Monthly Archives: August 2013

Day 12 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Little Bighorn Battleground

Posted on August 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

Billings, MT to Little Bighorn to Gillette, WY

Billings, MT to Gillette, WY Ride Map

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Fast Eddie’s ’57 Chevy… 8 years and thousands of dollars later. Very nice car…

Today is day 12 of our national park motorcycle ride. Over the course of 16 days we will ride some of the best national parks, historic sites and national monuments in the U.S. and Canada (Pikes Peak National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Banff National Park, Little Bighorn National Historic Site, Devils Tower National Monument and Mount Rushmore National Memorial). Come follow along as we ride one of our dream rides on our bucket list.

We have put a lot of miles on our motorcycles since we left on this adventure ride. Today we are taking time to get the oil and filter changed at Hi-Tech Motor Sports & Marine here in Billings. Before we left on our ride, we called ahead and made an appointment so we could get in and get out and back on the road as soon as possible. Tyler took good care of us. If you are in the area and need service give Tyler a call at (406) 652-0090.

We were back on the road by 11:30 heading for the Little Bighorn Battleground. We ate lunch at Blondie’s before we hit the road. We met a guy there called “Fast Eddie” who had restored a ’57 Chevy that was a jewel… A really nice car and nice guy. Eddie had a lot of stories about restoring the car and when he raced cars… I guess that’s how he got the name “Fast Eddie”…

Leaving Billings, Montana after lunch heading to Little Bighorn

While at Hi-Tech one of the sales people told us we should see Pompey’s Pillar National Historic Landmark before heading to Little Bighorn. Lewis and Clark stopped here and signed their names on the rocks. Again we crossed the path of Lewis and Clark… but will have to save seeing it for another time. It would be 50 miles added to the day’s ride. If we had left Billings sooner we could have made the visit… So if you are in the area make plans to stop and visit…

Monument atop “Last Stand” hill at Little Bighorn Battleground

The last time I was at Little Bighorn was 41 years ago. There have been a few changes since then, but all for the good. There were more visitors than when I last visited. The Battle of the Little Bighorn is one of the most famous battles in American History. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the site of the June 25 and 26, 1876, Battle of Little Bighorn. Standing at this site takes your mind back to a different time. It is very emotional to think what must have gone through the minds of the men on each side of the battle. The U.S. Seventh Cavalry, including the Custer Battalion, a force of 700 men led by George Armstrong Custer, suffered a severe defeat. The total U.S. casualty count, including scouts, was 268 dead and 55 injured. It was an overwhelming victory for the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho, led by several major war leaders, including Crazy Horse and Chief Gall, inspired by the visions of Sitting Bull.

Area of Indian encampment along Little Bighorn River

“Last Stand” hill at Little Bighorn Battleground

Where Custer fell on “Last Stand” hill at Little Bighorn Battleground.

The granite memorial, built July 1881, stands on the top of Last Stand Hill. Soldiers’ remains were re-interred near the new memorial. Stakes were left in the ground to mark where they had fallen. In 1890 the stakes were replaced with marble markers. On Memorial Day, 1999, the first of five red granite markers denoting where warriors fell during the battle were placed on the battlefield for Cheyenne warriors. On June 25, 2003, an unknown Lakota warrior marker was placed on Wooden Leg Hill, east of Last Stand Hill.

As I stood on top of “Last Stand Hill”, looking across the prairie grass-covered hills, with a slight breeze at my back, it was hard to imagine such a battle could have happened in this place… a place today that seems so peaceful.

Heading to Gillette, Wyoming with rain in the distance… More beautiful ranch land…

From Little Bighorn Battleground we headed to Gillette, WY, our destination for today. Today’s ride is just 233 miles. Because we didn’t know how long the oil and filter changes would take, and we didn’t want to be rushed seeing Little Bighorn, we limited the mileage for today. Our route was more great plains riding of mostly ranch land.

