Feb 17 2018

On the slopes in Utah & Wyoming

Sweat pouring down my brow, muscles aching and I have only just put on the ski clothing and boots! This does not bode well for the next week. After a long sleep and a leisurely first day just relaxing and sightseeing, Friday the 9th is the big test for me: back on skis for the first time in four years. Our first stop is Snowbasin, a ski resort northeast of Salt Lake City which we have not been to before. The reason for this is that I purchased a ticket called “Mountain Collective” which gives two days skiing at a number of resorts in the USA and Canada for an all inclusive price. So we will be resort hopping for the next week.

After a record “powder” season last year in Utah, the snow gods have not been kind to this region in 2018. Brown barren landscapes greet us as we wend our way towards Snowbasin, only the peaks show the glimmer of snow – we had more snow along the roadside here last year on ‘Streak’ and ‘Storm’ in May. The roadside snow depth indicators have their bases exposed, that’s how poor the snowfall has been!

The lodge at Snowbasin is well appointed and Anne will be comfortable while she waits for me, spending the day enjoying myself on the slopes, still she has to prepare the presentation for…. ahh you will have wait for that one, nearly let our secret destination out of the bag. I can still get on and off the chairlift without causing a catastrophe, let’s see how the skiing bit will go.

Snowbasin looking east, no lower elevation snow

Tested the stopping first, then upward and onwards, let’s explore. It quickly becomes apparent as perched on the chairlift rising up the mountain side; the lack of snow, bare patches between trees, “no snow well”, as I heard from other skiers, around the base of the trees. It seemed like spring skiing conditions, without the warmer weather. If it was not for the continuous snow making during the day as well as at night, I shudder to think what the slopes would be like.

Snowbasin, snow covered at higher elevations

I am able to ski! No style, not much skill, but I can get down the easy blue run. I am skiing again. I am sorry that Anne cannot join me, but glad that skiing friends did not take up the suggestion that they join us in Utah this year. Two days of gentle skiing at Snowbasin are a very enjoyable return to skiing for me. I explore the mountain finding a mixture of snow and ice, realise I have really been spoilt in the past by groomed slopes and fresh powder. Still I am happy.

Two days up at Snowbasin and onwards to our next ski resort on the Mountain Collective pass, Jackson Hole Wyoming which we passed through Jackson in 2015 on our first RTW. First a short detour to KLIM to see Rhylea and Kelsey, KLIM Woman’s Adventure Motorcycle clothing designers, who back in May last year during our visit on the second RTW, were designing the KLIM 2018 range. We travel with snow falling again as we did in May last year, this time we are inside our nice warm car, so much more comfortable.

KLIM having shared their thoughts with us then, and listened to Anne’s comments on her current KLIM Altitude jacket, Kelsey and Rhylea were now able to show Anne the results of all their hard work: the Artemis jacket and pants which is hitting the stores as we speak, or write in my case. Rhylea and Kelsey exceeded Anne’s expectations and they also seemed pleased to see Anne’s reactions as they showed all the features of the new motorcycle clothing. The end result, Anne purchased an Artemis set and cannot wait to get home to test them out. More adventures in that direction coming I think.

Jackson Hole does not disappoint, a little further north and a little more snow, I am soon wizzing down the slopes, blue only I hasten to add, over 28km on the first day. A lot less on the second day, even though I exercised before departure by cycling, my legs tell me from time to time to ease off a little. The second day sees intermittent snow showers, which darken the sky, this allied with my cataract impaired vision has me still staying on the groomed slopes to keep me safe.

Beautiful open runs at Jackson Hole

I always enjoy the rides on the cablecar or chairlift, meeting people from different backgrounds and always learn something interesting. This time I met two people who are using stem cell treatments, one to overcome a back injury, the other a stroke, neither in the USA however as the regulation and approval of such treatment is governed by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). As it was pointed out, why does the use of ones own stem cells on oneself require approval of a drugs administration? Interesting.

