Crazyjeeper
NickGyver
This trip took place from June 25 through July 4.
Day 1 - Dallas, TX to North Platte, NE - 740 Miles
Nothing like starting a trip by setting a personal record for one day mileage. It was a fairly uneventful run up the I-35 slab to Oklahoma City, then onto the two lane roads.
Somewhere in Kansas the sky started to turn ugly.
I checked the radar on my phone and saw that these massive thunderstorms were forming to the north and west. Of course I was headed straight north. I could see a gap in the storms that was rapidly closing. I continued heading north as the sky got blacker. At one point I was doing about 40mph with a cell dumping rain about a half mile to my left and a much bigger one ahead of me. Directly to the NW of me, there was a gap in the rain curtain I was trying to slip through. Somehow it worked. I hit some rain, but I definitely missed the worst of it.
Safe and sound on the other side
Into Nebraska
I pulled into North Platte, grabbed a quick bite, and went to bed.
Day 2 - North Platte, NE to Spearfish, SD - 418 Miles
Time for a much more fun day.
Sandhills
Gas and clif bar stop in Alliance, NE
Into South Dakota
I stopped for a quick lunch in Hot Springs and then headed into the hills.
One of these days I'll actually go the cave rather than just take a picture of the sign.
I started heading up the scenic and super twisty Highway 87, but I encountered a problem. Well, a large herd of problems, in the form of Bison on the road.
After sitting stationary behind that rented RV for about 10 minutes, I just didn't see myself getting through the herd on the road without getting gored so I flipped a quick u-turn and high tailed it out of there. I could ride 87 again another time.
On the way up to the summit of Mt. Coolidge
A truly spectacular view
The plains stretch on forever
Up the Iron Mountain road
What's that in the gap in the trees?
Why it's some heads blasted into a mountain!
One of the famous pigtail bridges
After all of that, I headed the rest of the way up 385 into Spearfish and called it a day.
Day 3 - Spearfish, SD to Williston, ND - 300 miles
Since I used to live in Williston, I was pretty familiar with most of the roads in western North Dakota, but there was one line on the map I had always wanted to take, but I never had. It was about 110 miles of gravel stretching from just north of Belle Fourche, SD to Beach, ND.
They don't call it the great plains for nothing.
Some buttes to break up the horizon
So far into the middle of nowhere, there wasn't even a sign saying welcome to North Dakota.
Oddly enough, part of the road in South Dakota was actually paved, with a speed limit of 45. Once I hit North Dakota it went back to gravel and the limit went up to 50!
Enter the North Dakota badlands.
North Dakota twisties
Once I hit pavement again at Beach, I cruised up Hwy 16 to 68 to 85 and into Williston.
Day 4 - Williston, ND to Glendive, MT - 100 Miles
Up until now, things had been going perfectly to plan. Originally I was going to ride down to Sheridan, WY to set myself up to ride over the Bighorns. That changed at 6am when I woke feeling like I hadn't slept at all, and my guts were turning over. Suffice to say, I ate something that didn't like me and I paid the price. Still, being the determined sort of person I am, I figured I would feel better through the day as I rode. That just was not to be.
I made it 35 miles to the Montana border
At this point I was just not feeling it at all. 10 miles into Montana I stopped in Sidney to take a break and try and psych myself up for the next leg.
The Richland County Courthouse in Sidney
After about 20 minutes in Sidney, I got back on the bike and started heading for Glendive. As much as I was willing myself on, my body was saying no more. It was getting to the point where I wanted to just pull over and take a nap in the grassy ditch. I forced myself on with the knowledge that there was a park with picnic tables 2 miles north of Glendive that I could stop at to rest.
Checking into the iron butt motel
I laid on the picnic table for about an hour and felt no better. I finally threw in the towel having only ridden 100 of the planned 400 miles and got a hotel room in Glendive.
