Ride Report- Mississippi to Alaska & Back - Pic Heavy

[pcombe]

It's a 1 hour 40 minute ride...30 nautical miles. We did not take many pic on the way over...looked around the ferry a lot, and just enjoyed the ride. (coming up we have lots of pics of the ride back)

Here we are approaching Nanaimo on the Island.



Coming into the bay, we are at the very front on the top deck.



After offloading we turn north.



Stopped to get some fuel, this tricked out bug was in the parking lot.



We are heading north, toward Campbell River, on the coastal scenic route.



Mary caught a pic of this deer about 75 yards off the road, thru some trees.



The tide is way out!



WAY, Way out! Walked out, talked to some locals, they confirmed that all this is underwater when the tide comes in...right now it is over a kilometer from where I am standing to the water.



We ride the coastal route all the way to Campbell River. It was nice.

Of course, there is much more to Vancouver Island than this little 200 mile round trip. But we gotta head back to the ferry to get back to Horsehoe Bay.

We took the expressway back. Saw a sign for Cumberland...sounded like it might be some mountains, so we took that offramp and wandered inland.

Found this lake.



Lots of locals there, swimming, kayaking, skiing. We hung out for a bit.



More in next post.

I haven't been in Nanimo in 22 years, When we got off the ferry we headed across the island and wound up in a fishing village called Tofino. Spent a couple days camping on the beach and smashing fresh seafood in our faces.
We took a whale watching tour and i still remember that i started seeing some tails from way out and thought that was about it.
The boat guide got us right into the middle of three blue whales. they dive and resurface about every five minutes. When they come to the surface and blow three or four times he would whip in beside of that huge monster so you could almost reach out and touch it.

When it would dive again he would whip the boat out away from it and that huge tail would be towering above us. My God i will never get a rush like that again?

[DK Custom Products]

,,,,more amazing pictures ,,,,the one where the rays seem to be shooting through the top of the clouds over the mountains is fantastic ,as are the others that one just stood out for me . I remember riding the Trace and my wife was flipping out over a deer running beside us ,,,doggone what would she do with a buffalo .

Yeah, we had a few friends PM us and say we were getting to comfortable being near the wildlife. lol Sometimes there's no choice, other times...like with the bears...maybe so.

We have seen a lot, but fortunately none of them ran in front of us.

Still love your pictures and narration. Nice color your trike has.

Thank you!

I haven't been in Nanimo in 22 years, When we got off the ferry we headed across the island and wound up in a fishing village called Tofino. Spent a couple days camping on the beach and smashing fresh seafood in our faces.
We took a whale watching tour and i still remember that i started seeing some tails from way out and thought that was about it.
The boat guide got us right into the middle of three blue whales. they dive and resurface about every five minutes. When they come to the surface and blow three or four times he would whip in beside of that huge monster so you could almost reach out and touch it.

When it would dive again he would whip the boat out away from it and that huge tail would be towering above us. My God i will never get a rush like that again?

That is crazy!

Sounds like you had a great trip!

[DK Custom Products]

We had a nice relaxing evening in Red Lodge. Did not have to do any grocery shopping...still had food in the cooler.

Unloaded the bike and got in the hot tub!

We have stayed at this same place 3 times now. Reasonably priced, indoor pool, outdoor hot tub.




The next morning we packed up and headed downtown to check out the Beartooth Rally HQ at Bone Daddys.




Bone Daddys! We had to stop here, rally or no rally, had promised some friends we'd pick up some Bone Daddy helmet stickers for them.



Lots of bikes! Hundreds of them parked, and hundreds more out on the Poker Run. Later in the day they are going to make the run across Beartooth Pass...the one we just traveled yesterday.



We found a spot pretty close to all the vendors.




Checking out all the bikes and the vendors. lol, my drawers are drooping.




Nice turn-out on a very nice riding day.




Interesting bike...



that was being raffled off. Lots of nice details, all tied into the "Shoot & Scoot" theme.



After looking around a bit, getting some local buffalo jerky, we are on our way to Spearfish...the long way.

