YELLOWSTONE TRIP

Irene and Bob's most excellent adventure

September 2000

This is basically just my travel notes from the trip so the writing is a little jagged. I left Columbus the day after completing the Buttlite II rally. I was to meet up with my girlfriend in Salt Lake City at the airport.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

05 SEP 00 Tue - From Columbus, OH to Kearney, NB
---start 26,958 end 28,012 1,054 day.
---8,985 for trip since leaving for the Buttlite II

I started after the Buttlite. I was horribly hung over from the party the night before.

-About 300 miles from Columbus someone signaled for me to look at my bike. The right saddle bag was wide open. I took inventory and realized that I lost Irene's chaps, and a bunch of other stuff of hers. I rode back about 60 miles to see if maybe it was on the side of the road. No way. More delays. This was not a good start to this trip.

-I was exhausted most of the day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

06 SEP 00 Wed Salt Lake City, UT
---start 28,012 End 28,770 758 day.

-The weather has been great.

-The cruise control is great.

-Shortly after it got light out I hit a dip in the road. The bike started handling funny and I looked back. The tour pak was upside down. The mount had broken and the only thing holding the tour pak on was the license plate bracket. Since the HD Shops were not yet open I just strapped it down and continued.

-Stopped at the Cheyenne, WY Harley Shop. The guy was a moron. He claimed he only had microfiche and that he had none for the 2001 bikes. They actually had the paper parts books for both years. The microfiche did not have the part number. The little guy was trying to pick a fight with me. I finally gave up and called Salt Lake City. The people there got me the parts overnighted. I could find no intelligence in Cheyenne at all.

-The winds across Wyoming were incredibly gusty and strong. I could not maintain 70 in 5th gear.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

07 SEP 00 Thu Salt Lake City, UT
---start 28,770 End 28,928 158 day.

-I got my tire changed and fixed my tour pak. The tour pak fix was $164 and the tire cost me $100.67 even though I had a tire with me. I also changed brake pads and plugs.

-I picked up Irene at the airport. We checked on when the Mormon Tabernacle choir was going to practice then went for a ride to Antelope Island. We saw all kinds of critters but especially Bison.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This guy was just hanging out with some friends on the side of the road on Antelope Island. He was not too concerned with our presence. I can't say the same for myself about him.

A little too close for comfort.

-We went back to the Mormon Temple, thinking that was where the Choir sang. The Guard stopped us immediately. One of the things that makes me nervous about the Mormons is that they are always smiling, even when they are displeased. We found Temple Square and looked around. We waited for the Tabernacle to open up. It was great. They practice various parts of the show they are going to do on Sunday. They do a TV show every week. They also tell you about the Tabernacle. Everything is made out of inexpensive local pine, even the organ is made out of wood and gilded with gold. The marble columns are wood, painted to look like marble. Quite a site.

This is a view of the Tabernacle from the audience. Morman Tabernacle Choir. All the wood, the marble columns and the organ pipes are made out of cheap pine from the area. They are painted or gilded to look like other woods, marble or gilded to look like gold.

-Irene rode with me for about 120 miles today.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

08 SEP 00 Fri Old Faithful, Yellowstone, WY
---start 28,928 End 29,295 367 day.

Stopped in Jackson, WY. Walked around a little and stopped in the Silver Dollar Bar. This place has silver dollars in the bar. Then we stopped at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. This place also has silver dollars in the bar but it also has Bar stools made out of saddles and all kinds of taxidermy and other weird things to look at. They also have bands and downstairs they have some of the best food I have ever had, although it is very pricey.

-It was a beautiful warm day. We rode through the Grand Tetons and into Yellowstone. When we got there we called reservations and found we could either get a cabin for $85 or a room at the Old Faithful Inn for $150. That is what we did.

A beautiful day to ride through the Tetons

A fire in the Tetons. Much of the area was on fire at the time.

The Tetons from the road.

-We went to West Thumb and looked at Geysers then saw the Cascade Falls before going to Old Faithful and getting a room. We wandered around the Old Faithful area for a while. We ate at the Snow Lodge, which had very good food for not bad prices.

-That night we hung out on the third floor balcony drinking wine and watching people.

A pool in the area of the West Thumb of the Yellowstone Lake.

A pool in the area of the West Thumb of the Yellowstone Lake

The Blue Funnel pool in the area of the West Thumb of the Yellowstone Lake

Irene in front of the Cascade Falls south of Old Faithful area.

The Cascade Falls south of Old Faithful area.

A bison and an elk fighting for territory in Yellowstone, near Old Faithful.

