Badlands

July 16, 2015

3857 miles since Rancho Santa Fe
4667 miles since Loreto

Crawled out of Deadwood mid morning. Road construction held us up for a bit, then real nice easy 2 lane through the Black Hills to Rapid City. Nice road to the south entrance of Badlands National Park. The ride through the park is nice, not too much traffic. We exit the park and head to Wall for the night and the world famous tourist trap, Wall Drug. There are lots of motels and the usual Super 8, Econo Lodge, etc. We like to stay at the small local ones if we can. We stop at a few for a look. They are pretty ratty and run down, a result, I'm sure, of the big chains coming to town. The 2 nicer local ones have no one in the office and don't answer the phones. We opt for the Best Western. In reality, the bigger ones have larger and  quieter rooms, and the most important feature, being able to get the bike close!

The Badlands

A few More Random Thoughts

The shortest distance between two points is boring

If you give anyplace a second chance, you'll find something interesting

If it has more than 2 wheels, it's not a motorcycle

A person who has not driven a motorcycle does not know what a good motorcycle road is

Local beer is good where ever you are

A GPS can be a helpful tool, but a map is a map and an necessary tool

I've often regretted not passing a slow moving vehicle when I've had the chance, I've never regretted passing one

Deadwood

July 16, 2015

We sleep in a bit, have a bagel and coffee and pack up. the packing has become routine, quick and easy. We both know where everything is and where it goes. We head towards Deadwood. Threatening clouds begin to form as a few showers hit us. When we reach Deadwood it has started to rain. We decide to call it an early day and check into one of the many hotels. The town is a tourist town with loads of T-shirt shops and casinos. Twice a day actors re-enact a gunfight out in the street, Wild Bill Hickock, Seth Bullock, Calamity Jane and all the other infamous Deadwood legends.  We relax a bit, play some blackjack until way too late. In the morning we have  a hotel provided breakfast, and plan our route for the day. Severe Thunderstorms are predicted, so we'll need to plan accordingly....  it's nice not having deadlines in Deadwood

 Somehow it all fits

Americana

July 15, 2015


The World is a Book, and those who do not Travel only read one page.

We have a nice breakfast cooked outdoors at the Alpine Inn and leave Red Lodge heading east towards the town of Bear Creek. We pass the site of the Smith Mining Disaster of 1943. 74 men died in a coal mine explosion, the worst in Montana history. From there we head into the Big Horn National Forest and the Big Horn Scenic Highway. The road is spectacular rising quickly via tight turns and hairpins to nearly 10,000 feet. Near the summit is the Medicine Wheel. For centuries, the Bighorn Medicine Wheel has been used by Crow youth for fasting and vision quests. Native Americans also go to Bighorn to offer thanks for the creation that sustains them, placing a buffalo skull on the center cairn as a prayer offering. The road then meanders through high prairie meadows ending after 80 miles near Ranchester, where we fuel up. We decide to head to the town of Broadus and hopefully spend the night. The terrain looks to be pretty flat so we opt for the faster route and jump on the highway. The highway is pretty pleasant as we cruise through the plains at 80. We exit at the site of the Battle of Little Big Horn. I can't help but wonder what it must have been like there 140 years ago. The names that seemed just fictional, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Custer now seem so real. 

Lame Deer
About an hour past Little Big Horn we enter the Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Temps are in the 90's so we take a break and stop in the town of Lame Deer. We pull into town and stop at the convenience store. The lot is full and the store is bustling, After a moment we notice everyone is native American, and the signs of poverty become obvious. The cars are barely running and held together with duct tape, there are people sitting anywhere there is shade and we are approached by several, asking for money. We grab a couple of ice cream bars and hangout in the shade. We almost feel like foreigners here. A man with a long gray ponytail heads towards us from underneath some trees. His walk is confident as he approaches with a big smile. His name is Eddie Whitedirt, not Browndirt, he says with a big grin. He asks about our journey, and if we are here for the Sundance Celebration. He explains that it is a Cheyenne Celebration of Nature, where the local tribes get together to thank the sun and the earth, the trees and plants for providing for them. It lasts for 3 days with ceremonial dancing and food. We wish we could stay, but it doesn't start for 3 more days. He also tells us we should come back in September when the Pony Relay happens. Local groups race ponies, and Eddies eyes light up as he tells us how the Cheyenne Ponies are the best, black with white paint, and how they always beat the Crow! A few more folks pass by and ask for money. Eddie checks out my "horse" and we suit up and say goodbye,  after he hits me up for a few bucks. I liked Eddie, he was a proud man, accepting what he had, living on the small piece of dirt granted them by the government who took it from them to begin with. 