[DK Custom Products]

One of the reasons there are big gaps between posts is that it takes me about 3-4 hours to do a post of one days riding. It is hard to get that kind of a chunk of time for me.

So, instead, I am going to do smaller posts, hopefully more frequently, to get the last few days of the trip posted up.


We decided to take the 310 to 14 Alt E...going past the Medicine Wheel. It is by no means the shortest route from Red Lodge to Spearfish, but we went that way once before and really enjoyed it.

This is looking down at the city of Red Lodge, MT as we left out.




What a Great way to start the day! Have I mentioned that I like curves? lol




Whatever they used to do there...does not look like they're doing it anymore.




Picking up the 310 for some fairly straight, flat riding before getting to the mountains.




Yep, we have a ways to go to get to Big Horn National Park!





This is an interesting pic...you can see Mary with the camera above my head in the gas cover reflection.

Oh, and sometimes all the TG needs is one finger to keep her going down the road.




Many flat, barren miles later...we are getting close!




Finally we start climbing...




Lots of curves, and many switchback (we have not figured out how to get good pics of switchbacks while riding...bout the only way we have been able to do it is to stop and do a panoramic)....




There was a perfect combination of climbing, sweepers, twistys, switchbacks and NO traffic.

Of the entire trip, this was the hardest I ran the TG...pretty steep incline for quite awhile and speeds up to 80+ mph, and it was probably 80* or so ambient temp. Oil temps got up in the 235-240 range for a bit.




Will continue on to Spearfish as time permits.

[DK Custom Products]

Pulled over at a scenic look out...we see some of the long flat land we traveled this morning to get to these mountains....and a bit of the road coming up the hill.




Looking up to where we're headed...a couple of bikes are making their way up.




Back on the road, it's not going to be long before we pass the spur to Bighorn Medicine Wheel. It's really quite an amazing place. You can see more about at this link- Bighorn Medicine Wheel



We're up around 9,000 foot elevation now. Less than an hour ago we were at about 3500 feet. It's quite a bit cooler up here, even little patches of snow here and there still.




There is a nice scenic stop at the top...a bit off the road is a small rock formation. We take our cooler out there and have a nice lunch.




A panoramic looking back at where the bike is parked (that little blue speck) and beyond.




Another panoramic shot, looking the other direction. We have the place to ourselves for almost an hour. It is quiet out here, just amazing taking it all in.




Back on the road, crossing the top.



As we start to head down the other side, there are miles and miles of great sweepers....




We thoroughly enjoy them before hitting the tight, steep, relentless winding road going into Dayton.

[bikerbillone]

Yes, most enjoyable, thanks for taking the time and effort for us folks at home. If I may, what camera are you using? Clarity and definition is great.

[cooltech]

Yeaa, make us all jealous. I thought for a moment that bottle in the cup holder was dish detergent! (Not really).
The pics are awesome and you've put us right there in the trip with you. great stuff.
cooltech

[pcombe]

Ok, FINALLY am able to resume the Ride Report from Meridian to Missoula.

This was a great day of riding!



Mostly curves all day, but every now and then some straights to just kick back on.



Huge variety in scenery and temps too.



This was a pretty warm section...and we are close enough to a fire that is burning northwest of us that we can see lots of smoke and smell it.



I forget the name of this town, we have been thru it before when it was packed with folks fishing the Salmon river.

Gas stop and calling the shop to take care of business.



Back on the road, more smoke and heat. After today we are trading our leather for the mesh.



Idaho has some amazing roads and countryside.



Mary in the mirror!



That is a lot of road til we hit the forest again! Sure am happy we picked up the "Stay Cool" bandanas in Meridian.



Turning onto the 13...it is a short section of road, but pretty dramatic and fun to ride.



More in next post.

could that small town be Challis,Idaho?

It looks like the type of country where Challis is.

[dano309]

really enjoy reading & seeing all the pics.....you guys are doing an awesome job for all us .....would love to make a trip like this someday....trading my 2010 ultra glide for an 2013 goldwing trike so maybe i'll try this kind of adventure soon.....thanks again for sharing your trip with us here at home....

[DK Custom Products]

Once again....gorgeous pictures! Thanks for taking us all along with you this way.

