Mom and dad stayed at the house the night before so we had coffee together before heading out. We left around 8am. Craig had decided the night before that we were going north, so we made our way for the Upper Peninsula. Just west of Epoufette, we spotted a bald eagle sitting atop a tree keeping a close watch for some poor unsuspecting critter to show itself. Manistique provided our next source of adventure as the temperature dropped from 80 to 49. We stopped long enough for Craig to put on his heavy jacket, and then we pushed on to Escanaba for lunch. From Drifters we made a quick stop at Wal-mart, and then continued along US 2 towards our final destination, Iron River. Total miles traveled today were 365.
After checking the radar online this morning, Craig suggested that we get an early start to avoid the storms moving in. We were on the road at 6:30am. Temperatures were only in the 50s so I had Craig pull over long enough so that I could don my new heated vest. I was amazed at how quickly the vest heated up. It was sheer heaven. As we continued along US 2, Craig spotted a black bear crossing the highway ahead of us. What an incredible sight. A short time later, I spotted a coyote along the road cleaning up some road kill. We were making great time, so we decided to stop in Ashlund, WI for a quick bite to eat. While enjoying a cup of hot coffee, my cellular started ringing. To my surprise, the call was coming from home. I quickly answered it to discover that Barb and Paige were at the house and apparently the filter in the aquarium exploded. Thank goodness it happened while they were there, so that they could change out the filter with a new one. After explaining where to locate everything, Craig and I climbed back on the bike and pressed on. As we traveled across US 2, we spotted another bald eagle. This time it was in the ditch along the road having brunch. Before long we crossed into Minnesota. Aside from a quick photo opportunity with a giant fish at a roadside supper club, there is nothing of significance to report. Our goal at this point became to make it as far as Grand Forks, ND, which I am happy to report we did. Total miles traveled today were 474.
We left Grand Forks this morning a little after 6am. Our goal for today was to cross North Dakota and possibly even spend the night in Montana. Mother Nature had other plans for us. We spent the next 352 miles in the rain. Oh it did stop occasionally. In fact it stopped just as we got to the geographical center of North America, Rugby, ND. Once we finished our breakfast and got back on the bike, the rain started up again. At this point we both decided we had had enough. We pulled into the first hotel that we spotted in Williston, ND and got a room. Once settled into our lush accommodations, we attempted to make a fresh pot of coffee only to discover that our coffee maker finally gave up on us. Off to Wal-mart we go for another coffee maker, beer and Fuze. Once back in the room, I did a couple of loads of laundry. Craig drank a couple of beers. The evening was topped off by dinner at Trappers Kettle. Tomorrow we will head to Malta, MT. Total miles traveled today were 352.
The weather this morning was somewhat cloudy and cool, but there was no rain. We got another early start this morning, not so much because we got up early, but after about 15 miles on the road, we found ourselves in Mountain time. Of course before we could cross into Montana, Craig had to find a car wash so that he could spray off the motorcycle. Once this task was complete, we headed directly for Malta, MT. Along the way the clouds became more abundant and darker, though for the most part we were able to stay out of the rain. Occasionally though the road would curve the wrong way and we would get a little damp. Oh well. It's all part of the adventure. The scenery as we traveled across Montana was absolutely gorgeous. The rolling hills and green pastures provided the perfect background for the grazing cattle and horses. We passed several trains carrying various items including automobiles. Finally we arrived in Malta. Our only planned destination to visit the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum. This proved more exciting than one might have expected. They actually have the complete skeleton of a dinosaur that was discovered by a rancher in Montana. We walked through the entire museum before heading next door to the field station to see more exhibits. Having achieved our sole purpose for traveling to Malta, we decided to press on to Lewistown. For the next 140 or so miles, we raced time and a thunderstorm that was moving into the area. Craig dropped me off at the hotel, and then went off to gas up the bike. He no sooner returned and got the bike covered for the night, when hail started falling from the sky. Thunder could be heard echoing through the mountains. Total miles traveled today were 376, 110 of which were spent in the rain. Tomorrow we hope to head toward Red Lodge, MT. Glacier National Park is out as they are getting another foot of snow today.
