Yellowstone National Park

Got up early and went into the park around 0730, before the tourists, you know. This is one big ass park. I don't know what I was expecting but this is one big ass park. After I entered the park through the West entrance, I had to drive about 24 miles to get to Old Faithful, which is really what I wanted to see. I have always heard of it but didn't see it until today. There are benches in a semi-circle around OF about 50 yards away. I only had to wait about 20 minutes before it erupted. It was very exciting. I got a few pics, one of which I'll post here.
Funny story, on the way to Old Faithful I was rocking along at 45 mph which is the speed limit. Yeah, right. Anyway, up ahead I see this line of cars stopped dead in the road. I pull up behind the last car and up ahead I see a herd of bison just moseying down the road. Paying the cars no never mind. I was the only motorcycle in line. It never occurred to me that they might get curious about me and bump me or whatever. Well, they didn't but I went down just the same. I put the bike in neutral. Had my right foot on the brake. Stood up, weight on my left leg, balancing the bike while I dug in the tank bag for my camera. OK, got out the camera, looked back at the cute baby bison you see in the pic, swung around to get that pic and lost my balance. The bike was stopped mind you. There's that feeling when you know something is about to happen and you don't want it to but you know it's going to happen anyway? Imagine it. I swung around, lost my balance, felt the bike leaning to the left, had the camera in hand, and DOINK. The bike just kind of settled to the ground on it's left side. Quite ignominious. I sling the camera around my neck and try to pick up the bike. I don't have the leverage I need and I'm not 20 years old any more and I don't get it the first time. How embarassing. I get squared around and lever the bike upright again none the worse for wear. I sling my right leg over the saddle just as the line of cars was starting to move. I didn't make eye contact with anybody, just acted like me dropping the bike was an everyday thing. They couldn't see the fire engine read my face was because of the helmet.
After I saw OF I took the long was round the park. I spent 3 hours riding. There is such beauty here. You can see where the wildfires were. Lots of standing dead trees with new growth smaller trees.
It's just beautiful and I highly recommend it.
Tomorrow I plan to do Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, Montana then on the Fort Collins, Colorado. Beartooth is rated one of the top 10 rides in the county. I may not blog tomorrow as I will be visiting family and it might be rude. So, if you don't hear from me, not to worry.

Whitefish, MT to West Yellowstone, MT

Safe and sound in West Yellowstone, MT on the western border of Yellowstone National Park. Rode right at 400 miles today. I plan to do the park tomorrow and see all the things y0u are supposed to see. If I were completely honest, I would say I wish I were on my way home. It seems that I have been gone for a year. Not that much longer tho, I should be pulling into my driveway sometime late Sunday afternoon and will be back at work Monday morning.

Glacier National Park

It's my second day in Whitefish and this morning I did Glacier National Park. It was beautiful and all but the really good road that goes all the way to the top was still closed. Bummer. I rode 16 miles into the park. Turned around. Rode 16 miles out of the park. I went into Whitefish for lunch and found a place called the Bulldog Saloon. Great cheeseburgers. So, I drank beer, ate a cheeseburger, and watched the Speed channel on their big screen. Another day in paradise.
I did stop in the park and get some decent picks of a fork of the Flathead river and one of the lakes in the park.

