Hangin' around

[Land]

I've been on the road for two weeks on my motorcycle, and will be for a few more.:D

This is me and the bike, a 2000 BMW R1150GS. Note the HammockForums.net sticker on the side case.:D I'm running essentially the same trip report over there, so it may seem a little hammock-centric.;)
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/927117627_Ymgg9-L.jpg

There's also a MotoCampers.com sticker on the bike. See it?
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/Hammock-camping/2010-Summer-Trip-006/928407501_9KL2K-L.jpg

This is my first motorcycle-camping trip using a hammock/tarp combo as my shelter. I am camping in my Warbonnet BlackBird 1.7 double with a SuperFly tarp, an ArrowHead Equipment KickAss Quilts Lost River underquilt, and I'm using my old Moonstone mummy bag as a topquilt. I, umm, also picked up an ENO Doublenest on sale at the Colorado Springs REI since I've been on the road.:o

I camped on the NC/TN line in my WBBB at Deals Gap/The Tail of the Dragon the first night.
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/Hammock-camping/2010-Summer-Trip-021/928404394_kwXst-L.jpg

The next three nights, I spent with friends and in motels.

The fifth night I camped up a gravel road in Colorado at just under 8,100 feet.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/2010-Summer-Trip-007/918135287_cru5U-L.jpg

The next morning, I hit the road for Denver.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/2010-Summer-Trip-019/918145673_EdpHU-L.jpg

My lovely wife flew to Denver that day (June 29), and we spent the next week traveling around Colorado -- and staying in hotels. (She likes to camp, but she wanted a hotel vacation this time. Hey, who am I to argue?:lol)

We had a great week.:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/927078530_pXRpL-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/927080130_Zi4fd-M.jpg

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http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/927105003_E5HFU-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/928490076_MRmwk-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/927121492_ghqxV-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/928491802_9BKwj-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/928511085_kMunv-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/928513212_Ed2KH-M.jpg

I spent Wednesday night at the Columbine Campground in the Arapahoe National Forest above Central City, CO. I was at just under 9,100 feet above sea level.:D It was rainy much of the night, and the temps got down to the low 40s. I slept great!;)
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/Hammock-camping/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928421539_izraE-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/Hammock-camping/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928422961_bjqVm-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/Hammock-camping/Summer-Trip-10-MEL-Larkspur-to/928424514_AqvsG-L.jpg

Thursday was a non-hammock night because I was offered an incredible deal to stay in a yurt at a campground outside Buena Vista, CO. (For those of you who are on advrider, this is the campground where WestFest was held last year. Since it was raining sideways and was cold way up there -- and I probably won't get the chance to sleep in a yurt very often:laugh: -- I jumped at the deal.:D

The yurt is pretty cool. http://land.smugmug.com/Other/Tag-O-Rama/20100707170746/926964372_smYco-L.jpg

Stay tuned ...:D

Chris

[Land]

The yurt. (I enjoyed listening to the stream that runs right behind it.:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928559652_upFs3-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928559746_qLCoS-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928559836_Urdi8-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928559995_5UEJo-S.jpg

Some of the sights from the last few days.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-MEL-Larkspur-to/928552148_rHZ9y-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-MEL-Larkspur-to/928552790_5cooC-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-MEL-Larkspur-to/928553222_rwNvy-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928556368_9AMe9-L.jpg

I love old 4x4s, and I probably stop way too often to photograph them.:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928557254_fairt-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928558126_KnXmw-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-MEL-Larkspur-to/928553685_KSMxs-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-MEL-Larkspur-to/928554397_FnUPK-S.jpg

They prepared a special parking space for me in Buena Vista, CO.:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-MEL-Larkspur-to/928554177_EddCo-S.jpg

I don't know if he was having any luck.:confused:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928558840_f29he-M.jpg

The folks who ran this place had tons of luck in the 1880s.;)
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928559104_xAoDs-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928559023_bxXzs-L.jpg

I feel pretty lucky to be out here.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Trip-10-DSLR-Central/928559574_fL4zW-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/2010-07-07-172709/928711966_6E7uA-S.jpg

Stay tuned,
Chris

[Land]

After leaving Buena Vista and the yurt, I headed up 24 toward Independence Pass to Aspen.

On the way, I saw this cool CJ5 for sale and stopped for some pics.:cool: (It may actually be an M38A1.)
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930268521_6vgcg-S.jpg

Sweet, huh?

On to the pass.

At the top, I chatted with a guy from California, and he shot this pic of me. That's his BMW R1200RT to the right in the picture.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930269098_Qrm5z-L.jpg

I headed down from the pass toward Aspen. It's a great road, and I had fun.;)

I also stopped to smell the, umm, aspens. Beautiful.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930270813_5gnge-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930271313_THkSw-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930271046_3mV2Y-M.jpg

After an (overpriced:lol) lunch in Aspen, I headed to an auto-parts store to buy a voltage test light to see if I could chase down an issue with my lights (more on that later).
On the way, I stopped to don some rain gear and spied this cool old Ford. A '59?
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930274355_m5Xvt-M.jpg

Friday night, I hung at 8,200 feet above sea level in Difficult Campground in the White River National Forest. Difficult is just outside Aspen, on the road to Independence Pass.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930274097_PXwoh-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930271600_eVgVW-L.jpg

Later, when I was ready for sleep and the temp was dropping, I dropped the "porch roof" so that the tarp was in A-frame configuration. I slept great -- for about eight hours until the need for a restroom break woke me. Then I slept for about three more hours.:lol2 Here's an out-of-focus pic from the morning.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930271905_drFhu-L.jpg

One issue that I have had with hammock camping on the bike is what to do with my (heavy) riding gear. In a tent, I would just bring it inside with me or put it under the rainfly, depending on which tent I was using. I also sometimes just put it on the bike seat and put my travel cover over the bike. That works okay. Friday night, I decided to put the ENO Doublenest hammock that I bought since I've been on this trip to work as a gear hammock. You can see it in the above pic. It worked well because I was able to use a tree beside the one my Blackbird was strapped to to hang one end. :D

Saturday morning, I tried to track down why the lights on my bike had stopped working. I was unsuccessful.:( I had taken down the Blackbird and underquilt and was about to take down the SuperFly and ENO when the rain rolled in. I drove the stakes back in for the tarp and climbed into the ENO, which, fortunately, I had taken a few minutes evaluating earlier.:lol The Superfly is pretty stealthy, by the way.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930274239_rfB5W-L.jpg

I waited out the nearly hour-long storm high and dry.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930273300_S94RG-L.jpg

I headed to a dealer this afternoon to see if a tech could figure out the issue with the bike.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930274489_bLtPR-S.jpg
I got there about a half hour before closing, and the tech jumped on the job but was not able to find the issue in that short time.:( Monday morning, he's going to take another stab at it. Fingers crossed.

I'll be in a motel in Grand Junction, CO, through Monday morning.

Here's the view through the peephole.:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930268812_ahxRQ-M.jpg

Stay tuned ...:D
Chris
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/930272748_9nP2p-S.jpg[/

[bigTom]

Great report, keep it coming!

I gotta tell you, there are worse places to be stuck than Grand Junction, CO!

I think the PU is a '60, (more complex grill) but I could be wrong. '61&2 were Unibody, the last fendered Ford is '58 so it's a 1 in 3 chance:) I like trucks and pickups and 4x4s too!

[Trailace]

Chris, man great report I really love riding in Colorado especially on all the cool dual sport roads. Hope they get your lights fixed for you. I guess you're staying in a hotel today since you can post this. Keep us updated and looking forward to reading more.

[Mr. Guy]

Great report, I love Colorado and don't get out there often enough. Thanks for the pics.

Guy

[Land]

NICE!!

Where is the mile high stair?

BTW- How is the superfly as a make shift tent?

Thanks for all the comments.:D

Bob, the engraved step is one of the Colorado State House steps in Denver. The funny part is that it is incorrect according to the latest GPS reckoning, so there is a little golden disc a few steps up marking the "true" mile-high step.:lol

You can see it in this pic.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/927121956_PDMxn-S.jpg

As for the SuperFly: I've only used it over my hammocks, but it should work great as a makeshift tent -- depending on site selection, of course.

Chris

[Land]

Maybe Denver's crust is shrinking as more and more and more people move there!

How are you attaching your underquilt?

Bob, the AHE KAQ Lost River comes with a little teeny-tiny 'biner on each end to clip the shock cord to the whipping cord on the hammock. I added another l'il 'biner to attach it to the tieout on the zipper side beacuse it was moving around some on me. That fixed it. I'll shoot a photo of it when I set it up again -- maybe Monday/tomorrow evening.

Your Hell-acious ride report is on my evening reading list, BTW.:D

Chris

[Ironheadziggy76]

Great ride report Chris, keep it coming! P^ I'm with Tom, that looks like a 60' model I used to own. Keep the fine pics coming too!

[Jetfixer]

Nice pics and a great camping setup! How doesthat hammoc sleep? Can you move around and do you wake up stiff or sore?. I haven't tried it but I'm guessing it would hurt my back something terrible and I usually toss and turn alot so I don't know if I could stay in one position all night. I like the idea however because being outside the tent looks like it may be cooler when it's so hot.

