Labor Day Weekend Adventures

[1991VFR750F]

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First, thanks for clicking into this post. I'm posting mainly for the following reasons:

1) To recap the experience for my own benefit and to solidify the memories I just made. I find writing a post like this helps me remember the little things I would have otherwise forgotten.

2) For the benefit of some of my friends and family who are curious about what the heck I'm up to.

3) For your enjoyment!

4) I started a new job this past week and I suspect one of my bosses thinks I'm a pussy. He likes to talk sports and I foolishly admitted I don't give a rat's ass about any game that doesn't involve me being on the field. I'm going send him a link to this post so he can see I don't spend ALL my time tutoring football players. Hi Brad!

Since it's my style I'll start with some disclaimers:

1) I'm really bad about stopping for pictures. When the riding is good I just can't make myself pull over no matter how beautiful the scenery.

2) All of the pictures in this thread were taken with a crappy cell phone. Frankly, I'm glad they were because I don't want you jokers thinking you've seen these places. NO camera could capture the beauty of the west. If any of the pictures look pretty or interesting just know they're not even 1% as cool as the real thing. You just need to see these sights for yourself.

3) This is one of the first ride reports I've written and one of the first rides I've taken worth reporting. Please excuse my noobishness and be assured that this is practice for way more awesome reports to come.

Now for some pictures in no particular order so I don't lose the two or three of you still reading this.

At my first state line:

No real significance to this picture it's just funny to me because they really meant it:

Me at Painted Pots in Yellowstone National Park. One of the few pictures of me from this trip:

Cool skull from Dinosaur National Monument

[1991VFR750F]

Trip Background and Day One:

As mentioned in the post above I started a new job this week. I found out mid-week that I would have Friday off for a companywide software update. Friday AND Monday off? How could I not go on an adventure? Unfortunately my super awesome girlfriend had been planning a Labor Day barbeque for Sunday and had invited a bunch of her and my friends. What to do, what to do...

The girlfriend:

Well I did what any adventure loving young man would do and told her I didn't give a shit about a barbeque and my friends would understand. That earned me a solid "fuck you!". Some of my friends came over anyway and from what I hear had a pretty good time.

With the girlfriend situation under control I turned to rigorous trip planning and preparation. By that I mean I went out for happy hour Thursday afternoon which turned into a pretty good night of drinking. I woke up late Friday morning hung over with no plan and nothing gathered for the trip. Just the way I like it!

Day One:

I prepared a decent breakfast (sorry no pictures ), gathered my riding gear, a tent, a sleeping bag, and ran down to the store for the essentials.

The essentials:

Since I had no plan I decided bringing this guy along couldn't hurt. I had casually mentioned to a coworker I might go to Canada over the weekend and thought it would be funny if I made it. I didn't.

Packed and ready to roll:

I was officially on the road at about 12:30 or 1:00 and was treated to cold, rainy weather. The weather combined with horrible traffic on I70 resulted in me feeling very trepidatious about the trip. Why was I pissing off my girlfriend and abandoning my friends to go camp by myself in the rain? Would the sun ever come out? Would I limp home with my tail between my legs?

About 45 miles into the hellish traffic and weather I came upon a biker sitting on the side of the road with his gear off. Hmmm... I don't think anyone would voluntarily sit alongside a busy (albeit slow moving) highway in the rain so I pulled over. Like a noob I didn't get a clear picture but here's Erik with the tow truck driver who eventually picked him up:

Erik was on a Harley of some sort and had a flat rear tire. With no supplies to remedy the situation he had called for a tow but wasn't sure how long it would take. Since I had a repair kit and mini compressor I offered to help him out. Long story short we worked at it for about a half hour but couldn't find the cause of the leak and the tire wouldn't hold air. The tow truck driver arrived and couldn't get the tire to hold air with his big compressor and declared the tire shot. Oh well, at least I tried!

I continued on to Vail where I stopped for lunch at a Qdoba (fast food Mexican) which seemed like the only reasonably priced meal at my exit. From that point until I reached my camp site for the night in Utah the weather improved with angry but periodic storm cells in the mountains giving way to solidly beautiful skies and warm temperatures in the late afternoon and evening. I turned off I70 at Rifle and from that point on all the roads and terrain were new to me. I wound my way up towards Northwest Colorado and had to stop at an absolutely gorgeous reservoir (whose name I've forgotten and google won't tell me) on the White River. I had a nice swim and charged my cell phone for a bit.

