"Two Guys, a Girl, and a Melting Glacier"
Why spend a week's vacation in the "been there, done that" of another
Sturgis, when you can take the long way there and still keep a 20 year streak of
attending Sturgis in tact? So a plan was hatched to have a very small group turn
a 650 mile trip into a 3,300 mile trip. And to keep the budget reasonable by
cashing in a ton of points from Choice Hotels.
Day One- Urgent business required tending to some
loose-ends at Aurigatron's world HQ, so the trip began on a Tuesday at 3:pm.
Destination: Fargo ND with a strategy of being able to wake up Wed AM and hit
the open road with no rush hour Hoopleheads. Accommodations compliments of Main Stay Suite
with dinner at Space Aliens. The room was awesome, (second bedroom had a door on
it!) dinner was OK-sort of like Chucky Cheese except with beer and ribs instead
of pop and pizza. Day's mileage: 264
Day Two- Kickstands up at 9 and it's time to get North
Dakota behind us. (no offense to ND but we got places to be) So we rode hard
from the east border to the west border and beyond. Speed Limit is 75 so set the
cruise for...well, you know. When you're making good time you can treat yourself
to sit-down meal so in Bismarck we sought out the much bally-hooed Walrus. A
narrow restaurant squeezed into the unremarkable Arrowhead Plaza strip mall,
about 2 blocks West of the Capitol. A decent crowd for the lunch hour but we
managed to secure a table. The 14 beers on tap went unsampled in favor of Tea or
Coke and lots of water. There's still a lot of road ahead. I had the salmon
special and we all enjoyed our selections. So back on the road and burn another
tank to Dickinson, but save the rest stop for Medora at some saloon with hats
stapled to the ceiling. Then hammer down into Montana making it to Miles City
and another free room at the ageing gracefully EconoLodge. Brand new parking lot
& fresh-painted throughout. Happy Hour and a primo parking space
factored in
to having an economical and adequate meal next door. Day's Mileage: 479
Day Three- Thursday morning, kickstands up at 9 but first
order of business is to air up the tires. Thanks to Michael for thinking that
higher elevation would impact the tire pressure. Sure enough, all were down to
~28-30 psi. Then 30 miles in the wrong direction to see what photo-ops might be
in "Angela, MT". Literally nothing there but a Post Office. Even the GPS was 3 miles off on the location. Talked a little bit with a rancher who came
from who knows how far to collect his mail. Then 30 miles back to Miles City for
breakfast next door to motel. Breakfast was lacking at the motel. Funny how things work out, this detour allowed us
to stop back at the hotel and collect some forgotten belongings that almost fell
victim to that dreaded hook on the back of the bathroom door...never to be scene
during a scan of the room. So now we are fed and gassed and heading West on
US-12. I know this is Montana, but this is one lonely road! Works for me.
Stopped for gas in Roundup and the gas station canopy was the only shade around.
So after filling up and getting some refreshments we rolled the bikes over to
the pump with the "Out of Order" brown bag over the nozzle. Some rancher pulled
into the busy station and seemed to cast us a dirty look as we loitered at the
shaded pump with our drinks. When he came out of the station he remarked that he
thought we were just clogging up the pumps and hogging the shade, but "now I see
you're not in anyone's way at all...have a great ride!" We rode 12 to
US-89 N and enjoyed a winding road through the pines with a babbling brook
alongside for the bottom of the valley sections. This took us to the hot and
crowded Great Falls and the Business Route to pickup I-15 for the final leg of
the day to Shelby, MT. Tonight's lodging is courtesy of the Comfort Inn. Dinner
was at the odd steakhouse behind the truck stop next door. A non-descript
cinder-block building housed a richly decorated sports bar/steakhouse that was
definitely priced to keep the riff-raff out. Day's Mileage: 532
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My 401(k) lost how much money? Screw-it. Let's Ride!
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Angela and Ben being silly just E of Dickinson ND at beginning of Enchanted Hwy
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Angela strikes a pose in front of Post Office.
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adding a little Octane-Booster
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'tis hot, dry, and windy. Seeking shade.
