BC,WA,ID,MT,WY,CO,NM,AZ,UT, AND BACK NORTH
JUNE 19/2009
SHORT NOTICE TRIP. WE DECIDE TO CHECK OUT THE RED ROCK STUFF IN UTAH BEFORE IT GETS TOO HOT!!
I LEAVE KAMLOOPS, BC ON THURS/18 AND HEAD SE THRU WASHINGTON AND IDAHO AND EVENTUALLY TO MEET UP WITH RAYBOB IN RANCHESTER, WY, AT THE FOOT O THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS ON FRIDAY AFT.. HE IS COMING FROM MANITOBA, SO IT IS A GREAT PLACE TO START FROM IN THE MORNING AS WE GET TO GO RIGHT UP A GREAT PASS IN THE BIGHORNS!
DAY 1...KAMLOOPS,BC TO HELENA MT.
1140 KM
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I TAKE MY OLD VFR AS I STILL HAVE NOT FOUND A NEW
BIKE THAT I LIKE BETTER.(YET)...AND I HAVE TRIED..GAWD I HAVE OWNED SOME
DUDS LATELY.
ANYWAY, WILL TAKE THIS ONE AS I CAN EASILY DO 1500KM
DAYS ON IT AND STILL WANT TO GET BACK ON IT NEXT DAY.
WE PLAN TO CUT BACK ON THE MILES THIS YEAR AND STOP
MORE AND TAKE OUR TIME!
I LOAD UP THE OLD DUFFLEBAG WITH FEW CLOTHES AND
A EXTRA SET OF MESH GEAR FOR THE HEAT I EXPECT DOWN SOUTH. THAT STUFF REALLY
TAKES UP THE ROOM, ITS BULKY,BUT THE WEIGHT IS LOW. I LIKE IT UP
BEHIND ME AS NOTHING TO CATCH THE WIND .NEVER BOTHER WITH RAIN GEAR ANY
MORE AS ONCE IN A TUCK I DON'T GET WET ON THIS BIKE WITH MY NORMAL
GEAR ANYWAY.
I HEAD SE FROM KAMLOOPS, DOWN THROUGH BEAVERDALE AND ACROSS THE
BORDER AT MIDWAY, THEN ALONG THE TOP OF WASHINGTON AND IDAHO AND STAY ON
THE BACKROADS.ITS A SLOWER PACE, LOTS OF COFFEE BREAKS, AND
I I END UP IN HELENA MT FOR THE NIGHT. WHY THRU HELENA?
JUST BECAUSE I HAVE DONE ALL THE OTHER ROUTES AND WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT !
NOT PUTTING UP MUCH FOR PICS OF THIS AREA AS I HAVE THEM ON MY
OTHER TRIP PAGES.
HEADING ACROSS N WASHINGTON UP IN THE HIGH COUNTRY BACKROADS.
HERES A PIC OF THE FLOWERY TRAIL ROAD N OF SPOKANE.
DAY 2
FROM HELENA....ACROSS 12 AND DOWN THRU BILLINGS TO
RANCHESTER WY.
THERE IS THE CRAZY MOUNTAINS TO MY WEST AS I HEAD
SOUTH TO BIG TIMBER.
I DO GO OVER A SMALL NICE PASS FROM TOWNSEND TO WHITE SULFER SPRINGS..THATS ABOUT ALL THATS INTERESTING THO!
SOMEWHERE ON MT 12 EAST OF HELENA..ITS FLAT!! WHAT AM I DOING???
HELP!
FRI..STOP OFF AT LITTLE BIGHORN MONUMENT
I REALLY ENJOYED THIS , NOT SURE WHY, BUT NEVER DID I REALIZE
JUST HOW SCREWED ANYONE COULD BE TILL I STOOD ON LAST STAND HILL
AND LOOKED DOWN!
YOU HAVE TO BE HERE TO KNOW, PICS DON'T WORK.
THE VILLAGE WAS DOWN THERE IN THE LITTLE BIGHORN RIVER AREA AND
UP THESE RAVINES CAME 2000 WARRIORS! YOW!
THIS AREA HAS A LOT OF HISTORY...I HAVE GOT SOME READING TO
DO..FIRST ON THE LIST IS "SON OF THE MORNING STAR" AND "A GOOD YEAR TO
DIE" WILL MAKE THIS AREA OF THE COUNTRY MORE INTERESTING
NEXT TIME.
TIME TO MOVE ON, OFF TO RANCHESTER WY TO MEET RAYBOB.
LOOKIT THAT! RIGHT ON THE LIMIT, I IS GOOD TODAY!
