Best of Red Lodge Pics

[Cav47]

I got a few hours this afternoon to put the report together. Summer for teachers is supposed to be care free, sitting by a pool, sleeping til 9am, living a semi-retired life. That is exactly not how it goes, but I got some time and thought it would awesome to get out to Red Lodge. I am a terrible late committer because of family, school, and sometimes work responsibilities, BUT this ride was so worth it.

Consequently, my only way to make it happen was to ride a SS1000 out to Spearfish on Wednesday and meet up with John and crew. That portion of the ride was detailed here. https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/169006-my-house-to-bigjohnsds/

Picking up Sarg along the way was just great. After the crap show of rain all morning, it was great to have a friend along to share the rest of the ride with.

After Bunking down in Spearfish for the night, it was off to have coffee and plan the sortie out to Red Lodge. John and his awesome wife Jean are simply awesome hosts.

A direct route was not even considered given the proximity of the Big Horn Mountains in nearby Wyoming.

John and his cat herding skills were tested early. It all started out with the attempt to link up the Senas. It was comical trying to get everyone connected. We were not successful.

It is a good thing John is a regular at this coffee shop, if not, I am sure they would have called the cops. Check out Sam(NightShine) laughing himself silly at all the clown!

Out front, mostly the same cat wrangling.

I cannot say how many times I heard or said this "Hey _________, Do you got me???"

We headed west on I-90 toward the Big Horns. Somewhere along the line, we could smell a large amount of wildfire smoke. Pictures at the end of the report will show what we were smelling.

Up top of the first pass we came to

At some point near the end of the ride, my mileage for the 36 hours rolled past the 1500 mile mark. I really never noticed the extra 500 plus miles as they were in the spectacular scenery you see here.

Check Lisa's bike out. I love the way it blends in with the hillside behind. It might be the only place it blends in. She is a badass too.

That ain't snow up there kids. I mosied over there and commenced a snowball fight. No one else would join in.

Yeah, we kept it at 40MPH the whole time officer!!

We stopped less at picture places and enjoyed the riding the rest of the day. It was very hot at times especially around Grey Bull.

Those of us that were with John will not forget his push to the barn as we neared Red Lodge, I know he spent his time in the Navy, but that man knows how to hit the AFTERBURNERS. Once we turned south on 72 near Belfry, it was on. I likey!! The approach on 308 through Bear Creek was kinda blurry. LOL. I had a great time and the way Lisa rides is impressive.

NO self respecting ride report of mine can finish a day without a food **** shot. I shall not disappoint.

Buffalo Burger, rare topped with bacon and provolone. Paired with a side salad-dressed with house balsamic.

Do not mess with perfection.

This place was a good call by whomever pointed us in the right direction.

I got more pics and words coming, just want to get this portion posted before I lose it. We made it back to the hotel "on our own" -foreshadowing for events to come and did the normal parking lot shenanigans.

 

[VMaxChuck]

Nice report....keep it coming!

 

[Cav47]

Okay, back at it the next morning. A small group was in order for the day. John was leading the first portion then he was gonna split off early and head over to Cody.

Basically today was over Beartooth, through Yellowstone, then back through Cody, over Chief Joseph, back over Beartooth to Red Lodge. 320 miles of uncharted territory for me.

Expectations were so high, I was not disappointed in the least.

At the top of the first observation point. Get the cars out of the picture!!

I gotta tell you, it was getting a little chilly. That morning, I asked John what the temp was gonna be up top cause I was thinking about wearing my mesh jacket. WOW am I glad he said to bring it with, but start out in the Full Jacket. OMG, I had the grip heaters on full blast at one point.

Check the little squirrel out on the wall. Clearly he has been hand fed before.

"Yo Cav, you got anything in that tank bag that I can eat?"

Just like me, he wants some more. He wants food, I want more of this!

And This!

I take pictures of my bike for a few reasons, #1 I can,

#2, It reminds me of where I have been,

#3, Because it is freaking awesome looking.

I also like taking pictures of my friends to remind me of the (s)miles with them.

After we came down off of Beartooth, we stopped for a quick drink in the town of Cooke City. We sat on the hotel porch and thought of the day ahead and looked at the bikes across the street. Living here would be interesting.

After we got into the park, we found a couple of other hooligans to ride with. They will show up shortly.