Old Faithful.

Me at Old Faithful, or is it two Old Faithfuls.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

09 SEP 00 Sat Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone, WY
---start 29,295 End 29,384 89 day.

-It started out cold and windy. The geysers and pools were very hard to see due to the steam. We wandered around the Old Faithful area, seeing the chainsaw geyser and the riverside geyser along with many pools and small geysers. There were Bison in the middle of the walk in the way that we wanted to go so we chose another route. We also saw the Daisy Geyser.

Bison blocking our path in Old Faithful.

Bison Blocking our path at Old Faithful.

Old Faithful from the back side.

Pool near Old Faithful.

Saw Mill Geyser.

A mud pot or geyser in the Old Faithful area.

Beauty Pool near Old Faithful.

Grotto Geyser, near Old Faithful.

Riverside Geyser, near Old Faithful.

Punchbowl Geyser, near Old Faithful.

Daisy Geyser, Yellowstone Area.

A pool north of Old Faithful.

A Geyser north of Old Faithful.

-While on the way to the upper and lower falls I was stopped by a LEO for doing 65 in a 45. The ticket was $80. When the officer came up to me she said I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that you are getting a ticket, the good news is that New Hampshire does not find out about it. No ticket on my record is a good thing.

-Irene and I rode to the falls and walked down pretty much every view point. With the leathers on it got very warm. It had started out cold so we were wearing everything. By the time we were done we had stowed any gear we had room for and were still looking to shed more of it.

The Lower Falls.

The Lower Falls from the top of the falls looking down river.

The Lower Falls from the top of the falls looking down.

-At Mammoth Hot Springs we walked around the entire area, which was a hell of a lot of walking and climbing up stairs. On the way into town there was a Bull Elk on the left side of the road walking into traffic and the females were on the other side of the road. We were stopped in traffic and there was a car behind us that wanted us to get going. There was no way I was going to get near that Elk on my bike.

-We got a cabin for $54 w/o a shower. Nice enough and there was decent food at the restaurant

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A Coyote on the way to Mammoth Hot Springs.

Mammoth Hot Springs.

Mammoth Hot Springs, Elk showing that he owns this town.

Mammoth Hot Springs, Elk showing that he owns this tow.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

10 SEP 00 Sun Sheridan, WY
---start 29,384 End 29,712 328 day.

-We got up and were moving very slow. We were just relaxing, got breakfast and headed out.

-We went out the Northwest exit and went over Beartooth Pass. It was super windy and very cold but it was mostly sunny. There was lots of fresh snow in the area. We saw lots of animals.

Irene at Beartooth Pass.
Bob at Beartooth Pass.

Beartooth Pass.

-We went to Cody, WY and saw some reenactments of some gunfights. They were having some kind of competition. We then went to the Buffalo Bill Historic Center. We saw the Cody and Gun museums in there. Great gun museum. www.bbhc.org.

-We took rt 14 west over some mountains to rt 90. Beautiful ride but as it got dark there were lots of deer along the road, as well as cows. This was very scary for both me and Irene. It was very windy most of the ride.

-We stayed in Sheridan at a nice clean privately run hotel. Was fairly cheap.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

11 SEP 00 Mon Hill, SD
---start 29,712 End 29,998 286 day.

-Rode rt 90 and then some back roads to the Crazy Horse Monument. A very impressive monument and a great visitor center. After that we went to Mount Rushmore, sort of a let down after seeing Crazy Horse.

-We rode a circle through the Black Hills, the Needles and Custer Park. Saw lots of animals along the road. We found a nice small hotel in Hill, SD. Run by a husband and wife team.

-While doing our laundry we found a restaurant that was mediocre at best.

Crazy Horse.

Crazy Horse, the way it will be and the way it is.

Crazy Horse.

Mount Rushmore, Kind of a let down after Crazy Horse.

Some Mules in Custer State Park.

Big Horn Sheep Custer State Park, South Dakota.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

12 SEP 00 Tue Gillette, WY
---start 29,998 End 30,380 382 day.

-Beautiful and warm day. We went through the badlands and to Wall Drug. From there we rode to Rapid city to see the Chapel in the Hills. We took back routes through Lead and Deadwood then the highway to Devils Tower.

-Devils tower was great. Worth a stop. We hiked around the base and watched the climbers coming down.

-On the way to Gillette I almost ran out of gas. I passed a gas station then found myself on the highway. The next exit was supposed to have gas but it did not so I drove very slowly and was able to make it to Gillette.

-We stayed in Gillette at the Econo Lodge, certainly not great but it worked.

