TIME FOR THE  TRIP THIS YEAR AND WE WILL TAKE 2 WEEKS AND HEAD SW TO THE MOUNTAINS ON OUR  HONDA'S...WHERE ELSE WOULD YOU WANT TO GO!!!

WE TAKE  MY  1981 CB900F, AND  CALES 750F AGAIN THIS YEAR AS WE HAVNT AQUIRED ANY NEW ONES LATELY, AND THE MORE  WE  DRIVE THESE THE MORE WE LOSE INTEREST IN THE NEW STUFF.

THIS YEAR WE WILL TAKE OFF FROM CARMAN AT 4:30 FRIDAY THE 5TH AUGUST AND HEAD SW TO WILLISTON ND. TAKES ABOUT 5 HRS AND WE  SHUT DOWN FOR THE NIGHT!! TOMMOROW THE RIDE GETS MORE INTERESTING!
     
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DAY1...CARMAN-WILLISTON 350 MILES
 
 

FIRST THING IS TO GET OVER THE BORDER AND  ONTO #2 AND WEST TO WILLISTON FOR THE NIGHT! THIS IS THE FASTEST ROUTE OUTA THE FLATS AND TO THE CLOSEST MOUNTAINS, THE BIGHORNS!

THINGS ARE GOING GREAT CEPT FOR THE WICKED HEADWIND WHICH TURNS OUT TO BITE ME!  SEEMS MY NORMAL RANGE BEFORE RESERVE OF 280 KM IS  NOT HAPPENING AND I HIT RESERVE AT 200 KM..GREAT!! WE ARE HEADING WEST ON #2 HIWAY IN ND AND I  HAVE 3 LITRES GAS LEFT AND NO TOWN FOR A WHILE......OF COURSE I RUN OUT 15 MILES FROM RUGBY!!!  SOOOO...NOW WHAT..SEND THE KID FOR GAS AND WASTE A HR? OR DO WHAT EVERY BIKER DOES ALL THE TIME..REACH UNDER THE SIDEPANEL AND PULL OUT THE ROPE!!!(OF COURSE I AM PREPARED EH??)
 
 

NOW THIS IS FUN! EVER BEEN TOWED FOR 15 MILES ON A BIKE??  WELL I STICK THE ROPE UP BETWEEN THE FORKS SO IT WILL PULL STRAIGHT AS IT CAN AND I WRAP A LOOP AT THE END AROUND THE LEFT HANDGRIP AND I HOLD TIGHT...PLAN IS I CAN LET GO AND IT WILL RELEASE IF THIS DOESNT WORK!  iT WORKS..BUT STILL TAKES A JERK TO THE LEFT EVERY TIME THE ROPE TIGHTENS..I HOLD THE BARS WITH A DEATHGRIP TO KEEP THEM FROM TURNING..THINGS ARE GOING OK...WE GO 30 MPH...BUTTT NOW WE HIT LOTSA HILLS AND THE BIKE  PICKS UP GOING DOWN..I PUT ON SOME BRAKE TO KEEP IT TIGHT..NICE! NOW IT JERKS LIKE MAD....OH WELL..HANG ON TIGHT AND HOPE THE RELEASE  SETUP WORKS WHEN WE GET TO TOWN! OH-OH..RED LIGHT AHEAD..LOOK BOTH WAYS AND I YELL AT CALE TO KEEP GOING..CRAP...ANOTHER!!  WE MAKE IT THRU IT ALSO WITHOUT GETTING WHACKED!!  NOW ITS INTO THE GAS STATION AND I LET GO OF THE ROPE.....YAHOO!!..IT LETS GO AND I COAST TO THE PUMP!! THINGS ARE GOOD..AND I ALSO FIND OUT CALE HIT RESERVE 10 MILES BACK..SOOOO ITS A PRETTY GOOD START I FIGURE CAUSE  WE ARE ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!!
 

