It was one of the most enjoyable and scenic rides I’ve done in a long time.  And twisties?  Oh yeah!  A ton of them!  Leaving sisters, you have a great view of snow caped mountains and lush green fields.  That soon turns in to an “alley” cut through the Ponderosa Pine forest.  The sites and smells are simply awesome and very soothing and relaxing.  Yes, I did say “smells.” As you ride through the Ponderosa Pines, you can smell a refreshing pine scent in the air.  And a view the majestic trees to go right along with it.

After the Ponderosa Pine forest, you start into the lava beds.  Created by a volcano some 1700 years or so ago, the floor is completely covered by mounds of lava rock.  Some places it appears to be at least 30 ft. deep!  What an awesome site!

From several of the view points, you can see Mt Adams, Three Fingered Jack, The Three Sisters, Mt, Jefferson, and if it’s clear enough, you can even see Mt. Hood, some 75 miles away!  The road is twisty all the way through the lava beds, and all but the last mile or two of 242 before it T’s into 126.  About midway through the lava beds, there is a tower made of lava rock, that has windows that focus on each of the mountains that you can see from there, and signs that tell you what you are looking at.  It’s a long way up there, but it’s a pretty easy climb.  They have really done a good job at making a gradual incline that is pretty easy to use.  I even saw some people go to the top that appeared to be in their 80’s.  If they can you it, you can too.  And it’s worth the short hike.  

After leaving the lava beds, you start into more forest. It starts out as more Ponderosa Pine, then gradually changes into Douglas Fir.  The road surface is in pretty good condition all the way.  But it REALLY improves South of the lava beds.  Most of the corners are banked nicely, but you do have to watch out for some gravel and rocks that slide down off the hill in a few of the corners.  Once you get into the Douglas Fir, the scenery is absolutely breath taking.  It is a ride well worth taking!  You won’t regret it!

There are a number of camp grounds along the way on both ends, but non that I saw right in the lava beds. But I don’t know why anyone would want to camp out there anyway, as there is nothing but lava rock and very few trees.

The last treat that we had on this ride was a stop at the Blue River Reservoir Dawgs.  No burgers at this little mom and pop shop…just dawgs.  Oh, you don’t like hot dogs?  Well don’t let that stop you from visiting Bob and Krista at Blue River Reservoir Dawgs!  They have a huge selection of all different kinds of hot dogs and sausages, and many different choices of fixin’s.  You are sure to find something that will please your taste buds even if you think you don’t like dawgs!

Bob & Krista - Owners of the Blue River Reservoir Dawgs restaurant

And the friendly service?  You won’t find a friendlier place in the country!  This is the first, and only restaurant (or any other business for that matter) that I have ever been to where the owner came OUTSIDE to greet us in the parking lot and welcome us to Blue River Dawgs!  The dawgs are awesome, the coleslaw is out of this world, and the service is the friendliest around.  I would recommend this place to anyone!

Visi Bob and Krista at Blue River Reservoir on your next trip through Blue River, Oregon!  Until then, you can check out their website at www.reservoir-dawgs.com

Wendling Covered Bridge

So this afternoon, my dad and I took off for Wendling, OR (Flag 7 on the map below).  Wendling is a Ghost Town from the late 1800’s.  There is not much of it left now…at least not much that you can see from the road.  I’ve heard that there are some remains of old buildings from the mill that are on private property, and by now covered in blackberry bushes, but from the road all we could see was one concrete structure.  I have included an interesting article about the history of Wendling at the bottom of this post. It was written by Nick Wydra, and there is a link to the original website where I found the article.

Mohawk General Store

After taking some pics of what we could see in Wendling and the covered bridge there, we road further South to the Mohawk General Store (Flag 8 on the map below).  This was another cool old building.   Mohawk is an unincorporated “town” that has kind of a look and feel of an old west town.  Especially the General Store.  The inside of the store has pics of what it looked like originally.  Antiques line the tops of all the soft drink and other coolers.  The store keeper was friendly as can be.  It is a worthwhile stop if you are out riding in the area.

Fernridge Lake

From there we road to Veneta and took Territorial Hwy North, past Fernridge Lake (Flag 12 on the map below), through Cheshire and then to Junction City, and ultimately back to Brownsville where we started.  It was an awesome ride and an awesome day for a ride. The weather was just perfect.  Couldn’t have asked for a nicer day to ride.

