Sunday, July 15, 2018

“It hurts me too “ | Big Horns 7/7-7/14

-

map

profile

Loop  ~ 1900 miles through Eastern Idaho and North Western Wyoming
Riders – John   KTM 1190R
              Thad   KTM 1190R
              Tim     Honda 1000 AT
              Byron  BMW 1200 GS   

Byron was the only one that wasn’t gimpy at the beginning of the ride.

Tim had hip replacement surgery in February.

KIMG0221

Thad broke his hand ( dirt biking ) in May.
1956

I was nursing a bad shoulder , maybe a torn rotator cuff .

Byron caught up by the end of the ride.

153 2nd x-ray from front

1 flat
2 getoffs
2 bobbles
1 LEG FRACTURE 
0  sauce
              


Saturday, Boise – Idaho Falls

map

topo

Leg - 327 miles , mostly pavement with a  section through the Arco Desert/ Idaho Rift




KIMG0219KIMG0220
We departed Boise at 8am , stopping  in Shoshone for a meal at  the Manhattan .


IMG_0797
Minidoka – Arco Road

The road out of Minidoka is a “high grade” desert gravel road that would easily
average  50+ mph.

IMG_0800 Stitch

IMG_0798 Stitch

Cream Can Junction
Confirmed , the Arco desert looks just like the Boise desert

ihMgg8RYi7PZXcoMf3wyl9Xr8OS5yzZ1RuGjXl4w

IMG_0802IMG_0803IMG_0806

Bear Trap Cave , a 15 mile long lava tube .
The gravel road ended here and the road turned into a typical desert two track.
Dry slick and rutted . I had to let some air out of my tires .

IMG_0807

IMG_0809

Big  Southern Butte
We rode up to the base but the road was freshly graded and soft , decided
not to ride to the top .

On the way to Atomic City there were a few silt beds. In one of them I got cross
rutted and went down hard. It stunned me and I had to regather my composure
and take an inventory of aches and pains. Thad thought I was knocked out , I was mostly tired.

IMG_0810IMG_0811
Atomic City Bar – Rested and had a Coke.
You can see my hand guard and crash bars were put to use !  

IMG_0812

Motel West- decent place , staff are nice and helpful .
The next morning it was packed with Chinese tourists .

KIMG0227
Right next door is Gandpa's Bar-B-Q , it qualifies as Soul Food.
Even had a no nonsense black girl as a waitress .



Sunday, Idaho Falls – Thermopolis


map

topo
Leg ~ 367 miles , over half off pavement



IMG_0813

South Fork Snake River outside Idaho Falls

We stopped for a meal in Alpine and then followed the Grey River Road out of town.
There was a lot of traffic and dust from people heading home on Sunday.
Wasn’t enjoyable at all.

IMG_0815 Stitch
IMG_0817IMG_0818
We finally lost the traffic on the McDougal Gap Road.

IMG_0819 Stitch
Thad

IMG_0821
McDougal Gap

IMG_0827
The road topped out on a ~8,000 ft sage brush steppe that was full of Pronghorns .

IMG_0829
Thad and Tim on the Lander Cutoff .

The Lander Trail  was one of the immigrant roads related to the Oregon Trail
that runs along the base of the Wind River Range .

I had planned for us to ride the Louis Lake Road but the west end was closed for
a wrecker to recover a car that drove off the road. So we took HWY 28 into Lander.

Wind River Canyon into Thermopolis.


IMG_0831
Elk Antler Inn -
It’s ok ,beds need new mattress .
We met a couple from Holland ,the lady filled us in on “the immigrants”.
You would have thought she was a “ Deplorable”.  

KIMG0228


KIMG0230

Town center .

Had dinner at the One Eye Buffalo ,best beer on the whole trip.

The the town also  has some hot springs but with the temps  pushing
100F it wasn’t that inviting.