[gdawg]

cool setup chris, i wanna see that hammock setup sometime when you get back to town...

[Land]

Nice pics and a great camping setup! How doesthat hammoc sleep? Can you move around and do you wake up stiff or sore?. I haven't tried it but I'm guessing it would hurt my back something terrible and I usually toss and turn alot so I don't know if I could stay in one position all night. I like the idea however because being outside the tent looks like it may be cooler when it's so hot.
Jetfixer,
Sleeping in the hammock is the best sleep I've ever had. I have back issues, and I feel better after a night's sleep in my hammock than after after a night sleeping in a bed. In fact, my back problems are a big part of what led me to a hammock in the first place.

Sleeping in a hammock is a lot cooler -- in both common uses of that word.;) At any temp from around 70 on down, you're going to want some insulation under you. Yes, 70.;) I doubted that because I'm a hot sleeper, but it's true. A pad under you in the hammock will work, but the better setup is an underquilt. You can see mine hanging snug up under my hammock in a couple of pics. It's that puffy black thing.:)

Another component of comfort is a top cover. There are some neat hammock-specific options out there. A topquilt is on my list of gear to buy, but my old mummy bag partially zipped to make a foot box with the rest draped over me is working for now.:D

In my hammock, I don't toss and turn.:D You don't have to stay in one position all night, but you just might.:D

Chris

[Land]

cool setup chris, i wanna see that hammock setup sometime when you get back to town...

Gerald, I'd be happy to show it to you sometime.

Chris

[Land]

Great ride report Chris, keep it coming! P^ I'm with Tom, that looks like a 60' model I used to own. Keep the fine pics coming too!

I'm not positive, but I think that the green one with the white grill and the awesome patina is a '59 and that the red-n-white 4x4 is a '60.:confused: I may be wrong, though. It sure wouldn't be the first time.:lol

Chris

[Land]

Shug showed once that he could move his quilt forward and backwards, but (1) I am not sure how he did it and (2) was it really a good thing since we tend to slide and move at night without knowing it. Your thoughts?

Thanks for the compliment. More to come...

Bob,
I remember that from one of his videos.

His underquilt has shockcord running through channels at each side, IIRC. I wondered about whether that would shift when you didn't want it to, but I guess it works. It makes sense to me that it would now that I've hung a few more nights in my hammock.

Chris

[Land]

Woo-hoo! I'm on the road again.:D

It was, just as I had suspected, a faulty relay that took out all of my lighting.:rolleyes:

It's fixed now.:D

The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America rally is in Redmond, Oregon, this weekend. I think that I'll go.:D

Chris

[Mr. Guy]

Hi Jetfixer,

I'd say get yourself a less expensive hammock and try it. Here's one I found at a place I've shopped before:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=190912

The trick for me is hang it loose, not pulled up tight. And lay in it diagonal, not straight down the length. Be ready to get in and out, and adjust it till you get it where you want it the first time. But then you should be able to get it right after the first night in it.

The ridge line Bob talked about is tied between the ends of the hammock bed, not from tree to tree. This is to hold the ends of the bed at the right distance apart for the amount of slack you like in your bed. A little trial and error will need to be spent here, but once you get it, it's set in, no need to remove the ridge line.

Give it a try, can't hurt. Guy

[Land]

The ridge line Bob talked about is tied between the ends of the hammock bed, not from tree to tree. This is to hold the ends of the bed at the right distance apart for the amount of slack you like in your bed. A little trial and error will need to be spent here, but once you get it, it's set in, no need to remove the ridge line.

And, if I recall correctly, the sweet spot for ridgeline length is right around 100 inches. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Chris

[Mr. Guy]

I'm not sure, but I think it would depend on the length of the hammock bed too. I have my ridge line at 9 feet, but that's my preference.

Guy

[Land]

It was windy and a little rainy in Grand Junction, CO, Sunday evening.
I stood in the doorway of my room and watched the show -- including a tumbleweed that rolled right up to the door. I had the cover on the bike and watched it rock in the wind. I took the cover off to reduce the bike's profile a bit. Better wet than lying on its side.:eek:

The sky turned pretty after the storm, and it cleared up so much that I was able to watch the International Space Station as it flew over. Cool.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/2010-07-11-204412/934293525_dvkEo-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934294341_TnPji-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934295267_CGVhd-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934295492_JHir4-L.jpg

After getting the bike's lights fixed Monday, I headed west on I-70.:bike-037:

Lunch in Fruita, CO, was a green chile-smothered cheeseburger served open. Do you feel your arteries clogging just lookin' at it?;)
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/2010-07-12-143441/934293641_rmk7Q-S.jpg

Back on the interstate, I stopped for a cheesy photo or two. I'm glad that Utah changed out the faded sign that was here when I passed this way two years ago.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934306018_YaTe5-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934306209_ZVmHa-S.jpg

I stopped at the rest area near Thompson Springs, UT, to top up my Camelbak.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934296342_47KTq-M.jpg

I got tired of the interstate pretty quickly and turned onto US 6.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934296522_NaJPR-L.jpg

The hangin' situation looked pretty bleak for a hammock camper.:eek: It is ruggedly beautiful, though.

At a fuel stop in Wellington (?), I spied a display board about Nine Mile Canyon. Petroglyphs in a canyon up a dirt road? Yeah, baby!:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934307424_t4iaz-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934297000_VWyjf-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934307815_cwe5A-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934308601_HPA8S-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934309548_7vxXr-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934309344_ucmXB-L.jpg

The hammock-hangin' possibilities were looking better, too. Canyons.P^ You gotta love 'em.

I came up on a ranchhouse with a little campground to the side.

I paid this gentleman, Ben, my $10 and had the place to myself.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934298171_NjmsD-M.jpg
He's the real deal. He was repairing a fence when I interrupted him to pay for my campsite.

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934299205_eWCdx-S.jpg

I got a really good hang for my hammock, and I had a great night of sleep.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934298697_2vXyk-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934298799_VLva2-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934300890_x8ytV-M.jpg

Supper was Mmmm, mmmm, good!:lol2
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934300202_BKeqy-S.jpg

Stay tuned, and I'll show you some of what there is to see in Nine Mile Canyon ...
Chris

[gdawg]

great RR.....be safe out there....

[Ironheadziggy76]

Keep it coming Chris! P^

[Mellow]

Great pics!!!!

[Jetfixer]

Thanks Land and Guy, I'll definitely look more in to hammocks. I went to the website on your sticker and was overwhelmed with information. I'll definitely gear up with one on my next trip.

[Land]

Thanks for all the feedback.:)

I last left you in Utah in Nine Mile Canyon Monday evening.

I woke up Tuesday morning after a great night of sleep. (I really think that I'm getting the hang of hanging this hammock.:D) I packed up and hit the road at about 7:30.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934310151_EWSub-L.jpg

About an hour later, I had gone about 10 miles. I kept stopping to take photos.:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934300985_cZcc5-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934301083_JiLPR-M.jpg

These carvings are from about 1,000 years ago.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934301186_wiDDE-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934301383_yQm9j-L.jpg

A couple of years ago on another motorcycle trip, I went up Thompson Canyon in Utah and saw some petroglyphs. It was cool. In among the carvings that spanned thousands of years was a name from the 1880s.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Summer-ride-08/Paonia-CO-to-Salina-UT-021/341079281_dUwe3-L.jpg
I wondered if the name under the 1884 was Gay Whipple with a G or Cay Whipple.

Since these sites aren't all that far apart, I wonder if I have my answer?
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934301960_oqF27-S.jpg

Anyway ...
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934303221_UgWNb-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934303317_kBvsv-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934303647_Wzcpx-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934303851_376t5-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934304135_Y2goZ-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934304244_EKUph-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934304569_3hhKS-L.jpg

Since I'm posting this from my hammock and am almost out of laptop battery, I'll leave it there for now.

There will be more.;)

Stay tuned.:D
Chris

[gdawg]

P^ p^ p^ p^ p^ :d

[Land]

Nine Mile Canyon is beautiful. Some of you may have figured out that the name of the canyon has nothing to do with the length of the canyon.

I was still stopping. A lot.:D There was a lot to see.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934310338_bVTRJ-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934310526_GkzMQ-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934304799_wzwRJ-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934304899_zusaT-L.jpg

I came to an intersection and, basically, took a wrong turn that took me out of Nine Mile Canyon itself. I had been descending in elevation as I traveled through Nine Mile Canyon. The turn had me clibing again, toward a cold desert environment. There was a relative lot of traffic -- trucks of various sizes headed to the petroleum-production sites, mostly. My route was ruggedly beautiful.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934305004_avtRp-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Buena-Vista-to-Grand-Junction/934305418_tv2rb-L.jpg

Nine Mile Canyon is on my list of places to visit again. I really only stopped at one ancient art site, so I'll be back to see the rest one of these years.

By the time I was leaving the Nine Mile Canyon area, I had a destination in mind. The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America rally was scheduled for the weekend, so I decided to head there.

I started working my way north and west.