Yes, most enjoyable, thanks for taking the time and effort for us folks at home. If I may, what camera are you using? Clarity and definition is great.

Thank you.

It is an inexpensive ($100) Fuji JX500

All that I can say is that is one Fantastic Trip!!

Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Thank you!

Yeaa, make us all jealous. I thought for a moment that bottle in the cup holder was dish detergent! (Not really).
The pics are awesome and you've put us right there in the trip with you. great stuff.
cooltech

Nope just drinking water with some hydrogen sticks in it. I normally drink 3-5 bottles a day when on the road.

Glad you're enjoying it!

could that small town be Challis,Idaho?

It looks like the type of country where Challis is.

Could be. Not really sure.

really enjoy reading & seeing all the pics.....you guys are doing an awesome job for all us .....would love to make a trip like this someday....trading my 2010 ultra glide for an 2013 goldwing trike so maybe i'll try this kind of adventure soon.....thanks again for sharing your trip with us here at home....

Thank you! Large sections of this trip were definitely more enjoyable for us being on a trike instead of 2 wheels.

[DK Custom Products]

Sorry for the big gap in-between posts. We were out of town the last 4 days.


Still coming down the hill, we run up on another Pearl Blue Tri-Glide. Followed him for awhile, until he pulled into a parking lot.



Some absolutely beautiful country!







I think this sign said Sharp Curves Next 10 Miles. (they were also pretty steep)




Almost right away I got stuck behind a pretty big line of traffic that had slowed down and were jammed up, inching their way downhill...AND another line inching their way uphill.




It took a few minutes to get past them all...but then I had the entire ride down to myself!





Looking thru the pictures, I realize that on the really sharp curves Mary must have been holding on, because there's no pics of them. lol

But she did capture some of the longer ones.




Might be difficult to tell from this pic, but it is a decreasing radius 180*+ that just keeps going...lots of fun!!!




Another curve, you can see they are not cambered well at all...making them even more challenging.




This was a sharp 90* (not pictured) followed by a sweeping, decreasing radius 120* curve.



After that roller coaster ride we stopped for gas in Dayton. Met a German couple, him on an Ultra, her on a Heritage they had rented for their vacation. Talked for awhile, did not get any pics.

Next up is our adventure on the road to Spearfish!

[DK Custom Products]

Leaving out of Dayton, WY we still have about 220 miles to go to Spearfish.



Lots of wide open land and big sky!




Getting close to Gillette.




Great road, relaxing riding, the TG is at home running this road 75-80 mph.




The first hint of what is coming.




Mary in the mirror getting a pic of our shadow.




At this time the rain & lighting looked to be north of us and moving further northwest....



...but to be safe we pulled off in a rest stop to put on our rain suits. While we were pulling them out of the trunk a guy stopped on a SG. He said he had just come from Rapid City (near Spearfish) and that the storm had already crossed north of the road and we would be fine.

We talked with him a bit...he was headed toward Red Lodge for the Beartooth Rally that we had just left.

Taking his advice, we put the rain suits back in the trunk and headed on our way.

Well, a bit down the road we could see that the storm was directly in front of us and smell the rain. Stopped along the side of the road and put the rain suits on.



Yep, looks like we are headed right into it!



Just 2 minutes further we run into wet road.




More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

Another minute or so down the road we see white stuff on the side of the road....




Then the white stuff is on the road. Not snow, but pebbles of hail.




Probability is high that if we had not spent the 20 minutes or so at the rest stop we would have been right on this section of road when the hail started coming down.

There is NO shelter anywhere...that probably would have hurt!

The further we go the heavier it is on the road.




The pictures don't show it, but where it looks like it is just water on the road, there is still a lot of hail mixed in. It is like riding on marbles. All the traffic slowed way down, including us.

This next picture shows how heavy the water is on the road...It is an inch or two deep...quite apart from the riding on marbles feeling, any kind of speed would result in hydro-planing.



After a few miles of this the roads were just wet off and on all the way to Spearfish. Mary got a lot of good cloud pics.



btw, the storm is to the south of us now...go figure.