McBride, BC to Whitefish, Montana

Safe and sound in Whitefish. 565 miles today. Today I took off from McBride at 0630. I rode through Jasper National Park and Banf National Park down the Ice Fields Highway. It was a beautiful ride. I was going to stop and take photos but how many snow capped mountains do we need to see? The scenery was just spectacular. The roads were great too. Lots of twisties in the mountains. Lots of fun on the bike.
I have another border crossing story:
I pull up to the US/Canadian border on Hwy 93 about 40 miles North of Whitefish. I am the ONLY vehicle there. The ONLY one. It's a little confusing. The signage leaves much to be desired. Anyway, I am coming into the booth area when I see there is only one booth open. I have my eye on the person in the booth and totally blow through the stop sign and roll right up to the booth. You know, this stop sign is the one where you wait till they motion you forward. Remember, I was the only vehicle in sight. When I pulled up to the booth the Customs lady came running out of the booth waving her hands over head like a lunatic. Hold that thought.
I need to tell you about this lady. If anyone watches Reno 911 you've seen her. She's tall, slender, wears aviator sunglasses and is a total ditz. This customs lady is a carbon copy.
She says "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Do you know you just blew through a stop sign?! It was probably because you were going too fast!! The speed limit in this compound is 15 MPH!!" She wanted me to stop at the stop sign so she could call me forward. Remember, I am the ONLY vehicle in sight.
I said, "Well, the signs were a little conf.........You know what? You're right. I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time." I mean after all, she IS the law in these parts.
I sh_t you not, she hooks both thumbs in her belt, pops her gum, and struts back in the booth like Barney Fife. Comes back out with a clip board. She looks me up and down, looks the bike front to back. Remember she has these, big ass aviator glasses on, popping her gum, and says
"This your motorcycle?"
"Um, yes." Anybody that knows me knows that I am DYING to f_ck with this woman.
"How long you been in Canada?"
"6 days"
"So that means you went in, what, (she counts on her fingers, yes really) last Toosday?"
"That's right"
"You got any fruits, vegetables or meat on you?" Remember, I'm on a bike.
"No.............Ma'am."
"Got any weapons?"
"No"
"Nothing for personal protection?"
"No" She is KILLING me.
"What's in that case on top there?"
"My laptop."
"Your laptop what?"
"Computer"
"What about that other thing you got strapped on there? What's in that?"
"An extra jacket and shoes, rain gear, 3 stuffed animals for my nieces, a nuclear weapon" (I didn't really say the nuclear weapon part).
It's all I can do to keep a straight face. She popping that gum the whole time. I swear she acts just like Barney. I almost asked her where her bullet was.
She finally finishes with me. "REMEMBER!" She says. "The speed limit in 15 MPH in my compound!" As she says this she is waving a finger in my face.
"Yes, ma'am."
I ride off laughing like a hyena.
Tomorrow is in Whitefish too. If I happen not to update the blog. Don't worry.

Stewart, BC to Mc Bride, BC

If it's Sunday this must be..............
I am safe and sound in McBride, British Columbia. Made 906 kilometers today (that's 563 miles to you 'mericans). It was a beautiful ride. Hwy 37a coming the first 40 Km out of Stewart is just gorgeous. Maybe the best ride I have been on. As I got closer to McBride I started to get into the mountains again. Tomorrow I will be riding the Icefields Highway (if it's open) through Banff National Park ending up in Whitefish, MT. It's a little early in the year. I hope Glacier National Park is open. I will write more this evening. Just wanted everybody to know I am OK.

OK, friends and neighbors, as promised I am writing more this evening. I went to dinner with a BMW club from Edmonton Alberta. Nice guys. I was sitting there and they walked in. I recognized them from the meet in Hyder. Apparently they recognized me too. "Hey Man, come and sit with us! You're the guy from Dallas, right? How was your ride? You just get here?" They really were a hoot.
I have more pics to post from Hyder. To all of you who thought I was going to a big society gala soire' biker meet: feast your eyes on these pics. The first two are of the main street of Stewart, BC. One looking up the street, one looking down. Yes, that is the whole thing. The next pic is of the Sealaska Inn in Hyder. It's a good thing I forgot my tux.
The last pic is of a frozen lake with a glacier running into it that is on the road going into Stewart. Hwy 37a mentioned above. The ice in the glacier is sort of a blue green color. The picture does not do it justice.
I have met a lot of interesting people on this trip. The bikers seem to fall into several categories:
1) The Gold Wing riders. These tend to be older, ummm, larger people. Not really into the hardcore long distance riding. Have a greater chance of coming to the meet 2 up than any other group.
2) The Hard Core long distance riders. These guys (and some gals) have their bikes specially modified to go long distances. I mean they have extra fuel, specially modified seats, several navigation appliances, satellite locators, on and on. These guys are serious.
3) The Hard Core Lite long distance riders ( I include myself in this group). These have a bike suited to LD use but only do it once in a while. Have done a few things to make it more comfortable such as a custom seat or after market windshield but otherwise ride a pretty much stock bike. May take a LD trip or two during the year. Usually have one GPS unit and may or may not have a radar detector (I do).
The meet in Hyder was a lot of fun, I met a lot of nice people, some characters as well. It made me realize that I am not crazy for taking these trips. Well, OK, maybe I am crazy but there are others out there who are crazy too.