AND I GET TO GO FASTER THAN MY SPEEDO SAYS AS MOST BIKES READ 10% SLOW
..SO THIS WAY I CAN GO FASTER AND BE GOOD! SOMETIMES...
FRI AFT IN RANCHESTER! +34, SUNNY! AND THE GANG IS ALL HERE!
SAT DAY 3..
WE USUALLY GET GOING EARLY AND WE STOP BEFORE SUPPER EVERY NIGHTAS EASY TO GET A ROOM ,WE CAN GET A GOOD WALK IN, AND A GOOD MEAL ! WILL TRY TO KEEP IT UNDER 1000KM'S A DAY THIS TIME SO WE CAN DO M MORE PITSTOPS.
RANCHESTER,WY TO STEAMBOAT SPRINGS,CO
840KM
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CLICK HEREFOR THE MAIN ROUTE MAP
HEADING UP 14 OVER THE BIGHORNS.THATS THE ROAD CLIMBING UP TO 9000'
+ ON THE RIGHT.
WE WILL GO SOUTH THRU THERMOPOLIS AND END UP IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS COLORADO!
UP
YAHOOO! THEN SOME CONSTRUCTION, BUT NO HOLDUPS
THEY ARE STRAIGHTENING OUT A PART OF THIS ROAD! TOO BAD!
NEAR THE TOP!
I ALWAYS ENJOY THE BIGHORNS, ESPECIALLY THE NORTHERN 14 AND 14A
ROUTES!
Much more fun than the southern route!!
PRAIRIE MAN RAYBOB MAKES IT OVER THE PASS! VERY PLEASED WITH HIMSELF
AS THE BIG ST IS STILL UPSIDE RIGHT AND NOW READY TO DO CORNERS!
HEADING DOWN TO GREYBULL
WYOMING
TALK ABOUT EXTREMES???
THERMOPOLIS
WIND RIVER CANYON
nice ride, but tons of pics of this area in my other trips..
PULLING INTO STEAMBOAT.IT JUST FINISHED RAINING, BUT ITS AHEAD
OF US AND WE STAY DRY..
.WE SEE THE SKI HILL AHEAD!!..NO PICS ALONG THE WAY TILL HERE, NOTHING
SPECIAL TO TAKE.
WE ENJOY A GOOD TOUR OF STEAMBOAT. FREE BUS'S , SO WE TAKE THE
TOUR!
DAY 4...DOWN THRU CENTRAL COLORADO..
STEAM BOAT SPRINGS TO PAGOSA SPRINGS
720 KMS
WE ZIG EAST OVER RABIT EARS PASS, THEN BACK WEST
ON 134 OVER ANOTHER PASS AND SOUTH ON 131.
NOTHIN SPECIAL.
NOT NOT TOO EXCITING
TERRAIN TILL WE CROSS I-70 AND HEAD UP INTO THE HIGHER PASS'S. THATS
IT AHEAD WITH THE SNOW
SOUTH ON 24 GETTING BETTER..UP WE GO TO 10,000'
.... NOW WE DO A TOUR THRU DOWNTOWN RED CLIFF! HERES A REAL MTN TOWN
FOR YA!!
RED CLIFF!
THATS GOTTA BE A SORCERERS SHACK!
HEADING OUT OF TOWN! THATS THE BRIDGE WHERE WE TURNED INTO TOWN FROM. RIGHT AT THE N END TURN HARD EAST.
LUNCH TIME!
COMING INTO LEADVILLE.
HEADING UP MONARCH PASS NOT TOO WILD A ROAD, THIS ONE IS
A HIGH SPEEED HIGHWAY, BUT STILL KINDA FUN.(at high speed)
UP WE GO..HERE COMES RAYBOB!
ALIENS LIVE UP HERE!!
I HAVE ALMOST THIS SAME PIC A FEW YEARS BACK ON MY OTHER FAVORITE
BIKE!
I WOULDA THUNKED HE HAD ENOUGH OF THAT COLD STUFF BY NOW!!
YUP!
I KNOW I HAVE!
35!!! MUST MEAN IN 35 MILES?? ;)
DOWN DOWN DOWN..MONARCH PASS...
WE HAVE TO STOP
AS RAYBOB GETS BOMBED BY A GIANT SEAGULL!!
YOU SHOULDA SEEN HIM!!!
WOW!
ANOTHER PASS! SOUTH OF GUNNISON, CO.....NICE!!
MORE
NEARING PAGOSA SPRINGS...
OK , DONE FOR THE DAY..
CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT DAY!