This part of Utah is very different from areas down in the more southern part of the state.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934311797_b88sX-L.jpg

I spent most of the afternoon blasting along on the interstate.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/Grand-Junction-to-Boise-point/934312546_ZEPqa-L.jpg

I moteled it just outside Boise.

The next morning I continued to work my way north and west, then more west.

I had been having some headaches from my muffler. It had it cut the rivets that hold it together twice on this trip, and I had popped new rivets in it. The problem was that the holes were wallowed out, and a 2"x4" section had blown out. I kept my eye out for a muffler shop after I got off the interstate. I figured that a chop saw and a drill would solve my problem.;) It did, at this little shop in Notus, Idaho.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC01818/936328298_pB9k8-S.jpg
About three inches chopped off of it allowed me to drill some fresh holes for the rivets.

With a quieter bike, I continued on.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/2010-07-14-115145/936323112_asexq-S.jpg

:food1:I had a wet burrito in Vale, Oregon, a town with some Oregon Trail history.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/2010-07-14-124145/936323655_v4Pt2-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC1100/936324155_EkQwy-L.jpg

I was happy to be off the interstate.:D US26 is a fun road with some interesting sights along the way.;)

I wonder how business is?:eek:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC01826/936328688_CqEHN-S.jpg

I think that old WDX-WM Power Wagons are incredibly cool, and it was interesting seeing this one still at work.:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC1103/936325311_qvguv-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC1108/936326326_XxhBL-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC1112/936327469_vKmQy-L.jpg

I'll tell you about my Wednesday night hang later and catch you up, but since I'm nodding off writing this, I think that I'll call it a night.:o

Stay tuned,
Chris

[Land]

Wednesday evening, I arrived at the Ochoco Divide Campground in the Ochoco National Forest and picked a place to hang. The elevation there is about 4700 feet.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC1119/936327733_nUfnw-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC1122/936327895_48Q5B-L.jpg

I cooked a very simple supper.:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/2010-07-14-193321/936324011_cVAP6-S.jpg

Coming back fro the necessary room the next morning, I was again impressed by how stealthy the SuperFly tarp is.:D See it?
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC1125/936328080_QeLn8-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC1126/936328152_RNfe3-L.jpg

Of course, that big yella motorsickle makes it hard to be truly stealthy.:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/DSC1123/936327956_mYSfJ-S.jpg

Thursday afternoon, I arrived at Redmond, OR, at the big annual rally for the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. The rally is at a fairgrounds, and there aren't a lot of trees from which to choose.:eek: I found a nice little spot, though.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-001/938184320_WDGev-L.jpg

I set up my Warbonnet BlackBird hammock and SuperFly tarp for sleeping, and I also put up my ENO Doublenest hammock as a gear shelf/counter/lounging area. I'm posting this from the ENO while listening to the band.:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-010/938185517_u5JpF-L.jpg

There are 6,109 people at the rally, and there are thousands of tents. There may be another hammock, but I haven't seen it.:(

Thursday evening and Friday morning, I visited the vendors and kind of soaked up the atmosphere since this is my first BMWMOA rally.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-013/938185702_pjhjM-L.jpg

I really enjoyed the vintage motorcycle display.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-019/938185925_HqQEe-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-048/938187217_WWHPd-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-050/938187372_7mbPi-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-055/938187548_bJPsD-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-
MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-023/938186087_qER8R-M.jpg

Friday afternoon, I went for a nice ride of about 250 miles, then came back and watched the sun slip behind the Cascades.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-071/938188226_wuEWS-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-073/938188263_cvWSN-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-081/938188308_j5NoQ-L.jpg

There was good music Friday night. If you get a chance to catch a show by Paul Thorn, do it. Very entertaining.
My favorite song was "I Don't Like Half the Folks I Love.":lol

This morning (Saturday), I entered my bike in an "anti-concours." The bikes were all BMW GS bikes. The idea was that the dirtier the bike and the more useful aftermarket stuff it had, the better. If the bike was too clean, it got one of these stickers:lol:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-109/938189402_JE4PE-S.jpg

I didn't win anything:(, but all participants got a t-shirt and a hat.:D

There were lots of entries. My bike is in there. I doubt that you can find it.:confused: I barely can, and I know where to look.:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-089/938188570_uXZHE-L.jpg

It's a little easier to see in this photo. Look a little beyond the bottle used to bribe the judges.:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-2/BMW-MOA-Rally-Redmond-OR-111/938189462_puFKr-L.jpg

I didn't win the 2010 BMW F800GS or any of the other huge prizes given away at the closing ceremonies:(, but I was delighted to learn that the oldest rider to the rally is 90.;)

Tomorrow, I'll pack up and head somewhere. I want to be in Montana Thursday, but I haven't decided on a route. I'm thinking that an ocean breeze might feel good, though.:D

Stay tuned,
Chris

[Land]

Sunday morning, I packed up the bike and hit the road again.

I was trying to contact a dear friend from college who lives in Vancouver, WA, with her husband and two kids. We played phone tag for a while, and while we were doing that, I did a little bit of exploring on some Oregon logging roads not too terribly far from Crater Lake.

The bike grew some fur on the seat and gained a few pounds at the rally.:laugh: My bank account groaned.:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941003258_ieWuY-M.jpg

Umm ...:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941003896_B4vPf-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941005268_gNsbV-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941007757_JBonh-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941016327_ReVVk-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941016674_FtoEp-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941017560_t4JKK-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941018848_qhoG8-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941020990_qeEbo-L.jpg

That last shot is from where I turned around. My fuel was getting low, and I didn't want to have to harness those huge mosquitos that were flying around me to pull me out to a gas station if I ran out -- but I don't doubt that they could do it!

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941023693_8Q2TK-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941024021_VRPPG-L.jpg

I got back onto the aspahalt, talked with my friend, tanked up and started heading to Vancouver, WA.

Stay tuned,
Chris:D

[Trailace]

:Popcorn Still enjoying your report keep it coming.

[Land]

Thanks, Trailace. I'm still out here having a blast . ;) I'll try to get this report updated soon.:p

[Land]

Wow, I am really behind in this report.:eek:

In my last installment, I was knocking around some old logging roads in Oregon, waiting to hear from my friend. I heard from her, and, back on the asphalt, I made a run up to Vancouver, WA.

There were some good sights along the way.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941025662_R6fT8-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941128609_LxxbC-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941128780_LYUkF-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941022403_X3AmB-L.jpg

Melanie, one of my dearest friends in the world, lives in Vancouver with her husband and two kids.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/DSC0949/954275103_hCas3-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/DSC0936/954274455_sUawJ-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/DSC0934/954274124_BF2xL-S.jpg

It was great catching up with Melanie and her family. I got there Sunday in time for a great burger for dinner. :burger1:

On Monday, I took Melanie's suggestion to take a ride on the Three Capes route while the family was doing their things. I only made it to two capes.:lol I blame it on the ice cream at Tillamook Cheese.P^
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/2010-07-19-133757/941137660_EJdY2-S.jpg

The trip out and the coast itself were beautiful.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-Trip-Capes-Day-Ride-005/941134217_RvjLa-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-Trip-Capes-Day-Ride-002/941133714_DsGVP-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-Trip-Capes-Day-Ride-003/941133901_PEwGx-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-Trip-Capes-Day-Ride-015/941133354_2sZde-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-Trip-Capes-Day-Ride-010/941134959_7Phjy-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-Trip-Capes-Day-Ride-013/941138116_FWP9Z-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-Trip-Capes-Day-Ride-012/941135226_JGdux-L.jpg

This bike and I have been on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts this summer. :D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/2010-07-19-154235/941137808_xvu8q-M.jpg

After nearly running out of fuel :eek:, I headed back to Vancouver and nearly lost my phone on the highway.:eek: I felt something hit my leg and looked down to see my Droid between my thigh and my tank. I took a glove off and carefully pushed the phone up so that I could get it.:eek:

I spent another night with my friends in Vancouver. After too-soon goodbyes Tuesday morning (July 20), I hit the road for Darby, Montana, and WestFest -- by heading back down the Oregon coast. :D (WestFest is an advrider.com annual rally.)

I went down to Reedsport, then turned inland along the Umpqua River so that I could head back up toward Washington to head over to Montana.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-001/954158404_ziwUb-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-006/954158652_QPjow-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-004/954158785_r7WM2-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-008/954158931_jgF3Q-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-025/954159902_zRnse-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-013/954159319_jkWbs-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-020/954159654_tr26P-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-022/954159786_6DXxe-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-038/954160320_z4tVo-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-036/954160040_fnaJ4-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-041/954160444_skgUZ-L.jpg

I made it back up to Salem for the night and got a motel room.

I slogged on the interstates/freeways all day Wednesday, July 21. I took a long slab route. It was hot. I didn't stop much, so there aren't many pictures.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-053/954160999_LjnTu-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-058/954161275_xNoJP-L.jpg

I had thought that I would make it all the way to Darby on Wednesday. I was traveling along a section of I-90 where the east-bound interstate lanes had been turned into a two-lane highway because the west-bound lanes were being repaired. I saw a couple of deer on the side of the road. Pretty much as expected, but a factor in my decision-making process. A few miles down the road, I saw a guy holding his head, standing by a banged-up car. I stopped to check on him. After he assured me that he was okay, I said, "Deer?"

