Tag Archives: Wyoming

Day 13 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Devils Tower National Monument

Posted on September 1, 2013 | 4 comments

National Park, motorcycle, ride, travel, Devils Tower, Spearfish, Canyon

Devils Tower & Spearfish Canyon ride map

National park, motorcycle, ride, trip, travel, touring, adventure

Day 13 Leaving Gillette, WY early morning…

Today is day 13 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 on the road. Another short day of just 200 miles. Our first stop is Devils Tower National Monument. We were here on a ride in 2008 and it’s nice to be back. It seems like it was last month… I was here with Larry T. and Larry C. Today it is just Larry T and me. Larry C. is missing a great ride… 🙁 I love riding this part Wyoming.

national parks, motorcycle, trip travel, touring, ride, adventure

Day 13 Almost to Devils Tower

park, motorcycle, ride, trip, travel, touring, adventure

Devils Tower National Monument entrance

Situated in the rolling prairie of the Black Hills, Devils Tower towers over the surrounding area. Devils Tower is sacred to the Arapaho, Crow, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Lakota, and Shoshone. The name Devil’s Tower originated in 1875 when Col. Richard Irving Dodge’s interpreter misinterpreted the Indian name to mean Bad God’s Tower. Maybe the tower should be called God’s Tower instead… It sounds good to me. Stupid white men…

In the shadow of Devils Tower National Monument

We arrived at Devils Tower early morning. The air was still cool and made for a nice hike around the base. Even without climbing the tower you have good views of the scenic surrounding area as you walk the perimeter. It is an impressive sight, with unique geologic history and Indian ties. We watch more adventurous visitors climbing the tower. You need a permit to do any climbing. In my younger days I would love to climb the tower. Today we will just be observers. There are many interesting stories of former climbers. The fastest climb was just over 18 minutes… An amazing feat because he didn’t use climbing equipment! Then there was the a guy who parachuted onto the top of Devils Tower and he was stuck there for four days until he was rescued! There was one big flaw in the plan.

Climber on Devils Tower National Monument

From Devils Tower we rode on to the town of Spearfish and rode through Spearfish Canyon. Butch Kay, an old school friend, suggest the canyon to be a must ride 5 years ago. It was a bit warmer this time, 80’s vs. 30’s.

Riding through Spearfish Canyon

The last ride we just rode through Deadwood, but this time we stopped to have a closer look. The street was blocked when we got to Deadwood. There was a parade… For what… We had no clue… We turned down a side street and parked so we could check it out. It was the ’76 Days parade.

’76 Days Parade in Deadwood, South Dakota

The official reason given for ’76 Days is… “The Days of ’76 began as a way to honor Deadwood’s first pioneers – the prospectors, miners, muleskinners and madams who poured into the Black Hills in 1876 to settle the gold-filled gulches of Dakota Territory. Since the first celebration in 1924, the Days of ‘76 has grown into a legendary annual event with a historic parade and an award-winning PRCA rodeo.”

The unofficial reason is… Wild Bill Hickok was killed in Deadwood on August 2, 1876…

motorcycle,ride, trip, travel, touring, adventure

’76 Days in Deadwood South Dakota

The parade ended just as we walked up the street to it. The streets were filled with people who were there for the parade and the ’76 Days events. We leisurely strolled up and down “Upper and Lower” Main street taking in all the sights of the day’s festivities.

Afterward we back tracked to Lead, SD. We rode Hwy 385 five years ago but this trip we are riding Nemo Road to Rapid City, our destination for today. I saw several posts on the web about Nemo Road being a good motorcycle road. They were right, it is a great ride with nice scenery.

Riding Nemo Road in South Dakota

Everything on our ride has gone as planned… until today… Because we have been riding during the peak tourist season I had made reservations at all the popular tourist areas. No problems until today… Wyndham Rewards lost our reservation at the Ramada… The Ramada was full and we could not get a room! We were not happy campers… And we weren’t prepared to be campers. After a hour or so of trying to resolve the issue with Wyndham to no avail, Ramada did help us find another motel near by. Apparently, the Wyndham reservation system did not send the information to the Ramada reservation system. Note to self: Call motels to verify the reservation well in advance of your arrival…

Today was another great riding day with more beautiful weather… 13 great days and counting. We are not wanting this ride to end… It is almost over… 🙁

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 Mount Rushmore and riding Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road.

