Griff and wheaton to BC (and CFR) and back

[wheatonFJR]

How do you start one of these ride reports? I have no idea nor anything clever to say...so I'll just begin.

Griff has been my riding partner for a number of trips recently...he has the vacation time...he has the bike...and he wants to travel. He has helped me many ways this past year...he helped test ride my new bike when I wasn't able to because of a separated shoulder; he delivered my bike to my house from Northern Indiana to Wheaton; he routed this trip based with some feedback from me; he made all the motel reservations; he...did the heavy lifting for this trip.

Speaking of heavy lifting, I had 850 miles to go the first day...griff had more...

Wheaton, IL to Wall, SD

Obligatory packed bike piccie

Leaving home at o'dark thirty Sat. am

I left this trip...like most longer trips in the past few years...in pouring rain. Met griff at a tollway oasis in the rain...after a quick breakfast sandwich...off we go. Not even 10 minutes later, we enter a construction zone in Rockford with a pickup truck in the left lane beside us...all of a sudden I see a huge spray of water from the truck...and before I can process that I feel the force of water on my boots from the spray from my own front tire. We are doing a water crossing at 55 mph! :blink: If there ever was a candidate for hydro planing...it was us...right then. Glad for new tread...wasn't sure for a second how this was going to end up. It reminded me right there that I needed to ride the road I was on right then...no looking ahead and assuming anything.

We got out of the rain north of Madison and gassed up near Lacrosse. The run along the Mississippi west of Lacrosse had great scenery. A significant issue on this trip was the lack of time for pictures on this trip...I don't take pictures on the run, and with the vacation time we had...we needed to put on mucho miles on. Therefore, even more than normal, beautiful scenes were left unrecorded...except in my mind...which isn't so reliable any more I am finding. I had a great time...you guys just won't see as much of it on this trip.

I was awed around Dexter, MN where there were wind turbines as far as the eye could see to the north and to the south...I thought there would be a google street view of this...but none were found...therefore a website screenshot...

Lunchstop in western MN at the first of many Subways

scenic overlook in SD at one of the great American rivers...the Missouri River

my riding buddy griff and his classic '03

Though we had sunshine most of the day, as we headed west into western SD, it was clear that the skies had something seriously brewing for us. Skies looking nasty to the south of us, and dark clouds to the north of us...but a narrow corridor of light ahead of us. This lasted for hours...but as we got closer to Wall, SD it looked increasingly clear that this storm cell in front of us would not let us pass unscathed...therefore we stopped to don our rubber rain gear.

Picture at the stop...

Somehow we got to Wall with only minimal rain...in fact it stormed during the night and quit shortly before we left the following morning.

to be continued...

 

[BikerGeek99]

I left this trip...like most longer trips in the past few years...in pouring rain. Met griff at a tollway oasis in the rain...after a quick breakfast sandwich...off we go. Not even 10 minutes later, we enter a construction zone in Rockford with a pickup truck in the left lane beside us...all of a sudden I see a huge spray of water from the truck...and before I can process that I feel the force of water on my boots from the spray from my own front tire. We are doing a water crossing at 55 mph! :blink: If there ever was a candidate for hydro planing...it was us...right then. Glad for new tread...wasn't sure for a second how this was going to end up. It reminded me right there that I needed to ride the road I was on right then...no looking ahead and assuming anything.

Eek! Glad ya came out of that OK! I can relate - JustRoy and I rode from Cow Town to Eureka Springs, 725 miles, about 600 in the rain... Has anyone ever mentioned it rained at SFO??

We got out of the rain north of Madison and gassed up near Lacrosse. The run along the Mississippi west of Lacrosse had great scenery. A significant issue on this trip was the lack of time for pictures on this trip...I don't take pictures on the run, and with the vacation time we had...we needed to put on mucho miles on. Therefore, even more than normal, beautiful scenes were left unrecorded...except in my mind...which isn't so reliable any more I am finding. I had a great time...you guys just won't see as much of it on this trip.

Before Mrs. BG (AKA The Pillion Paparazzi) flew out to Arkansas for SFO, I had a camera mounted on a Ram stem off the clutch reservoir. I haven't tried taking pics with a camera around my neck while riding, but using the Ram stem thingy worked OK, unless the windshield was dirty, which it usually was, since it was raining...

Anyway.

Thanks for sharing, and keep it coming!

BG

 

[Old Michael]

Wheatie, we're not gettin' any younger here. Ready for the next installment. I especially want to see more pics of y'all at the beemerdons' flophouse campsite.

How did your newly-healed body hold up on the trip?

 

[wheatonFJR]

Wheatie, we're not gettin' any younger here. Ready for the next installment. I especially want to see more pics of y'all at the beemerdons' flophouse campsite.How did your newly-healed body hold up on the trip?

Hey bud, I'll try to put some "more on" tonight...if I have time or the inclination after the date with wifey.

 

[teerex51]

<....>I left this trip...like most longer trips in the past few years...in pouring rain.

Aaaw man, I hate that. I can live with a thunderstorm I come across during my ride, but leaving a perfectly dry place to head out in the rain bugs me.

Well done, Wheatie, keep us apprised :clapping:

Stef

 

[zzzzip]

Wheatie, we're not gettin' any younger here. Ready for the next installment. I especially want to see more pics of y'all at the beemerdons' flophouse campsite.How did your newly-healed body hold up on the trip?

Hey bud, I'll try to put some "more on" tonight...if I have time or the inclination after the date with wifey.

No problem... after you give her your usual 15 minutes, I'm sure you have time for many posts.