The Ogre

The Buffalo

The Beast

The Gang

The Road

The Lake

We lost a bike and the couple that was riding with us, They wanted to go see some other parts of the park. It was down to 5

Sarg had always wanted to eat at this place in the park and it was good diner type atmosphere. The food was okay, but he picked a winner. I do not have any shots that are food **** worthy, but this scenery is.

The Salute FYB!

It was time to get going through the park, we had a long way to go and so much more to see.

The Bar. It had warmed up after we left the park in Cody and once again, Sarg suggested a place to stop for a rest, drink, and history lesson.

Those of you that know me, know I love poker. See my signature to the left and bottom. This was Poker **** for me!!

The game was just breaking up and I asked to get a picture of the beautiful table before it was covered up. I got the picture.

As they were covering it up for the night with cloths and the hard top you see to the left, I asked to help because he let me get a shot of it before they covered it up. As I started to help, the older gentlemen dealer says "I am not trying to be rude, but this table is older than me and I am 72. I don't want anyone ******* it up. I got it" I said thank you for the picture and left quickly back to the bar out of fear for my life. He was not rude, just assertive. I was not offended one bit. I understand his position.

Now this is where some of the real fun starts............

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Finally. You finally posted something worthwhile. I guess you are not completely useless after all.

Seriously, you are doing good. I am enjoying it.

 

[Fontanaman]

Great photo and report. More please......

 

[TomInPA]

Looks like a great trip Josh. Wish I could have joined.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Nice pics Cav, looking forward to more of the trip!

--G

 

[Cav47]

So we were all sitting at the bar and this place has some real history as you can see. What a great call by Sarg. But as no good deed goes unpunished, so does this story!!

Let me frame it up for you. Sarg goes to the restroom after ordering a drink. The bar is full and only a few seats remain. Since he left, his seat is open. Up walks an ........how do I say it, ..........Lady..... she asks if this seat is taken. We say our buddy just went to the restroom and will be right back.

"Oh, Okay" She says

A few moments roll by and she says. "Is this his Beer?"

"Why yes it is." We (I) say.

I am not sure what her intention was, but mischief was on her mind. I knew because it was on mine as well.

As you will notice in the picture, this woman's lipstick is bright and I asked her to leave a mark of it on the napkin just for fun.

"Oh Honey, this lipstick only comes off with one thing.............Oil is the only thing that takes it off. Wanna see??"

She grabs the napkin and she is right, clean after she wipes it on her lips.

Sarg is gone a little longer and she keeps staring at that unminded bottle. Well, I (we) notice and she takes a drink.

"See, No marks"

Mind you, this Lady has been there just a few moments. She's gonna swizzle the rest of his drink. I gotta get a shot of this and basically goad her into tipping it up.

She puts the rest of it away about the time the bartender finishes her group order. Just as Sarg is coming out of the restroom.

The lady asks if one of us can help her carry drinks to her table.Craig is the smartest one of all of us and is gone in a second!!!

Sarg comes back to finish his drink and looks at the bottle. Knowing he did not drink it all. Sam, Mike, and I do not know what to say. If we say we know anything, it basically proves our guilt. So we wait a second for Craig to make it back from the table of "Ladies". When he gets back, Sarg wants to know who drank his beer. I show him the ^^^^^ picture and his jaw dropped.

"Why the heck did she drink my beer?"

Group response is the equivalent of us taking the 5th amendment.

Sarg asks where she is and we point him over to the table of ladies and all is well. Unbelievably, Sarg was more stunned than we were, but was a true gentleman and laughed it off. He has a great sense of humor.

We finished our tour of the building. Pics included

We headed out of Cody toward Chief Joseph. A few great vistas presented themselves.

I do not always allow people to stand on my bike.

Who knew Craig was a Stunter??

At the top of Chief Joseph, we had heard of some construction with pilot cars. So I thought filtering to the front was a good idea. Well it is, but if the girl holding the STOP sign does not think so, she will chew your *** off. I have no pictures of said event, out of fear for my life, but those who could hear her through my Sena, knew she was for real. She talked crazy about getting tickets, calling the highway patrol who would be impounding bikes, taking us to jail........crazy talk. So I used my charm and she relented just enough to let us go with a stern warning. She musta been hangry or something?

