Day 6 - Thermopolis Loop

Freedom, it is something that all of us in the United States takes for granted. It is like the air we breathe, and yet we are starting to realize that we can mess up that air with pollution, etc. I say that after spending almost six hours in the most wide open, unpopulated, untouched area I have ever been through. More about that at the end of today's posting.

Started out from Cody in the morning with the intent of riding to Thermopolis, WY and around a big loop of the Wyoming plains and a few mountain passes. When I got to Thermopolis is was aroung 10:15 a.m., and filled up the tank and grabbed a quick cup of coffee. I grabbed my map for something to look at, and while doing, decided not to head back to Cody. The plan was to be heading off to the high country of Colorado on Friday morning, and I was already 2 1/2 hours south in that direction anyway, so plotted a new route to Rock Springs, WY. I rode on minor highways down to 2 land roads for over five hours, and I didn't see more than 100 vehicles all day. The Wyoming landscape was so simple it was inspiring. Nothing except the occasional wildlife for as far as the eye could see. No towns, no buildings, no billboards, no exits, just a two lane mostly-paved road to ride with plenty of undulating curves to enjoy. One of the unique features to this part of the country is that it is inpassable during seveal months in the winter. Every so often you come across gates that are used to close the road due to the snow and wind that occur. It is not a place to be during the cold months of the year. The only negative to the whole day was for 2 hour period, the winds were blowing hard, to the point that I had to lean the bike to the right at an angle so that it wouldn't blow me over. Makes it interesting at 80 miles per hour, or so.

For the first time on the entire trip, I got nervouos about running out of gas. My tank holds five gallons and I get better than 40 miles/gallon, so I am good for roughly 200 miles. I had run hard for about 170 miles and there was some nervous moments, but ended up OK. At the end of the day I realized I hadn't stopped even once for a photo. I was in a different world on Wednesday, and it didn't even cross my mind to stop and shoot.

I dropped Sanity (my bike) off at Flaming Gorge Harley-Davidson last night to have them complete the 10,000 mile check-up/tune-up and to replace the rear tire. It was getting pretty worn and didn't feel like pushing my look as I head into the next stage of my trip. Plan is to be back on the road to Colodado on Friday morning.

Back to freedom. It is interesting what has been going on in my head as this trip has progressed. I think about everything under the sun, and more and more I am feeling the freedom that I have been experiencing, the ability to go where I choose to go, when I choose to go, with no restrictions or concerns for my safety. When I got to the room here in Rock Springs at the end of the day, I caught a bit of news what is going on in the world. Reality check strikes hard. When my head hit the pillow I was thinking that everyone on this planet deserves the freedom that we have here. There are differences to numerous to count between all of us, but we should all make our highest priority, to ensure that we each do all we can to enjoy our own freedom and to make sure that everyone else has theirs. To Freedom...

more photos coming, I promise.

Day 5 Yellowstone - Old Faithful Loop

WOW! Never been in Yellowstone before today, and now I can't imagine why not. Went in the East entrance to the Park because it is straight out of Cody. The entrance road is under construction for 13 miles, meaning it is gravel, narrow, and no side railings. In addition, it is so narrow that there is a "pilot" vehicle that escorts groups of vehicles up to make sure that no one goes to fast. Oh, I forgot to say that because it is so narrow, it is one way, so once a group get to the top of the pass (or where the pavement starts again), then another pilot vehicle takes a group down the road. I had been hearing about 90 minute delays, really challenging, etc., but I ended at the top in about 40 minutes including the time it took to buy the pass for Yellowstone. Felt very safe the entire time. So, coming down this thing at the end of a long day... I'll fill in that story at the end of today's posting.

First photo is shortly after we get into the park itself, showing a forest of burned trees that leads down to Yellowstone Lake. These are all dead, but in other places in the park where fire has struck, there are entire forests of pine trees growing up from all the dead trees. One of the signs said that this fire happened in 1998. The new growth is 8 to 10 feet tall or more already. It is amazing how nature reclaims it's rightful state without human's getting in the middle of it.

As I continued on, I came across a large number of Harleys and cars pulled off to the side and taking pictures. Pulled in and off in the distance was a few bison. I thought I had better get my camera out of the pack on back, and put it around my neck so I will be prepared for other shots that I might come across. So off I go down the road with my camera hanging around my neck. Down the road a mile or so, I came around a bend and there were several cars stopped right in the middle of the road! I look ahead a bit and coming right toward me is your friendly neighborhood Bison walking on the side of the road! I am not making this up. So I popped into neutral, grabbed my camera from around my neck, and started snapping. I realized all of a sudden that this guy is coming right at me and I started thinking "oh crap". I just kept taking photos and didn't move. He literally walked right by me while I am on my bike in the middle of the road, motor running, passed me, turned left behind me ( the vehicle that came up behind me had enough sense to stay back a bit) and crossed the road and down to wherever he felt like going. I have posted a series of 4 shots in sequence to show you the progression. I have 12 shots total that were snapped during this 30-45 second sequence. I will never forget it, I assure you. I can still smell him in my nostrils.
















