Day 28 - July 09, 2015

He's still there.

Iowa.

Not amny features to the countriside in Iowa.

And then there is Missouri.

Kansas City airport from I-29.

July 09, 2015.  Overnight in the Kansas City, Missouri area.  We traveled south all day, but tomorrow we will again go east.

I apologize for the photos included above.  I submit comment that to begin this narrative.  After seeing such spectacular scenery in some of our western states it is difficult for the endless fields of beautifully green row crops and grasslands the great state of Iowa to match that.

We spent last night in Sioux Falls, Idaho, and this morning immediately after getting the bikes loaded we were on the road, and soon we were headed south on I-29.  I know there are things to see in Iowa besides the wonderful farmland, but as the trip nears its end we are both ready to get home, and we did not attempt to identify anything interesting to see further along the way.  Today is the first day that we spent almost entirely on the interstate.  We limited our stops, and our time at each stop, and we made good time, getting into our motel room earlier than we have since the beginning of the trip.

My XM radio stopped working some days back so I have been left to the AM/FM stations and to my CD player, which is actually a flash drive with a couple of thousand or so songs loaded on it.  I even tried the CB radio, but the heyday of the CB is far behind us.  Few over-the-road truckers actually use CB's anymore (as far as I can tell).  CB radios are useful when there are traffic flow issues ahead. You at least know you are now stuck in traffic because of either a) road construction, or b) an accident.  Our delays so far have all been "a.".

Anyway, as I was saying about the XM radio's failure, and not, I have listened to multiple stations for the entire trip.  I listened to talk radio, music (50's, 60's, country, contemporary - mostly), ESPN or other sports stations, Joel Osteen, Fox, etc.  There is always something to listen to on satellite radio.  I miss my XM.

The weather today was great, with an overcast for the entire day, with no glaring sun, and temperatures in the mid 60's to start the day and 81 degrees to end the day.  That is the perfect range for riding enjoyment (my opinion).

Another good day.

Day 27 - July 08, 2015

Downtown Sturgis, SD - before the 75th Anniversary begins.

A happy T-shirt buyer.

Mt. Rushmore required photo.

Wall Drug Store - Wall, SD.  Much to see.

 South Dakota

July 08, 2015.  Overnight in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Pop. 170,000). Traveled east all day.

This morning we rushed to get our tasks behind us so we could see those things and places we wanted to visit before we left the area.  After leaving Deadwood we headed to Sturgis, a short ride (10 miles or so), where we did a ride through of the town.  The fixed vendors were preparing for the big event (75th annual motorcycle gathering – A million bikes are expected.), and some of the enthusiast were riding the streets.  I am not sure if the motorcycle riders we saw came early to stay for the gathering, or if they were like us, just passing through.  We fueled the bikes, Larry bought tee shirts, and we were quickly on our way.

Mount Rushmore is approximately 25 miles away so that was our next stop. Although it was early in the morning the parking lots were nearing capacity, and once we got to the viewing area of the memorial we were confronted with a mass of people.  We made the requisite photos, quickly went through the book/gift shop, and then we were again headed to the bikes.

We navigated our way back to I-90, which is the best way to cross the state from this point, and we were again headed east.  A hundred miles east of our starting point for the day is Wall Drug Store, in Wall, South Dakota.  Wall Drug Store is the biggest tourist shopping “store” in all of the Midwest, and possibly all of the US.  All approaching and connecting interstates for 300 miles from Wall Drug Store has teaser signage beckoning the shopper to stop at Wall Drug Store.  There are hundreds of signs, placed at infrequent intervals, all along the interstates.  These signs apparently are most effective as there were thousands of vehicles, campers, motorcycles, etc. parked over several acres near the downtown Wall area.  There is ample street parking too, but these were mostly filled. 

After leaving Wall we were back on the road again.  The rest of the day was spent riding on the interstate (I-90).  South Dakota is the 5^th least populated state and the plains are extensive.  The last photo included with this posting is representative of the days viewing.

Another good day.

Day 26 - July 07, 2015

This photo was made on US 14 just east of Cody, WY.

It begins to change going east.

And, is very pretty as we travelled through The Bighorn National Forest.

Overlooking Highway 14 from whence we came....

At the other end of the mountain range, 20 miles west of Sheridan.

And, later along our route, the high desert (7,500' elevation) becomes

prarie again.

July 07, 2015.  Overnight in Deadwood, South Dakota (Pop. 1,200).  Headed east.

Last night we left Yellowstone on US Hwy 14, which took us to Cody, Wyoming.  This morning we were again on Hwy 14, headed east.  The temperature at the time of our departure was in the mid-60's, and it was overcast.

We did not get into any rain until after lunch.  The overcast/clouds were typical for the western states in that the clouds appeared to be high in the sky, not 500-1,000 feet above the ground as we often see west of the Mississippi.  And when it rained today the rain came in small drops (mostly) and it was not a heavy rain.  However, the rain was heavy enough that we stopped and put  on our rain gear for the duration of our ride into Deadwood.  At times the rain was hard enough that it made forward visibility difficult.  Consider that our motorcycles do not have any way to disperese the water from the windshields.