Broadus
 We arrive in Broadus, there are 2 motels, a gas station, an IGA, a few cafes and at least 5 Casino/Bars, apparently if you have a few slot machines you can be a Casino. Neither motel looks very appealing. We stop for gas and the attendant tells us of a small new hotel the Sagebrush Inn. We find the Inn, but there is no one in the office. There is a phone number on the wall, no cell service. I walk to the USDA office next door and ask to use the phone, the girl is helpful and tries the number, nothing. it seem the cell tower is down. She tries the number on the land line, no luck. She says the next closest hotel is 100 miles away... ugh.

Now we try and decide, on the bike for 2 more hours or seedy motel. In the nick of time Dan, the owner, shows up and we get a room. It's new and clean, we have a beer, a shower and walk into town. Not many choices, 2 to be exact. We opt for the Bowling Alley.  It's right out of the fifties. Metal chairs and tables, an "Out of Order' Juke box, and 5 bowling lanes. We grab a table over looking the lanes. There is a family with small kids trying to bowl. It seems the ball return doesn't work so every time a kid throws a gutter ball, the older gentleman who owns the place runs down and retrieves it. Dinner is ok and the chilled red wine is surprising  pretty good, and it's cheap. Some big thunderstorms roll by giving us a great lightning show. The Inn provides coffee and a little breakfast. There are still a few showers in the morning, so we get a slow start heading to Deadwood South Dakota.

Yellowstone and Beyond

July 13, 2015

Miles since Rancho Santa Fe 3253
Miles since Loreto 4063



The first half of today was a repeat of our other National Park days, only worse. Tons of traffic, road construction, every pullout for the geysers and hot springs was full with no place to park, and Old Faithful was a joke, thousands of cars, a multitude of buildings, restaurants, gas stations... it looked like Disneyland. Every time any animal came within view of the road, instant traffic stoppage. 45 minutes construction delay and we finally made it halfway through. The good news, the weather is perfect. Once past Yellowstone Lake, we head north to the northeast park entrance. The traffic is much lighter, and the views are even better. There are large herds of Bison, lots of fisherman (I've yet to see any of them with a fish!) and more great scenery. Once we leave the park we pass through the town of  Cooke City, neat old town with some cool looking saloons and lodges. If we come here again. I would definitely enter the park through the North entrance or this one. From here we head up onto the Bear Tooth Pass. 65 miles of awesome beauty, incredible views and hundreds of tight corners. Traffic is light with quite a few bikes, mostly Harleys plodding along with their usual cast of characters dressed in their dew rags, fingerless gloves, and wife beater T-shirts. I can't help but think "WTF" the road goes up to nearly 11,000 feet, temps drop into the 50's....  We do see small groups of Adventure bikes and sport touring bikes, but mostly HD clunkers. The road is open and easy to pass so we breeze along. It is the best road we've hit so far. We end up in the cool town of Red Lodge, lots of small hotels and bars. 3 Harley shops. Our hotel is nice, big room for a change, decorated with old motorcycle photos, beer store across the street. Most of the other rooms have Harleys parked in front. Some of the guys walk by looking at our bike, most have never heard of a KTM.
That's OK, it's all good