Hyder, Alaska

Oh, man. I have planned and planned. Several months if not 5 or 6. I don't know what I was expecting. What I have found in Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK (they are less than a mile apart) is 2 villages that live what can only be described as hard scrabble. These are not 2 quaint fishing villages. These people have hard lives. The main industries are logging and mining. Gold, I think. That said, the scenery is magnificent. I tried to get some good shots of it but doubt I can do it justice. You will notice in one of the pics that there is a beautiful mountain. In the next pic there is a pic of that same beautiful mountain with a sawed-off rusting logging boat. This is the view out my motel room (which is really nice, I might add). I asked about these little boats. They are used for tending the big flotillas of logs as they are taken to the sawmill. You will notice from the pic that the boat is heavily reinforced. Like an army tank that floats. Another of the pics shows more bikes. You see? There are other knuckleheads out there who like to ride long distances. I have met guys here who came the LONG way round to get here. There are some guys here who are here to complete a 49 state ride in 10 days. They do around 9000 miles in those 10 days. Yes, it can be done. They do the lower 48 and then Hyder is the 49th. That's how Hyder Seek got started. Hyder is the southernmost town in Alaska. So, it was a natural for making it the last stop on a 49 state ride. All these rides are certified through the Iron Butt Association. Stop laughing. Really. Www.iba.com if anybody is interested. On the way up here I fulfilled the requirements for a Bun Burner ride which is 1500 miles in less than 36 hours. You can look it up. Having a great time. It's beautiful here. There is a dinner tonight and one again tomorrow then Sunday I'm off to McBride, BC. I am also posting the official group pic from Hyder Seek 2007 obtained from Ayres Adventures.com. I am on almost the far left, couple of guys from the front in the day-glo orange rain jacket. I am lopping off the loop which would have taken me up to the Yukon. I talked to a guy who had been that way and he told me he wouldn't do it again. Not worth it. I was already thinking that way and that was all I needed. I'm going to head to Whitefish, Montana instead and take a full day to do Glacier National Park and Flathead Lake.

Prince George, BC to Stewart, BC/Hyder, AK

I am safe and sound in the above. Beautiful ride and got some great pics. Even saw a brown bear moseying along the road. The Inn is having probs with their wireless network so I am on the common computer so don't have much time. More if/when they get it up and running.

About a bike

I realized that I did not have a good pic of the bike posted. I thought I would write a little about it as well. One shot is in my garage the morning of departure. You can also see Thomas and Lucy in this pic. You can see the Sealine dry bag, Pelican case and tripod for the camera (starting to wish I hadn't brought the tripod) strapped to the back of the bike. I carry my MacBook Pro in the Pelican case. It's foam filled and waterproof. Extra clothes, jacket, shoes and such in the Sealine. The left saddlebag is devoted to the bike with a quart of oil, tools, windshield cleaner, towels, etc. The right saddlebag is full of my clothes for the week. Each saddlebag holds just a little less than an airline carry-on.
The bike has done great for the trip. I have it set up so that I can hear my Ipod through earplug speakers and when my GPS needs to give me directions it can break in long enough to do so then back to the music.
This is the website for the bike if anyone is interested:

http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/bikes/bike.jsp?b=r1200rt

Chilliwack, BC to Prince George, BC

Safe and sound in Prince George, BC. I must be acclimating to the time change. I didn't get on the road till 0700 this AM. I rode Canada Hwy 1 North through the Fraser River Valley. It was beautiful, majestic, sweeping, I could go on but you get the idea. The Fraser River is beautiful. It is a fast running, wide river. A river that means business. A river thats in a hurry. The roads in Canada are great, so far. I was on 2 lane for 90% of the day and never got stuck behind slow vehicles because they have plenty of passing lanes and it's the law that you stay to the right unless passing. I think it is in TX too, isn't it? They obey that law here. Very nice. Another thing, they have some HUGE trucks on the roads here. I have seen trucks that work the Australian Outback in movies, I think they call them Road Trains (?). These are that big. I see regular 18 wheelers but these huge trucks are enough to block out the sun.
I am starting to meet bikers on their way to Hyder/Stewart. When I stopped for gas the clerk remarked that "There's a lot of you guys out today, eh?" When they put the little "eh?" at the end of everything you know they are speaking Canadian.
It's off to Stewart tomorrow. I should have more and more interesting pics starting tomorrow.