"Bear."

"Bear?":eek:

"Yeah. I don't think it was a grizzly."

I decided to call it a night.:lol Incidentally, the smashed-up car was from hitting another car that was avoiding the bear, not from hitting the bear.

A few miles down the road was a National Forest campground accessed through a rest area. Quartz Flat was my home for the night.

These are from Thursday morning, July 22.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-070/954161747_74WzA-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-071/954161888_tg5j4-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-062/954161408_Gg94w-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-066/954161633_zWLhd-L.jpg

Next, we'll go the last 100 miles to the advrider WestFest in Darby, MT.:D

Stay tuned. ;)

Chris

[Trailace]

Good story keep it coming P^

[bigTom]

Boy, this is the good stuff. Keep it coming!

Did you see Kieth (Blues Traveler) at Redmond? He'd be easy to recognize because of his aircraft grade single wheel trailer:)

Reedsport. One of my bestest friends in the world lives there. Teaches over in Waldport. Hoped to see her this year, but, alas, the weather was so awful when I was in Oregon I just kept going down the eastern side...and I just checked my notes to be sure that I was on 26 and 261 for a stretch, too. From the Columbia south, for me.

[Ironheadziggy76]

I'm going to hate seeing this one come to an end! Looking forward to the WestFest coverage.

[Land]

Boy, this is the good stuff. Keep it coming!
Thanks.:D

Did you see Kieth (Blues Traveler) at Redmond? He'd be easy to recognize because of his aircraft grade single wheel trailer:)


I saw his bike and trailer, but I missed talking with Keith himself :( -- though we had to have passed within feet of each other that day.:lol We were both entered in the "anti-concours" for GS bikes and his bike and uber-cool trailer were parked not far from where I was parked.

Chris

[Land]

I'm going to hate seeing this one come to an end! Looking forward to the WestFest coverage.

Steve, wait until you see just how it ends.:lol

But there is a lot of riding to report on before we get there.:D

Chris

[Land]

Let's go to WestFest.:D

I left Quartz Flat and started the 100 or so miles I had left to ride to get to Darby for my fourth WestFest.

There's a spot where you get a nice view of Natural Pier Bridge. The view from I-90 east is actually better than the view from this little spot that I rode back to, where you can really only see about half of the bridge.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-075/954162180_5pTbC-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-078/954162318_nNLEU-M.jpg

boo
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-083/954162483_C9wdJ-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-084/954162619_SdeK9-L.jpg

I stopped in Missoula at the dealer to pick up an oil filter and to see if they had a speedometer drive in stock since my speedometer/odometer had quit working about 3000 miles before in southern Utah. (I was pretty sure that they wouldn't have one, but asked anyway.:lol)

There are nice views of the Bitterroot Mountains from the floor of the Bitterroot Valley.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-087/954162895_ErU3v-L.jpg

I rolled into Darby and WestFest 2010 at around noon Thursday (about 4 weeks and 6000-plus miles after leaving home ).

I got set up in the trees.
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-090/947646901_v5rk2-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/2010-07-23-090945/947691063_rbK3m-M.jpg

Thursday night was fun.;)

Friday, I took a ride into the McGruder Corridor with a guy from canada and a guy from Texas. We went up to about 8000 feet/a couple of miles past the McGruder Massacre sign. Most of that ride is in Idaho.

Ross, theTexan, did the on his FZ1 streetbike -- the same FZ1 that he took over Engineer Pass in Colrado loaded with luggage a few years ago.:lol2

Rollin. He's from near Toronto
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-094/947567266_PyfhM-S.jpg

Ross. That KLX400 in the pic is his, also.
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-093/947566711_obc2c-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-298/947616754_onPqh-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-299/947617801_6rXXu-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-104/947570168_UprpS-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-120/947574341_cdsZR-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-308/947618834_nZ8zJ-M.jpg

Rollin took this one of me.:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/bridge/962323299_Kog3j-O.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-125/947575545_uGo5i-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-135/947579231_9gWp3-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Rollin-topview/962323434_ZfnUb-O.jpg

Most of my bags were back at camp, so I guess that this is the motorcycling equivalent of backpacking's slackin'.:lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-333/947619911_CAaGn-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-349/947620866_L5uCT-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-144/947583243_WSvrV-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-155/947584960_NAJxV-L.jpg

I had fun. :D
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/2010-07-23-133707/947690399_pzFdV-S.jpg

Next up is a day ride in Montana with a guy who lives about a hundred miles from me in SC.:lol

Stay tuned,
Chris

[Land]

Saturday morning -- late Saturday morning -- my buddy Kevin and I headed out for Granite ghost town. Kevin lives outside Charlotte, NC (but in SC). We went over Skalkaho Pass.

Kevin
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-158/947587964_FM2Cq-S.jpg

Kevin and I had last ridden together in the spring, when we rode from Suches, GA, up to Tellico Plains, TN, and over the Cherohala Skyway and back with a few other friends. That was an awesome day of riding.

Back to WestFest and Montana.

Any photos of me riding in this post are by Kevin. I went to his online photo-storage site and stole photos with abandon. :D Don't be shocked. If he hasn't done the same at my site, he will.:lol Oh, and for any of you who are on advrider, Kevin is knybanjo over there.

Skalkaho Falls
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-160/947589861_sCtMZ-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-161/947593336_WPPtz-XL.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-163/947595058_fWp6x-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-168/947597083_a5gNj-L.jpg

In Phillipsburg, we explored a bit (We weren't lost!:map1: We were explorin'!:lol2) before finding Granite.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Phillipsburg-a/962808470_KMmQU-L.jpg

Kevin marked his territory.
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-182/947600639_UZ9ve-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-185/947601803_ZGtYB-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Phillipsburg-c/962808625_NZXVq-L.jpg

Up, up, up to Granite ghost town.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Phillipsburg-d/962808727_sdoNd-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Granite2/962796845_kRedJ-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Granite3/962796949_VjHP8-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Granite7/962799208_5SHjz-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Granite4/962797026_nMptM-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Granite6/962797216_BuamR-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-198/947603758_xSJM7-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-220/947609164_Y2nci-L.jpg

A couple of SC bikes on separate trips -- except for this day.:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-206/947605525_VoFUa-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Granite9/962800965_7Fw2p-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Granite92/962802257_T4hCW-S.jpg

Heading back down and to Darby for some barbeque.:grill1:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Granite93/962802377_iv27C-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Granite94/962803257_8bvMv-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Ride-back/962808822_YF8Ff-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Other/WestFest-2010-Darby-MT/Oregon-to-WestFest-396/947624231_uiwuK-XL.jpg

Back on the Skalkaho Pass road
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Ride-back6/962810577_C2srj-L.jpg

The shenanigans Saturday night were fun. I left the cameras stowed in the tank bag. Maybe I won't have to testify. :lol There were fun and games. I became the WestFest 2010 Tire Bowling Champion, male division.:lol That was a mighty lucky roll that I made to pick up the spare.

Everyone involved in putting together WestFest 2010 did an awesome job.

WestFest wrapped up Sunday, July 25, and I left Darby for home in South Carolina -- by heading north.;)

Stay tuned,
Chris

[Land]

WestFest 2010 was breaking up Sunday morning, and I was a few miles overdue for a 6000-mile oil change.

I took advantage of the oil-change station that was set up at the rally site. (Thanks, Steve.:D) I changed the oil and checked the valves. Good to go.

I packed up my hammock and tarp and everything alse and hit the road. I didn't get but a few yards when I spied this cool International. Cornbinders are so freakin' cool.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-001/954165431_5rrAb-L.jpg

I left Darby and headed north up through Missoula. After lunch I-90 to make my way a little west, then turned north to head into Glacier National Park through West Glacier.

On the way up, I spied this at a guv'ment facility.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-230/954199324_dQ27k-S.jpg

I'm sure that if I thought really, really hard I could come up with a more impractical vehicle for where I live in South Carolina, but I still want, want, WANT! a Tucker Sno-Cat.:please1:

Up the road a bit, I spied this old White and and car hauler that I have seen pictures of somewhere and just had to stop.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-240/954200277_7SpKs-M.jpg

I knocked around the museum for an hour or so. There's some cool stuff there.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-259/954200897_UotP5-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/2010-07-25-171319/954251149_pypbd-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-254/954200463_ZbgPq-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/2010-07-25-171513/954251382_o8vcw-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/2010-07-25-171914/954251789_oR4bP-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/2010-07-25-171538/954251452_HLqmz-M.jpg

I was stationed at West Point for a few years when I was an active-duty soldier, so I got a kick out of seeing this motorcycle painted up in 57th M.P. Company markings. I had a few buddies in the 57th. I asked the museum founder about it, and it turns out that he was an M.P. at West Point back in the early '60s. Cool.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-257/954200682_kGueX-S.jpg

From the museum, I kept riding north and ended up in Hungry Horse, Montana. I rode out to and a little past Hungry Horse Dam.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-008/954170060_EsKYe-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-009/954170309_ewyu3-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-013/954170866_6EGNR-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-014/954170943_ggVFC-M.jpg

I spent the night in the Hungry Horse Motel, where they gave me this wierd piece of metal to open the door. :lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-261/954201119_mhnNK-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-262/954201345_eiZvf-S.jpg

Next up: Glacier National Park. ;)

Stay tuned,
Chris

[Land]

Glacier P^
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-263/954201812_Wti3n-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-268/954202024_ueDgN-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-021/954171766_EDsUP-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-022/954171913_7aSt4-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-020/954171612_f2Yfk-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-037/954173748_Hwbsv-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-270/954202474_2HFf5-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-042/954174438_M6QMo-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-044/954174693_s6JjY-XL.jpg

I washed the bike at Weeping Wall. :lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-047/954175059_NNSVh-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-048/954175200_7hMm7-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-052/954191197_CDS94-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-055/954191348_vUckT-M.jpg

There was some construction near the top, so traffic stopped in a few places that normally you wouldn't get to stop.