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Riding N on US-89 from White Sulfur Springs to Great Falls
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actual Camp Disappointment was 6 miles further N
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Day Four- Friday marks the start of the weekend, and we
deserve a break. Pretty decent breakfast to fuel our start and hit the road at
9:45, heading West with a helluva a crosswind on US-2. Stopped to read a
historical marker that told story of Lewis and Clark setting up camp here
looking for a shortcut that didn't work out so they named the place Camp
Disappointment and there was a monument 1/4 mile up this rocky path marking the
Northernmost Point of the L&C Expedition. Uhhh, anyone want to ride up
there? Michael answered with no hesitation..."I'm up for a little adventure!" So
we gingerly made our way up this rutted path so as not to dump the bikes or
spook the horses milling about. Wish I had a anemometer to have measured the wind at
the top of the hill where the pock-marked obelisk sat surrounded by shards of beer bottles.
Back to the task at hand, with the mountains looming in the west. I tried to
imagine the thoughts of the pioneers in their wagons thinking "Whoa, look at
those storm-clouds up ahead," only to realize "Those aren't clouds... must be the mountains I heard
about, are you kidding me?" As we arrived at the gate where you pay
admission to GNP, the sign lists a price upwards of $25 for cars. It also listed
$15 for "hikers and bikers", surely we don't count as "bikers" in that context.
The Ranger said we DO. Cha-ching! So with maps tucked away we
headed up the "Going to the Sun Road". Bright and sunny, nary a cloud in the
sky, and the road stays close to the shore of St Mary's Lake before starting the
climb up the pass. We parked at a trailhead near the west end of St. M's Lake
and I did my best to keep up with my physically-fit partners along a 8/10 mile
path to see a waterfall, and it's deep pool of azure water. Then no more photo
ops until just before the visitors
center near the summit, then it's all down hill from there. We were lucky to be
going from East to West as the road is all torn-up on the downhill side and
further lucky that we timed it right and didn't have to sit parked for 1/2 an
hour thru the one lane portion. It was such a long descent that shortly after
leaving the visitors center I shut her down and coasted for at least 8 miles.
The western side of the summit looked like rain, but apparently it's caused by
the air compressing to get over the mountains cause back down near Kalispell all
was well. There's a nice restaurant and large gift shop at the western shore of
Lake McDonald. The brochures and visitors center made a big deal out of how the
park will be changing with the approach of Global Warming. But hasn't the earth
been warming since the end of the last Ice Age? When glaciers retreated from
Iowa and Illinois leaving moraines and boulders in freshly sheared prairie? But
I digress. I'm just glad I didn't have to go thru the park on a propane powered
bus. We checked into our free room at the Kalispell Rodeway Inn. An attempted
dinner at the mexican sports bar had to be abandoned as the lone waitress was
crunk! So it was Pizza Hut
to the rescue. Oh yeah, you can get beer anywhere EXCEPT a liquor store. Day's
Mileage: a scenic 176.
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St Mary Lake
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St. Mary Falls at end of .8 mile hike.
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That water's cold.
"Yeah, and it's deep too!"
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Why ride 1,500 miles when you can get any backdrop at Olan Mills?
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Approx. 6,400 feet elev.
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No net, no guardrail.
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OK, we played along and banned Leaded Gas, CFC's, and DDT. And now CO2? Gag me.
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Angela and Ben engage in more karate kid silliness at Lake McDonald.
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Day Five- Livingston, MT Comfort Inn. Day's Mileage: 337
Day Six- Cody, WY EconoLodge. Day's Mileage: 208
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Not a closed course, but even if it was it couldn't have any less traffic.
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Tepees out front of Buffalo Bill Museum, Cody WY
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"Aawhhh"
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Climbers spotted thru Monocular. Picture taken thru scope.
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All that practice and now you say I can't hunt the disease ridden varmints?
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Day Seven- Spearfish, SD Holiday Inn Express. Day's Mileage:
366
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Well who isn't?
(on road to Devil's Tower)
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"Now we're not just gonna let you walk out of here."
Who's WE sucka?
"Me, and Smith, and Wesson."
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Gentlemen...there is one rose remaining.
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3 dudes in bucket hats touring the US with a babe-magnet pup named "Damage". (and no, we don't have any rolling papers)
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Miles Total to Sturgis: 2362 Total
Miles upon return to Aurigatron World HQ: 3276