Today was another good ride with more great scenery and perfect weather. There was a little rain in the area this afternoon, but we managed to miss riding in it. We have been very fortunate with good riding conditions since we left 12 days ago. Four more days to go… I’m not ready for it to end. We have ridden over 4,000 miles and we are feeling great physically and mentally… We aren’t getting younger and feel blessed to be able to do this ride… The only thing that could be better is if Janet and Shirley (our wives) could have come along. They are missing one great ride… 🙁

For more pictures of our ride click here and don’t forget to like “The Texas Rambler” Facebook page. Look for the “Subscribe to Texas Rambler via Email” at the bottom right column to receive notifications of new posts by email. Also please take some time to leave us a comment. We always love hearing from y’all…

Tomorrow we will be riding to Rapid City, SD via Devils Tower National Monument, Spearfish Canyon and Deadwood, SD. Ride safe and I hope we will see you somewhere on the road…

This has been one amazing ride for Larry and me. Check out the other post from this ride using the links below…

Day 11 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Lethridge, AB to Billings, MT

Posted on August 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

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Lethbridge, AB to Billings, MT ride map

Leaving Lethbridge, AB Canada early morning.

Today is day 11 of our national park motorcycle ride. Over the course of 16 days we will ride some of the best national parks, historic sites and national monuments in the U.S. and Canada (Pikes Peak National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Banff National Park, Little Bighorn National Historic Site, Devils Tower National Monument and Mount Rushmore National Memorial). Come follow along as we ride one of our dream rides on our bucket list.

Today we are riding to Billings, 404 miles of just riding. There are no planned stops except for the occasional photo, gas and food. For the most part, the trip was miles and miles of Great Plains farm and ranch land… Some may consider this boring but I actually liked it. Having grown up on a farm in Texas I do appreciate this type of living and do see beauty in this landscape. You can see for miles and miles with the occasional view of the mountains in the distance to the west. Cattle and crops all along the way. These people work hard and do provide the good food that we enjoy on our tables all across the Canada and the U.S.. If you are riding out this way it is a good ride… maybe not as spectacular as the mountains we just rode through but beautiful in its own right…

Visitor’s Center at Milk River, AB Canada

At Milk River, AB we made a pit stop at the visitor information center and visited a bit with the young attendant who answered several of our questions. Larry asked about the town of Milk River’s namesake. He figured it to be a big dairy area… When The Lewis and Clark’s Expedition passed through here they described the river as appearing to be the color of a cup of tea with milk. Apparently it looks like more milk than tea… She also answered our curiosity about what the many fields of yellow we had seen since leaving Banff. She said they are most likely Canola. Now we know where all the Canola oil’s source comes from…

Queued up at customs head back to U.S.A.

At the border crossing it was a bit busier at this crossing than when we entered Canada. There were several cars in front of us but the line moved fairly smoothly and quick. I was wondering if all the customs agents were so matter-of-fact with no sign of personality as this one was… It seemed Larry was taking a bit longer to be processed through. I asked him what took so long and if Mr. Personality was as personable with him. Larry said the agent was until he finished with the questions… then the agent loosened up a bit when he asked about Larry’s Victory Vision. That’s what took so long… 🙂

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More farm and ranch land on our way to Billings, MT

Our route today took us through another of the larger cities in Montana. Great Falls is the third largest City in the state with a population estimated to be 58,950 according to the 2011 census. Great Falls takes its name from the series of five waterfalls along the upper Missouri River basin.

Through out our National Park motorcycle ride we have crossed paths of The Lewis and Clark’s Expedition and Great Falls is another place they have been. We may need to retrace their expedition as a motorcycle ride someday. I will look into that when I return.

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Billings, Montana from cliffs over the city

We rode into Billings from the cliffs that border the city to the north and east. The cliffs to the north being 500 feet (150 m) tall and to the east of downtown, the face rises 800 feet (240 m). The views from the cliffs give good views of Montana’s largest city, which had a 2012 population of 151,882. The GPS routed us through the older part of the city to our motel. It had a quaint and inviting air to it that made me want to explore Billings’ history a bit more and check out some of the many sites in and around Billings. We will have to leave that to another time on a return trip.