My final skiing destination is Alta, back near Salt Lake City, an old favourite from the time Anne and I both skied together and one of only three, I believe, that only allow skiers and not snowboarders, thus a favourite of Anne’s, after being knocked unconscious by an out of control snowboarder at Park City, Utah some 10 years ago.

A perfect day for skiing

Blue skies and 17 inches / 40+ cm. of fresh power snow are waiting for us at Alta. We get an early start, along with many others heading up high to take advantage of the snow and sun after such a poor ski season to date. The crisp crunch of the perfect snow underfoot brings back great memories. I cannot wait to get started. The view from the top is spectacular and a quick run down and back has me warmed up and eying a large patch of virgin power snow. A must do after the crunch of the groomed slopes, the almost soundless hiss of the skis hidden beneath the deep powder snow is priceless. Up and down a few more times, then the ‘signed’ gate onto a black run beckons. ‘Expert skiers only’, ‘Beware Avalanche’ etc etc. Good thing I have cataracts as the USA seems paranoid about risk. Down the fresh powder and splat, face first into the deep unmarked powder. Ten minutes are spent fruitlessly searching for a lost ski, invisible beneath the deep snow. Ski found and I am off again. A few minutes later I am reminded why they have different types of categories for ski runs as I peer down a steep snow filled chute watching the effects of gravity on dislodged snow as it runs without stopping further and further down the mountain.

Exploring the black runs

Starts to get more interesting

Suffice to say, I get down, albeit with a few falls and a reminder that advanced areas with exposed rocks, trees and narrow descents are best left to those with the requisite skills – do heed the warning signs! Still, over the next one and a half days I ventured off groomed tracks more than once and enjoyed every minute. It did make me realise that if I wish to progress further, more exercise in advance and a lesson or two would not go amiss. Thank you Anne for sitting, watching and wishing you could join me.

What a wonderful day I have had

My ski holiday is over, next stop Europe, family and friends in what will be a busy few weeks.

– Anthony

May 19 2017

The old and the new

Three days of camping are over and on a chilly Sunday morning we pack up camp carefully trying to put everything back in its original place. The winds gusting through the tall straight pines that dot the campsite makes packing the tent a little tricky but with skilled folding on Anne’s part we are done. As we ride out of the Fort Tuthill County Park outside Flagstaff Arizona we leave behind new friends, but take away great memories. I understand why people come back year after year. Maybe we will return?

I realise that we have been on the road exactly one month. That exciting moment when we rode out of Air Canada Cargo in Toronto has not diminished in our minds, but the route we had planned back then up to Alaska has been blown into oblivion by the late arrival of summer.

After seemingly spending the better part of a month running away from Jack Frost’s icy fingers, we are finally turning north: this late wintery weather must be coming to an end, although the weather forecasts do not paint such a sunny picture where we are heading. In the East of the USA they are having record high temperatures for this time of year and the mid west there is flooding and storms, so no complaints here. But North we must go, we need to get to Vancouver by early June to have Streak and Storm prepared for shipping to South Korea. We still have a long wish list of places to visit and roads to ride. We acquired a couple of the Butler motorcycle maps at the Overland Expo and have been pouring over the possible routes though the mountain passes, but little footnotes like ‘does not open to 1 June’ and the sight of snow still capping the lower peaks as we ride, tempers our enthusiasm. Those roads will remain unridden by us this time in Utah anyway.

As we head towards Page on US89, I realise that we are now travelling over the same road we rode in May 2012 on a pair of Harley Davidson Road Kings. Our first motorcycle trip in the USA and it had to be a Harley! We felt so cool as we rode our pair of large noisy Harleys across the SW of the USA for 10 days from Los Angles to Monument Valley and back.

We are on the road again and loving it!

We are combining new and old roads, hence the title of this blog. Onto US89A and past the Vermillion cliffs again which impressively look down onto the Colorado river which we cross at the last bridge before the start of Marble Canyon leading into the Grand Canyon. For all the impressive road construction in the USA, the next river crossing is at the other end of the Lake Mead at Boulder dam which is some 288 miles / 463 kilometres by road away, quite a gap and unlikely to be bridged anytime soon.