Wyoming

July 12, 2015
Miles from Rancho Santa Fe   3043
Miles from Loreto   3853

We head out pretty early from Seeley Lake, it's cool and cloudy with a few showers. The road is nice as it wanders through the hills following a river. We pass numerous fisherman on the shore and in small doreys made for the river.
The Butler Motorcycle maps we've been using are great. The best motorcycle roads are hi-lighted and categorized by scenery, quality and fun, They vary from really nice 2 lanes to really twisty 1 lane to nice dirt.  We pick out a route in the evening for the next day and have usually stuck to it. Today the route is perfect as it takes us through several National Forests and beautiful scenery. The weather is in the 60's most of the day and we get hit with a few rain squalls. We see deer, hawks and a bald eagle. The diversity of terrain is  amazing and there is little traffic right up until we reach West Yellowstone, our destination for the night. West Yellowstone, as far as I can tell, is made up entirely of hotels, motels, Inns, cabins, lodges, bars, casinos and restaurants of every sort. We rent a little cabin for the night. Luckily we booked it last night, as almost every place we drive by has the "NO VACANCY" sign out. After we settle in, we wander down town, dodging rain showers, looking for a place to eat. There is a spectacular double rainbow over Yellowstone, but it seems of the hundreds of tourist darting around buying souvenirs and T-shirts, we were the only ones who noticed. We eventually settle in at the bar at Madison Crossing. We have a couple of really good appetizers (bison baby back ribs) and a cocktail and a few glasses of wine for our dinner. It was very good,  but twice the price of our full meal at Seeley Lake.
Tomorrow we plan to cruise through Yellowstone and head up to Red Lodge. One problem with travelling on the bike is the inability to stop and hike easily. We do get to see more in general and hopefully return in the off season to do some hiking and climbing.

Seeley Lake

July 12, 2015

Seeley Lake is a pretty quiet fishing town, just 3 motels and a handful of restaurants. We have dinner across from our motel at the Moose Creek Tavern. Montana, it seems, allows slot machines pretty much anywhere, so Moose Creek has a few by the bar. There's not much atmosphere and the waitress tells us to sit anywhere. We choose to sit  outside on the deck. We grab a plastic table and a couple of dry plastic chairs. The view is nice overlooking a small pond, the waitress brings me a local IPA and a generous glass of pretty good red wine for DeeDee. I order the trout and DeeDee orders one of her usuals, a Reuben. Boy are we surprised, the food is excellent. The trout is pan fried and seasoned perfectly, it comes with a nice fresh salad, fresh sauteed veggies and a pile of hand cut fries. DeeDee's Reuben is piled high on thick home made bread. She takes half with us for lunch tomorrow.
The dinner is one of the best and cheapest we've had....  We like small towns.

Choo Choo Trains

July 11, 2015

Miles to date from Rancho Santa Fe  2733, From Loreto,  3553

After a 'not-so-good' night's sleep, we head out in record early time, before 9:00 AM!  It's cloudy and cool, in the 60's. The road is nice as we head towards the town of St Mary. Along the way we stop at the Two Medicines Diner for a great breakfast of eggs, thick bacon and Huckleberry Pancakes. Huckleberries are just Blueberries, but the state of Montana passed a law stating they cannot be called "Blueberries", not much to do in Montana...    The roads getting to St Mary are beautiful, with little traffic, "not the tourist way into the park".  We to the East Entrance of the park and the "Going to the Sun" road. Once we enter the park the traffic becomes a line of cars, crawling along at 20, and there is road construction to boot.  The "Going to the Sun" road is spectacular, climbing to Logan Pass at 6646 feet. The air is cool and snow sits in the ravines. The road is a great motorcycle road, but alas, too many cars, so we putt along, which is really not a bad thing, as the views continue to inspire. Once down to the valley, I need to get the motor going and much to most driver's (and DeeDee's) dismay, start passing the "Swivel-Heads" ... The KTM purrs and is happy.  We head to Columbus Falls and then south through more, really nice National Forests, but the wind is blowing hard, temps are still just in the 60's, and it's starting to rain. We hem and haw and finally stop and don our rainsuits. It never rains really hard, so we can move along at the normal Montana cruising speed of 70. Keeping our fingers crossed for a room for the night, we land in the small town of Seeley Lake and manage to get the last hotel room in town. A market next door and restaurant down the street, and the wifi works...  Another day, another bed, dry clothes and life is good.

Photos by DeeDee, hanging on