I met a nice guy at the reservoir whose name I also forget (sensing a pattern here?) when his dog Lucy came up to say hello. Yes, I remember the dog's name but not the guy's name! Anyway, we chatted about the small town down the road where he lived, the community college rodeo team, his horse, his dog, my trip, and motorcycles. Interestingly, he said he'd like to ride a motorcycle but was afraid he'd fall asleep on one. It seemed like an odd comment at the time but would strangely foreshadow future events. I asked him about camping and he said Dinosaur National Monument in Utah had nice camping and that I should try there. Good enough for me!

At the border with Utah:

I pulled into the park in near darkness and had a nice chat with the female ranger on duty. She practically gave me a guided tour of the park and was genuinely excited about what it had to offer. Since I didn't see much of the park before departing the next morning it's nice to know what I missed and what I have to look forward to when I return. As a side note, when I told my girlfriend where I camped she said "I've been telling you I want to go there!!!" Really? I don't remember hearing about the park before. Doh!

I set up my campsite in the dark, ate some jerky, drank some whiskey, and called it a night.

A picture before I broke down the campsite the next morning:

Still to come: dinosaurs, geysers, and more adventure!

[1991VFR750F]

Day Two:

I slept fitfully in my tent without the benefit of a sleeping pad or proper pillow. I woke up around 6:45 and treated myself to a refreshing early morning swim in the river bordering the campground. Although the river didn't look intimidating from the bank it was very fast moving and despite sticking close to shore I was still washed a good way down during my short swim.

Here are some pictures of the river. Again, pictures do not do justice to the beauty of this area.

Someone built a protective pool out of rocks so folks could relax in the river. Unfortunately it was TOO protected and was full of floating crud that couldn't escape.

I broke down camp, packed my motorcycle, and was ready to hit the road by 8:00. I had to take the following picture while my bike was warming up. What a contrast!

Riding the couple miles back to the park entrance was an eye opener. The Dinosaur National Monument is a stunningly gorgeous park and I soaked up all the sights I had missed riding in the dark the night before. The dinosaur exhibit which the park is named after is right at the entrance I had come through. By 8:15 I was walking into the very unique structure which housed the exhibit.

Some pictures:

The exhibit is unique because the wall of rock in the picture above is a partially excavated archeological site. You can see exactly how the dinosaurs fell and were fossilized millions of years ago. The site has been active since the early 1900's and the bones excavated here are on display in museums around the world.

I'll admit I took a pretty quick lap through the museum and jumped back on the bike to head to town for some breakfast. A quick gas stop and a conversation with a local led me to the local diner. I REALLY wish I had taken a picture of my waitress. You all will just have to use your imaginations

From that point I rode some absolutely amazing, fast, twisty roads through Utah and into Wyoming.

I rode through Flaming Gorge which is a beautiful reservoir created by a damn and then over the actual damn itself. It looked like a really fun place to camp, swim, and relax for a few days but I had to move on.

Highway 191 was amazing from Vernal Utah to just before Rock Springs Wyoming. It rose to overlook vast valleys and I believe the speed limit was something like 70 mph. Very fast sweeping turns, great views of valleys and mesas, and little traffic! Unfortunately I made the mistake of continuing on 191 past Rock Springs on my way to Jackson Wyoming and was treated to flat, straight, hot roads. I was pretty upset at myself for not realizing what the road would be on that stretch and picking a more fun route. The sole highlight from that stretch was a small roadside exhibit pointing out the still visible tracks of the Oregon Trail cutting across the scrub brush heading west.

To me, the Oregon Trail typifies the West. As a little kid I read about settlers, bandits, indians, etc. and it was very neat to actually see part of the trail.

I posted this picture in the introduction but this is the lonely stretch of road where I took it.

The road and scenery improved as I approached Jackson Wyoming and by the time I hit town I was a happy camper again. At that point I wasn't sure exactly where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do. I stopped for a nice dinner and a beer and gathered myself. While examining the map I noticed "Old Faithful" marked on my map close to the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park. I plotted a route that would take me through Idaho and Montana (because why not?!) and would allow me to enter the park on the west side. Honestly, I didn't really know much about the park but Old Faithful was something I had heard of before and seemed like as good a place to start as any. I headed out of Jackson and towards Idaho.