Navajo Bridge over the Colorado river

The Colorado river and the Vermillion cliffs

The Vermillion Cliffs, Arizona

The north rim of the grand canyon does not open until the next day, another sign that we are early in the season, so we continue northwards and see Zion National Park in the distance. We have been there twice before and do not plan to visit again. It may seem a little strange to be crossing the United States and missing all the major tourist attractions, but as we have seen many of them previously they are not on our itinerary this time. This leads me to a phrase used by one of our loyal followers, Lesley, who said “Love the gems you find” which made me realise that while we do find gems as we travel, there are so many more out there we pass by leaving for others to collect – the world is covered in them, we only collect a very small selection to place in our knapsack of memories. The rest of the gems are waiting for you out there.

In Kanab, we see a restaurant we stopped at on the Harleys, it’s a little like a game to determine what we remember and what we have forgotten. From Kanab, we diverge from our memories and head north on US89 which provides a nice slower alternative to the interstate highway. We cover over 360 miles / 580 kilometres to Brigham City, this is our longest day as we travel to get ahead of a forecast snowstorm through beautiful countryside and interesting small towns. Some towns seem to be thriving and have a well kept look, others run down with closed shops and abandoned houses. What are the economic dynamics that allow one location to prosper and another appear to be in decline?

Signs for the short sighted

At lunch in Manti, UT, we are approached by Jasper a local 12 year old, interested in Streak and Storm. We have an enjoyable conversation about travel, motorcycles and his plans for the future. It is wonderful to meet young people and feel their enthusiasm: they are unfettered by our experiences and the limitations we impose on ourselves. To hear them talk about all they want to achieve raises ones own energy levels. We leave refreshed by both food and conversation.

Twenty minutes later, we pull over to allow Anne to sleep off her sugar hit from the hamburger bun at lunchtime. This allows me to take yet another photo of Anne asleep to support my argument that I do all the blog work. It is very frustrating for Anne to find food on the road that is not loaded with sugar. However 10 minutes later, Anne is back on her feet and we are away again.

Anne sleeping on the job again!

The following day, more winter weather is due, again, but we are able to find a window between the rain/sleet/snow forecasts and wend our way from Brigham City to Idaho Springs via a more secondary route that takes us into the Cache valley where we take US91 northwards.

Sweeping roads in southern Idaho.

Mendon, green fields amd snowcapped peaks

Yellow is the colour here.

Last time we were in Idaho Falls we visited KLIM, who make the motorcycle clothing we wear every day and has stood us in good stead for the last few years. So a return visit would allow us to see how they had developed since then. We heard the wind and rain overnight and woke to find that Anne’s bike cover has long gone and mine is half off. A fruitless search follows, but Anne’s bike cover is at least one county away, oh well.

Snow and Ice on our journey to KLIM

Leaving our hotel, we encounter light sleet and hail that sheets and dances across road as we ride north to KLIM. The weather makes our arrival look a little more adventurous. The building has changed and grown with a new KLIM store onsite. We are greeted by Rhylea whom we met on our last visit and her colleague Kelsey. We are taken on a tour of the new facility, introduced to a number of staff as we move from department to department. It is amazing to see all the new gear they are in the process of designing, building, mocking up, spread across various work tables. We have a long chat with Jayson, Product line manager and Pat a senior designer who had organised for Anne to be one of their product testers after our last visit. Jayson is very keen to get our views on the KLIM gear and the other layers we are wearing. It is great to see that they are all genuinely interested in our opinion of their gear, having given it such a tough and long work out! It was particularly exciting to be shown their new range – a real privilege to be trusted with all the information they shared with us.

Anne, Rhylea, Pat, Kelsey & Anthony at KLIM

We have replaced Anne’s bike cover, stocked up on a few bits and pieces, completed this blog entry and for once planned tomorrow’s route through the wilds of Idaho on the back roads to the NW. See you on the other side.

– Anne & Anthony

Apr 20 2017

Finding our feet and dusting off the cobwebs – the first week.

