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!