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Have Goldwing Will Travel… I hope we see you down the road somewhere. Ride safe…
Yellowstone National Park
Early morning north-east side on Grand Loop Road in Yellowstone National Parl
Today is day 6 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 spending the day riding Yellowstone National Park. There is much to see and do. The park roads form a figure 8 through the park. We rode the entire figure 8 and saw as much as possible.
Picnic area where we had lunch in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is America’s first national park. The park’s name is derived from the Yellowstone River, which runs through the park. Yellowstone has 60% of the world’s geysers as well as many hot springs and several mud pots. The most famous feature of the park is the geyser Old Faithful. There is also mountains, rivers, lakes and a diverse wildlife, including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk.
Boiling hot spring fed pools in Yellowstone National Park
These are some of my favorite places in the park…
Lower Falls Yellowstone National Park
Mammoth Hot Springs Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park
There are so many stops and pullouts with geysers, mud pots, rivers, lakes and if you keep an eye out there is wild life to be seen. These spots are beautiful and scenic in their own right and must be experienced to be appreciated. Words… my words can’t do them justice.
Yellowstone River flowing out from Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park
We rode only 174 miles today… but we saw a lot of beautiful and interesting sites. I believe there is no better way to see Yellowstone than from the seat of a motorcycle. The low was 54 degrees when we left Gardiner and reached 87 degrees while riding the park making for a very nice ride. The maximum speed in Yellowstone is 45 mile per hour and slower in a few places. This made for a slow and leisurely ride. There was some construction on the north-east part on Grand Loop Road. It wasn’t too bad but it did get the bikes a bit dirtier. If you are riding Yellowstone I would suggest getting an early start and head to the more popular sights in the park. It seems a lot of late sleepers and traffic and tourist are much lighter in the morning than in the afternoons. This is a great park and a great ride… We will be back… hopefully soon.
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park from Artist Pint.
It was another good ride back to Gardiner for our last night there. When walking to dinner we met a nice couple from Illinois. They were riding a Goldwing trike and I wanted to know how they liked it. They had some stories to tell. I didn’t write down their names and had forgotten them(I’m sorry) by the time I got to the motel. We enjoyed visiting with them very much. The woman mentioned she writes stories for their local news paper about their rides. I told her she needs to start a blog and share all their stories. I hope they read this and leave us a comment. I would like to know how the blog is going…
The sign says it all… Leaving Yellowstone National Park at Gardiner, Montana
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 post by email. Also please take some time and leave us a comment. We always love hearing from y’all…
Tomorrow we will be riding 407 miles to Kalispell, Montana. We don’t have any planned stops except when we see something interesting… I hope we see you down the road somewhere. Ride safe…
Here is a slide show of the days ride…
This has been one amazing ride for Larry and me. Check out the other post from this ride using the links below…
National Park Motorcycle Ride – 5542 Miles in 16 Days 2013
Day 1 & 2 National Park Ride -Getting There
Day 3 National Park Ride – Dalhart, TX to Georgetown, CO
Day 4 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Georgetown, CO to Pinedale, WY
Day 5 National Park Motorcycle Ride: Grand Teton & Yellowstone
Day 7 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Gardiner to Kalispell
Day 8 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Glacier National Park
Day 9 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Troy, MT to Golden, AB Canada
Day 10 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Banff National Park Canada
Day 11 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Lethridge, AB to Billings, MT
Day 12 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Little Bighorn Battleground
Day 13 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Devils Tower National Monument
Day 14 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Mount Rushmore
Posted in Motorcycle Touring Logs
Tagged blog, Canyon, falls, Gardiner, geyser, grand canyon, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park, grand loop, Hayden, Hot Springs, Kalispell, lake, lower, Lower Falls, Lower Falls Yellowstone National Park, mammoth, Mammoth Hot Springs, Montana, Motorcycle, motorcycle ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle road trips, Motorcycle Touring, motorcycle travel, motorcycle trip, mud pots, national park, Norris, Old Faithful, pictures of yellowstone park, Rambler, ride, rideing, river, scenic motorcycle rides, Texas, tour to yellowstone, tour yellowstone, touring, Tower Fall, travel, valley, wild life, yellow stone national park, yellow stone park, Yellowstone, Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Park, Yellowstone River
Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks
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.