Long distance motorcycling is like riding a bicycle, you do not forget, but there are a few wobbles as you start out. We have been on the road for only one week, yet it seems so much longer. The amazing first day still seems so unreal, going from Streak and Storm in a different city to watching the sun set on Niagara falls less than 10 hours later. Pure pleasure.

Reality the next day greeted us, overcast and raining as we crossed the border going over the bridge past Niagara Falls into the USA. Six months entry courtesy of our B1-2 visas suddenly made me aware of how little time we have to complete this journey. We can stay in the USA until 14 October 2017, which is after our planned completion date to be back in London! Rain increased and we had two hours on Interstate 90 (I90) at 70mph (110kph) testing our Klim waterproof clothing and new Sidi boots. All passed with flying colours.

Entering the USA at Niagara Falls

We had considered heading to Nashville in Tennessee for a little country and western music, but a quick internet check showed the hotels are full, Easter holidays – it will have to wait for another time. As you know from Anne’s previous post, we headed south towards Pittsburgh to visit Fallingwater, so our westward journey has not even started.

When we flew into Montreal, we could see snow on the ground to the north and quickly became aware that Spring is not as advanced as we saw in Europe. As we rode southwards I watched the wind swirling last year’s leaves on the road as the first buds start to blossom into leaf amongst the the grey and black trees lining our route. We also noted that animals here have the same problems crossing the road as back home with the same sad result, everything from racoons to white tailed deer. Night riding is probably not a good idea.

After Fallingwater, which is approached by a lovely winding road (route 381), we backtracked to Ohiopyle for lunch where we discovered the Great Allegheny Passage, a wonderful repurposing of an old railway track for hiking and cycling. There are even campsites along the route for the hardy individuals who traverse the whole length. Any takers on the couch?

A wonderful walking route

We walked a small section crossing the Youghiogheny river twice as it meanders in a horseshoe shape with great views of the river below. The old railway bridges have been converted to pedestrian/bicycle use and should be good for decades to come with the lighter payloads of feet and bicycle tyres.

On the Great Allengheny Passage

Our westward push takes us in bright sunshine along I70 at a fair clip: here, all traffic moves at the speed limit, even the big trucks, it pays to keep pace with the traffic. The gently rolling hills give way to flatter country as we cross the Ohio river and enter the state of Ohio. Our destination of Bremen, Indiana is too far for us to cover in a day, especially since we do not leave until 11am. We are not called the 2slowspeeds for nothing. We chose Marysville, Ohio as our midway stop just over half way and beyond Columbus so we avoid the rush hour traffic the next day.

En-route we stop for lunch and meet yet another friendly person interested in the motorcycles and our journey. In the last week we have met many such people. While the government may have changed here since our last visit, the people we meet from day to day are the same as they were in 2015.

Marysville turns out to be the home of the first and largest Honda car manufacturing plant in the USA and has a heritage museum http://www.hondaheritagecenter.com, so a visit is planned. They also do a small group car plant tours twice a week, but this is booked out weeks in advance. We hide our BMWs at the end of the parking lot and are greeted with cookies and told there are a couple of cancellations for the car plant tour and we are welcome to join. Someone in the group took 2 years to get on the car plant tour and we get in without a booking, our luck continues.

Early Honda motorcycles manufactured at Marysville

Anne on the F1 racetrack

A Honda engine in expanded form

Everyone dresses in white at Honda, to show that people are considered equal, reminding me of those futuristic sci-fi programs where you know someone will try to escape. I wait in vain for the alarm to sound. Talking of movies, I was reminded of ‘Willy Wonker and the Chocolate Factory’ as we prepared for the tour, those of you who have seen the movie will recall that not all the people made it through the factory tour. We had a brave couple with the surname ‘Ford’ who I said would definitely be the first to go.

The Honda Marysville Auto Plant, known locally as MAP, is approx 4 million square feet or almost 375,000 square meters in size and employs more than 4,500 people producing Honda Accord and Accura ILX and TLX models in two production lines. We are told that the tour will cover 1.5 miles or 2.5 kilometres within the plant. We are also told that while we will not be able to follow the process from start to finish in sequence, we will see all production stages except the paint shop. It quickly becomes apparent why, the plant is three dimensional, conveyors move parts above our heads as we see steel being cut out of a roll, the first stage of the car manufacturing process.