Ride safe and I hope we see you somewhere down the road.

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

4 Comments

Posted in Motorcycle Touring Logs

Tagged '76 Days, Arapho, Black Hills, Butch Kay, Canyon, Cheyene, Climber, Crazyhorse, Crow, Dakota, Deadwood, Devils Tower, devils tower national monument, devils tower pictures, Gillette, God's, Hwy 385, killed, Kiowa, Lakota, Lead, lower, Main, monument, Motorcycle, motorcycle ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle road trips, Motorcycle Touring, motorcycle travel, motorcycle trip, mount, MT, national, national park, Nemo, parade, Rambler, Rapid City, Richard Irving Dodge, ride, road, Rushmore, Shoshone, South, spearfish, Street, Texas, touring, travel, Upper, Wild Bill Hichok, wy, Wyoming

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

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… 🙁

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 3 National Park Ride – Dalhart, TX to Georgetown, CO

Posted on August 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

Dalhart to Pikes Peak to Georgetown, CO

Today is day 3 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 headed to Pikes Peak.

We were up early and on the road. Today’s ride was 469 miles from Dalhart, Texas to Georgetown, Colorado via Pikes Peak.

From Dalhart we rode Highway 87/64 to Raton, New Mexico. It was a pleasant 62 degrees with cloud cover that looked as though it could rain at times. It was a scenic ride through the great plains of Northern New Mexico. Miles and miles of ranch land with rolling grass-covered hills and Prairie. Everything is “few and far between” with the occasional barn, home, windmill, cattle and pronghorn antelope.

Rest stop heading to Raton, NM

Capulin Volcano in the distance through the misty rain

100 miles out of Dalhart we rode past Capulin Volcano National Monument. Because of the number of miles we are riding today, and since we stopped here 5 years ago on another ride, we elected to ride on. If you are in the area I would suggest you and stop. Capulin Volcano began over a million years ago. Recently, Capulin has been a hub of activity as native people traversed across the Great Plains. The ride to the top of Capulin spirals around the volcanic cone and has spectacular views. It’s not for the fain of heart as the road is narrow and fairly steep with a shear drop off on your right going up. The panoramic views from the top are incredible. There are views of other extinct volcanoes, snow-capped mountains, and views of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. All around Capulin are large volcanic fields with over a hundred recognizable extinct volcanoes. At the top you will gain insights into 10 million years of the geological history. So take some time to see this unique site.

Riding over Raton Pass

The ride over Raton Pass is always a highlight on this route. My first time to ride Raton Pass was 36 years ago. Raton Pass’ elevation is 7834 feet/2388 meters and is designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Riding I-25 heading to Colorado Springs & Pikes Peak

We have finally made it to the mountains and cooler temperatures. On Pikes Peak the temperature was 37 degrees and the hottest it got on our ride was 85 degrees. For most of the trip it stayed in the 60’s. Hopefully, we can enjoy the cooler (not cold) temperatures for the rest of our time in the mountains. I know we will have to eventually return to the hot temperature of Texas but for now we will just enjoy…

From Raton Pass we ride up I-25 to Colorado Springs and to the top of Pikes Peak. The Pikes Peak Highway is a breathtaking scenic 19 mile ride to the summit. The terrain and scenery varies along the ride. The road is a tollway. When you pay the toll you receive a map and brochure. You need to take a look at the map to see where there are pullouts for photo opts.

Me and Larry at Pikes Peak

View off Pikes Peak… Noting to see due to cloud cover

The last time I was at Pikes Peak was also in July, many years ago. As soon as we reached the summit it started snowing so hard we were unable to see anything beyond a few feet. Today it was cloud cover that spoiled our view. Part of the ride to the top was difficult in spots for 2 reasons… 1) The clouds made it difficult to see very far ahead. It was nice to see the hair-pin-curves on the GPS ahead of time. 2) We were following a car that slowed almost to a stop in the hair-pin-curves. After the first one I put a lot of distance between us to give them plenty of time to get through the curve.