Monday , Thermopolis – Story 

 map

topo

Leg ~ 257 miles , 100 miles off pavement ( Big Horn Mountain Road ).

IMG_0832

IMG_0833

Breakfast at Black Bear Cafe .

KIMG0233

7.13 Dining Terrace at Bright Spot
We topped off our tanks at the Bright Spot before we turned off HWY20.

We left HWY20 at Walton and followed the road through the oil fields to
Aminto and found Buffalo Creek Road and Big Horn Mountain Road.

IMG_0834 StitchIMG_0836
Buffalo Creek Road .

IMG_0838 StitchIMG_0841IMG_0842IMG_0844

Water crossing on Big Horn Mountain Road .

IMG_0845 Stitch

After this spot we had about 10 miles of rutted muddy two tracks , the
aftermath of the storm we were following .

It was a great loop ,big remote country .
Probably need 3 days or more to explore the Big Horns .

IMG_0850
Back on improved roads !
There were still some slick spots from the storm.

IMG_0852

Because of the storm and time we couldn’t do Crazy Woman Road  but
Hwy 16 was an awesome ride with beautiful views .

KIMG0234

IMG_0853

Story Pine Inn nicest stay on the trip .

Tuesday , Story- Cody 


map

topo
Leg 257 miles , ~ 50 miles off pavement


KIMG0237_01
We had breakfast in Sheridan , on the way out of town we got separated from
Byron , then he took a wrong turn . 
We waited for Byron at the base of Red Grade Road after a few minutes we reconnected .

IMG_0855
Black Tooth Peaks from the Red Grade Road .

IMG_0856 Stitch

The second half of the road had just been “graded” which made the road
slick as talcum powder on a garage floor , worse than riding the mud the day before.

KIMG0238


IMG_0858 Stitch
Big Horns from Hwy 14 .

RSjEVMGSnSede3VxNpWA

Medicine Wheel .

IMG_0862
It was a ~ 3 mile round trip hike from the parking lot to the Medicine Wheel .
The road is open if you are driving through or handicap .
Would have been our route into the Big Horn Canyon .

IMG_0867 Stitch

UyltkZlQpCTXe3VNP9Vtg
Interesting but don’t know I would do it again.

RNuzNbj5SVWa3V68AJyVdw
Fat Boys having fun.

Capture
Hwy 14 into Lovell , the temps reached 105F at the base of the cliffs !
I’m glad we didn’t take the dirt road into the  Big Horn Canyon .

37331064_1119794788168387_1028748025779978240_o

Capture
In Cody we had dinner at Zapata's  , listen to Lyle !
Food was OK but it wasn’t Mexican , first clue was all the staff were white.


KIMG0240
Downtown Cody after dinner


Wednesday, Rest Day Cody

IMG_0874IMG_0873IMG_0875

We used Wednesday as a rest day.
Tim and I visited the Wild Bill Museum  and had lunch at the Irma .


33 Thad wades the Shoshone34 Along the Shoshone

Thad and Byron went fly fishing .

Thursday , Cody – Dillon 


map


topo

Leg -175 miles, 50 miles off pavement  

KIMG0243
Started the day with the breakfast at the Irma .

chief joseph
The first leg of the ride was on the Chief Joseph Highway

IMG_0888

IMG_0878 Stitch

IMG_0883 Stitch

usl6JB95RoComOoiwkbZEA

Dead Indian Summit

IMG_0899


20180712100447-PANO

IMG_0893


IMG_0897 Stitch

HGma0BgRTad2s5rSQ7h3QnA5kwSLwQTGDIhQrHnaIoQ
Road into Cooke City

IMG_0902
Lamar Valley is full of buffalo

05HV2dBFTyi8QfYcCud4lAf86DncsqSOaIMHx0xJ5iA

KIMG0247_01

We moved through Yellowstone OK, traffic was not that bad.
We had a couple of delays for road construction .