Even in the condition I was in, I had to grab a picture with the triceratops at the park entrance
Day 5 - Glendive, MT to Red Lodge, MT - 280 Miles
After the debacle of the previous day, I awoke after about 14 hours of sleep feeling much better. Luckily the way I had planned the trip, I was able to have an easy 4 hour cruise down the slab to Red Lodge and get this trip back on track!
Day 6 - Red Lodge, MT to Jackson, WY - 239 Miles
Finally I was feeling completely normal. Time to get back to the fun stuff!
Headed up Beartooth Pass
Mercifully there was almost no traffic.
Into Wyoming
Well above the tree line
No matter how many times I go over this road, it never gets old.
The famous bear's tooth
Delicious corners
I grabbed some lunch in Cooke City and then headed into the traffic jams.
Obligatory Yellowstone Bison picture
There was some rain in the area, luckily I managed to avoid almost all of it
Seems like the best views are always at the top of a washboard gravel road
Someone was nice enough to take my picture
Headed back down to the pavement
Some bubbling geologic thing
Yellowstone Lake
Now that is a chain
Across the divide!
Not sure if it gets more Wyoming than having to stop for a herd of horses crossing the road
Grand Tetons
Overall a great day, and the traffic wasn't even too bad. Whenever I got stuck in a huge conga line of cars I would just pull over and take a few pictures. I also didn't stop at a bunch of the attractions due to the overflowing parking areas. I think if I ride the bike back to Yellowstone, I'll go in September when school is back in session.
Day 7 - Jackson, WY to Salt Lake City, UT - 382 Miles
After the crowds in Yellowstone, I was looking forward to getting back off the beaten path. I was going to Salt Lake to stay with some friends who hooked me up with a great back road route from Jackson to SLC.
Freedom Wyoming
Into Idaho
I think this was near Mink Creek
Taking the less travelled road on the far side of Bear Lake
This is the Utah state line, but they couldn't be bothered to put a welcome sign
Somewhere in the Wasatch Mountains
Sadly I'm a little short of pictures from this day. I was so focused on getting there and having my day off that I just blasted nearly non-stop to Salt Lake.
Day 8 - Rest day. 2459 Miles down, about 1300 to go. Sadly I was short on time and I was going to have to get from Salt Lake back to Dallas in just 2 days. Time to get rested up and ready for the long slab home. I changed the oil on the Super Tenere for good measure and otherwise generally relaxed.
Day 9 - Salt Lake City to Ca?on City, CO - 542 miles
I had originally wanted to take a slightly longer route through Vernal so I could ride the pass into Grand Junction, but the reality of the sheer number of miles ahead of me sunk in and I ended up taking the short route through Price down to I-70.
Into Colorado
I did allow myself one detour to ride past the Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Next time I need to give myself enough time to actually go into the park. Still, the road was suitable excellent
Last pic of the day along the Arkansas river near Ca?on City
I had dinner with a couple of friends that were on their own trip from Dallas and then headed to bed early. Not only did I have a really long day, but I was going to lose an hour going into central time.
Day 10 - Ca?on City - CO to Dallas, TX - 729 Miles
The final day. All about making the miles and getting home in one piece. In the interest of time, I downed a quick clif bar while I loaded the bike and hit the road. I made it to Raton, NM before the first fuel stop. My goal was going to be to push my stop as far as I could early so that way later in the day I would have plenty of time to stop without riding at night. Oh, and to make it better, this was my last day off, so I had to be at work the next morning. Next stop was Texline where my dad, who had been following me on the SPOT called to welcome me back to Texas! Yeah! 8 hours to go! I pulled into a truck stop in Amarillo ostensibly to eat lunch, but they only had a McDonalds and I wasn't feeling all that hungry. Instead I downed clif bar number 2 and pressed on. Next stop was Quannah, TX for another snack and refuel. 93 octane for the Tenere and beef jerky with a side of Doritos for me. One more stop in Bowie Texas and I was home. I ended up making it in just over 11 hours.
Pulling into the Driveway
Home in one piece. That is my "I need a beer" face.
Happy 4th of July!