Here is a connection to Anne: in the early 1980’s, Anne was a steel broker in London purchasing tens of thousands of tonnes of steel from Eastern Europe for sale in the United States; some may have even ended up here in this plant! The cut steel then goes into the largest press I have ever seen, no photos allowed unfortunately but the size of a 3 storey building, stamping car body parts which are then taken by robots and welded together into the initial frame. Car bodies then disappear up towards the roof on our left side, to then reappear from beneath the ground on our right. Conveyors criss cross above our heads in a complex maze moving parts around. I hope someone knows how this all goes together in case of a breakdown. I could go on about the various fascinating plant processes, but will conclude with an interesting observation: while some processes are fully automated, manual checking at every stage exists in the plant. It is a strange combination of hi tech and low tech, which I had not fully appreciated before undertaking the tour.

As we depart this amazing place, we have seen rolls of steel become motorcars driven off the production line. This takes about 12 hours, including 10 hours in the paint shop, just 2 hours to construct, amazing. I find it somewhat incongruous to think that we leave here to visit our Amish friends who use a horse and buggy. Is there an opportunity for Honda here?

You must be impressed by the lengthy blog entry that I, Anthony, have crafted, but perhaps wonder what Anne does as I work my fingers to the bone on the virtual keyboard. Careful surveillance revealed the following:

Anne asleep while Anthony works on the blog….

Anne asleep again, need I say more….

The nexus between title and the blog content may seem a little tenuous at this point but while we have rolled on without interruption, a few niggles have emerged. As all our equipment is now over four years old, we are starting to see the first cracks emerge. We both have seats that have started to split and the waterproof tape inside the panniers has decided to go walkabout. Easily fixed by the appropriate glue. Small items appear to have gone missing, which probably means we, well I, have misplaced them. They will emerge at some time in the future as we use more equipment and start camping. I am also having to get used to the information displayed in front of me. I pulled over with rising tyre pressure, only to realise it was the reset milage counter! Maybe I need new glasses. Anyway, the cobwebs have been blown away and our feet are firmly on the ground in North America. 1000 miles or 1600 kilometres under our belts, we are on our way…

– Anthony

Stop press – All missing items found…..

Aug 3 2015

Wonderful Wyoming

We leave the Grand Tetons, which we find as magnificent and awe inspiring as we did 30 years ago. The air is crisp, the sky deep blue, the sun rays warming gently. Perfect bike riding weather.

I have amused myself while riding in Wyoming with the colourful and evocative creek and river names: snake, rattle snake, badwater, muddy, tensleep, little bighorn, little goose and belle fourche, nez perce, gros ventre. Yes, I notice the French names, this area once claimed by France, Spain and England.

In Jackson, we cross the Snake River to follow WY22, a steep, 10% gradient, road taking us over the Teton Pass at 2,570 metre altitude. Glad we have kept our extra layers on and grateful for our heated grips. The views of the mountain range are stunning but it is the gentle rolling fields along the Swan Valley Highway on US26 which I particularly loved. The winds along that stretch of road were absolutely brutal, buffeting us from the left, and stopping there is not an option.

A local family in Jackson, Wyoming

Along Swan Valley Hwy

This is the furthest west in the US we will be going on this trip. We only picked Idaho Falls as it is the closest town to Rigby where Klim, the manufacturer of our jackets, are located. We decided to visit them after meeting some of their representatives at the Gunnison Motorcycle rally to give them feedback after 14 months’ constant use.

We had no expectations or any knowledge of Idaho Falls and it turned out to be a lovely surprise, once again. It is Idaho state’s 2nd largest city, with a population of just over 58,300. Our hotel happens to be located close to the “falls” of Idaho Falls, on the Snake river, the town being so named in 1891 in reference to the rapids located there. In 1909, a dam wall was built for a hydroelectric power plant and turned the rapids into falls. In 1969, the largest irrigation canal in the world was built, transforming the surrounding desert into one of the most productive farmland area in the US. The current dam wall was built in 1982 after the citizens of Idaho Falls voted to invest into more hydro electric plants which today generate 50% of their electric power needs!