The History Of Wendling by Nick Wydra

Springfield has been influenced by many people, but nobody has created more culture for a town than the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company and the early logging of the Mohawk Valley. Booth-Kelly operated one of the first major lumber mills in this area. This mill was located at the junction of Mill and Wolf Creeks and was originally owned by a man named Holcomb. Who in 1885, sold toWhitbeck and Sterns who operated the mill a short time and then sold it toJohnson and Wendling (Polley 14). In 1898, Robert Booth and the brothersGeorge and Tom Kelly, all native Oregonians, bought the mill and it becamepart of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company (Velasco – Lane 66). They flipped acoin and decided to name the mill town Wendling honoring George Wendling and in 1899 a post office was established.

The mill town of Wendling seemed to grow overnight. It first consisted of a bunk-house with forty-six rooms. Each room was furnished with electric lights and shared by two men. There were two reading rooms, bath-room, commissary, and a large, well-stocked store operated by the company. There were also a number of cottages for the use of the married men, a church, a school, and even a resident doctor. In 1900 the entire valley was booming with logging activity. A stagecoach line was established between Wendling and Springfield that ran three times a week, and with the addition of the telephone and telegraph lines, the town took its place among the mill towns of Lane County. In October of 1900, the Springfield-Wendling branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad was built which gave an outlet for the timber cut by the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company. With the help of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the milltown started to expand even more. Lumber was shipped by railroad instead of having to haul it by wagon. You could also travel to Eugene and back in one day on the Southern Pacific freight and passenger train, called the “Wendling Bullet” (Polley 73). Before the lumber could be shipped by rail, however, they had to get the timber to the mill.

Because the first logging was done with oxen and horses, the mill was located close to the timber. They would build a logging road out of small logs split and laid crossways. They would sometimes peel the logs and would bevel the end so that they would drag easier. The oxen were eventually replaced with a steam, diesel, or gas powered machine called a donkey. This was mounted on a large sled and was used for pulling logs. It consisted of a single engine driving a vertical winch drum. They would use a horse to pull the line out, sometimes as far as 1,000 feet or more to the logs. When they started pulling the log in, they would put a few wraps around the vertical drum and then coil the cable as the log was drug in to the landing. Another way that was used to transport the logs from the landing to the mill was with a pole chute or flume. The pole chute was a long wooden chute that ran from the top of the mountain down to the bottom. They used two and three log wide pole chutes. They would put the logs in the chute with the aid of the donkey and the logs would slide down the chute to the mill or to the water. The log would pick up speed and be traveling so fast that it would nearly catch on fire and would become airborne as it left the chute. Booth-Kelly operated a 2-mile long chute that ran into Mill Creek.

Another way to transport timber to the mill was via the Mohawk River and what was known as log drives. Three dams were built on Mill Creek and usedto drive logs to the Wendling Mill. The first dam was located about one-half mile above the picnic area and was built around 1901. The principal behind the dams was to fill the reservoir up with timber and then to release the spill gate. This rushed the trees downstream toward the mill. The splash dam, as they were called, allowed loggers to control the flow of water when floating down the river. When the logs would get hung up in the shallow water, they would have to drag them to deeper water. To do this they would

use horse teams hitched to one end of the log and a tool called a peavey to push the log along. When they would get the log to deeper water, the dogger as he was called, would release the horses. If this was not done at the right time, the horse would get carried into the deeper water with the log and drown. The horses were shod with river-calk shoes. This consisted of sharp metal points on front and back of the shoes to give them better footing in the muddy water. Many of the horses would get what they called “mud fever” as a result of being in the water for long periods of time (Polley29).

The first mill on Mill Creek was a water power mill and had a vertical saw. Using the vertical saw was a very slow process. According to Joed Albro, one of the Wendling mill workers, “the old saw was so slow that they had time to go kill a deer and get back in time to set the saw to a new cant” (Polley 15). They soon upgraded to a circular saw.