As we traveled through Big Horn Nationaa Forest (This is before we got into the rain.) we followed US 14 as it continued to gain elevation.  The elevation in Cody was/is approximagely 5,000 feet.  As we rode eastward we climbed to a little over 9,000', and then when we descended into Sheridan the elevation was down to 3,700', which is one of the lowest elevations in the entire state.

Wyoming is a big state, ranking 10th in area.  But, Wyoming the least populated of all the states, and second to Alaska for the lowest density of population.  The western two thirds of the state is mostly mountains, and the rest is high plains.  Over half of the land in the state is owned either by the Federal Government (48%) or the State Government (6%).

While traveling across Wyoming today, from west to east, I noticed that at many locations there were signs with lights across the roadway indicating that if the lights were flashing the road ahead was closed.  This was true for the interstate on which we traveled (I-90) too.  No lights today.  I assume this to be a winter/snow issue.

Our travels today were uneventful, and was not as lengthy as yesterday.

Another good day. 

Day 25 - July 06, 2015

En route to Yellowstone from Billings.

We reached the top (almost).  That's Larry. 10,672'

Out of sequence.  This photo was made on the climb at 8,615'

Made at the 10,660 fot level, looking down.  This is my favorite

of all the photos I made today.

Larry is getting good make the wildlife photos.

He made this shot too.

Old Faithful blowing.

Fires have been through several areas within Yellowstone.

This has been going on for millions of years, and is

a part of the dynamics of the forest.  The trees regenerate,

and overall the process is actually good for the ecosystem.

July 06, 2015.  Overnight in Cody, Wyoming.  Another day in Montana (and Wyoming)

We awoke this morning in Billings, Montana (Pop. 155,000) to find the temperatures cool to start the day. After loading the bikes we headed to the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone, a ride of a little over two hours.

The first part of the ride to Yellowstone was more of what we had seen for the last two days, more or less, but as we neared Yellowstone the scenery changed dramatically.  And once in the park the breathtaking views were everywhere.  We climbed to a level above the treeline, and today it was above the clouds as well.  We were within thirty feet of the 11,000 feet for elevation.  I have included some of the photos here.  I made over 200 photos today, the most I made in any one day during this trip.  

As we stopped at the top of the road that crosses the mountains (where photos two and four above were made) it was 58 degrees.  The sun was shinning brightly, and that made us feel a little warmer. The wind was blowing at approximately 20 mph, and that made us keep our jackets on.

After our tour up the mountain(s) we went to the southwest part of the park to see Old Faithful errupt. Old Faithful is the most marketed attraction of the park, and apparently a "must see".  Our "showing" was attended by several hundred people.  Most to all had cameras, and the event was forever captured on whatever medium of choice was available.  I got the still photo (above) and a short video. Everyone is a tourist in Yellowstone.

It was a long day.  We made it to our room in Cody, Wyoming (Pop. 9,500; Elevation 5,000') around 10:00.  We were tired, but pleased that we added this day to our ride.

Another good day. 

Day 24 - July 05, 2015

Surprise.  Rain came in overnight.

Two real cowboys.

Montana is a hay producer.

Lots of it.

Looking back fover my shoulder found Larry correctly alighned

with my radio antenna.

As we approached Billings (25 miles north), the prarrie

again begins to give way to rising trerrain.

July 5, 2015.  Overnight in Billings, Montana.  We travelled south, while zigging and zagging, all day.

This morning we were surprised to find that rain had fallen most of the night, and continued to fall beneath an heavily cloudy sky.  The warm-hot temperatures of the last week were also gone.  We pulled the bikes under the canopy of the motel, from where we had left them in the motel parking lot, dried our seats, and loaded the bikes.  Then after putting on the rain gear we departed for Billings in a light rain and 49 degrees.

It rained  on us for the next two hundred miles, and the temperature remained in the low 50's.  We managed to stay dry (mostly) and reasonably warm (sometimes), or at least I can claim that.  Larry had/has more exposure to the wind and rain on his Harley and I felt badly for him all day.

The speed limit over the roads we traveled is 70 miles per hour, although as I posted yesterday, we were riding on two-lane roads.  The roads were well maintained, with some exceptions.  Thirty miles or so south of Shelby, Montana (our starting location for the day) the four-lane highway suddenly ended with a "Road Closed" sign directly in front of us in the southbound lane.  In addition to Larry there were several vehicles behind me.  I pulled to the "closed" sign and the traffic behind Larry proceeded into the northbound lane, which was a mixture of gravel and detriotated asphalt.  Soon we saw that there was also northbound traffic coming our way, sharring the road, which was under construction.  We joined in on the "under-construction-northbound-road"to continue en route.  We did this for the next 20 miles, when we arrived at a point they had not begun to rebuild.  I guess we are fortunate that we were there on a Sunday or we may have experienced delays, which is never good, but even worse when it is raining, and you are on a motorcycle.