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
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…
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…
National Park Motorcycle Ride – 5542 Miles in 16 Days 2013
Day 1 & 2 National Park Ride -Getting There
Day 3 National Park Ride – Dalhart, TX to Georgetown, CO
Day 4 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Georgetown, CO to Pinedale, WY
Day 6 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Yellowstone National Park
Day 7 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Gardiner to Kalispell
Day 8 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Glacier National Park
Day 9 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Troy, MT to Golden, AB Canada
Day 10 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Banff National Park Canada
Day 11 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Lethridge, AB to Billings, MT
Day 12 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Little Bighorn Battleground
Day 13 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Devils Tower National Monument
Day 14 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Mount Rushmore
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
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…
National Park Motorcycle Ride – 5542 Miles in 16 Days 2013
Day 1 & 2 National Park Ride -Getting There
Day 3 National Park Ride – Dalhart, TX to Georgetown, CO
Day 5 National Park Motorcycle Ride: Grand Teton & Yellowstone
Day 6 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Yellowstone National Park
Day 7 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Gardiner to Kalispell
Day 8 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Glacier National Park
Day 9 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Troy, MT to Golden, AB Canada
Day 10 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Banff National Park Canada
Day 11 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Lethridge, AB to Billings, MT
Day 12 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Little Bighorn Battleground
Day 13 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Devils Tower National Monument
Day 14 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Mount Rushmore
Posted in Motorcycle Touring Logs
Tagged 13, 40, co, Colorado, Craig, Farms, george town colorado, Georgetown, glacier national park, Grand Teton, grand teton park, Grand Tetons, Grand Tetons National Park, highway, Hwy, I-70, i-80, lakes, Motorcycle, motorcycle ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle road trips, Motorcycle Touring, motorcycle travel, motorcycle trip, mountains, national park, National Parks, Pinedale, ranches, ride, Rockies, rocky, Steamboat, streams, Teton National Park, Tetons National Park, touring, travel, valleys, wy, Wyoming, Yellowstone, Yellowstone Park
National Park Motorcycle Ride Route Map
WOW, I can’t believe we did it and it’s in the books. We just rode 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).
We had a great time and everything went pretty much according to plan. I thought I would be worn out physically and mentally but Larry and I felt really good for the whole ride. I got back July 29th around 4:00 PM and felt so good I mowed the lawn the next morning!
Me and Larry at Pikes Peak
They say a picture is worth a thousand words but experiencing it is worth millions. There is no way pictures can capture the adventure nor can I describe it all with words. It can only be experienced… Traveling by car gets you there but is only a few notches above watching the scenery go by on TV. Traveling by motorcycle is the ultimate way to experience travel. You are in the environment, feeling the wind, sun, cool, heat and rain. At several points along the ride we could hear the rushing water in the streams and rivers. The smells are incredible. The smell of crisp cool air in the morning, pine forest, flowers, rain in the distance, food cooking, fresh-cut grass, fields of corn, fresh-cut hay and many unidentifiable smells… and yes the occasional not so good smell of dead animals, feed lots etc… Many of the smells took me back to my boyhood when I lived on a cotton farm in Texas. Those were good memories.
Grand Teton National Park
Beside all the great national parks, monuments and historical sites on this ride there were many beautiful farms and ranches in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains and on the Great Plains of the U.S. and Canada. Having grown up on a farm I have a great appreciation for the land and the people who work it. Rural life is a great life but a vulnerable one. There are many perils from Mother Nature and the economy. I also enjoyed seeing the many old farm houses and barns. I can only imagine the many lives and stories of love, laughter and tears could be told about each and every one…
Lower Falls Yellowstone National Park
Another part of the ride I enjoyed was the many small towns and the people who lived there. I enjoyed the local businesses and the architecture of the many old buildings. Some buildings were still in use and some have seen better days. If walls could only talk… what a story they could tell.
