Saturday 22 August 2015

Yellowstone to Jackson Hole...Day 4

I was going to travel all the way to Idaho Falls today, but when I got into Jackson hole there where some vacancies in a few motels, so I decided to make a short day of it and stay.

The obligatory Old Faithful shot.


My GS in front of the Tetons.




Main street Jackson hole, and the Cowboy Bar. This is pretty much the motorcycle hangout and there are bikes all over this street. The food is decent and the drinks good. There is a park right across the street. Lots and lots of tourists and a nice place to sit and people watch.


I was sitting on the fence and doing some of that people watching, then these five young women from Hong Kong came up to me and all wanted their pictures taken with me. I have no idea why, maybe it is the Einstein thing I have going on. Anyway, after they all got their picture, I got one of them. Nice kids on a three month tour of the US. It looked like they where having a great time.


Friday 21 August 2015

A tour around Yellowstone, over the Beartooth Pass, down to Cody and back into the park...Day 3

I did a big loop into Yellowstone, the first pictures are from the start of the day.





 I went for the short ride up to the parking lot below Mt Washburn. A fellow traveler took this photo of me and my GS.

  

 Cody, Wyoming, which is just east of the park gate. It almost got wiped out by a fire several years ago. A great little town with wonderful people


Just below the top of Beartooth pass which is almost 11,000 ft high. The top of the road would be just above my helmet with is sitting right in the middle of my handlebars.


 At the top.


Looking back down to where my bike would have been parked before I started the final climb. A very twisty road, and one of those must ride/drive roads.



After you descend going east, you come to Red Lodge. I did not stay there for very long as my destination was Cody, to see where Buffalo Bill Cody use to hang out.

This on the road that connects Red Lodge to the hwy that heads down to Cody

  

 The Irma hotel was built by Buffalo Bill Cody and named after his daughter. You can still sit at the same bar he use to, and enjoy his favorite drink. Whiskey and Apple Juice. Tastes not so good, but I had one just to say I did.


Back into Yellowstone, and that is Yellowstone lake in the background. 







Choteau Mt to West Yellowstone...Day 2

I got up early, packed and headed South. There was no more construction so that was nice. I headed towards Great Falls....

This is a little bake shop right in Choteau, and open early. Very nice place and nice people who own it.


South of Choteau and heading south east


Several years ago I went through the Little Belt mountains, which is South East of Great falls, and at the top of the pass, which is close to 8,000 ft in elevation, there is a ski hill. A summer road goes to the top to a fire look out. I said if I ever came back this way I would ride up. I got part way up, but a sketchy looking switch back turned me around. It was quite a chore to get the bike turned around, but we made it and headed back down the hill.


Those wide & flat high speed Montana secondary roads.


 Heading down into Bozeman on a twisty secondary road.

 

Just South of Bozeman, the valley closed in, and so did the clouds. It poured for about an hour from here. It was the only rain I saw for the entire trip. I stopped about half an hour later and called the Motel to see if they had a room. They just had a cancellation, so I lucked out, as there where several groups in West Yellowstone and rooms where pretty much unavailable.

 

Cranbrook to Choteau, Montana...Day 1

 When I checked the Glacier website the previous day, it said that the Road To The Sun was still closed due to fires. When I got to Whitefish, it was open, so I went over. The road was busy, and the top parking lot was full, but it was still a nice ride up to the top.

On the east side going down into St Marys, there was road construction and the fire was still burning a bit up in the valley. Just north of Browning and just south there was more construction, and the road was pretty bad with gravel and mud. Good thing I had my ADV bike. Several cruiser type bikes where parked trying to sort out how to get through the mess.

I found a nice Mom and Pop motel in Choteau and even though Great Falls was my destination, I stopped for the night.

The Road To The Sun. Starting at the bottom, and working my way up





Friday 7 August 2015