Today was another good ride with more great scenery and good weather, a bit warmer today but still a good ride…

For more pictures of our ride click here and don’t forget to like “The Texas Rambler” Facebook page. Look for the “Subscribe to Texas Rambler via Email” at the bottom right column to receive notifications of new posts by email. Also, please take some time and leave us a comment. We always love hearing from y’all…

Tomorrow will be a leisurely ride to Gillette, WY via Little Bighorn Battleground. So until then, we will get a good night’s rest. Ride safe and I hope we will see you somewhere on the road…

This has been one amazing ride for Larry and me. Check out the other post from this ride using the links below…

Day 10 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Banff National Park Canada

Posted on August 17, 2013 | 8 comments

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Banff National Park Ride Map

Today is day 10 of our national park motorcycle ride. Over the course of 16 days we will ride some of the best national parks, historic sites and national monuments in the U.S. and Canada (Pikes Peak National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Banff National Park, Little Bighorn National Historic Site, Devils Tower National Monument and Mount Rushmore National Memorial). Come follow along as we ride one of our dream rides on our bucket list. Today I will finally get to see Banff. When I was working, I did a lot of work in Canada. While in Canada, I was told to visit Banff many times. I never seemed to have the opportunity… I was always putting out fires (fixing problems) and never had any time to spare. The best thing about finally seeing it for the first time is I am riding through it. The best way to see Banff is from the seat of a motorcycle!

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Nice cool clear morning heading to Banff National Park in Canada

We took Hwy 1 from Golden, BC to Lake Louise Drive in Banff. Lake Louise was the one place I was told I must see.. We were not disappointed. Lake Louise is an alpine lake, known for its sparkling blue waters. It is situated at the base of impressive glacier-clad peaks that must be seen to be appreciated. It has been said, “A pictures is worth a thousand words” but I say the heck with pictures… You need to experience this to fully appreciate its beauty.

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Early morning Banff National Park Canada

While stopping at the Information Center we were told we needed to visit Lake Moraine too. They said it was even better than Lake Louise. It was a 9 mile/14 km ride from Lake Louise. Lake Moraine is 6181 feet/ 1884 meters above sea level. Lake Moraine is a bit higher in elevation than Louise with many scenic views on the ride up. Parking at the top was a bit of a hassle. We ended up parking in a couple of triangles by a walkway. It was perfect motorcycle parking and we didn’t get in anyone’s way. Once I saw the lake I realized I had seen pictures of it before. The lake seems like something unreal or made up. Both Lake Moraine and Louise are a deep-turquoise color with beautiful glacier covered mountains reflecting from its surface. These lakes must be seen to be fully appreciated.

Lake Louise Banff National Park Canada

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Lake Moraine Banff National Park Canada

Glacier at Lake Moraine Banff National Park Canada

If you are into hiking, there are many trails in Banff and is probably the best way to see Banff up close and personal. The rest of our ride through Banff was filled with beautiful views of the surrounding glacier covered mountains with some of the most pristine sparkling clear streams all along our route. While on our ride we were told about rides we needed do while in the area. Because of time constraints we were not able to do them… but when we make it up this way again I will include them in our plans. Several people told us we must ride up to Jasper. We were told the scenery is outstanding and is a must see. The other place is highway 40 between Highway 1 and Longview, AB. It is an outstanding motorcycle ride. So if you are headed up that way you may want to check these out and include them in your travel plans

Riding down Hwy 1 Banff National Park Canada

As we rode closer to Calgary the landscape started to flatten out… a noticeable contrast to Banff but pretty in its own right.

Riding through Calgary, AB Canada with rain clouds rolling in.