You feel a sense of pride in their town. Lovely river walk, Japanese garden section, outdoor sculptures.

Idaho Falls

Mormon Temple at Idaho Falls

Park bench on the banks of Snake river at Idaho Falls

Sculpture on the banks of Snake river at Idaho Falls

After a walk along the river and through the city centre, with its grand art deco buildings, we make our way to Klim. The 2 reps we had met are away today on a bike ride so Porsche kindly offers to give us a tour of their building. We had never expected such a welcome: we are introduced to everyone individually!!! It was great to meet Rhylea the designer and give her some feedback. But how painful to turn down the offer of a free pair of pants because they were way too large for me… Klim is a wonderful success story of a company started by one determined and inspirational man – such a shame Justin Summers was out that day.

Porsche and Rhylea at Klim

Klim warehouse – impressive for such a small company

Two hours later, we are off again. We know we are approaching Yellowstone national park when we see road signs: be bear aware, food storage required. We get to the west gate, pay our entrance fee and find out that every campground bar one on the far side of the park is full. We turn back and try the KOA 12 miles down the road. That too is full except for 2 cabins – lucky for us albeit outrageously expensive for what you get: $109 with no toilet, water or bedding. But we do get a chance to recharge all our electronic equipment. And there is internet. I do a bit of research on campgrounds in Yellowstone. That is when I find out that most campgrounds are fully booked by 7.30am!! Eek. That is going to require an awfully early start in the morning. We choose Norris: one of the most primitive, not too large, not too far from our entrance and doesn’t appear to book out until 9am and only filled at 11am today.

Returning to KOA at West Yellowstome

We are up at 5am – it is freezing, literally. As we get to the park entrance by 7am after breakfast and refuelling in the town of West Yellowstone, there are already queues to enter the park!! The lighting is magical. Steam rising from the creeks. It gets to literally 0 degrees celcius. Winter gloves, max heated handlebars, extra fleece are not enough to keep us warm. We can’t resist stopping at some stunning spots but we know we need to get to Norris campground as soon as possible as we are sure most people on the road right now have the same intention. We decide not to stop for another stunning spot. We get to Norris campground at 7.30, drive the A loop, all full. B loop, all full, C loop, get to the top and here is one spot. Check the tag, the previous occupants left this morning. We are in luck – and it is the most private spot!!! Absolutely perfect!!

Leaving our campground at 6am

Morning mist on Madison river in Yellowstone

Steam at Yellowstone

I notice a path near the tent – this is not just person path, bison dropping (not bear I tell myself) and a running rabbit is proof. We will have to be careful and diligent with bear packing. Lucky they provide a massive bear proof food storage metal box for each tent spot.

Bear box for each camping spot in Yellowstone

We meet our neighbours Ed and Marte who invite us to join them for dinner tonight. While we chat, many cars pull up and ask if we are leaving. We got here just in time. Ed tells us that the reason this campground didn’t fill up until 11am yesterday is because a motorhome trailer jackknifed in the middle of the one way path and access was closed until 11am.

Visiting national parks in the US during the summer holiday period really isn’t the best time, and once again we find the roads and scenic spots way too crowded for us but we are here now so make the most of it to revisit some places we first saw 30 years ago and discover new ones. How things have changed in this time: signs stating drones are not allowed, signs warning of the dangers of geysers and that people have burned to death when straying off the path, and the size of the crowds, at Old Faithful particularly – when we first saw it, there were a few benches for people to sit on and wait and a simple low cord with a warning sign swinging from it.

Norris Geyser basin, Yellowstone

Thermophilic algae live in temperatures of 38-56 degrees celcius (100-133 F)

Crowds waiting for Old Faithful

Old Faithful geyser erupts on cue

I particularly enjoy stopping at the open meadows, dotted with wildflowers, and no one in sight. They feel so peaceful. And the Lake lodge, with its wide veranda and rocking chairs – so inviting: we enjoyed a drink and slice of cake overlooking Yellowstone Lake.