With Booth-Kelly’s purchase of the Wendling mill site, more modern logging techniques, and rail logging, Wendling was transformed into a true mill town and the lumber output increased dramatically. The timber tributary to the Wendling mill on Mill Creek cut on an average of 40,000 to 50,000 feet to the acre. The timber was almost entirely yellow fir and averaged from three to seven feet in diameter and 100 to 150 feet in length. The mill could cut on an average 100,000 feet

in ten hours with twenty-three men (Polley 49). These huge trees came in handy when it came to building Fall Creek’s Pengra covered bridge. Booth-Kelly supplied the 16” x 18” x 126 foot beams under the bridge to span the river. The bridge still remains with these boards that are some of the largest of any of Oregon’s covered bridges (Pengra).

In 1903 after realizing the future potential of timber land, the Southern Pacific Railroad announced that they would no longer sell land grants to individuals. This was in conflict with the terms of the 1869 Congressional Agreement. The Federal Government filed suit against the Southern Pacific Railroad and because of this Booth-Kelly was shut down in 1904 (Polley 3). This hurt Booth-Kelly because many people had to move to find other work. Two years later the mill re-opened, and by 1908 the town of Wendling had grown even larger with a locomotive barn, machine shop, blacksmith shop, train depot, bowling alley, barber shop, and even a skating rink. In August of 1910, fire, a timber company’s worst enemy, struck Wendling. The population of Wendling at the time was 700 people (Polley 102). Hard work by the mill’s employees controlled the fire and saved the mill but not until it had burned homes, shops and the school. Months later everything had been rebuilt and Booth-Kelly was back to full operation.

In 1913, Booth-Kelly converted their locomotive engines from wood to oil and steam generators replaced the old carbide lights. By 1921, Booth-Kelly employed over 250 men working in the field and mills, had 26 miles of rail track, and had 20 flat rail cars. It was reported that in one day they filled 32 cars with an average of 7,500 board feet to the car (Polley 116). The main line of the yarder was clocked at 30 miles per hour dragging a log and the haul back was even faster. In 1922, part of the mill burned down again but was rebuilt by 1924. In the spring of 1946, Booth-Kelly closed the mill during a labor dispute and a fire destroyed the mill later that year (Springfield News). In 1952, the Wendling post office closed and in 1959 after most of the timber had been depleted, the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company sold its land to the Georgia Pacific Corporation (Polley 124).

Today, the only landmarks left from the once lively mill town of Wendling is a covered bridge, a few roads, and a few homes of the remaining few that couldn’t bare to leave the peace and tranquillity of the surrounding hills. It is rumored that parts of a wooden flume remain in the hills above the Wendling site and that at the top a child’s cemetery can be found. A few of the people that used to call Wendling their home still get together periodically to have lunch and to reminisce. These “Wendlingites”, as they call themselves, have a history they can be proud of.

Share your Adventures with SpotAdventures

As it turned out, I did go to Crater Lake National Park.  As I turned into the North entrance road, I could see that the gate was locked.  So, I didn’t even go to the gate and went back out to the hwy and headed West.  Then I came to my senses…there were 3 pickup trucks on at the gate…on the inside.  There had to be some ranger’s or something around.  And I could at least ask them when the gate would be opened, and if the South Entrance was open.  So, I turned around and went back.  As I suspected, the rangers were right there.  So, I asked one of them when the gate would be open.  He replied, “Oh, about 5 min.  You can wait if you want.” Well, that was a no brainier.  lol

So, I was the first one to get in the North gate to Crater Lake this season.  Don’t let anyone else tell you they were!  lol

For those of you who have never been there, it’s well worth your ride!  It is one of the most breath takingly awesome and beautiful sights on earth.  I knew I had to get back home that evening or early the next day to ship out a package that I sold on eBay, so I just rode up to the lake took some pics and headed back to Roseberg and home.  As you will see from the pics from this ride, I stopped at a number of water falls and talked to some nice bikers along the way.

My new biker friends that I met on this ride. Minnesota Rachael & Gov

I was thankful for my Cruiserworks boots at Falls Creek Falls.  I had stopped to take some pics and was busy placing my tripod for a shot, and stepped right into the creek.  My boot went into the water an inch or two past my ankle.  Cruiser works claims these boots are 100% water proof, so I decided to just leave my foot where it was in the creek, take my pictures and see just how water proof they boots really are.  Well, not only are these the most comfortable boots I’ve ever worn, but they live up to their water proof claims as well!  My foot stayed 100% dry even after standing in ankle high plus cold creek water for several minutes.  So if you’re looking for the best riding boots on the market, look no further than www.cruiserworks.com!

