Well folks, I did it. My first big trip on a bike and my first solo trip at
that too. I managed to leave town has soon as I got off of work. I managed
to make Gothenburg,NE before I decided to call it a night at the KOA
Kampgrounds. Some how my gloves mysteriously dissappeared over night. Little
did I know I would really need them the next day. I ran into all kinds of
weather imaginable. I managed to buy a new pair of (temporary) gloves at a
truck stop. They didn`t last very long. During a rain storm from hell and at
50 F I waved back at another biker going the other way and my glove got
blown off my hand. LoL Goodtimes. When I finally arrived in Jackson,WY I
checked my cell phone messages to find out to where I meet up with my
friends. I still had a long way to go. They got a camp site at Lizard Creek,
Grand Teton N.P. I had to haul some serious butt in order to get there
before night fall. Well, I got to see the Grand Tetons for my first time,
but I didn`t have anytime to take any photo`s there. I got to the camp site
in the nick of time.
The next morning one of my friends was walking out of the restroom and
someone yelled at him to turn around. There was a black bear following him.
Oh, how I wish I had my camera! Nothing happened, the bear just kept walking
after having a sniff at my tent. I guess Yogi was just looking for
breakfest?
During the following week my friends and I managed to explore & ride all
over Yellowstone N.P., Red Lodge, Missoula, Kalispell, Whitefish, Seeley
Lake, and Glacier N.P. MT. Going to the Sun Road was really beautifull but
was very dissappointed with all the traffic & congestion and 30 minute road
construction delays. For me the highlight of Glacier was the Many Glaciers
area. It`s a little known area by tourist (I guess) but is by far the most
beautifull. It looks like Switzerland. I managed to see my second bear
there. Either he was taking a bath in a river stream or he was fishing, I
think he was doing both? I never seen a bear before and now I seen two of
them on this trip. Awesome!
After Glacier my friends and I split up to start heading to our homes. We
each had to go in different directions. I hate saying goodbye`s. I returned
back to Red Lodge, MT (I used to live there, so it`s my second home or home
away from home). I rested up a little and took off to explore the Big Horn
Mountains for a day. I never been to the Big Horns and I am really
impressed. I`m definetly heading back next year to explore some more in that
area. You know, the Tetons, Yellowstone, & Glacier are mighty beautifull but
the Big Horns are just has scenic, with out the crowds and park police. You
can go exploring on many different roads, gravel and the old abanded
blacktop roads not in use. Of course being an adventurous Bandit rider I had
to check a few things out. Next year I`m going to strap on a few gas cans.
Gas stations are a long ways away. I explored what I could anyways. I
managed to take a little hike to the Medicine Wheel also. To my
understanding, the Medicine Wheel is the American Indians most sacred site
for the last 1,000 years and is still used today by 81 different tribes
located through out North America. I guess they do Sun dances there too,
untill the dancer hallucinates enough to see his animal spirit. Well, I
didn`t have enough time to stick around untill I see my animal spirit but I
did manage to have a conversation with a field mouse!
On my way back to Iowa I had to call it a night at the campgrounds in
Wall,SD. I met a couple of BMW riders. Them two guys have been off on their bmw GS1150 & F650 on a 5-week tour of America. I think they said they were from Virginia. Come to find out, we were both in Glacier N.P. at the same time. Small world it is.
I could spend the rest of my life just tooling around on my bike just
exploring. It was fantastic experience. The most milage I did in one day was exactly 777 miles, 24 hours would have been approx 1,100 miles. My stock seat wasn`t bad after all. I didn`t have any problems with my Bandit. My only gripe is fuel milage is very poor. What could I expect from such a hyper-modified engine tuned for the drag strip though?
I learned some valuable experiences on my trip:
1. Guard your gloves (and other property) with your life.
2. Do not tailgate semi trucks- I came up behind a truck in a congested area and all of a sudden a trailer tire blew up and a big ole piece of steel
belted rubber retread flew right over my head. It couldn`t have been any
closer. It missed me by a fraction of an inch. That would have killed me
dead for sure. Death by decaputation?
3. I seen the after math of a Harley guy get blown off the interstate
outside of Missoula, MT. The wind was so intense it about blew me off the
road too. It was a sudden blast so wasn`t expecting it.
I think everyone should take there Bandit out and go for a long trip.
It`s the best experience anyone could have. Good luck everyone!
97 B12 Iowa Kyle
Topic: Iowa to Montana 7/23 thru 8/1 05 (Read 5087 times)