Up top at the pass, it was pretty busy. And I had trash in my camera/on my lens.:(
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-063/954191468_tVgYJ-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-065/954191712_VJi4n-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-075/954192285_XBg3L-M.jpg

While I was up there, I thought for a few moments that I had become a giant! ;)
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-078/954192527_6rJkM-M.jpg

This mountain goat and her kid were hanging out right at the visitors center at Logan Pass.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-081/954192751_M9VoD-M.jpg

Some bighorn sheep that were waaaaaay up on the side of the mountain made their way down.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-117/954193403_27t2n-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-119/954193534_Zds3q-S.jpg

I headed down from the pass.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-135/954195605_gtpD3-L.jpg

I got stopped again for construction.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-136/954195702_7PV6w-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-137/954195794_uuNUx-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-138/954195901_vTBTe-L.jpg

All of the campgrounds were full, so I went out of the park to a place up near Babb and hung my hammock.

At the visitor's center on the east side, I chatted with this gentleman and his wife, who were on an 8,000-mile trip in this '54 Hudson Hornet.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/2010-07-26-181551/954250947_uJEvZ-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-146/954196340_PQC8u-M.jpg

At the campground, I met a guy from NJ who was on a DL650, then was fed supper by a nice couple from Canada. Another WestFest attendee, Steve, pulled in. After visiting with them for a while, I headed back toward the park -- and back into the park -- to take more photos.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-147/954196445_xnMd5-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-151/954196784_z9anR-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-153/954197001_wtjPn-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-165/954197583_tyeYj-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-156/954197090_abRha-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-191/954197925_LKGdj-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-192/954198041_ML8np-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-194/954198291_nn5Pf-L.jpg

I watched the lightning pop off inside this cloud for about 15 minutes. It was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-210/954198394_n9p7z-L.jpg


All of the pictures between the hammock shot and right here were taken between 8:30 and 10 P.M. There's some light in the sky until pretty far into the evening way up there.

Next, it's east and east and east, with just a little south for now.

Stay tuned ...

Chris

[Land]

:DI watched the light'ning highlight that big cloud and marveled at how awesome a sight it was all the way back to camp up near Babb.

I rolled into the small campground and headed for my hammock on the gravel road. I was slowing to turn in to my site when I saw my tarp, but then realized that it wasn't my tarp. :eek:There was another nut hanging in a hammock from a couple of trees, and his motorcycle was parked beside his hammock. :laugh:

It was full-on dark and well after 10 P.M. by that time, so I didn't go and introduce myself, but I knew that I'd chat with him in the morning.

I did.;)

Jesse lives in Portland, OR, and was traveling on his KLR650 to visit family back in Michigan. I told him about HammockForums.net after getting over my shock that he didn't know the site. :lol:Maybe he'll find his way over here.

Jesse:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/2010-07-27-063545/954251072_4AJoZ-S.jpg

His rig:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/2010-07-27-063524/954251015_CeVH3-S.jpg
Jesse's hammock is a DIY Speer type.

We had breakfast and talked bikes, hammocks and travel. Cool guy. P^

After breakfast, I started heading south. I found a cool little dirt road that petered out after a couple of miles.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-005/958521627_7m89g-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-014/958534524_EjWmz-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-007/958526668_ZyZL4-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-018/958549499_hyQpL-L.jpg

Back on the hardball, I spied this tipi on a hill. It is part of a bed-n-breakfast and gallery, so I stopped in.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-024/958551949_h9fn7-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-026/958552409_5iUJB-S.jpg

It would be cool to stay in one of these.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-039/958554766_BCJxi-S.jpg

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=601097&page=8

Down the road, I stopped at this coffee shop and had a mediocre lemonade. All of this was on the Blackfeet reservation.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-058/958555599_zxKic-M.jpg

I passed this guy.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-062/958555956_WuezP-M.jpg

I'm pretty sure that the poles on the roof of the truck are for a lodge, to do this:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-025/958552147_Hu6b4-S.jpg

There was a Lewis and Clark monument, so I went to take a look.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-065/958556210_iemR6-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-068/958556717_LA7NC-L.jpg

The view from beside the monument.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-066/958556491_FfdWg-L.jpg

In Cut Bank, MT, I shot myself.:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-092/958560008_cAYzr-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-093/958560295_JGRth-XL.jpg

Onward and eastward on MT 200.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-096/958560956_Acqrs-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-110/958572994_v44b7-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-109/958561843_qZc5s-S.jpg

Look, Ma ...
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-073/958569373_uNTvb-L.jpg
(Though I guess that this would be better if my speedometer wasn't broken, and you could actually read the Montana-appropriate speed on the GPS.:lol )

Look, a Jeep! :D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-111/958554228_9DZ8t-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-114-Copy/958587939_byq7A-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-116/958588965_vh9Nc-L.jpg

There were about a bazillion hay bales.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-119/958589478_3rcG2-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-121/958589780_NFJ2q-M.jpg

I wanted to rescue it.:(
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-130/958590799_LajRf-M.jpg
Within five minutes of taking this photo, the deer that I almost hit last year on US 421 in Tennessee -- the one that had me checking the bike for hair -- was moved to second place on the list of animals that have scared the bejeebus out of me. Want a shot of adrenaline? Have a deer jump out in front of you when you're running, umm, Montana speeds.:eek:

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-127/958590083_JPeXf-L.jpg

I turned up this road to find a place to hang my hammock. No luck there, but it was a cool mile or two.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-138/958592240_LbNtT-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-135/958591554_HYPve-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-134/958591313_vHPWr-L.jpg

I got back out on MT 200 and ended up in a little motel for the night. Here are a few more sights from the road before I called it a night.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-139/958592705_u99Vo-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-143/958593479_WwNF6-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-142/958593231_VarRg-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-141/958592990_rzn57-L.jpg

Danged dirty camera.:mad:

Stay tuned,
Chris

[Ironheadziggy76]

Got to love the Montana speeds! When I was out there, I was running between uh, em, more than 80, less than 100 when a yellow late model Vette blew past me like I was bolted down. He had to be running at least 150!

The pics are incredible, keep them coming!

[Land]

So I woke up Wednesday, July 28 in a little mom-n-pop motel in Jordan, MT, on MT 200.

Montana 200 is long and straight.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-150/958594528_QAU4S-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-151/958594801_yyHzW-XL.jpg

Really, really straight!
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-152/958595076_Vk6yv-L.jpg

And lonely.:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-021/960466235_YHW3T-L.jpg

I had lunch in Circle, MT, where this Jeep was parked at the feed store across from the restaurant. It's a fairly late model -- I think a YJ Wrangler -- with sheetmetal from a flatfender. 2A or 3A? I'm a little foggy on the differences right now since I haven't studied them in a while, but I think that it's 3A sheetmetal.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-154-Copy/958593969_QryRH-M.jpg

'48, '49 or '50 Ford
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-159/958597011_2zNQW-M.jpg

Remember that sign from the sporting goods/liquor store in Oregon? There's someone with a similar business model in Montana.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-156/958595594_APTmM-S.jpg

I made a fuel stop in Wibaux, MT, and rode around the town a bit. I was almost to the MT/ND line by this point. A roadside sign in Wibaux made the point that it is about as far across Montana as the distance from New York to Chicago. Having ridden the state from Idaho to North Dakota, I can tell you that it is a looooooong way.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-166/958599272_uBPV3-M.jpg

If my three brothers and I ever get into cattle ranching together, this could be our brand.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-161/958597590_svRtT-S.jpg

Someone has a sense of humor.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-163-Copy/958598541_EMPYa-S.jpg

For some reason, I felt a desire to visit the ranch where they use this brand. ;)
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-162-Copy/958598091_uftNH-S.jpg

This car from the Montana centennial train is in Wibaux.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-167/958599763_9rdFp-M.jpg

I was at 7500 miles and a little change on the trip at that point.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-172-Copy/958600799_rVcuc-M.jpg

Ii took a look at the rear Tourance, which was brand-spankin' new -- not even scuffed in -- when I headed out of my driveway a little over a month before.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-170/958600288_G2sCy-M.jpg
Those straight western roads and being (over)loaded were taking a heavy toll. I typically get 10,000-12,000 out of a rear Tourance -- a lot of that loaded for camping -- but I do a lot of curve riding, usually. With the route I was plannning, it was about 2500 more miles home. I'd need to keep an eye on that tire.