I haven't seen much of Idaho but the areas I saw were absolutely beautiful and really motivated me to return. The mountains on the border with Wyoming gave way to rolling hills with vast amounts of farm land. I couldn't tell what they were growing but the fields were golden and the twisty road through the hills combined with the golden fields combined with the warm temperatures and clear skies made it a special part of the trip. It was one of those experiences all motorcyclists ride for where everything feels right. My plan was to camp in Yellowstone and see the park the next day but it quickly got dark and I was worried about animals in the road. I ended up camping in an Idaho state park that roughly borders Yellowstone.

I set up camp, enjoyed some more whiskey and jerky, looked through my pictures from the day, and called it a night.

Here's a picture of my camp site from the next morning after I had packed up:

Still to come: Yellowstone, the largest mineral springs in the world, and an epic ride home.

[RollinAgain]

Great pics and writeup! Thanks for sharing your adventure.

Rollin

[2thdr]

Nice following along with you on your mini adventure! But dude, your girlfriend is likely to read the thread and you're oogling the waitress and writing about it??? Do you just like to be punished? LOL

[cruzinaz]

Nice following along with you on your mini adventure! But dude, your girlfriend is likely to read the thread and you're oogling the waitress and writing about it??? Do you just like to be punished? LOL

Exactly what I was thinking.

[MaxSwell]

What a great adventure. That is some of my favorite parts of this Great Country. (And good luck w the GF on your return, sounds like you'll need it.)

[2thdr]

Nice following along with you on your mini adventure! But dude, your girlfriend is likely to read the thread and you're oogling the waitress and writing about it??? Do you just like to be punished? LOL

Exactly what I was thinking.

Being in a relationship doesn't mean that you don't see other pretty girls! I think the GF is smart enough to understand that.

Just ribbing you man...good report so far...keep it coming

[1991VFR750F]

Day Three:

Similar to the previous night I tossed and turned due to my minimalist sleeping setup. The difference between the previous night and this night was it was cold, cold, COLD! I woke up a few times to put on more clothes and readjust the sleeping bag. This again worked in my favor as I was up early and ready to hit the road by about 7:45. A very pleasant river bordered the campground and I had expected to swim this morning as well but the temperature rendered that an unrealistic goal. Instead I set out in search of some hot coffee and a good home cooked meal. As luck would have it the first restaurant I came across was open for breakfast and boy was it good! The waitress this morning was slightly less attractive but provided much better service and was very interested in my trip. She said something which struck me as very funny. It was along the lines of "So you just started riding with no destination? That is so European- they do that in Europe all the time!" I took that as a compliment

I reached the border with Montana:

From there it was a quick ride to the entrance of Yellowstone National Park. I'll lead with some pictures.

Just inside the West entrance of the park:

Approaching Painted Pots. I had no idea what this was but a waitress in Jackson Wyoming said this was a must see destination so I stopped.

The parking lot at Painted Pots was busy and being on a motorcycle helped tremendously. I pulled right in, cut through all the stopped cars, and parked between two cars where a third car wouldn't have fit. I was probably halfway along the 1/2 mile walkway before the people who pulled in at the same time stepped out of their cars. The geysers, mud pits, and multicolored soil were all very neat and certainly worth stopping for. After cruising around the walkway and snapping a few pictures I jumped back on the bike for a pleasant ride over to Old Faithful. One really nice feature of the park is it is huge which means 25 mph speed limits are not practical. The roads in the park and silky smooth and the speed limit is generally 45 mph. It was great riding!

I pulled into the parking lot at Old Faithful which was much, much larger than Painted Pots and discovered I had about an hour to kill before Old Faithful erupted again. The area around the geyser is built up with a big cafeteria, cabins, a store, a gift shop, etc. It had a very different feel from the rest of the park and wasn't a place I'd like to spend any more time than necessary. I followed a nice raised walkway for a while killing time.

Some pictures of the sights around Old Faithful:

Then it was time for Old Faithful to erupt. By that time a large group had gathered to watch. About ten minutes after the scheduled eruption the ground cooperated and the geyser began steaming. First little spurts came out and then... woosh! A huge plum of steam and water shot out and erupted for what felt like eight or nine minutes. Camera shutters clicked all around me and I took a couple of pictures myself while I watched the spectacle.