As you can see the sun is getting low and pictures of Beartooth are not good. But Craig suggested spinning back around to take these. Good Call.

Craig set up his camera and took a few with tri-pod. I hope he can insert them in this report somewhere.

This is the best the Iphone can do.

Just before making the descent into Red Lodge, we stopped and went for a walk up the trail to the observation point.

I am always amazed at the ability to move these mountain and put roads and trail on top of such a imposing cliff.

It isn't straight down, but it pretty much doesn't matter after about 25 feet.

Sarg took off before we got this pic. He was not feeling well. We hooked back up at the hotel. L to R. NiteShine,CraigRegs,BigOgre. + Sarg = First Class people

Even up at the top I am stunned by the ability of some species to survive. Tyler this is for you!

We headed back down into Red Lodge. There was a local Policeman hanging out across the street from the Hotel. I always make it a point to ask them for recommendations on places to eat and things to do. Plus I always get a chance to thank them for their service in the process. You never know if it could help you out in the future too.....

We hooked back up with Sarg, he was feeling better. Sarg called us 5 a cab and downtown we went. I do not recall the name of the place, but the food was good and so were the drinks.

As we were walking back. We did not want to get a cab, that cab driver lady "bait and switched" us on the way in town. We could use a walk.

Along our walk I noticed the same policeman along the main drag. I said "Good recommendation on dinner tonight." For a second he had no idea what I was talking about. Then he recognized me from our conversation before earlier at the hotel. After a minute, he asked if we were walking back.

One of us said "Yep, unless you are giving rides"

"How many you got? I got room for you."

So off we go back to the hotel in the Police Tahoe!!

I called Shotgun and jumped in the Front.

There is 4 back there. Mike is out of screen to the left. Sam, Craig, and Sarg sitting on the door.

This is the only way I like riding in these.

The officer dropped us off at the hotel after a lap around the parking lot. No Sirens, but I am sure there were a few funny looks as we piled out of the car.

Parking lot stories well into the night!! What a great day.

 

[Cav47]

Okay, Next day after the burritos we planned some more.

Where to go to top that day yesterday???? How about we do the exact same loop, but go the other way. WINNER!!!

Beartooth, Chief Joseph, Cody, East Entrance, Yellowstone Lake, Tower Junction, Cooke City, Beartooth, and back to Red Lodge.

We headed out and as always, the wind was blowing crazy on top of Beartooth.

Chief Joseph and the trees gave us a small amount of respite from the wind.

That sexy thing back there is Griff and his Red Bike. We picked him up and we hooked him into our Sena conversations.

That was one of the best parts of the whole ride. We talked about nearly everything under the sun. I won't share the conversations but they were so funny.

First Stop was for the obligatory picture.

Beauty in so many different forms above and below

This was beyond my wildest expectations when we rolled up on some stopped cars.

Mama grizzly and cub were only 25 yards away. I took at least 50 pictures and a few min of video. I could not imagine this not in a zoo.

Most of the places I go, I try to get the State sign in a pic.

We high tailed it back to the Lodge for the dinner.

The required food picture capping off a great day and evening.

After dinner we had the presentation to Mrs. Big Sky.

Some of you have seen these before, but they bear repeating for sure.

Hopefully the pictures speak for themselves.

Godspeed Cole!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I find you are weak when it comes to the ladies. How you ever managed to get married (to a woman) is a mystery to me.

I seem to recall you getting confused by a wannabe biker chick in Cameron Louisiana not too long ago also. You have NO game. None.

Other than that you are doing well. Good pics, good story line.

 

[Cav47]

I find you are weak when it comes to the ladies. How you ever managed to get married (to a woman) is a mystery to me.
I seem to recall you getting confused by a wannabe biker chick in Cameron Louisiana not too long ago also. You have NO game. None.

Other than that you are doing well. Good pics, good story line.

You are crazy!!

Whoa, I don't even recall that situation you are talking about in Louisiana. You might have to refresh my memory. As for having no game, your accusation reminded me of a certain situation in Red Lodge. But since you won't believe it happened, you need to hear it from Ogre or Sarg.