Hwy 138 is a bit boring on the east end as far as twisties go.  But nothing boring about it in the scenery department!  The West end of Hwy 138 however is a biker’s paradise.  Lots of twisties as well as lots of beautiful scenery.  Tons of water falls to stop and look at, campgrounds galore.  You can’t go wrong riding Hwy 138.  Whatever you like, Hwy 138 has it. 

All in all it was another great ride, and one that I would recommend to anyone.

Exploring OR Hwy 220 & Back Rds between Alsea & Monroe, OR

Share your Adventures with SpotAdventures

There are a number of resorts/camp grounds along 229, and some of the has small convenience stores to service your needs.  There were a couple of spots where there was a bit of gravel kicked up onto the pavement; so watch out for that if you run 229.  But for the most part the road was clean and in good condition.  Most places there is no shoulder, so finding places to pulling over to take pics  is tough.  But I did find a couple.

Once I got to Siletz Bay, on the coast, I headed South to Newport, where I stopped for a few hrs to visit my mom and dad at the 1000 Trails Campground.  Then rode down to Waldport, where I headed inland on OR-34.  I have ridden OR-34 quite a few times and it’s one of those roads that I NEVER get tired of riding.  It’s just plain great riding the whole way.  This time however, I turned off of 34 at Alsea and headed to Monroe via the back roads.  Since I didn’t have a map that shows road surface, it was kind of a guessing – trial and error game avoiding the gravel logging roads.  But I made it, and only back tracked twice.  But even then, the scenery and the adventure of exploring a new road was worth it even if I had to back track.  Hey, when ur on a bike, as long as you have the rubber side down, the shinny side up and gas in your tank, it’s all good!  :)

I found a number of other roads that I would have liked to explore, but it was getting dark, so I decided to save them for another day.  Definitely some good riding in that area.  Maybe next time I ride out that way, you will ride along.  :)

Be sure to watch my progress on the live map on the Today’s Ride Map page.  There you will see updates on my current location in near real time, as I ride.  :)

If anyone reading this blog entry would like to come on this ride with me, just email me and we’ll arrange a place to meet and head out. 

Note: I have noticed that some times Google don’t display the route on embedded maps.  If you don’t see my route on the map below, click the “View Larger Map” link in the lower left hand corner, and you should see the route.

View Larger Map

Initially I thought about riding up to Silver Creek Falls near Silverton, OR.  I decided to keep the destination open depending on what interesting roads presented themselves along the way…and one did. That road was Breitenbush Rd. off of Hwy 22 near Detroit Lake.  One of my Hwy boards had worked loosed and I stopped beside the road to tighten the bolt.

Share your Adventures with SpotAdventures

Another biker (a woman who’s name I failed to get) stopped to see if I was ok as most bikers will do when they see another bike stopped beside the road.  She told me that she had just came from Breithenbush Rd. from Estacada and said it was an awesome ride.  Well, that was all the prodding I needed to change my plans.  She headded on towards Salem and I headed further up into the mountains towards Detroit.

I found lots of beautiful scenery, lots of good motorcycle road and a plethora of small waterfalls, which I love.  For those of you that like camping, there are a ton of campgrounds in the area and it would be a great place to camp.  Even though I didn’t have any camping gear with me on this trip I was tempted to spend the night up there and just sleep under the stars in my riding suit.  Maybe next time.

At a turn out along the Clackamas Hwy, I saw a couple of bikers taking a break and enjoying the scenery.  So I stopped and joined them for a while. Don and John were from Gresham and just our for an afternoon ride to get away from a pickup repair job that they had been working on and got tired of.  Nice guys.  We rode together for 10 miles or so until I spotted another place I wanted to stop to take some pictures.

The a bit further down the road, at the intersection of Clackamas Hwy and Sandstone Rd. I met John, Tom, Sue and Kathy.  They were also from Grehsam and taking a break.  I didn’t need another break, but I love meeting new people… especially when they are bikers, so I stopped and we shot the breeze fro 10 or 15 min.  Another great bunch of people they were and if I’m lucky, one day I’ll run into them on some other back road somewhere and we’ll have another nice chat. 