Closing in on Spearfish.



More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

We are looking forward to a couple of days in the Black Hills...almost there.



A few more cloud pics as we roll into Spearfish.







When we pull into the motel at Spearfish, sky is clear and the roads are dry.

We unload the bike, shed the rain suits and head to the grocery store.

We are going to be here a couple of days, so we are taking our time shopping so we don't have to come back before leaving. We're not done yet and we here some loud booms...yep, when we leave the store it is raining HARD! lol

No jackets, no helmets, we do our best to load the groceries without getting too much water in the trunk and ride the 2 miles back to the motel in a full-on downpour.

It rained off and on all night.

Here's a pic of the TG getting cleaned up a bit by the rain outside the room.




Next up will be some riding around in the Spearfish/Sturgis/Deadwood area.

[hdruss]

[QUOTE=
Nope just drinking water with some hydrogen sticks in it. I normally drink 3-5 bottles a day when on the road.
[/QUOTE]

Sorry to show my ignorance - but what are Hydrogen Sticks & what benefit are they? - Russ

[DK Custom Products]

Sorry to show my ignorance - but what are Hydrogen Sticks & what benefit are they? - Russ

It increase the amount of hydrogen in the water, making it easier for the body to absorb the water...also there are other health benefits. You can google to get all the info.

[DK Custom Products]

We are spending 3 nights and a couple of days, just riding Old Spearfish Canyon Road, Sturgis, Deadwood, Lead...no rides out to Devils Tower or Needles, Mt. Rushmore, etc. Did that last year and we are just going to be lazy these 2 days.

This is our short term home...



It is right on the creek running thru Spearfish.



First thing we do is stop and get gas...talked with this guy who had just bought a new Ural....



....interesting bike. You can engage/disengage the second rear wheel to have power to it.




We take the interstate over to Sturgis.

Yep, that is Mary in the mirror with no helmet...




...We are almost always ATGATT, but these two days we decided, no helmets, jackets, gloves, long pants or boots.



One of the first things we see in Sturgis is a Goldwing trailering a dual-sport. Have to say I have thought about pulling another bike with a bike, but have never seen it in person before.



There are lots of pictures all over the web of downtown Sturgis, but not many like this...it is still a few weeks til the rally.



We decide to eat at The Knuckle. We've eaten there a few times and the food has always been good.



Taco salad and BLT. Good eats as usual.



More pics of the area coming over the next few days.

[DK Custom Products]

After lunch we headed over to one of the many vendors that were already set up for the rally.

Had some shirts to get for the DK Crew.




Leaving Sturgis we meandered around for a couple of hours, just enjoying the scenery and easy day.



The reality that the trip is about over is sinking in, and are just enjoying rolling down the road.




We ended up in Deadwood...just rode thru...nothing caught our attention enough for us to get off the bike.



Headed back to Spearfish on the new road (we'll hit the old canyon road tomorrow).



Crossing over the 90 to pick it up for the last few miles into Spearfish.



Mary in the gas cover...well, her arms and the camera.



Back, we take a walk along the creek right behind the motel.



The water is pretty dadgum cold!



Mary stuck one toe in. lol



More pics coming in the next few days.

[slick rick]

More fantastic pics Keven thanks,,,,

[DK Custom Products]

Looks like another great day to be riding in the Black Hills...leaving out of Spearfish for some meandering thru some local roads.




Turning on to 14A, Old Spearfish Canyon Road.




Saw this Hot Rod a few times in the couple days we were riding around.




Mary doing one of her acrobatic camera shots...we are fully on the road, but she is leaning over, stretching her arm out, holding the camera way out from the bike.



This is a fun road, with great sights!





We did not pull over for this waterfall...after all we saw in Canada and Alaska...it is beautiful, but we are perhaps a bit desensitized, or maybe we're just real comfortable on the bike and want to keep riding. lol



Some more folks out enjoying the ride.



Last year we did a tour out of Deadwood...learned some interesting stuff about Calamity Jane.



We are not on Old Spearfish Canyon road anymore...passed thru Deadwood again and got on the 85 and rode a bit.

Just an amazing area!




More in next post.