I left Wibaux and headed east for North Dakota. I had never been in either of the Dakotas before this trip.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-173-Copy/958601240_BRrgR-M.jpg

I stopped at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the afternoon and contemplated calling it a day, but they don't allow hammocks in the campground. Hey, National Park Service: :mad:.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-186/958602259_vN2CE-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-186/958602259_vN2CE-L.jpg
I hit the road ...
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-195/958603398_Uw446-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-200-Copy/958603952_joBpd-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-202/958604851_4UqT5-L.jpg
(Anybody know what kind of bird this is?)

and ended up in a Lions Club park in Bowman, ND. P^
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-204/958605236_GC7hB-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-205-Copy/958605598_hbzkp-L.jpg

The camping fee was a donation, so I put the $10 bill that the I would have used to camp in the national park in the tube. I had the place to myself, except for a couple of local gentlemen who pitched a few games of horseshoes at one end of the park. Thank you, Bowman Lions Club. Your campground is awesome.

I had a little pizza at a place in Bowman, then headed back to the park, watched the sunset, and called it a night. A windy night. :eek:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-206-Copy/958601925_VMp59-M.jpg

Next up is down, as the trip heads south into SD.

Stay tuned,
Chris

[Land]

I woke up in my hammock in Bowman, ND, Thursday, July 29, packed up and headed south on US 85. That day ended my 5th week on the road. :D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-037/960467107_zoy7y-L.jpg

On the way down to Deadwood, I spied this sign and decided to go and see what it was all about.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-242-Copy/958610004_C8Lvg-S.jpg

It's out yonder.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-220/958607096_z5scn-XL.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-219-Copy/958606206_XiNnh-S.jpg

Is "the center" the rockpile or the flag in the field? To be safe, I walked out to the flag just to be sure that the whole nation was centered on me.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-224-Copy/958607443_C8CWd-L.jpg

I headed back out to the highway, wondering about the hand-painted sign and why it said "true."
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-234-Copy/958608464_6tPc5-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-236-Copy/958608810_DxpEF-L.jpg

A few miles down the road, I got to Belle Fourche and saw this sign. Ahh, I see, painter of the "true" sign.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-247-Copy/958607798_FvRzU-S.jpg

This WWII-era truck (Studebaker or GMC?) has been shortened, among other things.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-244-Copy/958610346_MVXPX-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-245-Copy/958610712_TkWHD-S.jpg

On through Belle Fourche and on to Spearfish, then Deadwood.

I strolled around Deadwood a bit, had lunch and lost a dollar to a one-armed bandit.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-040/960467556_P2QSL-S.jpg

Then I went to Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood's Boot Hill.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-270-Copy/958615203_BrfGo-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-254-Copy/958612353_e2ge5-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-252-Copy/958611754_rV4Mv-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-271-Copy/958615570_oEQmt-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-253-Copy/958612093_g3nJi-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-263-Copy/958613903_ecLyZ-S.jpg

Bullock's grave is outside the regular boundaries of the cemetery -- and you have to climb up 750 feet in a pretty short distance to get to it.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-257-Copy/958613222_7buvz-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-260/958613534_8dZvH-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-256-Copy/958612921_H7Wtg-M.jpg

There are some nice views of Deadwood from the cemetery.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-266-Copy/958614526_CfEL9-L.jpg

This was parked on the street that goes to Mount Moriah. Kudos to anyone who can ID it without Internet help. ;)
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-272-Copy/958611077_8wpfK-S.jpg

The afternoon was drifting away, so I headed out of town, keeping an eye out for a place to hang my hammock.

I went over to Central City and looked in the big hole that is the old Homestake Mine.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-044/960468008_hwu9S-L.jpg

I wonder where there is to hang around here?

Stay tuned.

Chris

[bigTom]

So. In no particular order:
A Nissan Patrol
Peregrine Falcon
The boom truck is a Dodge (I think). It's not a Stude...
The brand you liked is the double U (say it out loud)

If you ever get out here (Extreme SW) you need to be aware of the Truck Museum in Jerome, AZ and the one in Campo, CA. The one in Campo is pretty rough, with a lot of really great, really old examples. Maybe 50 pre WWI Macks and such. The one in Jerome is pretty spectacular with lots of restored stuff. The guy that owns the place restores one a year and drives it to the national meet. He's a K model binder sort of guy, when the meet was in Las Vegas (close) he restored a '16 Packard so he could drive it....

Anyway, this is great stuff...Keep it coming.

[Land]

I left the Homestake Mine and Central City and headed for US 14A, the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. It looked good 'n' crookedy on the map, and I just love canyons.

There I was on US 14A in Spearfish Canyon, having just turned north at Cheyenne Crossing -- stuck five vehicles back behind a semi. :(

An escape presented itself.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-310/958641962_rQ2bs-S.jpg
"I seen my chances, an' I took 'em," as the saying goes.

Annie Creek Road is basically a one-lane road. I pulled over once to let a little Suzuki 4x4 that I met by.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-273-Copy/958625983_wo53o-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-274-Copy/958626345_xcNgy-L.jpg

The road climbed a little, with a few puddles -- some of them pretty much road width -- along the way. Fun. I came up behind an old Chevy Blazer. I stopped to catch my breath and give him some breathing room and shot this pic.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-275-Copy/958626772_4MFa8-L.jpg

I caught up to him again a little ways up the road, at a fork. He pulled over to let me by. He was obviously a local, so I asked him about the two forks. One -- the one he was taking, to the right -- sounded pretty cool. It went up to an overlook.

To the left, he said, "it gets rougher, but if you squeeze through the rocks, there's an old collapsed trestle."

Squeeze through the rocks.:D

That sounded cool, but I was alone on an overloaded pig. I said to him that this would probably be a good place for me to turn around. We said our goodbyes, and he took the right fork.


I was about to turn around and thought, "Oh, what the heck." I took the left fork.

The road got narrower. And the surface was loose stone. It climbed a little, but was pretty easy going.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-280-Copy/958655151_Umzhm-L.jpg

The foliage closed in.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-277-Copy/958627348_vr8tv-L.jpg

Up ahead was a trail-width mudhole.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-279/958654807_ein4k-L.jpg

I decided that this might be a good place to turn around.

Then I literally thought, "No guts, no glory," so I pressed on, up the little loose slope and through the mud.

That went well, and the track opened up a little and smoothed out some.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-283-Copy/958651098_7mEDt-XL.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-281-Copy/958655289_2oKff-L.jpg

It was still climbing ever so little.

The trail ended at the old trestle, which is just on the other side of the bike in these pictures.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-284/958656039_k67Gd-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-285-Copy/958656244_y7odd-M.jpg

The trestle timbers are scattered down the steep hillside.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-294/963737206_f2Gup-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-295/963737591_VbuRR-L.jpg

It was peaceful up there, and I enjoyed just relaxing for a while.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-052/960468910_nUvCk-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-053/960469569_TWmnk-S.jpg

The view toward Spearfish, SD. That's US 14A and Spearfish Creek down there in the bottom of Spearfish Canyon.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-287-Copy/958636758_xQjQJ-L.jpg

I considered camping up there, but I didn't have much water left, so I decided that the smart thing to do would be to head back down.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-296/958638646_jSLuH-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-297/958638953_5ZcYS-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-298/958639281_wD445-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-299/963737989_cHeRJ-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-301/958639859_FDCvv-L.jpg

Back through the mud.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-304/958640431_pEjii-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-305/958641341_8MSTS-L.jpg

Back through the overgrown part.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-307/963735958_TATBa-L.jpg

Then back down to the fork and out to 14A, the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.

It had been a pretty full day, and it was early evening or so by then, so I headed up toward Spearfish to find a place to call it a night.

Following signs for NF campgrounds up a gravel road, I saw this and stopped.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-311/958642499_uHLyn-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-318/958643399_ArCGL-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-322/958643969_kC9XK-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-328/958644362_5dz38-XL.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-332/958644978_YkJR2-M.jpg

I found this great little NF campground and set up camp. When I got there, the four other campsites that were occupied were all occupied by people from Minnesota. :lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-340/958646280_HD54T-S.jpg

I set up camp while talking to a father/son duo, Randy and Ross, who were on a trip from the Minneapolis area on their metric cruisers.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-339/958646162_sTtUp-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-337/958645340_WrVLF-L.jpg

I went to supper with them back down at Cheyenne Crossing. A really nice couple of guys.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-336/958645155_qRvuP-L.jpg

Back at camp, I relaxed in my hammock and was quickly asleep. A great end to a great day.

Stay tuned.

Chris

[Land]

So. In no particular order:
A Nissan Patrol
Peregrine Falcon
The boom truck is a Dodge (I think). It's not a Stude...
The brand you liked is the double U (say it out loud)

If you ever get out here (Extreme SW) you need to be aware of the Truck Museum in Jerome, AZ and the one in Campo, CA. The one in Campo is pretty rough, with a lot of really great, really old examples. Maybe 50 pre WWI Macks and such. The one in Jerome is pretty spectacular with lots of restored stuff. The guy that owns the place restores one a year and drives it to the national meet. He's a K model binder sort of guy, when the meet was in Las Vegas (close) he restored a '16 Packard so he could drive it....

