Research Complexes land. From the web site: In operation since 1949, INL is a science-based, applied engineering national laboratory dedicated to supporting the U.S. Department of Energy's missions in nuclear and energy research, science, and national defense. I checked, we did not glow in the dark later so I guess we're OK.

The road stretched out before us with sage lands flanking both sides. There were few trees. Other than a couple of deer and a small herd of antelope, we did not see much wildlife. Once, we thought we spied an eagle perched on a distant fence post. The vegetation was beginning to dry out so the land laid out before us took on an amber hue. The mountain view changed constantly as we rode along. Occasionally, a farm would appear in a valley and a few head of cattle. In some places ATV trails snaked over the foothills.

This road winds through Sacajawea's homeland. Sacajawea (pronounced Saka-ja-wee-a), a Lemhi Shoshone woman born around 1788 lived in this area. Captured at the age of 12, by the Arikira Indians of North Dakota, Sacajawea would not see her home again until becoming part of explorers Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery in 1805.

When we reached a tiny spot in the road known as the town of Tendoy, we stopped in a pullover. Across the highway was the Tendoy Store and Post Office. We strolled across and entered the store looking for a cup of coffee and maybe a cookie. We found fresh coffee and packaged cookies. We were greeted by the 92 year old owner (sadly, her name escapes me). Behind the counter was a shelf loaded with photographs of her family. The store was established in 1947 by herself and her husband. She had been running the business for 62 years, over 20 years by herself since her husband died. Her son is the postmaster, but was currently in the hospital recovering from appendicitis, so she was on her own. We thanked her for her kindness and left her to her business. She warned us to ride careful. She said there was a moose that walked the road in front of the store every night and another moose had been reported further up the road the last couple of days.

Beside the store is a small tourist pull off with signage indicating the significance of the area. About eight miles from Tendoy, the American flag was unfurled for the first time west of the Rockies by Meriwether Lewis in 1805. Tendoy is named for a Shoshone Indian Chief.

The Lemhi River gurgled along beside the road as we continued our journey. We were nearing the town of Salmon. Between Tendoy and Salmon, we stopped again at the Sacajawea Interpretive Center. We strolled the outdoor area, admired the bronze statue of Sacajawea and snapped a few photos.

Our road (Hwy 93) would turn due north in Salmon. The day was warm. We stopped for fuel on the north end of town and since the fuel stop housed a small cafe, decided a root beer float would help cool us off. It did.

The road to Missoula would take us over Lost Trail Pass (elev 7014). It was a great ride, snaking alongside the Salmon River through the low rolling hills of the Salmon Challis National Forest. Access to the Lost Trail Powder Mountain Ski Area is near the Visitor Center, where we stopped once again. Now we were in the Bitterroot Mountains. Here's a bit of history - explorer Clark crossed Lost Trail Pass in a failed attempt to follow the Salmon River to the Columbia in early September, 1805. He and a Shoshone guide scouted ahead of the rest and discovered that reports of the Salmon's unsuitability were true. The twisting, deep river earned its name, "The River of No Return."

Salmon River aka River of No Return

Just as we traversed the border into Montana our road crossed the Continental Divide. We enjoyed the rest of the ride into Missoula passing through small towns like Darby which was crowded with vehicles and tourists gathering to celebrate Logger Days. I'd like to return to Darby. We passed by several logging outfits. Just past the town of Victor we encountered a couple of miles of unpaved road.

Riding into Missoula, we arrived at the wrong Super 8, but they changed our reservation from one location to the other without much of a fuss. Today was laundry day so we spent a little time hanging out waiting for our clothing to wash and dry. In the meantime, we called the Folks, grabbed showers and relaxed. Later we would walk across the street to a restaurant called The Montana Club. It is actually a restaurant, lounge and casino. We were in the mood for a burger but the menu is wide open. I ordered the Cajun Burger which was a blackened patty with roasted red pepper, cajun mayo and pepperjack cheese. YUM! I believe Tim ordered something like the All American Bacon Cheeseburger. We also ordered beer and sweet potato fries which came with the best damn dipping sauce we have ever tasted. They called it a Hawaiian Creme Sauce and it's a chef's secret. I bet - double yum! They should bottle the stuff because it is good enough to drink. There are several locations for The Montana Club in Missoula, Butte and Kalispell.

We traveled 320 miles today on roads we never thought we would travel, seeing new places and towns and rediscovering bits and pieces of America's great history.

Here is a slide show of today's ride (94 photos):

Road Trip #2, Day 2 - Bear Lake, Logan Canyon, Wyoming/Utah/Idaho

July 16, 2010
Colorado, USA

Idaho Falls, ID -- Riding west on I-80 out of Rock Springs, WY just before 9 am (yes, we were a little lazy this morning) we traveled the same 12 miles back through the tunnel near Green River, WY. We rode out under clear, blue skies in denim shirts. The day was already warm and we knew it was forecast to be a scorcher. We did not plan to travel the interstate long. Soon we veered off on Hwy 30 and traveled in a north westerly direction toward the town of Kemmerer, WY. The landscape and the road were wide open with enough contrast between irrigated farm valleys and rugged rock outcroppings to keep it interesting. We passed gas pipeline facilities and a huge mining operation.