Hayden Valley, Yellowstone

Canyon Village grand view of Yellowstone river, at 2413m

Yellowstone meadow

During our time in Yellowstone, we saw one black bear, many deer, lots of herds of bison, elk, swans and wolves, yes wolves (thanks to the visitors with powerful lenses and binoculars)!! A few years ago, I read an article on the history of wolves and the impact of the extermination of grey wolves on the whole eco system of Yellowstone and how 14 were re-introduced in 1995 and a further 17 in 1996. So seeing wolves was particularly special.

Bison, Lamar Valley

Bison herds in the Lamar Valley

This is where we saw wolves, Lamar valley

Although the park today was too crowded for us, we are glad we returned. Riding through the park was a true feast for the senses – the colours and lighting, the smells of pine and flowers, the sound of rushing creeks and rivers. And seeing nature being renewed – we saw huge areas of burned out forests with hundreds and thousands of tiny new pines growing amongst the burned out ones.

Regenerated forest in Yellowstone

We return to our campsite after a busy day – Anthony points out the name of our tent – Yellowstone!! And relax for an hour before joining Marte & Ed ( and Annie the dog( from Phoenix, now Texans to be close to grandkids, for a Mexican dinner. Lucky our contribution and choice of bags of peanut M&M’s for desert are apparently Ed’s favourite. A lovely evening was spent chatting before turning in for the night.

Our camping spot in Yellowstone

As we are busy packing the bikes the next morning, Ellen whom Anthony chatted to while I was busy storing all our food away, comes over to me with a “you are invited” note to a home cooked meal or 2 or 3 and a comfy bed to her home in Vermont. How kind!!!

Ed, Marte, Annie the dog, Ellen and Bob

Yesterday morning was so freezing, we don’t want to leave so early today. The temperature doesn’t go down to zero but it is nippy enough at 5 degrees. We stay rugged up as we will be climbing for the first few hours. First along the Beartooth highway, they Chief Joseph Highway. Chief Joseph pass has some interesting historic displays: Nez Percé Indians, led by Lean Elk and Joseph outmaneuvered the US Cavalry in 1877 by milling their horses around in every direction and leaving a confusion of tracks and managed to escape the US Cavalry. The US Army’s continued pursuit of 750 Nez Percé Indians lasted over 3 months. Chief Joseph eventually surrendered but became renowned as a great peacemaker and humanitarian.

Heading up to Dunraveen Pass, 2700m, Yellowstone

Over the Lamar river

US212 Beartooth highway

Clarks Fork Yellowstone river, Chief Joseph Hwy

The scenery is incredible, the roads perfect bike riding roads and today is the best riding day I have had in a very very long time, with Streak performing brilliantly. I had been waiting to encounter high temperatures before I could confidently declare Streak completely fixed after our Denver fixes, and today we got all the conditions which have caused me problems over the last 7 months: acceleration, uphill especially, heat and less than half full fuel tank. We had numerous passes, twists, heat and long stretches between refueling. Streak is fixed!!

Twists tighter than an S

Chief Joseph’s Pass

Today, we stop at Cody where we have lunch at Buffalo Bill Cody’s hotel named Irma after his daughter and stop for the night in Sheridan where we walk to Buffalo Bill’s other hotel, the Sheridan Inn, for dinner as there is no Walmart nearby for us to buy our usual humus, crackers, carrots or mushrooms for dinner.

Road signs we have seen over the last few days – Motorcycles are everywhere – look twice, save a life

Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel in Cody

Buffalo Bill’s Sheridan Inn

We are hoping for a good night’s sleep tonight at our little motel as we are camping tomorrow at Devil’s Tower then we are off to Sturgis – not sure how much sleep we’ll get there…!!

– Anne

2slowspeeds

Loving life – Turning Dreams into Memories

Tag Archives: Klim

On the slopes in Utah & Wyoming

The old and the new

Finding our feet and dusting off the cobwebs – the first week.

Wonderful Wyoming

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