Pendleton, Oregon to Chilliwack, British Columbia

It was a dark and stormy night. Oh, wait, thats another story.
I started off from Pendleton at 0530 hrs. It's not as hard as you might think. I'm still on Texas time so that's 0730 for me. It's great though, because the locals think it's 0530! Lots of time on the road to myself. I had planned to go to Mount Ranier National Park and get pics of the mountain. Alas, both roads into the park were still closed for the winter and the mountain was shrouded in clouds. I am posting some pics of scenery from the ride. You can see how close to the road the clouds are. Again, I was riding in and out of them. I got off the Interstate at Yakima and took the twisty mountain roads west then north till I picked up the highway at Tacoma. Then it was like riding in Dallas. Almost right through downtown Seattle. 70 miles farther north and I was at Sumas, where I planned to cross into Canada. I pulled up the the window, gave the little lady my passport, and she starts firing questions at me. "Where do you live?", "Do you have any weapons?", "What is the purpose of your visit?", "How much money do you have?", "Are you meeting anyone here?" on and on. Finally, I guess I didn't pass the test because she had me pulll over, park the bike, and go into the building to be grilled more. Same questions again, while throwing in new ones while looking at my passport "When were you born?" (Huh?), "Where is your destination in Canada?", again, on and on. I explained the ride to her. That there is a meet in Hyder, Alaska every year (Stewart, BC is only a couple of miles from Hyder). Again, the agent inside asked me:
"How much money do you have?"
"A couple of hundred dollars." (I didn't say, "Yeah, and they're worth about 300 of YOUR dollars.)
"Is that all?"
"Well, I have credit cards."
"Is there enough capacity on the cards to sustain your trip?"
"Well, I don't know, I have 2 kids in college." (I didn't say that, I said "Yes")
She narrowed her eyes, looked at the yellow suit again and said "OK, you can go"
I guess they think that 50 year old guys that ride BMW's in bright yellow suits look furtive.
I was trying my best to look innocent and trustworth which is really a stretch for me. After they searched me AND the bike they let me in the country. She found my Kershaw Blur pocket knife and held it up. I said "I told you I had a pocket knife". Anyway, here I am, safe and sound.

Restaurant review

Some of you may be wondering how "Guadalajara" was last night. El Fabuloso it was.
Best TexMex I have had in a long time. That includes all my regular places in Dallas. Matt's, Sol's, Enchilada's. I had an inkling I might be in the right place when I walked in. The place was full and I was the only gringo there. The salsa was fresh with little bits of cilantro in it. The Dos Equis beer was brought to me in a frosted mug with HALF a lime on the rim. I'm going to have to remember that trick because it WORKED. It was appropriately hoppy with just the slightest bit of impertinence. I had cheese enchilada's (my standard) with one beef taco, rice and beans. The plate was brought to my table so hot that the beans and cheese were bubbling. This is as it should be. The cheese in the enchilada's was cheddar (I think) and of just the right amout that it didn't overpower the chili con carne. Not too much not to little. The taco was awesome. The lettuce and tomato were fresh. The filling almost overflowed the shell and was very spicy. Again, as it should be. All this for $10.87. No kidding.
All in all it was a great meal. Or maybe it was just that I was so hungry I could have eaten the ass off a running bear.