It’s been a long time (10 years or more) since I’ve been to Calgary. It too has probably changed a lot since then. I would have liked to spend some time in Calgary but we have miles to go before we sleep… so we rode the outskirts of Calgary on our way to Lethbridge, AB, our destination for the day. As we headed south from Calgary the scenery was mostly farm and ranch land… Very nice farm and ranch land… As we left the Calgary area the clouds got darker and we did encounter some misty rain from time to time. We seemed to have ridden between several of the rain showers that were all around us all the way to Lethbridge. The clouds and rain showers did keep the temperature down for some nice riding.

One of the many farms between Calgary, AB and Lethbridge, AB

Riding past one of the many rain showers on our way to Lethbridge, AB

Riding into Lethbridge we rode into a canyon and over the Oldman River. We had a good view of the railroad bridge above the canyon. It was a very impressive sight. The bridge is a bit of good engineering and construction… A good end to a very good day… Today was another good day of riding (296 miles) through one of Canada’s best National Parks. Scenery in and out of the park was outstanding with good weather all the way. I even enjoyed the ride from Calgary to Lethbridge with its scenic farm and ranch land. I enjoyed seeing some nice farm and ranch houses and barns as well as some that have seen better days. I always find myself wondering what life must be like living there. Farming and ranching is a great life that takes a special kind of people to do it… It takes a lot of hard endless work with uncertain weather and economic futures always ahead. A gamble when you do everything right… but very rewarding in the end. Having grown up on a cotton farm in Texas, I admire farmers and ranchers everywhere.

Tomorrow we will be riding to Billings, Montana. There are no planned stops, just riding more scenic Great Plains .So ride safe and I hope we will see you somewhere on the road…

This has been one amazing ride for Larry and me. Check out the other post from this ride using the links below…

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Day 9 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Troy, MT to Golden, AB Canada

Posted on August 13, 2013 | 2 comments

Troy, MT to Golden, AB Canada

Today is day 9 of our national park motorcycle ride. Over the course of 16 days we will ride some of the best national parks, historic sites and national monuments in the U.S. and Canada (Pikes Peak National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Banff National Park, Little Bighorn National Historic Site, Devils Tower National Monument and Mount Rushmore National Memorial). Come follow along as we ride one of our dream rides on our bucket list.

Normally we are up at 5:30 getting ready to ride but today we slept in a bit since today is an easy ride of just 260 miles. I didn’t want to be rushed leaving today. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with Avis, Ed and Avis’ mom. I hope it won’t be another 41 years between visits.

Yesterday, one of Avis’ neighbors gave her some huckleberries. I have never had huckleberries before. I liked them a lot so Avis made crepes with a huckleberry topping this morning for breakfast. A mighty good breakfast… The best we have had on our trip…

It was really nice to visit and catch up after all these many years. I just wish Janet could have made this ride so she could have met Ed and Avis. After taking parting pictures and saying our good byes we were on the road about 9:00.

My friends Ed, Avis and me

From Troy, MT we are heading north on Hwy 2. Hwy 2 ends at the junction of Hwy 95 in Idaho.When we reached the U. S. Canadian border we had to go through customs. That went rather smoothly & quickly. Once through customs, it was on to Golden, BC, Canada. The route today, for the most part, was traveling through the valleys between distant mountains. Beautiful scenery with crystal clear streams and lakes with nice cool riding temperatures.

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More beautiful scenery riding to Golden, BC

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Heading to Golden, BC with rain in the distance

We stopped in Cranbrook, BC for lunch at Denny’s. The service was slow because they lost our order. I miss place my camera memory card and needed to buy another. The slow service and having to replace the memory card did slow us down a bit. Later we encountered some lite rain and considered putting on the rain gear but it never got heavy enough for rain suits. We were a little behind schedule…

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More beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountain scenery

It was a bit different having to remember the speed limits were Kilometers per hour. I was glad my speedometer had both miles and kilometers per hour. The kph numbers were small and a bit hard to see in some light. I kept letting Larry know what the kph were in mph. We tried to obey speed limits but the locals seemed to be fly by us…

Another ride by shooting…

The other thing different was the gas prices were for a liter of gasoline. Also, some of the pay at the pumps operated a bit differently from those in the U.S. Nothing that we couldn’t deal with but did give us pause the first time…

More rain in the distance.