After my visit with John, Tom, Sue and Kathy I headed for Estacada, and then on to Silverton.  I have a good friend Jerry that lives in Silverton, so I decided to stop in and see if he was home.  I hadn’t seen him in over a year.  As fate would have it, he was home and his son who I haven’t seen in many years, was there and just about ready to leave.  After his son left, Jerry and I went into the house and visited and caught up on the latest with each other.  We had a great visit, and I didn’t leave until about 10:15pm or so.  That didn’t leave me any daylight to see Silver Creek Falls, so I just headed back to Brownsville.

All in all it was a very enjoyable ride and I would recommend Breitenbush Rd. to anyone that want’s a nice, scenic back road that don’t hardly have any traffic on it, and lots of places to camp or just stop and enjoy and take pictures.

After talking to the owner, I discovered that their home and business were hit by Hurricane Ike and they lost most everything.  They are struggling to build their business back up after the destruction of Ike.  And with this kind of service, I’m sure they will accomplish that!  So give them a call today and get your new tires on the way.  You will have them fast and at a great price.

Well, taking the short route home, put me on a normally good motorcycle road.  The problem was that this time, there was a 4″ screw on the road, and it some how found it’s way into my tire. Needless to say, I did not get very far with a 4″ screw sticking out of my tire!  I ended up calling my brother in law, who brought his truck and trailer, and we loaded my crippled wing onto it and took it home.

The tread on the tire was still good, and I didn’t have a lot of extra money to be buying a new tire right then, so I started looking at tire plug kits.  I went t the auto parts store and bought their best one and installed the plug.  I decided to just do some short test rides to see if it was going to hold.  As it turns out, it was a good thing I did.  Because the standard plug only lasted for about 15 miles, and fortunately came out just as I was pulling back into the driveway.

So, I started a new quest to find a tire plugger that would work on a motorcycle tire…and stay in longer than 15 miles.  That’s when I found the Stop & Go Motorcycle Tire Plugger kit.  It has a unique mushroom shaped plug that I could see instantly from the pictures that this had to be the best tire plug on the market!  It’s a no brainer that if you have a mushroom head on the inside of your tire, and the stem plugging the hole, there is no way that plug is coming out, and it would provide a double seal for the hole.  So, I bought one.  It was supper easy to install with the included tools.  I have been running with this plug in my tire since September and have put on thousands of miles since then.  The plug is still in place, and I have not had to ad any air since I installed the plug!  Thanks to the Stop & Go tire plug, I will get my full normal life out of this tire, saving me a nice chunk of change. 

Well, every story has a moral…this one happens to have two.

1. If you are out riding and craving ice cream, it’s more expensive to opt not to get it and get a screw in your tire than it is to take the long route and go get the ice cream.  So, just go get the ice cream!

2. Unless you have a certain craving for being stranded out in the middle of no where on your bike, get a Stop & Go Motorcycle Tire Plugger Kit! Personally, I won’t ride with out it again.

I have been so impressed with the Stop & Go Tire Plugger Kit, that I decided to call them and ask if they would consider donating some of their products as prizes for this year’s drawing.  As you can see from the pizes page on this site, they agreed!  So now you have an opportunity to win your very own Stop & Go Tire Plugger!

Happy riding and keep the sunny side up!

If your suggestion is added to the list of check points, you will earn NA Biker points.  Each time you log into naBiker.com within a 12 hr period, you will earn additional points.

So, what do you do with your points?  At the end of the 2010 Tour, there will be a drawing.  The details of the point system are still being developed, but the bottom line is that you will earn points for your participation in this tour.  Whether that is making route or destination suggestions, or joining me on portions of the rides.  The more points you earn, the more entries you will get in the drawing held at the end of the tour.

When the details have been finalized, a dedicated page will be added to this site to inform you of the rules. But you can start earning point right away!  You will earn your first 100 points and your first entry into the drawing just for registering on on the naBiker.com website.

Register

Many of the posts for during the 2010 Tour will include video. All though there may be a delay in the video posting because of limited editing time while on the road.  When that happens, the blog entries will be edited to include the videos at a later date, plus all the videos will be also available to watch on the “Videos” page of this site in a 2010 Playlist.
Happy riding and keep the shiny side up!

Two Wheels Tebo

Lush green ranch just before entering the canyon into the Little Bighorn National Forrest.