Kemmerer, a charming little town, was our first stop. We rode the length of the main drag, then traveled back to a small, shady park at the Visitor Center, parked the ride across the street and hopped off for a stretch of the leg and some thermos coffee. We watched a crew unload picnic tables in the park. The town was gearing up for a music festival the next week. Kemmerer is named after the money man behind the Kemmerer Coal Company. Kemmerer is home to what was the world's largest open pit coal mine in the 1950s. This strip mining operation, now owned by Chevron still produces about 5 million tons annually. Kemmerer is also home to the mother store of J.C. Penneys, founded 1902. The store is still in operation. When you ride into town, you see a sign that says welcome to Kemmerer/Diamondville which peaked my curiosity. I knew about coal mining in Wyoming, but diamonds! As it turns out, Diamondville got its name from the quality of the superior-grade coal from the local mines that seemed to resemble black diamonds.

We continued on Hwy 30 into Utah. This stretch of road dumped us out at Bear Lake, a monster of a lake shared by Utah and Idaho. Bear Lake is 20 miles long, 8 miles wide with 45 miles of paved road around it. All along the part of the road we traveled which was only the southwest corner, people with picnic tents pitched on sand bars were staying cool in lake waters. Bear Lake is called the Caribbean of the Rockies because of the intense turquoise blue of the water (caused by limestone deposits). This area was home to the Shoshoni Indians and the location of numerous Indian/mountain man rendezvous in the 1800s. The lake has a stunning back drop of mountains.

We turned west on Hwy 89 and rode up and away from the lake, stopping at the Visitor Center for a photo op.


Bear Lake Utah

The Ride - Bear Lake Utah

Vik - Bear Lake Utah

Tim - Bear Lake Utah

Leaving the Visitor Center and continuing in a southwesterly direction, we entered the Cache National Forest and traveled Logan Canyon on a winding stretch of road (Hwy 89) through towering limestone walls and rock formations. This ride reminded of us the fun we had last year traveling Spearfish Canyon in South Dakota. The Logan River snakes through the canyon near the road. There are three dams on the river. Hwy 89 is busy with lake and camping traffic.

Logan Canyon is a designated scenic byway that begins at Garden City (near the lake) and runs 41 miles ending in Logan, UT which is nestled in the Cache Valley. As you round a turn descending on the city you can see the spires of a historic Mormon temple towering over the town.

By the time we reached Logan, we were hot and hungry. We must have arrived during the busiest time of day because traffic was stacked up in all directions, at every intersection. We spied an Arby's and decided this was our stop for a sandwich, fries and milk shakes. We spoke with a gentleman while we were cooling off who said we needed to stop at the H-D dealership in town to see the pearl white Ultra Limited on the showroom floor. He gave us directions, so when we headed out again and determined the dealership was on our way, we rode and stopped at Saddleback Harley-Davidson Shop on Main Street (Hwy 91). We did not see the pearl white Harley the man told us about. Maybe someone rode off on it. We browsed through this small dealership but soon we were headed due north on Hwy 91 looking for the Idaho border and I-15.

Just before reaching the town of Downey near I-15, we rolled by an area designated as Red Rock Pass. It didn't look like much of a pass to me but when I looked it up later I learned it is significant because it is the spillway of ancient Lake Bonneville. Traveling through Idaho is much as I expected, rolling farmlands, sprawling green farm valleys, little communities sprung up around grain elevators and long stretches of road. It was lovely and it was hot. The ambient temperature on the bike stayed between 100 and 103. Yikes!

We stopped in downtown Pocatello, ID to cool off and rehydrate. There, we chatted with a Harley guy who rode up on a scooter. He made sure we knew his other ride was a Harley. Ha! He asked where we were headed tomorrow. We told him the routes under consideration. He advised against both, said to check with authorities before riding across what he called "the desert" because of recent forest fires, winds and the heat. He said we were going to love Glacier National Park but advised that the road through it was under construction and a bit rough in a couple of spots. We thanked him for the info. We thought we might stay the night in Pocatello, but after looking at the map decided to end our day's journey about 50 miles further north in Idaho Falls, ID, once again rolling into a Super 8, parking The Ride right outside our window.

After settling in and calling the Folks, we made good use of the shower. Once we considered ourselves presentable, we strolled a few blocks north of the hotel to a restaurant called Jakers Bar & Grill in search of dinner and something cool and alcoholic, preferably during happy hour. As it turns out, this was a great choice. The house margarita was as good as the bar tender promised it would be. My Malibu Coconut Prawns (shrimp) served with an outstanding chili sauce were great. Tim had prime rib and the salad bar had an excellent variety (not the same old lettuce and tomatoes). We didn't make the first happy hour, but we stayed long enough to make the second happy hour. Ha! Our excellent waitress made sure that third margarita qualified. We talked to another biker sitting at the bar who asked where we were headed and once informed, told us we were going to have a great time no matter where we went in Montana.

Note: We met a nice couple in the parking lot of the motel just before we walked to dinner. Gene and Katrina were on their way to a Blue Knights Convention in Billings, MT. They were from Hurst, Texas and Gene knew at least one of the people (a retired policeman) we know in Wichita Falls. We chatted for a good while. They rode off in search of Mexican Food in Montana (we wished them luck with that). We exchanged cards before parting ways, thinking our paths may cross again someday.

Looking forward to riding into Montana, we took the advice of people we had spoken with about how hard accommodations could be to find during tourist season and booked a room at a Super 8 in Missoula. This was easy because I was packing the laptop this trip and the WIFI worked great.

Today, we traveled 335 miles says Tim and just in case you may be in doubt - we are having a great time!

Here's a slide show of today's ride (95 pics). Enjoy!