We slept in this morning until 5:30am only to find that the temperature outside was 38°. Craig made coffee while I woke up, then we sat and watched the Weather Channel to see what the day was going to bring in. Snow was quickly moving toward Lewistown. We talked about it and called ahead to Cooke City to check on room availability. The Super 8 only had two rooms left so we booked one and then scrambled to get out ahead of the snow. When we left it was a balmy 43°. It did not matter though. We were both dressed in our heaviest attire and eager to head south. When we got to Red Lodge, we quickly learned that Beartooth Pass to Cooke City was closed due to an avalanche, so we were re-directed to the Chief Joseph Memorial Highway as an alternate route. The beauty of the trail impressed both of us. We saw elk and mule deer, and then things took a turn that we had not anticipated. It started to snow. At first it was funny, but it kept snowing and the temperature dropped to 28°. We still had approximately 40 miles to go before reaching Cooke City and we were now in the midst of a snow storm. People passing us headed in the opposite direction, must have been thinking look at these idiots. I thought it was absolutely beautiful. The snow was covering the trees and everything was quiet except for the wind howling through the mountains. Finally about 3:30pm we arrived at our hotel. They still had snow on the ground from the winter, and they were getting a lot more. All said and done, we traveled a total of 314 miles today. The big question now is whether or not we will be able to get out in the morning.
Well it's official. We're stuck in Cooke City for another day. Last night we got another 3" of fresh snow and the roads are covered with ice. We saw a snowplow go through town just a little while ago. The anticipated high for today is only 40°, which isn't saying much since it was 30° when we got up. Predications for tomorrow are much better. This front should be moving out of the area and highs are projected to be around 57°. All that being said, it's really not that bad. I wish you could be here to experience the beauty and wonder of it all. Craig took a nap while I did another load of laundry. Afterwards we walked down to the nearest gas station for some beverages, then we went across the street to the Prospector Restaurant for dinner.
This morning was beautiful. Skies were clear, and the temperature was 32. We left town around 7am and headed into Yellowstone National Park. On our travels through the park we experienced the beauty of several animals including elk, moose, mule deer, bald eagle, buffalo, coyote, and yes even a black bear. The real excitement was yet to come however. Making our way toward West Yellowstone we happened upon a pickup truck that had been driven into the Yellowstone River. Traffic in both directions was at a standstill, while a tow truck attempted to pull the truck onto the road. After about a half hour, we were finally allowed to proceed through the park. From the time we entered Yellowstone until the time we arrived in West Yellowstone we had been on the bike for four hours, so we pulled into a familiar stop for some hot coffee and breakfast. From here on out temperatures should improve. Our next destination is Pocatello, ID. We arrived at 3:30pm. Total miles traveled today 274.
This morning we left Pocatello and headed to Moab, UT. Along the way, we drove through Ogden, Salt Lake City and Provo. Once out of the big cities, we drove through some of the most beautiful canyon lands. It made one wonder how many westerns may have been filmed in the area. The further south we went, the redder the land became. All of the rivers and creeks were dried up. It was nothing but a big dust bowl. About 30 miles outside of Moab we stopped at a rest stop for a quick drink and some much needed time out of the sun. Sitting in the shade we watched as a lizard made his way around the sagebrush. By the time we finally arrived at our hotel, it was 3pm and 91°. Total miles traveled today 418.
This morning we hit the road just before 7am. The temperature outside was already 60°. We headed directly for Arches National Park. Driving through, it was hard to believe that all the formations were created by nature. Craig wanted to get a picture at Delicate Arch so we parked and he walked about a half mile to the overlook. I decided not to follow. As I walked back toward the bike, I noticed a couple of Chinese women taking their pictures next to the motorcycle. Once I reached the bike, the tour guide for the tour group came over and talked to me at length. He was just amazed that we came all the way from Michigan on the motorcycle. He commented on the trailer and how nice the bike looked. The entire time that we were talking another member of the group walked up and video taped the bike. Craig finally returned from his excursion so we headed off to our next destination, Canyon Lands National Park. Driving through the park it reminded us of the Grand Canyon. Temperatures were starting to rise, so we drove around a little more, took some pictures, and then headed for Montrose, CO. Total miles traveled 291.