All said and done, it was 3730 miles over 10 days through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Can't wait to do the next one!
Day 1 - Dallas, TX to North Platte, NE - 740 Miles
Nothing like starting a trip by setting a personal record for one day mileage. It was a fairly uneventful run up the I-35 slab to Oklahoma City, then onto the two lane roads.
Somewhere in Kansas the sky started to turn ugly.
I checked the radar on my phone and saw that these massive thunderstorms were forming to the north and west. Of course I was headed straight north. I could see a gap in the storms that was rapidly closing. I continued heading north as the sky got blacker. At one point I was doing about 40mph with a cell dumping rain about a half mile to my left and a much bigger one ahead of me. Directly to the NW of me, there was a gap in the rain curtain I was trying to slip through. Somehow it worked. I hit some rain, but I definitely missed the worst of it.
Safe and sound on the other side
Into Nebraska
I pulled into North Platte, grabbed a quick bite, and went to bed.
Day 2 - North Platte, NE to Spearfish, SD - 418 Miles
Time for a much more fun day.
Sandhills
Gas and clif bar stop in Alliance, NE
Into South Dakota
I stopped for a quick lunch in Hot Springs and then headed into the hills.
One of these days I'll actually go the cave rather than just take a picture of the sign.
I started heading up the scenic and super twisty Highway 87, but I encountered a problem. Well, a large herd of problems, in the form of Bison on the road.
After sitting stationary behind that rented RV for about 10 minutes, I just didn't see myself getting through the herd on the road without getting gored so I flipped a quick u-turn and high tailed it out of there. I could ride 87 again another time.
On the way up to the summit of Mt. Coolidge
A truly spectacular view
The plains stretch on forever
Up the Iron Mountain road
What's that in the gap in the trees?
Why it's some heads blasted into a mountain!
One of the famous pigtail bridges
After all of that, I headed the rest of the way up 385 into Spearfish and called it a day.
Day 3 - Spearfish, SD to Williston, ND - 300 miles
Since I used to live in Williston, I was pretty familiar with most of the roads in western North Dakota, but there was one line on the map I had always wanted to take, but I never had. It was about 110 miles of gravel stretching from just north of Belle Fourche, SD to Beach, ND.
They don't call it the great plains for nothing.
Some buttes to break up the horizon
So far into the middle of nowhere, there wasn't even a sign saying welcome to North Dakota.
Oddly enough, part of the road in South Dakota was actually paved, with a speed limit of 45. Once I hit North Dakota it went back to gravel and the limit went up to 50!
Enter the North Dakota badlands.
North Dakota twisties
Once I hit pavement again at Beach, I cruised up Hwy 16 to 68 to 85 and into Williston.
Day 4 - Williston, ND to Glendive, MT - 100 Miles
Up until now, things had been going perfectly to plan. Originally I was going to ride down to Sheridan, WY to set myself up to ride over the Bighorns. That changed at 6am when I woke feeling like I hadn't slept at all, and my guts were turning over. Suffice to say, I ate something that didn't like me and I paid the price. Still, being the determined sort of person I am, I figured I would feel better through the day as I rode. That just was not to be.
I made it 35 miles to the Montana border
At this point I was just not feeling it at all. 10 miles into Montana I stopped in Sidney to take a break and try and psych myself up for the next leg.
The Richland County Courthouse in Sidney
After about 20 minutes in Sidney, I got back on the bike and started heading for Glendive. As much as I was willing myself on, my body was saying no more. It was getting to the point where I wanted to just pull over and take a nap in the grassy ditch. I forced myself on with the knowledge that there was a park with picnic tables 2 miles north of Glendive that I could stop at to rest.
Checking into the iron butt motel
I laid on the picnic table for about an hour and felt no better. I finally threw in the towel having only ridden 100 of the planned 400 miles and got a hotel room in Glendive.
Even in the condition I was in, I had to grab a picture with the triceratops at the park entrance
Day 5 - Glendive, MT to Red Lodge, MT - 280 Miles
After the debacle of the previous day, I awoke after about 14 hours of sleep feeling much better. Luckily the way I had planned the trip, I was able to have an easy 4 hour cruise down the slab to Red Lodge and get this trip back on track!