HERE ARE MY MAPS..
THE YELLOW MEANS WE FOUND IT JUST A ROAD TO GET TO THE NEXT GOOD STUFF....
BLUE IS A NICE RICE...LOTS OF CURVES BUT NOTHING TO HAIRY..WITH   SMALL CLIMBS...
RED IS A GREAT RIDE..WONT GIVE YOU THE BIG THRILL, BUT  GREAT ROUTE AND NICE SCENEREY!
PURPLE MEANS  A FANTASTIC RIDE..HOURS OF HAIRPINS AND BIG ELEVATION..NOT TO BE MISSED!
BLACK MEANS A ABSOLUTE MUST!!  ENDLESS HAIRPINS WITH NO GUARDRAILS AND ELEVATION OVER 13,000 FEET . THESE ROADS ARE A THRILL.....(UNFORNUATELY WE DIDNT HIT ANY OF THESE THIS TRIP... GO TO COLORADO AND MT EVANS FOR THAT!!!!)

I LOVE THIS!! BUT WE DONT STOP!!!

DAY 2WILLISTON ND-DILLON MT

HERE'S CALE LOADING UP AT 6:30 AM AT WILLISTON  AND READY TO HEAD FOR MONTANA!
 

HEADED SW TO GLENDIVE AND I 90. USUALLY  WE GO WEST A HR OR SO AND HEAD SW TO THE BIGHORNS AND WEST THRU YELLOWSTONE COUNTRY, BUT THIS YEAR WE DECIDED TO  BYPASS IT ALL AS WE HAVE DONE IT PLENTY AND TRY TO GET TO OREGON FASTER.
SO OFF WE GO DOWN THE INTERSTATE TO BOSEMAN, RETURNING ABOUT 300,000 WAVES TO THE HARLEY RIDERS HEADING TO STURGIS!  EVENTUALLY AFTER BAKING AT 100F AND CRUISING AT 140KPH  ON THE INTERSTATE WE GET INTO BOZEMAN AND HEAD SW  ON 84,281, AND 41 UP THE MADISON RIVER AND INTO IDAHO.

WE CROSS THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER !! MOUNTAINS ARE NEXT!

I THINK WE WILL PASS ON THIS ONE!!

BOZEMAN HILL AHEAD 1-90
 

NICER COUNTRY, MORE TWISTIES AND MORE BIG HILLS!  STILL NOTHING SPECIAL, BUT GETTING BETTER.

ONCE WE GET INTO THAT CANYON AHEAD,THE MADISON RIVER IS  FULL OF TUBERS (TOOBERS)??...ITS 100F AND THEY LOOK LIKE THEY ARE HAVING A BALL. I PLAN TO STOP AND  HAVE A SWIM, BUT EVERY SPOT  THAT YOU COULD PULL OFF ON IS OCCUPIED BY A CARLOAD OF TUBERS
 

LOOKING BACK EAST AT CALE AND THE MADISON RIVER.YELLOWSTONE PARK IS JUST OVER THAT RANGE AND A BIT TO THE RIGHT!

TIME FOR A PIT STOP......CAME UP THAT TRAIL  (84+281) AND HEADING TO THE RIGHT.

 
 

BY 5:00 WE ARE IN DILLON MT. AND ITS TIME TO COOL DOWN! I CANT FIGURE WHY HE WOULD GET IN THAT HOT TUB AFTER 100 ABOVE ALL DAY!!!

PRIME RIB TONIGHT!!!  PERFECT ENDING..WE LOOK FORWARD TO NEW TERRITORY TOMMOROW!
 

HIT 1600 KM HERE...1000 MILES AND ALL IS WELL WITH THE BIKES!
 

UP AT 6:30 AND HEADING WEST TOWARDS THE SALMON RIVER AND STANLEY ID FOR DINNER!

HERES THE BOY PULLING OUT OF THE MOTEL AT 6:30AM AND HEADING WEST.

HEADED WEST ON 278 ACROSS THE BIG HOLE BATTLEFIELD HIWAY  #43  AND  CROSSED OVER THE PASS INTO IDAHO AND SOUTH ON 93...

START OF THE SALMON RIVER ROUTE....
 

NOW IT FINALLY STARTS TO GET MORE INTERESTING!!!  SOUTH ON 93 TO SALMON.
 

THIS IS A NICE RIDE,NOTHING HAIR RAISING, BUT LOTS OF CURVES!!

  MORE ALONG THE SALMON RIVER...
 

WE DO A BIT OF GRAVEL TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE CANYON UP THAT ROAD BEHIND THE BRIDGE.

PIT STOP ON A BRIDGE ALONG THE RIVER....GOOD PICS OF THE OLD BOMBS!! THEY ARE STILL HAPPY AND THEY ARE GOING TO STAY THAT WAY AS I PLAN MANY RIDES AHEAD!