Heading to Georgetown, Colorado for the night

From Pikes Peak we headed to Georgetown. Yes, Georgetown is a popular town name. It seems that just about every state has a town named Georgetown. When Janet and I lived in Colorado Georgetown was a favorite day trip for us. This is why I picked it as the destination for today. We took Highway 67 to I-70 to Georgetown. This is a very scenic route which took us through Evergreen another favorite day trip destination for Janet and me.

Our home for the night in Georgetown, Colorado

Georgetown, Colorado has many attractions that include the Georgetown Loop Railroad, Hamill House, and Hotel de Paris Museum. Georgetown is a quiet little town, just off busy I-70 an hour west of Denver.

My old friend Jimmie and his wife Diann with Larry and me in Georgetown, Colorado

In Georgetown, I met Jimmie and Dianne . Jimmie and I have been close friends ever since we worked together beginning in June of 1965. We lost contact years ago and I just reconnected with him recently through Facebook. We had a lot to catch up on…

Today was a great ride through some beautiful scenic country and I got to finish the day catching up with and old friend. Tomorrow we ride on to Pinedale, Wyoming through more beautiful Rocky Mountain scenery.

Day 5 National Park Motorcycle Ride: Grand Teton & Yellowstone

Posted on August 4, 2013 | 4 comments

Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks

national park, motorcycle, ride, travel, adventure

Heading to Grand Teton National Park from Pinedale, WY

Today is day 5 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 headed to Grand Teton and Yellowstone national Parks. We rode from Pinedale, WY to Gardiner, MT via Grand Teton and the west side of Yellowstone National Parks. Todays ride is a leisurely 230 miles so we can take in all the majesty of these two grand national parks. Its been 41 years since I’ve been here. It seems like yesterday. I wish I had gotten back sooner.

national parks, motorcycle, ride, travel,adventure

Riding into the clouds heading to Grand Teton National Park

We rode Hwy 89 north to Teton Park Road. The ride through Grand Teton was nice with views of pristine lakes, and alpine terrain on our left and to the right are grass-covered rolling plains land. In Grand Teton National Park you can explore over two hundred miles of trails, float the Snake River or just enjoy the serenity as you ride or drive through this remarkable place. We only had time to take pictures and memories as we rode through Grand Teton National Park.

Grand Teton National Park

Signal Mountain Lodge on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park

motorcycle, ride, travel, adventure, touring

Grand Teton National Park

We rode the west side of Yellowstone National Park to our destination for today. Tomorrow we will spend the day in Yellowstone. There are so many places to stop and see in Yellowstone you need as much time as possible. Today we stopped at “Old Faithful” Geyser. I told Larry we would probably get there just after the last eruption… You guessed it. We had to walk through hundreds of onlookers leaving the last eruption. We just missed it… So we took our time exploring the grounds until the next eruption. The average interval in 1939 between eruptions was 66.5 minutes. The average interval today is 90 minutes. Eruptions can shoot 3,700 to 8,400 US gallons (14,000 to 32,000 Liters ) of boiling water to a height of 106 to 185 feet (32 to 56 meters) that last from 1.5 to 5 minutes. As you would expect “Old Faithful” did put on a good show . I hope it is not another 41 years before I get back to see the next one.

Entering west side of Yellowstone National Park

Riding west side of Yellowstone National Park

It was getting late in the evening so we rode on to Gardiner, Montana for the night. As we rode I was making mental notes about what we should stop and have a closer look at when we returned tomorrow. Tomorrow we will spend the day riding the figure eight in Yellowstone, stopping to see as many sights as we can.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

Traffic was a bit heavy riding to Gardiner. There were a lot of slower moving RV’s traveling through the park that didn’t take advantage of the “pullovers” to allow faster moving traffic by. I guess I should have expected the traffic since it is July and probably the peak season for visitors.

The ride into Gardiner was very scenic where Highway 89 parallels the river. The water in the river was running so fast we could hear the rapids as we were riding by! Beautiful scenery and sounds.