Anyway, this is great stuff...Keep it coming.

Thanks, bigTom. I'll have to check those museums out.:D

Nice job on recognizin' the Patrol.:D

I'm pretty sure that the boom truck isn't a Dodge. I think that that is a GMC CCKW, but I may be wrong.

The bird ID was being debated on another forum that I posted a ride report on.:lol I'm still not sure what it is.:lol2

Chris

[Ironheadziggy76]

:Popcorn

[Land]

let me get this ride report a little further down the road toward its inglorious end. :lol

After a great night of sleep in my hammock in Timon Campground in the Black Hills Natioanl Forest, I was awakened Friday morning, July 30, by the bugling of elk. What an awesome alarm clock. :)

I packed up and headed out of the campground. It was a beautiful morning.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-342/958646812_83T2L-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-344/958648962_Tyh3q-L.jpg

I left the campground and decided to head down Spearfish Canyon a little ways to take a photo of where I ended up on my little two-track ride the day before. I wanted the reverse angle of this shot:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-286-Copy/958636287_yknW4-M.jpg
See that little pulloff? Where the vehicle is parked?

I shot this from there.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-349/965393501_gERRb-X2.jpg

With that little photo desire satisfied , I turned back up the canyon toward the town of Spearfish.

The Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway is a beautifully paved road slam-packed fabulous sweepers.











Posted at 35 MPH. :rolleyes:

Now, I'm not admittin' to anything, but I did wonder whether twice the speed limit -- and at times more than that -- in SD was just a huge fine or if it would involve a ride in a full-size American sedan.

Anyway, I got up to the interstate and took it. I was still about 1700 or so miles from home and needed to make some time.

But, hey, I wasn't all that far from some neat sights. ;)

I swung through this little town after breakfast. Now if anyone asks me if I've ever been, I can say, "Sure!"
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-351/965395058_qaosk-XL.jpg

I found out that my National Parks annual pass won't get me into this park. :( They wanted a $10 parking fee. I was already less than enamored of the National Park Service this trip, and I could see the carving from the road, so I kept my money in my pocket and became a scofflaw, ignoring the "no parking, no standing, no stopping" signs. Heck, you can see the monument from the traffic light out front. :lol And my lens was a reach-out-and-touch-a-matic 70-300. (On a camera with a dirty sensor or mirror.)
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-353/965396036_4M3w5-L.jpg


Of course, since I didn't go in to hear a talk from a ranger or watch a movie, I may never know which one of those four guys up there is President Ben Franklin. :lol2









They do provide a pulloff for the profile view for cheapskates like me.:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-360/965400805_3WxyX-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-362/965402480_3N6NV-S.jpg

I was less than a dozen miles from the Crazy Horse Memorial at this point, so I went. Crazy Horse is one of my personal heroes. Dude was a flatout badass.:cool:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-363/965403007_q4GVo-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-365/965404470_kfFD5-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-373/965408545_PgYPK-M.jpg
Very cool place.P^

I thought about riding the needles Highway. In fact, I went partway, pulled off to let some traffic clear and looked at a map. I heard a horn and looked to see Ross and Randy -- the father and son from supper the night before -- who were surprised that I wasn't "somewhere in Nebraska by now." I should have been, or somewhere else along my trip south and east.

I decided to skip the Needles this time because
a.) there was a lot of traffic and
2.)I really needed to make some southeastern progress.

I headed back toward Rapid City and the superslab. Leaving those gorgeous roads in the Black Hills largely unridden by me.

That was Friday, July 30.

I droned along interstate whateveritwas all afternoon with a few stops at some interesting near-interstate-side attractions. It was almost drive-by tourism in some cases.

Wall Drug. The place has to be seen to be believed.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-379/965411467_wFTHh-L.jpg
The bike's a rolling biohazard. That turn signal got aggravating, too.

The Badlands
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-403/965410229_RJHJo-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-386/965483298_oQtqR-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-388/965488908_E83LT-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-392/965489952_N95wg-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-393/965490446_YMu7J-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-400/965491627_wq6KG-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-405/965492961_c9Yhu-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-059/965382625_nZuSw-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-061/965384109_Vtf9a-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-062/965385214_bgKo7-S.jpg

For a second there, I was afraid that LandWife had sold my avatar CJ3B.:eek:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-413/965494693_oNMVA-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-407/965494004_WC2i5-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-411/965494329_zJQe6-XL.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-064/965387206_yVJdS-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-070/965379778_kxLPG-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-420/965497432_bmewT-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5B/Glacier-to-SD-417/965496215_xCjnF-L.jpg

I grabbed a motel room -- somewhere? -- and called it a night. It was some little mom-n-pop in some little SD town.

Stay tuned,
Chris

[Land]

I woke up Saturday, July 31, in a motel in Kimball, SD. At least, I'm pretty sure that it was Kimball. :lol

I packed up, checked out and headed east on I-90.

There were signs for the Mitchell Corn Palace. My parents and an aunt and uncle had enjoyed a stop there on a fairly recent truck/travel trailer trip around the country, so why not?

The place revels in its corniness.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-001/962698849_jX8o2-L.jpg

Yeah, those are ears of corn. So are these.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-002/962699215_A68K6-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-003/962699541_mdicf-L.jpg

Loud kernels save lives.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-006/962700805_M5aH3-L.jpg

It's a self-guided tour, but it's hard to get lost.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-005/962700246_vbAG6-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-004/962699915_RKfxW-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-007/962701157_bzYnV-S.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-013/962703502_m2qzB-L.jpg

They redecorate it each year with a new theme. This year's theme is "Through the Ages." It's worth a stop. And it's free.

From Mitchell, the logical route home was to head south on I-29 at Sioux Falls to Sioux City. I didn't want to do that, so sioux me.

See, I'd never been to Minnesota, so I wanted to go.

So eastward I went on my overloaded bike with the worn-out rear tire. And the tired right turnsignal. And a key component that was thinking about going on strike.:eek:

Stay tuned,
Chris

[Land]

Through Sioux Falls I went, headed for one of the last few states in the country that I hadn't been in.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-022/962714949_fFbRh-M.jpg


48 down, two to go. (There are five or six more that I've been to but haven't ridden a motorcycle in. I hope to complete that list, too, sometime. )

So it's Saturday afternoon. I have a worn-out rear tire. Let's see what can be done about that.

I stopped at a dealer right off the interstate -- a Harley dealer. They had a tire that could work -- a 160 instead of a 150 -- but the parts guy wasn't sure that the service guys could get to it before closing in about an hour. It had a reaaaaaaally stiff sidewall. I asked about Suzuki dealers in the area and got the name of a multi-line dealer across town, but they were already closed when I phoned. Oops. So should I buy that tire with "Harley Davidson" emblazoned on the sidewall and try to mount it myself?

I decided to take my chances with the rear tire that was already on the bike.

Onward, south and east.

This fellow keeps watch over Blue Earth, MN.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-028/962754453_HxEJL-XL.jpg

I headed down into Iowa and was tooling along a state highway -- maybe a US highway -- watching a cropduster fly across in front of me instead of paying attnetion to my speed.

65 MPH speed limit.

I topped a little rise and saw a car sitting in the median just a few yards away.

I looked down at the GPS. 78. Crap. Flashing lights.

I pulled over. The nice young county deputy wrote me at 75, which made the ticket $120 instead of $180. That was nice.

The batteries were dead in my point-n-shoot, and I didn't think that pulling out a black DSLR from the tankbag was a good idea, so no pics.

That was my first speeding ticket on a motorcycle (and my first in about 7 or eight years). Actually, I had never been stopped at all in all of my years of motorcycling, from age 18. I don't know my total two-wheel miles from my 22 years of motorcyling, but I have ridden a little over 100,000 miles since I bought my 1150GS four years and a few months ago and started keeping records. (The first 18 years may have been another 100,000 or so, but probably less.)

So, I now have been ticketed. I can't complain, because I have been lucky, and he had me dead to rights from what is one of the best little speed traps I've ever seen. I just hope that my luck isn't changing.

I slowed down for a while, got back on the interstate eventually and spent the night in a cheap motel in Illinois on the Iowa/Illinois line. Moline, I guess that it was.

Up early the next morning, I hit the road, down through states whose names start with I. I basically spent the first day of August on the interstates. I didn't stop much, but since I have a buddy with this name, I shot this picture.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-032/962772338_VfFcB-S.jpg

Hmmm. :confused::wow1:
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-031/962771468_btBts-S.jpg

On down through Kentucky, into Tennessee. I wanted to spend my last night of the trip in my hammock in the Smokies, so I plotted a course on the GPS for Deals Gap.

I rode the Dragon from the TN side into NC in the dark and camped at the store/motel/campground at Deals Gap. I got in at about 11:30 PM. There were a few people out and about, but it was pretty quiet. I often camp there, and had stayed there the first night of this trip, way back on Thursday, June 24.

I hung my hammock and turned in for a nice night of sleep after what had been a 700-mile-plus day.

That ended day 39 of my ride.:D

Stay tuned, and I'll tell you about the last day and the inglorious end to this glorious trip.