We arrived in Golden, checked into our motel and walked next door to a nice restaurant for dinner. It was another good riding day with more beautiful scenery and perfect riding weather…

For more pictures of our ride click here and don’t forget to like “The Texas Rambler” Facebook page. Look for the “Subscribe to Texas Rambler via Email” at the bottom right column to receive notifications of new posts by email. Also please take some time and leave us a comment. We always love hearing from y’all…

Tomorrow will be a leisurely ride through Banff National Park. So until then, we will get a good night’s rest and dream about what tomorrow will hold for us. Ride safe and I hope we will see you somewhere on the road…

This has been one amazing ride for Larry and me. Check out the other post from this ride using the links below…

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Tagged 2, 95, Banff National Park, BC, Canada, Cranbrook, customs, Golden, Hwy, Idaho, Motorcycle, motorcycle ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle road trips, Motorcycle Touring, motorcycle travel, motorcycle trip, mountains, MT, national park, rain, ride, rockies canada, touring, travel, Troy, valleys

Day 8 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Glacier National Park

Posted on August 10, 2013 | Leave a comment

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Glacier National Park ride map

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Heading to Glacier National Park early morning From Kalispell, MT

Today is day 8 of our national park motorcycle ride. Over the course of 16 days we will ride some of the best national parks, historic sites and national monuments in the U.S. and Canada (Pikes Peak National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Banff National Park, Little Bighorn National Historic Site, Devils Tower National Monument and Mount Rushmore National Memorial). Come follow along as we ride one of our dream rides on our bucket list.

We were up early and headed to “Going to the Sun Highway”. My friend Avis and her family brought me here 41 years ago. I have looked forward to this leg of our trip because of those fond memories. It is my favorite national park (so far). I can’t describe the amazing scenery here… You must experience it for yourself…

West entrance Going-to-the-Sun Highway Glacier National Park

Our ride today will make a big loop through Glacier National Park back to Kalispell via Hwy 2. We then head north-west through Libby and to Ed and Avis’ just outside Troy, MT.

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McDonald Lake Glacier National Park early morning

“The Going-to-the-Sun Road,” borrowed its name from nearby Going-to-the-Sun Mountain. Local legend told the story of the deity, Sour Spirit, who came down from the sun to teach Blackfeet braves the rudiments of the hunt. On his way back to the sun, Sour Spirit had his image reproduced on the top of the mountain for inspiration to the Blackfeet. An alternate story suggests a white explorer in the 1880s concocted the name and the legend. No matter which version is accurate, the road named Going-to-the-Sun still inspires all who travel it. Riding into the Glacier from west to east, this morning, I could see why the road is called “Going-to-the-Sun”… It seemed we were always staring into the sun…

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McDonald Lodge Glacier National Park

After entering the park, our first stop was the visitor center and our first view of McDonald Lake. The lake, surrounded by the mountains, is such a peaceful view. The water’s surface was like glass, reflecting the surrounding mountains through the rising mist.

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Rushing stream McDonald Lodge Glacier National Park

Our second stop was at McDonald Lodge. The lodge and grounds are a must see. The lodge, a Swiss Chalet, opened its doors on June 14, 1914. The lodge is a three-story structure built on the eastern shore of glaciated, picturesque Lake McDonald. The lobby is a large open space built from large tree trunks with balconies surrounding it on three sides. It has a very inviting rustic decor that is something to see.

McDonald Lodge Glacier National Park

The lobby floors have messages in Kootenai (a local Native American dialect). Some of the messages translate into phrases such as “welcome”, “new life to those who drink here”, “looking toward the mountain”, and “big feast”.