Heyburn, Idaho to Pendleton, Oregon

First, the news. Safe and sound and cold as a well diggers ass in Pendleton.
375 miles today.
Well, today was my short day and I couldn't have picked a better day to be short. I ran into my first signifigant weather of the trip today. I thought a thunderstorm just as I got into Boise, ID would have been the worst of it. It was rainy and cold when I stopped for gas so I dug out my long johns and electric vest and put them on. The vest plugs into a receptacle on the bike and heats up electrically. It is fabulous. I learned a lesson today. Now that I'm farther north I'm going to dress for the cold before I start out and then peel off layers as the day goes on if I need to. Remember what I said about a little rain and cold being the worst of it? HA! About an hour outside of Pendleton in a high pass it started snowing on me. I don' t mean just a little. Big, wet, sticky snowflakes. Seemed like the clouds were right down on the ground with me. I was running in and out of them. At one point it was snowing such that it was hard to see and it was building up as ice on my windshield. I was in a quandary. Do I stop? There was no place to stop. My only choice was to keep going. As I was going, judiciously I might add, the road kept getting worse and worse. The thermometer on the bike told me 41F but it felt colder. I was just hoping that the road wouldn't freeze. As it was it was very slushy. I started to stay in the trucks tracks. I guess they are good for something. As I came off the high pass the snow turned to rain and I was never so glad to see rain in my life. The photos are of the view from the parking lot of the motel and of the Chinese restaraunt where I had dinner. Not bad. Not bad at all. The Golden Fountain it was. As long as it wasn't the golden shower.
Tomorrow I'm off to Chilliwack, BC. I plan to cross into Canada at Sumas, Washington.

Ogallala, Nebraska to Heyburn, Idaho

First, the news.
Safe and sound in Heyburn, Idaho.
Now the numbers: 747.0 miles Ogallala to Heyburn. I did not reset the GPS computer so here are the total numbers to include yesterday and today.
1601.3 miles Dallas to Heyburn
Driving average (while the bike was moving) 76.8 MPH
Overall average (including stops) 69.0 MPH
Max Speed 92.7 MPH (How did THAT happen?)
Driving time (time on the bike) 20 hours 50 min 41 sec.
These GPS things are great, aren't they? They give you so many numbers your eyes start to cross.
I intentionally set the trip up with high mileage in the first 2 days. I have learned through experience and anecdotally that, if you are going to get anywhere far away (Alaska, maybe?) you have to do big miles the first few days. You're fresh, you're excited and it's doable. That said, the mileage I can do will now fall off. Why, you ask? My butt hurts. In fact tomorrow is a short day for me, only 350 miles or so. I should average 400 to 500 miles per day until I return to Dallas June 3rd. I'll tell you what. As much fun as it was, I'm glad to get these 2 days behind me. No pun intended.
I took off early this morning, around 0530. The sky was just starting to color behind me as I headed West. This is the best time of the day to ride. It's still. Relatively few vehicles on the road with you. In fact, I burned completely through my first tank of gas (200 miles, give or take) with the cruise control set on 85MPH. Never had to click it off. It was GREAT. Lots of fun. When it gets later there are more cars and trucks on the road, the wind kicks up and starts beating on you. It's still fun, just not as much.
Saw some pretty country today. Mountains in Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. I started getting chilly in Western Wyoming so I checked the altitude on the GPS. I was at 8700 feet. No wonder I was cold. I stopped at the next rest stop and put on my fleece pullover and closed all the vents in my riding suit. Warmed right up.
Well, I guess that's all for now. The little girl who checked me in at the Super 8 (OK, she might have been 20) told me the best restaurant within 10 miles is "Guadalajara".
OMG.
Idaho Mexican food.
Wish me luck.

Dallas, TX to Ogallala, Nebraska

Safe and sound in Ogallala. Long day.
Just the facts, Ma'am.
Distance covered: 853.4 miles in 12 hours 35 minutes at an overall average speed of 67.8 MPH (includes stops).
I just showered up and headed out for dinner at the Golden Spur in Ogallala. It was really pretty good. I had a small salad, steak and baked potato. The salad had one crouton on it. Thing is, it was as big as a cat's head. Funny. They like big croutons in Nebraska. My waitress was really cute. If she had had a long Little-House-on-the-Prairie dress on she would have been a dead ringer for Granny of The Beverly Hillbillies.
I'll write more on the shorter mileage days. Right now my bed is calling me.
One more thing. I'm going to propose a law that all trucks have to stay in the right lane. Forever. Trucks passing each other is infuriating. One guy thinks he just HAS TO get around another. The only thing is the truck that is doing the passing is going 63.5 MPH, the one being passed is doing 63 MPH. It seems another ice age could come and go before they get it accomplished. Trucks in the right lane NOW.