This morning I awoke at 4am. My cold seemed to hit me especially hard this morning as I developed a nagging cough overnight. Oh well. We made coffee and packed up our things. The clock said 7am as we pulled out of the parking lot and headed off toward the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. The weather was beautiful. Skies were clear and temperatures were in the 60s. Neither of us could have imagined the magnificent beauty that we were about to encounter. At the first overlook, we walked to the edge of the canyon and looked straight down. The sheer sight took our breath away. It was every bit as incredible as the Grand Canyon. After snapping a couple of pictures, we climbed back on the bike and proceeded to the next overlook. This time, Craig and I both walked out to the end of the observation platform and peered downward. Amazingly I did not have any problems with this, but Craig seemed a little uneasy. A little ways further into the park, we observed two men rock climbing. Talk about your adrenalin junkies. They were making their way down to the river below. We stopped for a few more photo opportunities, and talked to a couple from Ontario before hitting the road. Headed east, we traveled 11,312 ft over the Monarch Pass, then along the Arkansas River. We passed a minivan with Michigan license plates, so we honked and waved as we drove by. Later the driver caught up with us at a traffic light and asked where we were from. Turns out she was from Big Rapids. Eventually we made our way to La Junta, CO. Total miles traveled 328.
I need to start todays journal with a note about last nights stay. For those of you who have seen the movie My Cousin Vinny, you will appreciate what I am about to say. Our hotel last night was directly across the street from a railroad crossing, so every two hours as the trains approached, they would sound their horns. As if they were not loud enough on their own, Craig felt the need to leave the window halfway open which caused them to be even louder than they should have been. Otherwise we seemed to sleep fine. We were up and on the bike headed for Dodge City around 7am. Driving through Kansas, I was struck by the number of feeding yards we came across. One had a sign indicating that they had 11,000 head of cattle. The only other thing that caught my eye was exactly just how flat Kansas is. We both joked that in the event of a tornado, experts recommend that you lie down in a ditch. The only problem, we could not find any ditches. We pulled into Dodge City around noon and immediately made our way to the Boot Hill Museum. It was pretty cool. In addition to the replica buildings, they had four original buildings as well as the original Boot Hill Cemetery. We wandered around taking in all the sites before stopping for a quick ice cream. From Boot Hill we traveled a very short distance to the Gunfighters Wax Museum. It was interesting though not exactly what either of us had expected. Having seen what we came to see, we decided to "get out of Dodge" and head to Woodward, OK, our next stopping point. Total miles traveled 345.
This morning we hung around Oklahoma until 8am. This allowed a storm front to move through the area ahead of us. Our gamble paid off. The rest of the morning was clear and temperatures were comfortable. Before leaving the hotel, we altered our travel plans slightly. We decided to skip going to the memorial in Oklahoma City, and instead made plans to stay in Branson, MO. About 3:30pm we arrived at our hotel in Branson. Directly next door is the Dutton Family Theatre, and just down the street is a huge Titanic exhibit. Neither of us felt that we would be able to stay awake long enough to see the Dutton family perform, so we opted to go to the Titanic exhibit. It was awesome. In addition to some of the artifacts from the shipwreck, there were several props from the movie including the actual Grand Staircase, which we were allowed to walk up. The entire exhibit was great, that is until we reached the end where they listed all the passengers and crew. Baptiste Allaria was listed as Baptiste Allana. I can see how this can happen, but one would think that more attention to detail would have been paid. After leaving the exhibit, we went over to the Plantation Restaurant for dinner. It was nothing fancy, but it hit the spot. Total miles traveled today 440.
When we got up this morning, the weather was absolutely beautiful so we climbed on the bike and headed out. After 430 miles, we were officially burned out.
We got up this morning eager to hit the road. It looked like the weather was going to be absolutely perfect for long distance travel, overcast and cool. We were on the road by 6:15am. Our destination today was to get home. The day itself was uneventful. At 4:15pm, we arrived at home after having traveled 503 miles. Yeah!!!!!