It turned out to be pretty cold and nasty, and rained most of day. But not to worry, I had already ridden through snow, rain and cold on this trip and I was ready for it.  I remembered driving through them somewhere when I was a kid, but it had been so long that I really didn’t remember much.  So when we finally started into the mountains, I was in for a good surprise.  It was more beautiful than I had remembered.  That’s always better than the other way around.  And I’ve been there and done that too!

Just before we started into the Little Bighorns on Hwy 14, the landscape became very lush and green, with mountains looming ahead of us in the distance.  I knew we had to ride through the mountains at some point.  So, as I rode along, I tried to see if I could see any tell tail signs of where the road might go into the mountains.  At first it seemed like it was a futile attempt.  But then, way out ahead of me and to my left, I started to see what looked like a canyon cutting into the mountains.  Aha!  That had to be it.  I kept my eye on that canyon as I rode along.

Heading into the canyon, entrance to the Little Bighorn National Forrest.

Well, as it turns out, I was right.  In spite of the fact that it was raining and cold enough that it could almost have been snow instead of rain, and the clouds were low, it was absolutely beautiful.  As we headed into the canyon the view became almost breath taking.  The canyon walls were beautiful colored and rose almost straight up for hundreds of feet above us.  The clouds were actually low enough that I could not see the top of the canyon wall.

There was a small river rushing to the left of the windy Hwy 14. As we continued to climb through the canyon, and up higher into the mountains, the temperature began to drop.  I was warm enough in my riding suit, but I was a little concerned about slick roads if it began to freeze with all the rain on the road, and the possibility of it snowing.

Shell Falls - Bighorn National Forrest, WY

After taking pics of everyone with Shell Falls in the background, we headed on East towards Mt. Rushmore.  By the time we got to the summit, it was snowing lightly.  I was still warm, but was wishing that I had some heated gloves.

Me standing in front of Shell Falls on Hwy 14, WY.

Coming down the East side of the Little Big Horns, WY

The next point of interest was Sturgis, SD.  I often get asked if I have even ridden my bike to Sturgis.  Until this trip I had to tell them no.  Well, now I have.  But unfortunately, it was not during the rally.    But hey, I did ride my bike there as apposed to the majority of the bikes that get towed there.  So, I didn’t feel quite as bad at the fact that I had missed the rally.

Mt. Rushmore.

Our next stop was Mt. Rushmore.  You know how you have childhood memories of things, and then when you see them again as an adult, they just don’t hold up to your memories?  Well, that was Mt. Rushmore for me.  It was a spectacular sight, and learning how the sculpting was planned and carried out was quite fascinating.  And probably the highlight of being there on that particular day was the fact that I got to meet the last living worker that helped with the sculpting of Mt. Rushmore, Mr. Nick Clifford.

Me and Nick Clifford, the only man that helped in the sculpting of Mt. Rushmore that is still living.

After leaving Keystone and Mt. Rushmore, we once again headed East again and went as far as Rapid City, SD where we stopped for the night.  As we pulled off the freeway an into town the thunderstorm that had been looming ahead, finally cut loose its torrents or rain.  By the time we got into town, there was about a foot of water on the sides of the street and I had to ride in the left lane of the 4 lane street to keep my feet out of the water!  Almost 500 miles from where we started this morning, I had ridden through valleys, canyons, mountains, rain, sleet, snow and ended the day with getting poured on by a thunderstorm.  Oh, and I even saw my first live moose in the wild today.  Maybe tomorrow will be a nicer day. 

Heading towards Yellow Stone. These pics were taken by my sister who was in the van following me.

We left Jerome, ID this morning and head for Yellowstone National Park.  The weather was outstanding again today.  Riding Interstate freeways can get pretty boring

when the scenery is not that great.  But today, unlike the norm, I had three cars full of wimps (they were in car’s not on bikes…what did you expect me to call them?  lol)  following me, and we all had CB radios which made the boring freeway a little less boring.    However it all started to change as we got closer to the mountains.

Long before we got there, the jagged, rocky peaks of the Titans loomed ahead. The view was absolutely breath taking. I could hardly wait to actually be riding through the mountains ahead.