A word about the speed limit.  Although the speed limit along our route was 70 mph I maintained a constant speed of 63 mph (most of the time).  From my time in Montana I recall that Montana's speed limit was R&P, or Reasonable and Prudent. This was the legal speed guidiance until the Montana Supreme Court struck it down in December 1998.  To read more about Montana's history for speed limits click here.

We stopped after the first eighty miles or so in a place designated as Moore, Montana (Pop. 183).  At Moore was a service station-restaurant-convenience store combo (Eddie's Corner) that was as busy as a bee hive with activity.  The food was good, and the price of fuel was the lowest we have paid in three weeks - $2.749 per gallon.  As we were leaving we had a pleasant encounter with two cowboys, Will and Blaire (second photo in this posting).  Both looked like real cowboys, especially Blaire (the shorter of the two cowboys).  I should have asked him if being named Blaire caused him any problems thoughout his life.  Thought about it.  Thought better of it.

As we continued south we saw a lot of hay that had recently been harvested, still in the field.  It was all in round bales.  There was so much hay on the ground that I was curious about Montana's hay production.  So I looked it up.  I learned that Montana is the 7th leading hay producing state in the US with a production of 5,460,000 tons (2013 figure).  Texas was number one in 2013.  That is a alot of hay.

It continued to rain on us until 100 miles or so north of Billings.  After the rain stopped the cloud cover remained.  The temperature stayed in the low 50's until the rain ended, and as we neared Billings the temperature peaked (for us) for the day at 66 degrees.

Another good day.

Day 23 - July 04, 2015

Entering Glacier National Park

A stop on the climb along the Road-To-The-Sun.

The road was narrow, but well maintained.

The views were fantastic, and cannot be captured in photos.

The panoramic views were/are breathtaking. . .

and appeared endless along the way.

A view along Lake McDonald.

And another along Lake McDonald.

Majestic.

And once we left the mountains we were suddenly  in the prarries of Montana.

July 04, 2015.  Overnight in Shelby, Montana.  After spending the day at Glacier National Park we are again headed east.

Unfortunately the included photos as well as the others that we made today cannot adaquately capture the magnificient sights along The-road-to-the-sun highway that snakes along the edges of mountains.  We entered from the south and exited to the northeast.

We climbed to an elevation of 6,634 feet according to my GPS.  The official elevation was a few feet different.

We traveled 279 miles today, all of which were either getting to Glacier, riding in Glacier, or leaving Glacier.  The speed limits on the secondary roads in Montana, on which we were on for at least a third of the day, has speed limits of 70 mph.  The lanes are wide, but are still two lanes in most places.

It was warm much of the day, even in the moutains, with temperataures in the mid 80's.  At the highest elevations it wa some cooler.

I added some extra photos to this posting so I will shorten the narrative.

Another good day.

  

Day 22 - July 3, 2015

After breakfast in Coeur d' Alene.  Ready to start the day.

Following the recommendation of our friend at breakfast we 

left the interstate and followed the Coeur d' Alene North Fork River to 

Thompson Falls

Larry captured several photos of two moose walking slowly through 

the water below a bridge we were crossing.

Wallace, ID

An abandoned silver mine in Burke, ID

A view from I-90 after we entered Montana.

July 03, 2015.  Overnight in Missoula, Montana.  Headed east.

Our day started in Liberty Lake, Washington (Pop. 8,000), which is only a couple of miles west of the Washington-Idaho state line.  We headed east on I-90, and because of the closeness to the state line we were quickly out of Washington and in Idaho, and only 21 miles from Coeur d' Alene.  We had a breakfast meeting with an old friend in Coeur d' Alene, which pleasantly lingered  until late morning.  We said our good byes, topped our gas tanks and we were on our way.

After eating breakfast we got back  on I-90 for a short while and then exited to the north at the Kingston exit where we followed Highway 503 as it meandered up the valley along the Coeur d' Alene North Fork River,  We followed this road to Thompson falls and then we backtracked a short way to pick up Beaver Creek Road south, which we followed until we reached Wallace, Idaho (Pop. 784).  It was/is apparent that Wallace, ID was once a prosperous town, probably fueled by the local lead and silver mining. Every building in downtown Wallace is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Wallace was particularly hard hit by The Great Fire of 1910 which destroyed 3 million acres (approximately the size of the state of Connecticut) in Washington, Idaho, and Montana.  The 1910 fire destroyed a third of the buildings in Wallace.  To read more about the Great Fire of 1910 click here.  

Until 1991 I-90 traffic passed through downtown Wallace.  Wallace had the last traffic light on a coast-to-coast Interstate highway at which time I-90 was located to a freeway viaduct above the north side of the town. 

After leaving Wallace we got back on I-10 headed to Missoula, Montana.  We arrived in Missoula a little after 8:00 and the sun was still high in the sky.  Sunset in Missoula today was at 9:33 MDT.  As a reference note that the sun set in Memphis today at 8:18 CDT.  Sunrise in Memphis and Missoula were within 3 minutes of each other. But, because of the later sunset there is an hour and fifteen minutes more daylight today in Missoula.  That works in reverse in the winter time.

It was hot and dry today.  The northwest part of the country is experiencing temperatures of 10-15 degrees above normal.

Another good day.