THE BIKES WORK GREAT....HANDLE JUST FINE WITH THE BAGAGE, AND THE SMALL WINDSHIELDS AND DEFLECTORS WORK GREAT WITHOUT MAKING ME FEEL IM DRIVING A CAR! WE AVERAGE ABOUT 50 MPG.

HEADING TOWARDS STANLEY AND ITS A NICE RIDE ALONG THE RIVER..CURVES, NO GUARDRAILS, JUST RIGHT!

COMING INTO STANLEY AND A NICE VIEW OF THE MOUTAINS!

STARTING TO GET HOT AGAIN!!  WE HAVE DINNER IN A NICE PLACE IN STANLEY ! THIS IS OBVIOULSY A BIKER DESTINATION AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEADING WEST.

    TO BE HONEST, WE ARE KINDA DISSAPOINTED IN THE ROUTE SO FAR AS WE HAVE BEEN TOTALLY SPOILED BY  OUR OTHER TRIPS, ESPECIALLY COLORADO. ONLY GOOD STUFF SO FAR IS THE RIDE UP THE SALMON RIVER, WHICH WE HAD DONE BEFORE, AND THAT DULLED IT A BIT.
    I KNEW IT WOULD TAKE A WHILE  TO GET INTO NEW TERRITORY AND HOPEFULLY SOME GREAT ROADS, BUT SO FAR WE HAV NOT QUITE GOT THERE YET. I NOW WISH I WOULD HAVE  GONE OVER THE BIGHORNS AND THRU CODY AND YELLOWSTONE, BECAUSE ITS STILL A GREAT RIDE, AND WOULD HAVE GOT US UP ONTO THE BIG STUFF RIGHT AWAY. IF THE BEARTOOTH PASS HAD NOT BEEN CLOSED I WOULD HAVE GONE THAT WAY...BUT..WE HEAD OUTA STANLEY ON HIWAY  21 AND EXPECT A GREAT RIDE AS HAVE HEARD LOTS ABOUT IT....
 

ANYWAY, ITS  UP HIWAY  21  WE GO AND ACROSS TO LOWMAN AS WE  THINK WE ARE GOING TO MCCALL FOR THE NIGHT AND  DO THE HELLS CANYON TOMMOROW...WILL SEE.

THIS IS TYPICAL OF THE RIDE TO LOWMAN..THIS IS KINDA A DISAPOINTMENT AFTER READING ABOUT THIS ROUTE, BUT STILL A NICE RIDE..ONCE AGAIN, WE ARE SPOILED BY COLORADO!

OK..ITS #$%%^ HOT AGAIN, 100+, AND TIME FOR A PITSTOP AT THE LOCAL GAS BAR IN LOWMAN!!

AFTER A REFRESH ITS WEST WE GO AND WE DO HIT A NICE STRETCH OF ROAD (  12   )  HEADING ACROSS TO LEWISTON.  THIS ONE HAS LOTS OF CANYON RUNNING AND ITS  NOT AS BUSY.
 

CALES BIKE HAS THE LOUDER PIPES AND EVERY BIG CLIMB I CAN HEAR HIM WINDING IT UP AS HE CLAIMS THE "LITTLE 750" JUST HAS TO BE IN THE LOWEST GEAR AT 9000RPM ALL THE TIME!!  SURE IT DOES!!!

 

NOW WE DECIDE  ITS TOO @#$#% HOT AROUND HERE, AND JUST THE SOUND OF HELLS CANYON SOUNDS TOO HOT TO ME, SO WE DECIDE TO HEAD FOR THE  INTERSTATE JUST NORTH OF BOISE AS THERE ARE NO PLACES TO STAY OUT HERE..(NEXT YEAR WE GO THERE)

WE HAVE A NICE RIDE  DOWN THE PAYETTE RIVER! HERE IS ANOTHER ONE THATS CLOGGED WITH WHITEWATER RAFTERS AND TUBES! LOOKS LIKE FUN AND WE DO FIND A PLACE TO PULL OVER AND GET COOLED OFF!! SEEMS TRAINS LIKE IT TOO!

WE HIT THE INTERSTATE AND STOP FOR THE NIGHT IN ONTARIO IDAHO, RIGHT ON THE OREGON BORDER.
 

AND ITS TIME FOR THE POOL!!! THEN A QUICK DRY ON THE LOT!
 
 

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