My adreniline dropped and I continued on, looking forward to see what the camera captured. Crossed over the Continental Divide twice in my route to Old Faithful, the next stop on my schedule for the day. Pulled into the parking lot, which is quite large with several stores, lodge and restaurants on the complex. After getting off the bike, I noticed 5 Corvettes all in a row, and went over to take a photo or two. Note the Washington license plates on all 5. Met the owners while waiting for Old Faithful to do her thing. It currently goes off at about a 90 minute cycle, and had to wait about an hour for the next blow. Met a couple from St. Augustine, FL that are on a driving trip up to Seattle to take an Alaska cruise. They wanted to know some neat geography to see while in Seattle, and I was explaining how to get to Snoqualmie Falls, and a couple behind us in the second row, piped in and said it is worth seeing. Guess who they were...one of the Vette owners from Washington (Olympia actually). Small world. She blew her stack, got the photo's and was ready for the next stage.





Saw plenty of wildlife like the shots here of a small herd, and one BIG buck. He would not put his head up, but click on the photo and check out the rack on this guy. Spectacular. By the way, you can click on any of the photos and they will enlarge to a much larger size.


Starting to come up on 2:00 p.m. and realized I need to pick up the pace a bit, and clouds were forming in the background.



While heading out, I noticed smoke out front,
and took a shot of it. It seemed to die down after a bit, and have not heard what it was. Thought of my son Tyler who fights wildfires during the summers. He is coming back within two weeks to finish his senior your at Eastern Washington University. Stay Safe Ty!



Last stop was at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Neat views, took some shots, and headed out. One last stop along the way before getting out was to see a grazing herd of Bison in the valley. Yellowstone is simply monstrous and it's expanse cannot be captured in photos.


Well, remember the trip coming in and how easy it was? Well, the trip out was much more difficult. Going downhill, on loose gravel, narrow roads and keeping your speed down... let's just say it was a bit more challenging. There was one guy on a bike that I noticed that kept pulling over to let others pass him, and he was having a hard time of it. I pulled up next to him and he waved me on, but I told him I would stick with him and follow him down. He took his time and he made it down fine.

Tomorrow I take off on the "Thermoolis Loop". I am looking forward to it you can be sure.

Thanks for the comments folks, it is fun to see them.

Day 4 - Billings to Cody, WY

Great day all around. Kickstands up at 6:35 a.m. and off to Red Lodge, MT where we all enjoyed a pancake and sausage breakfast hosted by the Red Lodge Lions. A bite in the air with some early morning fog coming off the farmlands I passed through on the way to breakfast. I had to dig out the full gauntlet gloves to keep the fingers warm. It was already very warm by the time breakfast was finished and climbed into the 90's by the end of the day.

From Red Lodge, I was off to the Beartooth Highway (The Most Beautiful Roadway in America), that goes into Wyoming and down into Cody, WY and the entrance to Yellowstone. Do a search on the Internet and you'll find that the late CBS television correspondent Charles Kuralt once declared the Beartooth Highway to be the "most beautiful road in America." Or the "most scenic drive in America." Or "America's most beautiful roadway." Or a variation thereof. (So much for the Internet being an absolutely reliable source of concrete information!)

Whatever his exact words, it's clear that the well-traveled host of the "On the Road" series held Montana's U.S. 212 in high esteem – as do countless motorcyclists. Full of twisting, turning switchbacks that lead through steep, mountainous terrain to the 10,947-foot Beartooth Pass, riders travel from around the globe to get a taste of the Beartooth.

The photo opportunities were around every hairpin curve, and the sky was blue and the sun highlighting it all for us. As you move over the highway, you enter into Wyoming and start down the other side of the pass. The Montana side was heavily forested and as soon as you hit the Wyoming side it goes treeless and very rocky. Makes you wonder how the divided the states up and how the boundaries were set. I spent 15 minutes taking photos for everyone else and forgot to have someone take one of me. Oh well, I got the stare of the show anyway with "Sanity". She has performed flawlessly the entire trip and could not be happier with the bike.

Once I arrived in Cody, I checked into the hotel and dumped some of my gear, then headed off to explore Cody a bit. Driving through town and approaching the end of the road, a familiar smell hit my nose. Made a u-turn and headed back and found "Bubba's Bar-B-Que. Best BBQ I have had since I left Texas. I was the only biker there at first, but by the time I left there were over a dozen bikes in the parking lot. Cody is definitely a tourist town with every t-shirt, cotton-candy and restaurant you could think of...except Thai. Having a real craving for Thai.

Cody Chamber of Commerce sponsored a special evening at the Bufalo Bill Cody Museum tonight. Interesting stuff, but not for 3 hours so took off and headed back to the motel.