Badlands of South Dakota.

A Jackalope sighting at Wall Drug, SD.

A Church built by Nordic People. Unusual inside and out.

Devils Tower.

Devils Tower, look for the climbers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

13 SEP 00 Wed Jackson, WY
---start 30,380 End 30,804 424 day.

-We stopped in Thermopolis for a quick soak. There was not much there that interested us so we left to go to Jackson, WY.

-We stayed at the Anglers Inn. This was very expensive but there was not a lot of rooms available in town and even fewer within walking distance to town.

-We planned on having dinner at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. We did not realize it but there was a "fine dining" restaurant downstairs. When we got there, there was a multi hour wait for a table. We were lucky though, we were told there were two parties that had not yet shown up and that they might not make it. We went upstairs for a beer and to sit on the saddles and within 15 minutes we had a table. This restaurant was very expensive but worth every penny. The service was good, the food was excellent. I had and Elk steak that was out of this world.

-After dinner we went around town a little. This place was closed down shortly after dark, except for a few restaurants and bars. All the shops were long closed. We stopped at the brew pub and had a drink outside. It was getting cold and we decided to get to bed.

14 SEP 00 Thu Old Faithful, Yellowstone, WY
---start 30,804 End 30,961 157 day.

-We got up and walked around town, finding a good coffee shop for breakfast.

-We made reservations in Yellowstone at Old Faithful, in a cabin without a shower for $35. We were now in the "off" season. On our way we went to the eastern side of the park seeing the lake and a few more geysers and mud pots. This is the "stinky" part of the park. There is a lot more sulfur in the water here and it can really stink.

-I talked to one of the park employees about the accommodations here. Her statement was that "you stay at the Inn for Elegance, the Snow Lodge for comfort and the Lodge (cabins) for a basic place to stay." The Snow Lodge has food as good if not better than the Inn but is a lot easier to get a seat and a little more private. There is a nice small bar there as well.

The Tetons.

A moose in the Tetons.

A mud pot from North of West Thumb in Yellowstone.

Beauty Pool, near Old Faithful.

Grotto Geyser, near Old Faithful.

Glory Hole.

Elk near Old Faithful.

Elk and Bob near Old Faithful.

A mud pot from North of West Thumb in Yellowstone.

Old Faithful Inn - moon shining through the window.

Old Faithful Inn.

15 SEP 00 Fri Salt Lake City, UT
---start 30,961 End 31,370 409 day.
---Total miles for me =12,343
---Total miles for Irene = 2,578

-Our ride down from Yellowstone was very cold but sunny. We saw a Moose and it's baby.

-We stopped in Jackson for breakfast and so that Irene could get some souvenirs for her nieces and nephews.

-As we got closer to SLC it got hotter and more miserable.

-When we got to SLC, Irene stayed at the hotel while I went to get my fuel cell and stuff. Irene was exhausted from first the cold then the heat. It was a tough day of riding.

-We ate at a Tony Roma's not far from the Temple Square.

16 SEP 00 Sat Atlantic, IA
---start 31,370 End 32,391 1,021 day.
---Total miles for me =13,364

-I dropped Irene off at the airport and went back to the hotel to pack and put on my fuel cell. I did not leave the hotel until 9am EST. There were many delays and really bad detours that had me running in circles. I got to Atlantic at 12 midnight EST.

-I stopped at Cabello's thinking I could get some camping gear cheap but they did not have much, the catalogues and web are much better than the stores. This delayed me a long time.

17 SEP 00 Sun Clearfield, PA
---start 32,391 End 33,308 917 day.
---Total miles for me =14,281

-The ride was uneventful. I decided that since it was not practical to get home tonight that I would take it easy. I stopped for breakfast and met an Ironbutter. This guy has an FLHT also and has more miles on it in less time than I have. Breakfast took a lot longer than planned. As night approached the traffic got crazy. I was heading into PA and there were only trucks on the road. In the hills and curves these trucks were going at every speed imaginable. Everywhere from 90mph down to 40mph. There were trucks going at 90 passing trucks going at 40. It was exciting keeping up with them but I decided it was getting dangerous here in deer land. I got a hotel fairly early and got plenty of sleep.

18 SEP 00 Mon Manchester, NH
---start 33,308 End 33,808 500 day.
---Total miles for me =14,781

-The ride was uneventful. Nice weather and good traffic. I got home and changed fluids. The oil leak that I had experienced turned out to be from my primary and is covered under warranty.

-All in all a great trip.

-I was bummed that we missed the Testicle Festival in Clinton, MT. We just were not in the right place at the right time.