Wyoming

AUGUST 9, 2010 - DAY 5 - CODY TO GILLETTE

Sleep was hard to come by yet again. I think I was just excited being in Cody. There is so much Old West history. But we were on limited time so we quickly hit a couple of stores and the H-D dealership and picked up a few souvenirs at each place. I had one item shipped home so, to my kids, look for a package in the mail. Not everything fits on a bike. Proof of that was the next stop at the UPS store for Angel to ship stuff home that she decided she really didn't need to lug around the country.

As we headed out of Cody we both wished we'd had more time there. It seemed like such a great place with so much to offer. Such as the rodeo every night. Yep, e v e r y night. But then it is touted as the Rodeo Capital of the World. To us that means cowboys wearing Wranglers, so were are sorry we missed it. We also had to skip the museum that everyone told us we had to see. Maybe 27 days isn't enough for this trip.

The Wyoming countryside is beautiful. We headed out on Hwy 14, once again staring out at farmland. However, the hills here are different. Most look as of the top halves are of rock and flat on the top. But there is a mountain range that we are heading toward, along with all the other bikes on the road.

We reach the Big Horn Mountains and begin our ascent. They look like something out of a geology class (the one science class I liked). But aside from the red and orange colors of the rock I also noticed small brown signs every so often along the roadside. They all listed the era and age of the rocks, like 450-500 million years old.

Once we climbed higher there was lush pasture lands again accompanied by open range signs. However, the first cow we saw I smelled first. It was in the field next to the road on the other side, udders up. Her friend was grazing alongside our side of the road, just chewing away, unconcerned.

As we headed down from the mountains and the valley opened up below I planned to make a pit stop at the first town. As we rode through I saw a small place with lots of bikes parked out front. Looked like the perfect place for lunch, water and a pit stop. But I reasoned that since Sheridan wasn't that far away I could wait, and we would just take care of it all there.

I had envisioned finding a similar eating place along the historic district of Sheridan but never saw such a place along the main street. We got all the way through town so just stopped at Starbucks. There we were told about a quaint place to eat just 8 miles up the road so we chose to continue on and fuel up ourselves and the bikes when we get there.

We pulled out of the parking lot and I pointed out we needed to go on the other street there at the intersection so we turned around. As we passed a sign for the next town to be 23 miles I was about to turn around. But when I looked at the mileage I figured we would push it and be fine. But obviously we wouldn't be eating at that quaint little restaurant.

The town of Uconn had nothing and we were probably past the point of returning to Sheridan. Thankfully there was a sign touting gas just 10 miles away, with nothing available after that for 70 miles. We reached the single pump at the store in Clearmont. Lunch meant standing in the air conditioned store munching on almonds and a granola bar while sucking down a bottle of water before hitting the road again, looking forward to the hour ride and reaching Gillette by 4 p.m.

However, like everything else we keep planning, circumstances decided to remind us that we are not in control of our lives no matter how hard we try. As we approached the town of Leiter, and I use that term loosely, I had some mechanical issues and we stopped. But the good news was that though we were out in the middle of nowhere, smack dab in-between Sheridan and Gillette, the town consisted of a post office / bar for us to stay in while awaiting the tow. Which took four hours. Yeah, upgrading my H.O.G. roadside assistance package was really looking like a waste of money about then. It didn't matter how many phone calls we made or whether it was me or Angel telling them our location they had extreme difficulty figuring it out, even when we told them in specific detail. These call taker types need to sometimes take their eyes of the computer, listen to the customer, and engage their brains, if they have them. Preferably before I start yelling at them as though they are idiots and jacking up my blood pressure.

But I do have to say that Martha and Dale, whom we met in Leiter, were very friendly and hospitable people, helping to make my problems seem minimal. Even the tow driver was helpful and nice. However it's not as if the trip into Gillette was uneventful. As Angel followed on her bike she suddenly gave us the thumbs down signal. Seems some sort of flying thing had flown up her jacket sleeve and stung her 4-5 times on her back.

Then once we finally got to Gillette we were told they had over booked our motel, despite having made the reservation several months ago, and we had been moved to another. Not good news for the manager who then had to deal with two tired, hungry women who already had their fill of dealing with incompetence. He comped us $30 toward dinner.

Now tomorrow's plans have changed as well. No need to get up at 6 a.m. for the ride into Sturgis as the Harley dealership doesn't open till nine. Angel is already preparing me that we may just alter our stay and spend a second night here. I of course am not accepting such a fate. I think the word stubborn has been used to describe me several times by numerous people today. Not like I haven't heard that before!