Gardiner was a small western town with quaint storefronts surrounded by snow-capped mountains, green valleys, and abundant wildlife. The local folks were very friendly. We enjoyed our two night stay here.

There were Elk walking the streets of Gardiner! They were everywhere. Not only did you have to watch for pedestrians in the cross-walks but Elk that would step-out from anywhere into the street! I was wondering why many of the houses there had very high fences… but after seeing all the Elk I didn’t wonder any more…

National Park, motorcycla, ride, travel, adventure, touring

Elk in Gardiner Montana

Today was another great riding day. My only regret is not having our other riding buddies along. I really miss Janet and that she is missing all the beautiful sights… especially the Elk roaming around town. I will be back with Janet for sure. Until then Janet will have to be content with pictures and my stories…

For more pictures of our ride click here and don’t forget to like “The Texas Rambler” Facebook page.

Update: June 28, 2013 Here is a video of the day…

See you tomorrow when we ride more of Yellowstone. I hope we see you down the road somewhere. Ride safe…

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

4 Comments

Posted in Motorcycle Touring Logs

Tagged 89, Alpine, eruption, Gardiner, gardiner mt, geyser, Grand Teton, Grand Teton National Park, grand teton park, Grand Tetons, Grand Tetons National Park, grand tetons pictures, grand tetons wyoming, grass-covered, Hwy, interval, Jackson, jackson lake lodge, lake, lakes, Lodge, map, Montana, Motorcycle, motorcycle ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle road trips, Motorcycle Touring, motorcycle travel, motorcycle trip, MT, national park, Old Faithful, pictures, pictures of grand tetons, Pinedale, plains, pristine, ride, signal mountain, terrain, Teton National Park, Tetons National Park, the grand tetons, touring, travel, wy, Wyoming, Yellowstone, yellowstone and grand teton, Yellowstone Park

Day 4 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Georgetown, CO to Pinedale, WY

Posted on August 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

Pinedale to Grand Teton to Yellowstone to Gardiner, WY

Georgetown, CO to Pinedale, WY

Today is day 4 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 another long (429 miles) ride today from Georgetown to Pinedale, Wyoming so we got another early start. We didn’t plan any stops except for the occasional photo stop as we rode through many scenic areas.

Day 4 Silverthorne Colorado pit stop

From Georgetown we headed west down I-70 to hwy 9 where we headed north to Steamboat Springs.

In winter Steamboat Springs offers excellent skiing and snow boarding opportunities. In summer the Yampa river is a popular conduit for water sports like fishing, rafting, tubing, and kayaking. In 2011, Steamboat Spring’s was recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community.

Day 4 Farm: Heading to Pinedale, Wyoming

From Steamboat Springs we rode west on Hwy 40 to Craig where we stopped for gas. From Craig we headed north on hwy 13 to I-80. We rode I-80 to Rock Springs, WY and another stop for gas. Turning north again on Hwy 191, we rode to Pinedale our destination for today.

Green Mountain Reservoir, Hwy 9

We rode past many scenic farms and ranches in the Rocky Mountain valleys. I did not know there would be so many farms and ranches on this leg of our trip. Many of them had beautiful lakes or streams which caused my imagination to wander to a different place and time. Such a beautiful, rugged, rural life it must be living here.

Kaw A. Saky with Larry following

Today was another good riding day with beautiful weather and scenery. I love riding in the Rockies and was glad to be able to ride places today I have never rode before.

One of the many farms and ranches on our route today.

Tomorrow we will be riding through Grand Teton and the west side of Yellowstone National Park… See y’all Tomorrow… Ride safe…

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

Tag Archives: Wyoming

Day 13 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Devils Tower National Monument

Like this:

Day 12 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Little Bighorn Battleground

Like this:

Day 3 National Park Ride – Dalhart, TX to Georgetown, CO

Like this:

Day 5 National Park Motorcycle Ride: Grand Teton & Yellowstone

Like this:

Day 4 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Georgetown, CO to Pinedale, WY

Like this:

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Blogroll

Subscribe to Texas Rambler via Email