Go West Old Man 2012

At a reasonable hour my bike was buttoned back together so we headed North along the river.. Great paved road..

Shortly after crossing the river, we made the left turn to check out some of the UTBCDR. We'd been pondering if it might be something we'd enjoy on the big bikes, or if it might be too much for us with all the gear. As it so happened, we made a decision pretty quickly that the combination of heat and moderate sand were probably not the keys to happiness for us, and so we bailed on at least that section after one sandy wash crossing and the immediate prospect of several more..



Of course, on the ride back out I biffed it. Too slow for the sand and down I go. My heart just wasn't into it I guess. Two fingers signifying that my packed KLR is too heavy..



Heading further North, the *plan* was to see if any of the section immediately North of I-70 was more big-bike friendly, and it was. Thankfully!

Riding it for a bit convinced us that the heat was as bad as the sand. Good riding, but we didn't want to put ourselves in a situation where we'd be stuck out here too tired to ride back out.. So we rode back out..













Quick dinner in Green River and a gander at the map..





Maybe we ought to head North out of this heat?

John

Morning finds us in Duchesne, Utah..



Good place for breakfast. In fact, the only place for breakfast!



We scoot along nicely, eventually stopping for lunch somewhere along I-80 in Wyoming..



By evening, after some cold cold rain and a fierce headwind all day we are at the Colter Bay campground in Grand Teton National Park..



One cubic foot of wood later...



And Neil makes fire!



John

Great RR. How do you like the Fly Trekker helmet?

At this point I like it a great deal.

I thought of you at a couple of places. Pictures upcoming. :)

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When I finally crawl out of my cocoon I fear Neil's been up awhile and waiting for me. I slept pretty well and it may have been kind of late, judging from the ample daylight. Nope. He tried sleeping in his gear with little success. There was ice on the bike seats this morning and he wasn't a whole lot warmer than that overnight. Come to think of it, I was in my +15 degree bag with my fleece jacket and pretty comfortable and if he was in a 30 degree bag (recall that our "plan" was Moab in September, and warm) he surely must have frozen his butt off last night.



At any rate, we weren't eaten by bears..

Neil ponders the map, the road ahead and the inevitability of a long ride home after a quick tour of Yellowstone.

At least he's pondering it on something other than an empty stomach..



We discuss what we'd like to see and where we'd like to go, and figure this is a reasonable time to split so he can be home on schedule. It's been great riding together and we knew this day was coming.



Neil put in 700+ miles after scooting through the East side of Yellowstone, and I looped through the West side..

Jazz Hands



Some ways into Yellowstone I had the epiphany that I wasn't going to ride any sand for at least a couple of days, so I stopped to lube the chain..



Beautiful park with so much to see, but traffic was heavy enough that I didn't stop for pictures until almost West Yellowstone..



Lunch is a Snickers bar and some Gatorade near Butte, then more chasing the sun westward down the slab..





I have a destination in mind, but I have no idea where. So I keep going..

John

It seems Missoula is a college town. I pop into an Albertson's for some saline nasal spray and everyone else is checking out with shopping baskets full of alcohol. I suppose it IS Saturday night...

At any rate, I sleep like a baby in a warm hotel bed and hit the road early..

I've got plans, I just don't know what they are yet. The front wheel knows where to go, even if I don't..



I've seen the signs before...



Forest fires in the region...



This guy, Matt, is a long way from home. I pass him later and he flags me down. Seems he has no pictures of him riding, and would I please txt him the one I just took.. No problem!







It's another delightful stretch of pavement, and the gps reflects this..



John

It always amazes me how beautiful our country is.

Man, isn't that the truth!

I recall when I moved from Midland, Texas, back to Indiana, how first everyone said we'd never find a place as beautiful as Midland, followed by "Indiana? OH MY GOD IT'S BEAUTIFUL THERE!" Sometimes it's hard to remember that we're surrounded by it, and what becomes mundane isn't any less beautiful.

John

So the smoke gets into everything, nostrils included, but makes for some interesting photographs..



I guess this just gives me one more reason to come back and ride when it's clear..



I eventually find civilization and grab lunch at Kooskia Cafe..



Then follow some squiggles to the main highway..



Still a lot of haze, and after a few miles I understand why..



It's difficult sometimes to fully appreciate the scale of these things, and the scale of the response..



Seeing it relatively up-close doesn't always help. It's interesting to watch though.

Chopper flies over with one load of water from the river...



Brings back an empty in the time it takes to park the bike at the next pullout..





Grabs who knows how much from the river..



And the process repeats, and repeats, and repeats..



John

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Very Cool vid John!

Yeah, they don't waste any time, do they!

...I'm feeling the call of the road.

One day later and I'm in the San Raphael Swell..









I can see civilization from here.













Beautiful sky..









John

Cool Vid of the helo.

Thanks for the great photos, like the way you catch the colors.

cheers

This was really a great RR up to this point and another one for my bookmarks. Thanks for the effort that it takes for something like this. It's been so interesting and now I want to go there too.

Gary "Oldone"

Grampa’s Lake Superior Ride
Grampa’s National Monument Ride

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying!

Dawn comes to the canyon...







Pre-dawn, I should say. The clouds are getting it, but it's still pretty dim down here..



Just a bit of sunlight kissing the rocks, and bringing out the colors in the landscape..



Me? I get to work kissing a cup of coffee..





Looks like this place got hit by a giant yard sale..



John

Camping at The Wedge Overlook was one of my goals for this trip. I'm glad I did it and hope to do it again sooner rather than later.

Back on the dirt road, Buckhorn Draw Road, to be exact, I have another spot stuck in my head that I'd like to investigate..



Lots of you are familiar with this area..













Thus far I have seen no snakes, knock on wood..



Across the road, the namesake Buckhorn Draw..





It's beautiful there, and to think I was never more than 20 miles away from either a town or I-70 at any time..

John

I Loved Buckhorn Draw Road.
I surprised that we can still drive it for Free!