Glacier National Park
Larry and I met so many nice people on this ride. Our motorcycles and our tags from Georgia and Texas were always getting comments. Larry’s Victory Vision got most of the comments and questions. My mascot Kow A. Saky started many conversations too. We met people from all over the world. To name a few… a nice couple from England riding a rented Harley, a guy from Belgium riding with a motorcycle tour group, a group from Europe who shipped their antique cars over and were driving the Lincoln Highway, a couple from Ontario riding a Goldwing and many more. There were so many riders we met and riders traveling by car wishing they were on their bikes as well as many “want to be riders” and people just interested in where we were from and where we were headed. To those of you whom we met, who may be reading this, we would like to say thanks for making our ride that much more enjoyable. Please take the time to comment and say hi. We would love to hear from you again…
The other special part of this ride was stopping to see a couple of friends I had lost contact with over the years. I have just recently reconnected with them…
My old friend Jimmie and his wife Diann with Larry and me in Georgetown, Colorado
We stayed in Georgetown, Colorado on July 16th. Jimmie drove from Aurora and met us at the Super 8 where we were staying. I first met Jimmie when I went to work for Geophysical Service Inc. in June of 1965. I had just graduated from high school and was attending college part-time. He was about 10 years older but treated me as an equal from the start. We worked in Houston, Texas; Sydney, NSW, Australia; Dallas, Texas and Denver, Colorado. Over the years we worked together at different companies and I owe Jimmie a lot for my success in business. It was great seeing Jimmie and his lovely wife Diann, again, after so many years. We ate dinner at a little restaurant down the road from the motel. It was a great time but much too short. Now that we have reconnected I will have to get back up there to see him… Thanks Jimmie for all the great times and memories and a special thanks for all the support you gave me while working with and for you…
My friends Ed and Avis and me
While I was in the Air Force, Ben, my roommate in tech school was always writing friends back home in Montana. One of those friends was a girl named Avis. I told him to say hi or something to Avis. She wrote back and we became pin-pals for four or five years and became good friends. I went to visit her, a couple of times, over that time. The last time was 41 years ago. Life got in the way and we eventually lost contact with each other. I have wondered many times what had become of Avis. I hoped that life had treated her well… About ten months ago, I tried to find her when I started planning this trip. I did find her and we have reconnected! We stopped by and stayed with Avis and her husband Ed. Life has been good to her… Avis has a great husband and two great kids. Avis and Ed are very proud of their kids, as they should be… They live outside Troy, MT on beautiful acreage. It is so beautiful and peaceful with views of mountains and a lake hidden across the road from them. I’m jealous… While there we caught up on what has been happening with us over the last 41 years. We still have more to catch up on. It was nice to finally meet Ed too. Avis and Ed are great hosts. Someday, I hope Janet and I can return the favor and show them part of our great state of Texas. Our time there was short but good. Thanks again to Ed and Avis for being such great host…
Lake Louise in Banff National Park Canada
While on this ride we visited Pikes Peak, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, Banff (in Canada), Little Bighorn, Devils Tower and Mount Rushmore as well as many other sites along the way. I will be posting about each day of our 16 day ride in the coming days… Please, follow along as we ride some of the most beautiful scenic country in the U.S. and Canada.
Little Bighorn Historical Site
Devil’s Tower National Historic Site
Mt. Rushmore
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 left 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…
This has been one amazing ride for Larry and me. check out the other post from this ride using the links below…
Day 1 & 2 National Park Ride -Getting There
Day 3 National Park Ride – Dalhart, TX to Georgetown, CO
Day 4 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Georgetown, CO to Pinedale, WY
Day 5 National Park Motorcycle Ride: Grand Teton & Yellowstone
Day 6 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Yellowstone National Park
Day 7 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Gardiner to Kalispell
Day 8 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Glacier National Park
Day 9 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Troy, MT to Golden, AB Canada
Day 10 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Banff National Park Canada
Day 11 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Lethridge, AB to Billings, MT
Day 12 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Little Bighorn Battleground
Day 13 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Devils Tower National Monument
Day 14 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Mount Rushmore
Day 15 & 16 National Park Motorcycle Ride – Heading Home
Posted in Motorcycle Touring Logs
Tagged adventure, architecture, Australia, Avis, Banff, Banff National Park, Banff National Park Canada, barn, Belgium, business, Canada, cold, Colorado, cooking, cool, corn, Dallas, Denver, Devils Tower, Devil’s Tower National Historic Site, economy, Ed, Europe, farm, flowers, food, forest, fresh-cut, Georgia, Glacier, Glacier National Park Montana, Glacier Park, Goldwing, Grand Teton National Park, Grand Tetons, Grand Tetons National Park, grass, Great Plains, hay fields, heat, house, Houston, Lake Louise, laughter, Little Bighorn, Little Bighorn Historical Site, lives, love, Lower Falls Yellowstone National Park, Mother Nature, Motorcycle, Motorcycle rides, Motorcycle Touring, Mount Rushmore, MT, Mt. Rushmore, national, National Park Motorcycle Ride, NSW, Ontario, park, Pikes Peak, Pine, rain, Ranch, ride, Rocky Mountains, scenery, scenic, small town, smell, stories, sun, Sydney, tears, Teton, Teton mountains, Teton National Park, Tetons National Park, Texas, Tour, town, travel, Troy, U.S., valley, Victory, Vision, Yellowstone, Yellowstone Park