IMG_0906

IMG_0905
The originally plan was to ride the north side of Red Rock Valley from Island Park
then a ranch road into Dillion.

However the first clue was a story board about the history of the sand dunes.
Then the sand got deeper and deeper.
Then Bryon dropped his bike and the pannier landed on his leg spraining his ankle.

Ranchers confirmed our decision  to tap out telling us the sand gets much worse
before it gets better.

IMG_0910
We back tracked and rode  the gravel road on the south side of the valley.

IMG_0911

Byron & Tim.

Only encountered a couple of cars  allowing me Tim to ride side by side much of way.

We then had to buzz 60 miles up I-15 to Dillion.


IMG_0912

Sundowner Motel reminded me of one  of the motel scenes out of
“No Country for Old Men” but all the other guests were nice , not SJW’s.

IMG_0913
The hotel clerk suggested Feista Mexicana for dinner.
She’s from Texas and thought this was the best Mexican joint north of the
Red River. Unfortunately  they were closed and we had to settle for Pizza Hut.

Friday,Dillon –Arco


map

topo

Leg 203 miles ~ 50 miles off pavement



KIMG0248KIMG0250KIMG0251

While checking his chain Tim noticed his rear tire was flat , it had a fence
staple he probably picked up in Red Rock Valley. 80mph on the I-15 didn’t
break the bead.

We had to use Byron’s Happy Trails bead breaker

         
IMG_0915          
 The Chevy dealer across from JB’s sells GasGas !

First stop was Bannack State Park a well preserved ghost town.
Well worth the visit .

         
IMG_0916IMG_0917


IMG_0919
           
IMG_0921


IMG_0933         
        
       
Schoolhouse on bottom floor and Masonic Lodge second floor.

IMG_0923IMG_0925IMG_0926IMG_0927

IMG_0923aJqKqoBnQmKcdGZyvY6A

IMG_0931IMG_0932

Hotel Mead

( Two years ago we rode a a portion of the Bannack Freight Road, see day 4 )

IMG_0934IMG_0935IMG_0936IMG_0938

Bannock Pass – back in Idaho !


bcjWIiL4TwGdvv8vhLkmcg       
      Fancy Fences

IMG_0939

Dropping into Leadore

IMG_0940


9HunmtDTCy2p34KwU8bQ

IMG_0941
Gilmore townsite

IMG_0942IMG_0943IMG_0946IMG_0947IMG_0948

Birch Creek Kilns


IMG_0949

IMG_0949

IMG_0950
DK Motel

Saturday , Arco – Boise


maptopo
Leg ~190 miles all pavement .

We only stopped a couple of time .

        
        
       
IMG_0951

IMG_0952


FINI !

         
=========================
POST SCRIPT -

AFTER 400 MILES AND ~ 7 DAYS BYRON WENT TO THE DOCTOR AND
DISCOVERED HE BROKE HIS LEG !


150 My new riding boot as of 7-19-18153 2nd x-ray from front

He still drank me under the table every night .

( I CAN’T STAY UP PAST 9 PM )
          
         






5 comments:

  1. AWESOME! Looks like you all had an epic ride. Many places I have been and a number I haven't. Took me almost a year after hip replacement to get riding again.... kudos to the dude. Retirement is treating you right. Personally, it's to hot to really enjoy the ride.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fun times .
    Yes its too hot .

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome!! Thank you so much for sending to me. I loved to read these road trip recaps and enjoy the pictures. Thank you for taking the time to write and assemble it. I haven't seen one since Byron shared we wthem whenorked at the gas company. Keep riding boys! Byron, I hope you heal quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks like a beautiful trip. Feel better Byron.

    ReplyDelete
  5. WOW!! What fun, cousin Byron! How did yo not know that your ankle was broken?? Was it all that beer, perhaps? Liquid courage makes for one heck of a good pain killer as well. HUUUUgs and lots of love! Judi McFarland

    ReplyDelete

 
Site Meter