Texas to Montana!

[LoneStar]

Thanks Bigsky - I'm lovin Montana. Hey - it was 107 in Missoula today! yikes

Cowboy - I couldn't help it He WAS squeaky clean. That's really interesting info. I hope he can stay "clean". I think I felt that way even moreso in my bug splattered riding gear
BTW I'm hoping to catch the Seminoe roads on the way back through

[LoneStar]

John mentioned the bison pic - they were actually very close to the road. I gotta admit there was fear for these guys. There are large herds that hang near the roads and wnader back and forth. At times I stopped to wait for them and you don't really know what to do when they wander your direction. You feel very naked sitting on a bike...


TNC - I am definitely going to do that... I always seem to be in a rush and you get in the "make miles" mindset so easily when you know how far you have to go. One of the great things about this trip has been meeting good folks in small towns and areas like WY and MT. It is refreshing to see after the brutal self-centeredness found in most cities.

John - thanks man! And thanks for those links. I'm wrestling with the route back and seriously wanting to hit both places on the way back

OTHDog - I make it to Comfort a couple times a month in my area wanderings. I like that town Last time was when I went thru Welfare and discovered PoPo's. Where do you live?

[OTHDog]

I think I met you once in Dallas. I was blowing my ax in a club in deepe ellum and I think you werethe dude who had a place around the corner. I have lived all over but mostly I crash with friends when I can. If you live somewher near comfort I'd be really interested in spending a couple of weeks with you when you get back. let me know, dude. You really wrote a good story.

[young1]

Greetings from New Zealand. I am new at this adventure bike "thing", my KTM990 is not yet 2 months old but my wife and I did our first overnight trip on it last weekend.

In the future we are thinking about an overseas trip with it, Central and South America are areas that are top of our list at the moment. However seeing your report has made me realise that the USA is a very BIG place with very different scenery.

Thanks for posting your trip report, you have given us other trip options to think about!

Michael

[LoneStar]

Hi Michael! Being from New Zealand I don't think much scenery elsewhere would impress you guys . That 990 is a sweet bike and you two will have some fun for sure.

It's amazing to see the vast regions like Wyoming and Montana with such limited population. Most of my travels have been overseas and to more "exotic" locations like Russia and Europe The grass is always greener like they say, but this trip has ignited a fire to discover the America I've missed out on. The Americn west is pretty hard to beat for sceney and history.

If you guys ever come to the U.S. be sure and come to Texas and say hi

[LoneStar]

Well, I've had a big surprise in the mileage dept with the bike and all the excess gear I'm carrying.
The worst mileage I've gotten was one tank at 39 mpg. Here's the kicker though... I've also gotten several tanks ranging from 51 to 63 mpg. Amazing.
The high gas mileage has been at the higher altitudes and with all the gear on the bike.

My gear has functioned well and I have few complaints.

The flip face helmet has been great for this trip. Closed down you can slice the wind for the distances and then pop the face open for riding in the beautiful areas. I really like it.

I like my Triumph Raptor gloves but find that the extra padding in the palms makes my hands go numb after a while. I've ended up not wearing gloves most of the trip because of this - big hands and fat BMW grips are too much with the padding.

I brought two jackets on the trip - a Triumph Raptor Vented with liner and a Belstaff Discovery. I hated to bring two but knew I'd be in heat and also feared mountain storms and rain once I hit the Rockies. I planned to swap the armor between the two to save space. So far the Raptor has been all I've used since bad weather has been non-existent.

I rode a couple of days in my rain pants which are actually L L Bean waterproof backpacking pants. They zip on and off over pants and fold up reasonably small. I used them when backpacking and they work well on the bike. After the first couple of days I've worn jeans. What has worked well has been the spandex exercise shorts I've worn beneath them - they keep you cool and minimize monkey booty very well. I brought 2 pair of spandex shorts - one was for bicycling but I found the extra padding to be a pain and cut the padding out.
It seems like loose armored vented riding pants with spandex shorts would be a good combo.

As to shirts, I bought 2 polypropylene long sleeve T's at REI that wick moisture and keep you cool. I also bought the same style in UnderArmor but it is not as cool as the thinner REI ones. I've been happy with them and the added bonus is they pack about 1/3 the size of a regular cotton T and can be washed out in the sink and will usually be dry by morning.

The Camelbak - tho a little bulky - is worth the effort and expense. I won't travel distances without it now. The additional pockets on it allow valuables to be kept with you when you go inside a restaurant, etc. rather than left in the tank bag.

My Oxtar Infinity boots have been great - for the strength and size they are especially comfortable and I love them. Absolutely the best boots ever.

The yellow waterproof duffle was 24.95 at Bass Pro and has worked well except that I can't vouch for it's waterproofness - no rainstorms to test it really. I still pack everything inside in ziplocks and trashbags. It is large enough to hold all my clothes, cold weather gear, toiletries, spare shoes and a North Face kingsize down mummy bag with a small amount of room left. At 6'4 and 250, my clothes alone probably average 40% larger than others, so the bag has been big enough.

My little 12" iBook has worked great as usual in it's padded Tenba case. I kept the topcase filled with light things like jackets and such to keep the weight low on the bike and the laptop sits on top of the soft jackets to minimize vibration. So far so good.

I cut a small piece of 1x4 block to use under the kickstand on the 1100 - good thing because the GS would not have stood up very long. The stock one is toooooo short and makes me nervous. Can't believe BMW designed this stupidly short kickstand. Grrrrr.

[Kilter]

Hi Lonestar!

I lived in Nederland for 12 years so I am familiar with the CO part of your trip. Much of your ride is familiar to me and the pics bring back the wonder of riding in the Rockies. Absolutely great pics and detail. Only time I have been to Montana was blasting through on the way to Alaska. Clearly it is a great place to spend some time. Thanks for taking the time out to make the report.