Now mind you, I have been out of the game for almost 24 years, so I would expect my skills to diminish but apparently that was not so. Mike or Gary will vouch for the scenario. I want the record to show that nothing was improper about my conversation with that female in Red Lodge. In fact, her boyfriend/son was right there the whole time. Mike or Gary will chime in with the truth soon!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

So you are successful one out of every four opportunities? 25% is a failing grade Mr. Teacher.

At our very first fuel stop on the Louisiana coast a young woman in the store questioned you about her qualifications as a biker chick. There were questions regarding her "**** size" as a qualification and she asked for your opinion and an inspection. You failed that one miserably and scooted back out to your bike as fast as you could.

At any rate, your RR is going well. Just imagine how good the pics would be if your bike looked as good as mine? Or even if it just looked as good as John Holmes' bike?

 

[SacramentoMike]

So off we go back to the hotel in the Police Tahoe!! I called Shotgun and jumped in the Front.

There is 4 back there. Mike is out of screen to the left. Sam, Craig, and Sarg sitting on the door.

Great pics, Josh, And what an unforgettable memory this is! ^^^

(Sorry I missed seeing you roll in. )

 

[FJRfarrier]

Wonderful pictures! And great stories!

 

[VMaxChuck]

Awesome job Josh and thanks for sharing!

Wish I could have been there.......

 

[hppants]

I'd love to hear my wife's response if, when I called to check in, and after she asked "How was your day?", my reply would be "....well....., we took a ride in a police car...."!!!!

Good stuff, Josh. Your pictures are fantastic. That blue sky is so pretty. I especially like the shots of your bike close up with some scenery behind it. That '04 color is very rich.

 

[Niehart]

I think I saw this wanted poster in the Billings Post Office wall. It said some thing about the Speed Brothers and Pie.

Great RR.

 

[Cav47]

So you are successful one out of every four opportunities? 25% is a failing grade Mr. Teacher.
At our very first fuel stop on the Louisiana coast a young woman in the store questioned you about her qualifications as a biker chick. There were questions regarding her "**** size" as a qualification and she asked for your opinion and an inspection. You failed that one miserably and scooted back out to your bike as fast as you could.

At any rate, your RR is going well. Just imagine how good the pics would be if your bike looked as good as mine? Or even if it just looked as good as John Holmes' bike?

Okay, I do remember that situation now. She asked if I thought her ****s were big enough for her to be a biker chick. (Her words, not mine). And yes, I did essentially run from that question for multiple reasons.

#1 I am a happily married man.

#2 I am a Yankee in the south, I was not sure how the rest of the rednecks play that game.

#3 She was not that young and might have been able to whoop me.

#4 Her brother/husband/daddy could have been real close and I did not want to wind up in the swamp swimming with gators.

Finally,#5 todays undergarments(bras) can false advertise at least 2 sizes easily.

Only closer inspection could yield an accurate answer---however see any of the previous 4 rules as to why I declined the invitation to comment.

I had forgot about that incident and the one that Gary, Mike, and I think Craig witnessed. They will defend my honor soon, I am sure if it.

 

[petey]

So you are successful one out of every four opportunities? 25% is a failing grade Mr. Teacher.

At our very first fuel stop on the Louisiana coast a young woman in the store questioned you about her qualifications as a biker chick. There were questions regarding her "**** size" as a qualification and she asked for your opinion and an inspection. You failed that one miserably and scooted back out to your bike as fast as you could.

At any rate, your RR is going well. Just imagine how good the pics would be if your bike looked as good as mine? Or even if it just looked as good as John Holmes' bike?

Okay, I do remember that situation now. She asked if I thought her ****s were big enough for her to be a biker chick. (Her words, not mine). And yes, I did essentially run from that question for multiple reasons.

#1 I am a happily married man.

#2 I am a Yankee in the south, I was not sure how the rest of the rednecks play that game.

#3 She was not that young and might have been able to whoop me.

#4 Her brother/husband/daddy could have been real close and I did not want to wind up in the swamp swimming with gators.

Finally,#5 todays undergarments(bras) can false advertise at least 2 sizes easily.

Only closer inspection could yield an accurate answer---however see any of the previous 4 rules as to why I declined the invitation to comment.

I had forgot about that incident and the one that Gary, Mike, and I think Craig witnessed. They will defend my honor soon, I am sure if it.

So, Cav Redfish told your wife about that incident and she made you list all the reasons you better remember the next time you are confronted in a similar situation. JSES