Before I knew it the crowd was dispersing and the show was over. By that point I was totally soaked with sweat since I was still wearing most of my gear and started to feel dizzy. Since everyone was leaving at once I did the opposite and went to the cafeteria to charge my cell phone and drink some water. About half an hour later I was heading to the bike to ride towards my planned exit from the park on the East side. The route took me past many more geysers and eventually to Yellowstone Lake. Again, the scenery, roads, and general atmosphere of the park were amazing. If you ever have an opportunity I highly suggest you visit the park.

I was still terribly hot when I reached the lake and quite smelly since my only "showers" had been swimming for the last couple days so I stopped at the lake for a swim. Again, my pictures don't do justice to how beautiful the area is.

After swimming and relaxing for a bit I made my way towards the East exit of the park. The road from the marina at the lake to about fifteen miles past the exit of the park was simply breathtaking. It was without a doubt the best motorcycling road of the trip due to the amazing views and fast and at some points very technical riding.

The next major town I arrived at was Cody Wyoming and by that point the terrain had settled out to rolling hills. I stopped at a local restaurant and sat at the bar. I had a beer and steak burger with fries and chatted with the bar tendress who was a local about possible camping spots for the night. She suggested a town called Thermopolis about 80 miles away that has the largest mineral hot springs in the world. Since it had been a long day I decided a good soak was in order and this would be my destination for the night. She was kind enough to draw me a little map to the campground she had stayed at previously which was down the road from the state park which housed the springs proper but which also had a spring.

From this point on the story moves very quickly and there are no more pictures. I made it to the town right as darkness was falling and followed her directions. Unfortunately the directions took me to a crummy looking RV park so I turned around and decided to camp in the state park. Whoops! I discovered after arriving at the state park that there was no camping allowed there. Hmmm... maybe I didn't follow the directions correctly? Another drive out the road she indicated revealed nothing promising so I turned around again and stopped at the RV park. Maybe it was better than it looked? Nope! $25 per night for a vacant RV spot and the "hot springs" was just a pool. No thank you!

I've read online (here or elsewhere?) of the almost spiritual experience of riding through the night and watching the sun rise. I was hot, the mosquitos were fierce, and I was facing a crummy stay at an RV park followed by quite a few flat, boring miles through central Wyoming and decided on the spot to drive straight through the night to Denver. So that's what I did. I ended up passing a couple state parks with camping about twenty miles down the road but by that point I was determined to make it home. I was quite concerned about animals in the road so I pulled off to the side and waited for a car to pass. Luckily, an 18 wheeler was the next vehicle to travel down the road and I ended up following him for about 125 miles to Casper Wyoming where I connected with Interstate 25. When we parted ways he gave me a friendly honk. All told I did about 400 miles between about 8:00 pm and 4:30 am. Ironically, I got home before the sun rose so I missed that part of the experience. What I didn't miss was the droning highway miles and dangerous over exhaustion. I realized at the time and I realize now it was not smart to push myself so hard and I wouldn't recommend anyone do what I did. The voice of the man I met in Northwestern Colorado who mentioned falling asleep on a motorcycle was ringing in my ears as I fought exhaustion in the saddle. I yelled into my helmet, stood up, intentionally didn't put on an under layer even though it was cold, and stopped frequently in an effort to stay awake.

Despite the bizarre end to the trip I'm extremely happy I took it. I visited two states I've never been to before, visited parks some people only dream about seeing, and tested my gear to be all the more prepared for future trips. Thanks to everyone who's read this far and thanks to VFRD for allowing me to post my story here. You can be sure the next adventure I take that is worth reporting will be posted here and next time I won't forget to take a picture of any hot waitresses I encounter

[pluseb0]

Nice write up and pics.

+eb0

[MBrane]

Great ride, and report! Thanks for posting.

Haven't been in those parts since I was a wee lad. Need to go again.

[MaxSwell]

I've ridden through the night to avoid day-time heat. Highly recommended. I rode from Eastern Wash. state to Sturgis, much of it on Us 212. I did not encounter a single animal. And I avoided 95+F temps. Much coffee was consumed along the way.

Very good trip report. Thanks for sharing.

[Rush2112]

Nice write-up, Man!

I haven't had the pleasure of riding in that part of the country... yet! I look forward to it and your ride gives me more motivation.

Thanks!

[Switchblade]

GREAT PIC'S ....

[jimbob]

nice write up, good time and good memories for ya!

I hope to post up my labor day trip to cater lake.

Film at 11!