Where we going next???

[Renegade6]

Great ride report.

[LoneStar]

It has been murderously hot here - 107 yesterday... and all I brought from Texas was cool/cold weather clothes. Sheesh!

I spent some time in Stevensville with my friend and have been learning some of the history of the region. Lewis and Clark came through of course but I didn't realize there were missions and forts in the area. The folks here are friendly and I'm really enjoying the time.





Leo - a real Montana character - adventurer/philosopher/gardener


Spent a day and night with a great couple, Regis and Marilyn, who live far back in the mountains and are homesteading in a cabin while they build a larger home. They live off the grid and have solar and generator power - felling trees and milling lumber for their house - almost entirely self-sufficient and hard working. Really enjoyed the time with them and their hospitality. Regis and Marilyn, if you're reading this I want you to know how much I enjoyed being with you guys and how much I respect you two!



While staying in their guest camper, we had something rock the trailer and scrape around the door in the middle of the night. Needless to say didn't sleep much :o



Missoula Farmer's Market


This guy had rigged a shaft drive off his bicycle to power his table saw


I finally connected with Buddy aka "Earthpilot" from Texas. He had done the run up to Glacier and back to Missoula Saturday. We met at his motel and grabbed some dinner. What a sweet Guzzi!

Buddy and his baby (or one of his babies):


Buddy's mirror message cracked me up


He was heading south towards Texas the next morning so we hooked up early and went south on 93 until Hamilton. From there we headed east over Skalkaho Pass towards Anaconda. The morning was cool - so much so we each had to don our warmer jackets - and headed into the pass.



The narrow road turned out to be a great ride. It was hard packed gravel, twisty and climbed up through tall trees high into the mountains. The actual pass road was about 40 miles and at the midpoint we hit Skalkaho Falls. This is a beautiful waterfall that is right on the road. We hung out there for a few minutes in the cool air - Buddy's temp gauge had shown 51 degrees at one point - then continued on after the obligatory pics.









Buddy at Skalkaho Falls





Eventually we dropped down the pass and back onto blacktop, catching Hwy 1 over to Anaconda. There was good scenery and I enjoyed watching Buddy flick the Gootzi through hairpins and sweepers as I chased him down the road.



Anaconda is a copper mine town with huge slag fields on the east side. That was the point where we found 569 / 274 and headed south. That turned out to be a great little road as well. It was poorly maintained but a really neat ride with few cars and great scenery.





We eventually hit 43 and went east towards I-15. The scenic road was torn up with loose piles of gravel to keep the ride over quite "interesting". Another beautiful area following a large river. We reached the interstate and stopped for a breather. Buddy suited up for the heat and the southern route towards Idaho. As we were about to part ways, Buddy spotted my rear turn signal hanging down by the wires. The sucker had vibrated loose and bounced against the funky low mudguard for a long ways, turning the lens black and wearing a spot on the guard. Grrrrr. Got it put back in place and we took off - Buddy to idaho and me back the route I came through the pass.
Buddy, had a great time and a good ride- look forward to connecting in Texas when I get back - stay safe man!



I reversed back the same route and had a great ride back to Stevensville. Ended up being a 300 mile ride for the day.







The route:

[Ghost Rider]

Originally Posted by LoneStar

Leo - a real Montana character - adventurer/philosopher/gardener

Great pics through out the report, but the above are very nicly done. You can tell your photo taking gets more creative as the trip goes on. Great report, thanks for taking the time to share!

[bigskydrift]

Great photos Lonestar! Another great ride nearby is to take Hwy. 12 west from Lolo, a short ride to Idaho line and into the Lochsa River valley, nothing but the twisties! Also, the famous (perfect for dualsports) Lolo motorway, many reports with pics here on ADV rider. Oh, and by the way, when you do head back to the Lonestar State, please take this heat with you, we do not know what to do with it here!!

[LoneStar]

Thanks Ghost - I appreciate that I've finally been able to do more than "drive by shooting" Most of the trip has been from the seat of the bike until now.

Originally Posted by Ghost Rider

Great pics through out the report, but the above are very nicly done. You can tell your photo taking gets more creative as the trip goes on. Great report, thanks for taking the time to share!

[LoneStar]

Originally Posted by bigskydrift

Great photos Lonestar! Another great ride nearby is to take Hwy. 12 west from Lolo, a short ride to Idaho line and into the Lochsa River valley, nothing but the twisties! Also, the famous (perfect for dualsports) Lolo motorway, many reports with pics here on ADV rider. Oh, and by the way, when you do head back to the Lonestar State, please take this heat with you, we do not know what to do with it here!!

Hi Bigsky - I'm hoping to do that ride! I loved Skalkaho and looking for more

Unfortunately, I've decided to leave the heat here. We've been remiss in hogging it all in Texas and now feel the need to share the love...

PM'd ya

[bigskydrift]

Aha! I just knew that these image's were not those of an amatuer, just read your public profile and see that this is your profession are you also a journalist? Your writing skills certainly seem to suggest it. I am really enjoying your photos of my "homeland", thank you so much!

[Timba]

LoneStar,

I live just down highway 16 from you! I'll keep an eye out for ya!

Originally Posted by LoneStar

The downside to all this is that I had finally developed a pathetic pirouette / slo-mo mount / dismount routine to get on and off the bike... Now with the extra suspension height it's like raising the bar for a pole vaulter. Maybe I can do it and maybe not.... I'll find out this morning when I hit the road for the mountains.

Yeah, I hate it when the Harley guys laugh at me doing the same thing!

Hank at Rhine West is a lifesaver!

Great Story!