Yellowstone and the Old Faithful Loop is on the agenda for tomorrow. Should be a memorable experience.

Day 3 - Ride Prep, Meetings and Dealer Party

Everyone has arrived for the ride and we spent the day reviewing group riding signals and protocal, meeting the Harley executives that rode out from Milwaukee for the ride, and from representatives from Cody, WY about the plans while in Cody.
Everyone was in the motel parking lot right after the Rider's meeting and you can see the bikes from every state and 7 countries including Australia and United Arab Emirates amongst others.

The Billings HD dealer hosted a party for all the Iron Pony Riders as a way to kick off the ride in earnest. You can see that the city has welcomed us warmly with sins like this all over town. The parking lot was crammed, and the food was good ol' western barbecue. Met a couple from Lakewood, Colorado and had a great time talking about their neighborhood as it is right in the backyard of the high school that I attended. I met two guys from Austin, TX at the car wash this morning, and they told me of the rain that they hit while coming up through Denver. Spent some time at dinner with John from Sonoma, CA. He has been on the road for over a month from up in Banff, Canada through much of the northwest and midwest so far, having just come to Billings from Sturgis. He is riding the same bike as I, except a different color. He lost his wife to cancer about 9 months ago, and this is his way to honor her memory as she used to travel with him on trips throughout the southwest.

There are clouds on the horizon, so will be checking the weather report on the internet this evening. Plans are to leave around 6:30 in the morning for Red Lodge, MT for a pancake breakfast that the HD Dealer then off to Cody , WY. to establish a base camp at the hotel for the next several days. The road we will be taking is truly "world reknowned" for it's spectacular views and numerous "S" curves called Beartooth Highway. The next few days promise to provide the most spectacular scenery and views, between the wildlife and the views. I will be adding a complete photo album online and will provide the link in the blog sometime over the next day or two.

Day 2 Missoula to Billings

What hits me as I am on the road in Montana is the variety of lifestyles people live. When entering the state, I thought that Weyerhauser must not own any land here because the trees and the forests are huge, just noticeably more mature than I have grown accustomed to in Washington. Sunday morning ride out of Missoula presented me with a view of expansive farmland, pastures and rolling hills. Rolls of hay fresh from the haying season are everywhere. As I stop along the way for gas (approximately 150 to 200 miles) you get a quick peek into those that live in the area. No Starbucks and traffic jams in these towns, and Dodge Ram 2500 trucks are the BMW and Mercedes from home. I learned that Montana is the 4th largest state and it feels like it from the road.

Arrived in Billings at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana at 3:15 p.m. this afternoon. Left Missoula an hour later than I had hoped because I forgot about the change in time zone. About 850 miles into the trip at this point and have had spectacular low 90's and no rain. I am so thankful to be able to take this trip.

Monday will be registration, rider meetings, safety review, and a band and barbecue for all 12oo riders of this event at the local Harley-Davidson (Beartooth Harley). I will try and capture the parking lot from the hotel or dealership party tonight to give you a perspective of the size of the group.

Day 1 Redmond to Missoula,MT

Finally hit the road after all the to-do's were complete at 10:30 a.m. Arrived in Missoula at 6:30 after an uneventful trip.

How many people does it take to lift a Harley that has tipped on it's side? Now I know the answer...3.
When I pulled off the road to get a photo of the "Welcome to Idaho" sign, when I got back on the bike, I put my right foot down and slipped on the gravel. Good news was there happened to be a large motorcycle rally in Couer D'Alene so two bikers driving by pulled over and gave me a hand and some kidding. Bikers seem to always be ready to help each other, which is one of the reasons I treasure the opportunity to ride. Oh well, geez I was just trying to get a photo! If you ever find yourself in Missoula and are looking for a great place to eat, I highly recommend McKenzie River Pizza. The Spicy Italian Sausage Lasagna is spectacular and the have a "Smoked Irish Ale" that is very unique.

Tomorrow I hope to be off to Billings, MT and check in for the actual Iron Pony Ride. Until tomorrow...

Iron Pony Route Map - 3,392 Miles

My Ride

Iron Pony Ride-August, 2006

This blog will capture my motorcycle trip from Seattle, Washington to Billings, MT, Yellowstone National Park, Breckenridge, Colorado, Salt Lake City, UT and back. The portion of this trip through Yellowstone is coordinated by the national Harley Owners Group (HOG) and is limited to 1,200 bikes from around the world and is called the Iron Pony Ride. I will be leaving Seattle on August 19th, 2006 and anticipate being gone for 8 - 9 days. I will be riding my 2006 Harley-Davidson Road King Custom that has acquired the name (and now personalized license plate) of "Sanity" Anyone that has had the priviledge of riding the open road on a motorcycle will understand why it was given this name. The plan is to update the blog each night with the places, people and discoveries along the way. Come along for the ride, even though it might be from your desk!