Today's stats: 10.5 hours (if counting the extra 4), 258.5 miles (but my bike only logged in 201.5)

Yellowstone and Wyoming

AUGUST 8, 2010 - DAY 4 - WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT TO CODY, WY

Our day didn't start off as either of us had anticipated. I had fallen asleep, finally, while downloading photos and the sleepless nights were catching up to me. But we managed to finally get on the road by 9:30 a.m. as a few raindrops tried to scare us but to no avail.

The entrance to Yellowstone is but a block away and we are excited. We have an entire route planned. We will ride south to Old Faithful, back up the loop and on to the North Park Entrance, cross momentarily into Montana, then southeast along Chief Joseph Trail, then on to Cody for the night. But things don't always go as planned so flexibility is the key.

Shortly after entering the park we hit traffic. And I mean dead stop, move at a snails pace, smelling exhaust and feeling the heat of the pipes. It took over a half hour to get past the problem - people stopping their cars in the road to look at the small herd of bison laying in the grass. Now, I carry my camera around my neck and with the cruise control on can snap away pictures as I ride. But each time I tried the two cars in front of me would briefly stop to where I couldn't even keep up a first gear speed. No picture for me.

As we arrived at Old Faithful a truck came speeding around us in a 25 mph zone, only to come to a grinding crawl as everyone tried to find parking. We were two lanes in one direction and I was in the left lane while he chose the right. When the car ahead of me peeled off I was about to move up alongside the truck. But I decided after his driving displays I couldn't trust him. Sure enough, not a moment later he proved my intuition right when he made a sharp left turn from the right lane, cutting me off. I had anticipated his stupidity and he lived up to my expectations.

As we parked we learned we had just missed Old Faithful and would have to wait 90 minutes, give or take. As we roamed around the lodge we saw lots of other bikers. We spoke to one group that had come over from France, renting bikes in Utah. There were bikes in the parking lot with foreign flags flying, and we even saw some wearing H.O.G. vests from Austria. And those parked next to us shared stories of rides with us as well.

As we finally watched the Old Faithful geyser shoot up in the air we both thought how this was worth the wait. Scientists don't know why it still spouts as it should have sealed itself over long ago or why it is so accurate. Just another of those things to keep us humans guessing! And another thing to cross off of that Bucket List.

We ride on, stopping for pictures or just the views. I miss the first sign saying we were crossing the Continental Divide, but not the second despite the Suburban blocking my way. And when we came across another traffic slow down I lucked out as there was a space marked off in the middle of the road so I just pulled my bike right into it and used my zoom. I was amazed at the people out of their cars who were practically walking right up to the elk as they ate. Did they not know what those huge rack of antlers were for?

As we approached the turn off for Cody we stopped to decide our next move. We were supposed to continue north but the hours had slipped away from us and we decided to skip the northern parts of the park and head towards Cody after a quick stop at Fishing Bridge. Somehow we soon had people asking to take our pictures with our bikes, and after doing so we let them sit upon them and take their photo too. But I do have to clarify that they were all from other countries. It was kind of fun thinking that we were going to be in someone else's vacation photos.

We did need one last photo though. We had not taken a picture with the sign at the entrance to the park upon entering so as we exited we crossed over the road and took one then. As we got ready to head out Angel saw two guys pull up to do the same, only they were on their way in. Turns out they were from Boston and had just decided a few days before to make a cross country trip themselves. However, their goal was just to get to the west coast then home, one of those destination rides. Since your entrance fee is good for a week, and we weren't returning, we gave them our passes and wished them well.

We were both thirsty and hadn't had lunch but too stubborn to stop until Cody, where we could eat, drink and be merry. That made for a long 57 miles. But our stubbornness was able to outlast our needs.

Once in Cody we checked into the Irma Hotel, Buffalo Bill's place once upon a time and named after his daughter. It is historic, full of fun people and had good food. We walked around the town before returning to the bar. There we learned the two couples next to us were also heading to Sturgis and were also Californians - one from Concord the other Fremont, both just up the road from us. We had fun laughing and talking, sharing stories, and enjoying more Giants-Dodgers rivalry (the Giants are the better team).

With all of the bikers on the roads and getting closer in proximity to Sturgis, that is of course everyone's first guess of where you are going. We always tell them yes but then add that we will continue on to New York. When their shock goes away we explain our goal of riding our own to again participate in the America's 9/11 Memorial Ride. We have met a few who know of the ride, and have explained it to a lot more. Some fall silent and maybe uncomfortable, others seem amazed, and still others understand. And that is one of our goals, to pass the word along about the ride and to encourage others to someday make it a destination of their own.

Tomorrow we will spend an hour or two trying to see a few sights in Cody before heading out across Wyoming to Gillette.

Today's stats: 7 hours and 147 miles