River running through Yellowstone National Park

And now that it’s over I can tell you I was not disseminated! About 240 miles after leaving Jerome we stopped at a convenience store/gas station in Box Canyon.  The view across the road was awesome, with a gentle, clear water river flowing just a few yards from the road and mountains in the background.  Unfortunately I think my digital pics of that view have been lost cause I can’t seem to find them any where.  The trees and vegetation was starting to look a lot like the pictures you see of Yellowstone Park. After our little break in Box Canyon (marker B on the map), we headed onward.  My brother’s CD antenna was not working very well and it was getting frustrating for all of use.  So we stopped again at the Radio Shack in West Yellowstone and bought him a new one.  It worked!

Here come the bison!

Now we were just around the corner from the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. As luck would have it, there was a long line of traffic waiting at the gate. And my luck only got worse in the line (from marker C to D on the map). lol My mom and dad got to jump into the express lane cause they had a senior citizen pass and did have to pay to get into the park. So, they went through and waited for us on the inside.  My sister has a daughter with CP, so they have a pass to get into the national parks for free, and my brother’s wife has a pass for a disability from a head on car accident a number of years ago.  So, I was the only one stuck at the gate waiting in line to pay.  That pretty much sucked…ok it really, really sucked!  lol They were all hungry and wanted to find a picnic site instead of waiting on me.  So they went on into the park and started on lunch, while I sat in the line.

Bison on this side too!  Look at that bull!

I finally got through, and had to pay more than I though was right…the same price as a car load of people, and I’m one person on a bike.  But oh well, I was finally in. I found the picnic area where the others were and joined them.  After taking a few pics of some elk that were right close to our picnic area, we got back on the road and headed for Old Faithful.

A few miles down the road from our picnic area, traffic slowed…then came to a stand still. I pulled right up to the yellow line (not to be confused with the “yellow stone” lol) to see what had traffic stopped.  It only took a second to see what it was.  There was a huge herd of bison walking right down the middle of the road and along both sides.

This bull was only about 6 or 7 ft from me and my bike when he passed ahead of the oncoming traffic.

People were leaning out of car windows and open van doors taking pics like no body’s business.  Here were all these people leaning out of windows and doors to get a better view and better pics of the bison, and I was right out in the open on my bike with the bison walking within a few feet of me!  Once again, I was convinced I had the better end of the deal and it kinda made up for my having to pay to much for waiting in line at the gate. 

After the bison passed we were driving again.  It was fairly warm and I was riding in a sleeveless shirt and no jacket, but there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground.  When we finally made it to the lodge at Old Faithful, we were told we had just missed her last “spewing session” so we decided to hang around and wait for her to

Thar she blows!  Oh, that what they say when whales spout!  But oh well, this kinda looks like a whale spouting.

blow again. In the mean time the gift shop was calling. I bought a few gifts for my wife Kenisha and my four kids and went outside to wait on the geyser to blow again.

We sat out on the platform for about 20 min and then she blew.  It was pretty cool, but not as awesome as I remember from my childhood days. Sitting on my bike in the middle of a herd of bison was more exciting.  Which reminds me…how many of you guys know the Roger Miller song, “You Can’t Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd?” Well, maybe you can’t roller sake in one, but you can sure ride motorcycle in on! I’m living proof of that on! lol

With time running short and Old Faithful having done her thing, we hit the road again. There were a lot of places we wanted to stop but couldn’t for lack of time.  But it was an awesome ride and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Actually, forget the recommendation.  Just put riding through Yellowstone on you “must ride” list.

We decided to go out the North East entrance because it’s higher altitude and we had heard that you see more wildlife on that route out of the park.  Don’t know if we saw “more” or not, but we sure saw a lot! Including black bears, a grizzly that was to far away to get a decent picture of, antelope, and more bison…and more bison…and then even more bison. lol

Crossing the Continental Divide in Yellow Stone.

The entire route through the park is fabulous.  But there was a section of road on Chief Joeseph Rd – State Hyw 296 that is worth noting as it relates to bikers. It is about 20 miles of very sharp switch backs. And some very beautiful scenery. Not really the kind of road you are going to want ride very fast, but it’s an awesome ride with sheer rock cliffs, snow capped mountain tops and a very deep canyon that you cross.  Great view to the bottom of that one.  Not recommended for those that get squeamish at heights to go to the edge and look down. lol

By the time we got to Cody, WY it was very late and we just hit the hay so we could leave early the next morning.  All in all it was the best ride of the trip so far. I rode almost 500 miles today. Not my longest day, but a good ride.

Frozen Lake in Yellowstone National Park.