Chris

[Land]

Let's bring this thing home.

I woke up at the store/motel/campground at Deals Gap on Monday, August 2 after a nice, restful night of sleep in my hammock. Man, I love that thing.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-033/962773197_7GuCa-L.jpg

Day 40. The final day.

My house is a little less than 200 miles from Deals Gap. The trip meter on the GPS was telling me that I had ridden about 9500 or so miles since leaving home June 24. I was pretty sure that I could stretch that trip home to 500 or so miles to make it a 10,000-mile trip. LandWife was working late that day and wouldn't be home until about 8:30. Why not?

Oh, that rear tire. Screw it. I semi-planned a 500-ish-mile day.

I packed up, had breakfast in the little restaurant at the store and made a run over the Tail of the Dragon.

Killboy.com shot me and the rolling biohazard that Rewind had become.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/DragoAugust2010-001/966384901_5u7So-L.jpg
You can see the flat spot on the rear Tourance.

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/DragoAugust2010-002/966385670_vD6dH-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/DragoAugust2010-003/966386361_b2Xgk-L.jpg

It wasn't very busy on that Monday morning.

After my run over and back, I cruised right on by the store at Deals Gap and headed down 129 toward Robbinsville.

I took the turn for the Cherohala (chair-oh-hay-luh) Skyway and headed for Tellico Plains. I was gouing to drop in on MiniMike at Tellico Motorcycle Outfitters in downtown Tellico Plains and say hello and maybe buy something to tuck into the panniers.

There was very, very little traffic on the Skyway, and I had an awesome time. ;)I didn't stop for any pictures, though.

I was within 8 miles of Tellico Plains when I felt a rumbling bumping coming through the footpegs. Uh oh. :eek:

The road surface was pretty smooth. It bump-rumbled eight or ten times at a fairly even interval, then it smoothed out again.

I pulled into the last little pulloff before Tellico Plains to have a look. As I got to the back of the bike, I looked down at the rear wheel/tire. Wet. And right as I looked, a steady stream of oil started flowing from the final drive.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-035/962787686_MXJmU-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-037/962788638_SUKfS-L.jpg

That was it. My ride was over. 40 days. 9667.9 miles. A whole helluva lotta fun.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-036/962788064_oi8LJ-L.jpg

I whipped out my trusty cell phone.

I called LandWife and let her know what was up. I called MiniMike to see about stashing the bike with him while I went home. He said I could leave it with him. MiniMike is awesome.

I had to work registration at the school where I teach for the next few days. My idea was to pull the final drive off the bike at home with the failed clutch splines and return Thursday or Friday, fix the bike and ride on home.

Then I remembered that my AAA-Plus-RV-Premier-with-cherries-on-top-and-rainbow-sprinkles towing plan would tow me 200 miles. I plotted a route home on the GPS.

191 miles to my door.

I called AAA and asked for a tow. (I don't feel a bit bad about it, either, because they had left me on the side of the road last year when I had some clutch-spline trouble because I didn't have RV towing. I had joined AAA specifically for the bikes. If you have AAA, be advised that they consider your motorcycle and RV. I upgraded after that. )

At least it was a pretty spot to be stranded.
About being "stranded." I posted my predicament on another forum That I frequent and received quite a few offers wherein friends and family members offered to drop whatever they were doing and come and rescue me. I truly felt loved, all joking aside.:D
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-039/962789730_buUdB-L.jpg

Randy from Tellico Mountain Motors showed up a while later and quickly and expertly loaded the bike. If you need a motorcycle tow -- or ANY TOW -- in the Tellico Plains area, these are your guys. He's a heck of a nice guy, too. Good thing, since I spent all afternoon and some of the evening in the cab of the rollback with him. :lol
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-042/962792895_hRQTX-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-046/962794971_RrRoE-M.jpg

This was the heaviest rain of the trip, and I was snug in the cab of a truck.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-047/962795462_xt4wW-M.jpg

Home again. I took this when I went to stash my riding gear on the porch.
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/SD-to-home-048/962698460_xUrWE-L.jpg

Some numbers for you:

40 days, 39 nights on the road
-- 18 hotel/motel nights
-- 17 nights camping
-- 1 night in a yurt (is that a camping night or a motel night?)
-- 3 nights with friends (I need more friends :lol2)

9667.9 miles riding, about 1200 of them two-up with my incredible wife:D

197.8 miles on a rollback (There was a slight detour around a wreck or something that brought it up from the 191 my GPS plotted. :lol)

1 worn-out rear tire

1 toasted final drive

1 failed lighting relay

1 failed H3 bulb in a driving light

252 or so gallons of fuel

56 fuel stops

38-ish MPG

$750, roughly, in fuel costs. The average for fuel was about $2.98 per gallon.

$3.809 per gallon was the most expensive fuel (Sublett, Idaho)

$2.669 per gallon was the cheapest fuel -- and it was the first tank of the trip, when I topped off at the station a quarter mile from my house

To send this incredibly positive trip out on a positive note, here are some photos from it. You know, a little Rewind.;)
http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/bridge/962811627_juMsW-O.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Rollin-topview/962811186_rcuLZ-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Phillipsburg-d/962808727_sdoNd-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-trip-gallery-6/Banjo-Granite9/962800965_7Fw2p-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/bird-fly-crop/965033202_FYJRy-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-052/960468910_nUvCk-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-021/960466235_YHW3T-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-5/Glacier-to-SD-278/958654465_MahdK-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/927120580_CzEKG-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-3/Summer-trip-10-Redmond-to/941018848_qhoG8-L.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip/Summer-Ride-MEL-Denver-to/927078639_hrLb9-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-073/954162037_HfPcW-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/Oregon-to-WestFest-083/954162483_C9wdJ-M.jpg

http://land.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/2010-Summer-Trip-gallery-4/WestFest-to-Glacier-191/954197925_LKGdj-M.jpg

It was good to get home to LandWife.
http://land.smugmug.com/Family/Christmas-09-Florida/Chris-photos-040/749083077_RBbkf-M.jpg


Yeah, it was a great trip.:D

Thanks for riding along. I hope that you enjoyed it.

THE END

Happy riding,
Chris

[Land]

Absolutely inspiring.

Thanks.





When do you go again?
:-D

As soon as I can, Bob. As soon as I can.;)

Chris

[bigTom]

That was truly fun to go with you...Thanks.

I came to post my weekend, I think I'll just say here that I have new pictures up on my Picassa site.

I have a gift that was given to me in the same sort of circumstances, so I'll offer it to you:
http://whatbird.com/

It's a little clunky until you figure out how to use it, but it's pretty darn accurate in my opinion.

What a great trip, what a great report. Thanks again!

[Land]

That was truly fun to go with you...Thanks.

I came to post my weekend, I think I'll just say here that I have new pictures up on my Picassa site.

I have a gift that was given to me in the same sort of circumstances, so I'll offer it to you:
http://whatbird.com/

It's a little clunky until you figure out how to use it, but it's pretty darn accurate in my opinion.

What a great trip, what a great report. Thanks again!

Thanks for the kind words and for the birds link.

That's a good-lookin' C14, Tom.P^ And Strom. I see that you are almost as much an overpacker as I am.:lol

Chris

[Ironheadziggy76]

Chris, incredible trip report, and great photos! P^ I have been out of town for a few days, so I caught up this morning. Bummer to see how it ended for ya. :( But luckily it was at the end of the trip. :) You had some great photos of things I didn't get to see on my way home from Alaska due to it raining on me non stop for days. :p

Thanks again for this great ride you took us on! P^

[Black and Blue]

Great report! and very nice pics.P^ Thanks for the ride along. Glad you had a great trip. Sorry about the last part of your trip though.:( Again, thanks for the write up.

[Trailace]

Land, man what a great report and pictures. Sure wish I could go on the road for 40 days and have my wife joined me for some of it. Thanks for taking the time.

So you carry AAA on the bike but you have to get RV coverage? Is that the only way to have a bike covered because mine with BMW roadside assistance has expired. And I was looking for a new service and might have to check out AAA.

[Land]

Thanks for all of the comments, folks. The feedback is always nice.;)

It was kinda rotten to have to roll in on a rollback, but it was such an amazing trip, overall, that I don't care much.:D

So you carry AAA on the bike but you have to get RV coverage? Is that the only way to have a bike covered because mine with BMW roadside assistance has expired. And I was looking for a new service and might have to check out AAA.

Yes, Rick, AAA considers your motorcycle an RV for towing purposes.:rolleyes: I found that out the hard way when they left my "RV" and me on the side of the road last year when the clutch splines stripped.:mad: That's when I upgraded.:lol

The AAA PlusRV plan gets you 100 miles of towing per incident. If you upgrade to PremierRV, that towing distance stretches to 200 miles.:D

Here's the fine print from their Website: AAA PlusRV and PremierRV extends service to motorhomes, travel trailers for the purpose of camping with sleeping accommodations only, pickup trucks with bed-mounted campers, motorcycles, and 5th wheel travel trailers. Dual-wheel unloaded pickup trucks are provided all services except tire service.

AMA membership, BTW, gets you 35 miles of motorcyle towing.

Chris