Day 6 - Red Lodge, MT to Jackson, WY - 239 Miles
Finally I was feeling completely normal. Time to get back to the fun stuff!
Headed up Beartooth Pass
Mercifully there was almost no traffic.
Into Wyoming
Well above the tree line
No matter how many times I go over this road, it never gets old.
The famous bear's tooth
Delicious corners
I grabbed some lunch in Cooke City and then headed into the traffic jams.
Obligatory Yellowstone Bison picture
There was some rain in the area, luckily I managed to avoid almost all of it
Seems like the best views are always at the top of a washboard gravel road
Someone was nice enough to take my picture
Headed back down to the pavement
Some bubbling geologic thing
Yellowstone Lake
Now that is a chain
Across the divide!
Not sure if it gets more Wyoming than having to stop for a herd of horses crossing the road
Grand Tetons
Overall a great day, and the traffic wasn't even too bad. Whenever I got stuck in a huge conga line of cars I would just pull over and take a few pictures. I also didn't stop at a bunch of the attractions due to the overflowing parking areas. I think if I ride the bike back to Yellowstone, I'll go in September when school is back in session.
Day 7 - Jackson, WY to Salt Lake City, UT - 382 Miles
After the crowds in Yellowstone, I was looking forward to getting back off the beaten path. I was going to Salt Lake to stay with some friends who hooked me up with a great back road route from Jackson to SLC.
Freedom Wyoming
Into Idaho
I think this was near Mink Creek
Taking the less travelled road on the far side of Bear Lake
This is the Utah state line, but they couldn't be bothered to put a welcome sign
Somewhere in the Wasatch Mountains
Sadly I'm a little short of pictures from this day. I was so focused on getting there and having my day off that I just blasted nearly non-stop to Salt Lake.
Day 8 - Rest day. 2459 Miles down, about 1300 to go. Sadly I was short on time and I was going to have to get from Salt Lake back to Dallas in just 2 days. Time to get rested up and ready for the long slab home. I changed the oil on the Super Tenere for good measure and otherwise generally relaxed.
Day 9 - Salt Lake City to Ca?on City, CO - 542 miles
I had originally wanted to take a slightly longer route through Vernal so I could ride the pass into Grand Junction, but the reality of the sheer number of miles ahead of me sunk in and I ended up taking the short route through Price down to I-70.
Into Colorado
I did allow myself one detour to ride past the Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Next time I need to give myself enough time to actually go into the park. Still, the road was suitable excellent
Last pic of the day along the Arkansas river near Ca?on City
I had dinner with a couple of friends that were on their own trip from Dallas and then headed to bed early. Not only did I have a really long day, but I was going to lose an hour going into central time.
Day 10 - Ca?on City - CO to Dallas, TX - 729 Miles
The final day. All about making the miles and getting home in one piece. In the interest of time, I downed a quick clif bar while I loaded the bike and hit the road. I made it to Raton, NM before the first fuel stop. My goal was going to be to push my stop as far as I could early so that way later in the day I would have plenty of time to stop without riding at night. Oh, and to make it better, this was my last day off, so I had to be at work the next morning. Next stop was Texline where my dad, who had been following me on the SPOT called to welcome me back to Texas! Yeah! 8 hours to go! I pulled into a truck stop in Amarillo ostensibly to eat lunch, but they only had a McDonalds and I wasn't feeling all that hungry. Instead I downed clif bar number 2 and pressed on. Next stop was Quannah, TX for another snack and refuel. 93 octane for the Tenere and beef jerky with a side of Doritos for me. One more stop in Bowie Texas and I was home. I ended up making it in just over 11 hours.
Pulling into the Driveway
Home in one piece. That is my "I need a beer" face.
Happy 4th of July!
All said and done, it was 3730 miles over 10 days through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Can't wait to do the next one!