B)

 

[thlh2007]

[No problem... after you give her your usual 15 minutes, I'm sure you have time for many posts.

B)

Wow 15 minutes!!! Surely that includes the foreplay and getting the clothes back on? :blink:

 

[wheatonFJR]

Thanks guys...for trashing my ride report thread. :glare:

 

[dcarver]

Go Wheatie, GO! I love reading ride reports and look forward to more! I hadn't realized just how far you two pups rode from!

 

[thlh2007]

Yes Wheatie, do finish your story. B)

 

[airboss]

Yes Wheatie, do finish your story. B)

Yeah, your 15 minutes is up. What else you got to do? :dirol:

 

[gypsy]

Well Wheaton I look forward to the next installment whenever you have time to load it.

gypsy

 

[rickcorwn]

Yes Wheatie, do finish your story. B)

Yeah, your 15 minutes is up. What else you got to do? :dirol:

Geeze, talk about performance anxiety.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Well, to continue on.... (for those old retired guys in the peanut gallery that obviously have nothing better to do)......

2nd day - Sunday Wall, SD to Cooke City, MT

The extensive rain that we had heard reports of from MEM and Huron52 and Pierre in their posts on their way out west was all around us. On the first day it threatened..and as we woke up I fully expected to be heading out in rain showers all day. Twas not to be The storm had passed through overnight and had just finished up as we were waking up...the pavement was wet, but no rain....at the moment.

As per usual, we packed up out gear and then had our continental breakfast at the Super8. The plan was to get off the interstate soon at Rapid City and skirt the badlands to the south and wander west to Sheridan and west through the Bighorns and through Cody to Chief Joseph Highway on to Beartooth Highway and stop overnight at Cooke City. It was a very good plan.

As I led us west onto the Interstate we came upon a rise not 6 miles from our starting point where the whole horizon opened up with the sun at our backs and green and yellow shades of grasses with olive colors sprinkled in the gullies and flats. I wanted to stop...but...you just...don't...stop...6 miles from the start after talking all that time to pack and gear up. You just don't. Especially if you have 600 miles or so to go that day. Shoot. So I just soaked it all in as best as I could...knowing there would many times like this on the trip.

We headed south and passed through Custer State Park on US-16A. I loved this part of the trip-16A rocked in my book...we even saw some military humvee convoys ripping around on 16A in the opposite direction. Many good views as well on the western part of 16A as you climbed up a little bit. Then we got to the Wyoming border...from the border back up to the interstate was nothing special in my book...except it was great to be out and headed west on this big adventure.

Little did I know...griff was feeling miserable behind me. He was all chilled and when we stopped he told me he thought he was coming down with something. Oh boy I thought...beginning of the 2nd day...well, we'll just adjust to whatever comes and make the best of it. So at the first gas stop, while griff is putting every piece of clothing he can get on...

...I notice a fellow motorcyclist also taking a break next to us and start chatting with the guy. His name is Daniel Meulenberg. He is from northern europe..I can't remember exactly...I think he might have been either from Belgium or the Netherlands. Anyways, he is an exchange student at a seminary in Pennsylvania. The main thing is...he is heading west to Highway 1 on the west coast...

...on an old Suzuki GS450.

He just had a tire put on by a dealer...but it was wider than the standard tire...so they modified his chain guard to allow the tire to fit and spin. He had a great adventure ahead of him...that's for sure. His carbs were already acting up in some higher altitudes he said...and we were in eastern Wyoming at that point. Anyways, I admire his spirit...and the fact that he is doing something on his own...no matter what. Good for him. I got daniel's email addy, so when this report is done, I will send him a link to this report. Kudos to you Daniel.

We were travelling north of Gillette, WY when I saw a deer ahead in the road...I braked for it as it left the road, but I noticed that when I started up again, griff was nearly right along side me. Okay, I thought...you in a hurry or something? Well, I hadn't taken a picture of the scenery that day so I stopped so I could remember what eastern Wyoming looked like...

We stopped later in Sheridan for lunch...griff chatted with a couple on some dual sports that also stopped at this BK. Turns out this woman's sister lives near Wheaton. Anyways, by this time it was extremely hot now and we had our rain gear as some serious rain cells were happening around Sheridan. Well, we got some rain...but not the really bad cell. We passed the couple on the interstate as we headed toward the Bighorns on US14 after lunch. We stopped after awhile to take off our rain gear..again. man we were futzing with that raingear all dang day as we headed toward rain, then to lower altitude, then to higher altitude and rain. Pretty frustrating if you have many miles to go that day.

Here's a shot in the high meadows of the Bighorns where 14 and 14ALT split...

US 14ALT totally rocked...it was like a Trail Ridge road without all the people and had some great views. It was absolutely one of my favorite scenic roads on the trip. A nice litlle gem. Here's a few shots at an overlook...the valley is 3 to 4 thousand feet below.

Here's griff chatting with the dual sporters...

Well, we finally got down into the plains, and after a gas stop in Cody, we headed north to the Chief Joseph Highway...it looks like serious rain at altitude will occur, so I stop to put on the rain suit again and take a quick shot...

and another shot or two later on...

It did rain quite a bit, so I was going a bit slow in the switchbacks. We did finally make it to Cooke City though as the sun came out for a moment in between sprinkles. Griff as we arrived...

Kind of a wilder wooley kind of town...

Footnote to the day...griff realized that my brake lights might not be working as he didn't remember them come on when I braked for the deer...and he thought I was just being "real smooth" in the curves :lol: ...so we checked at the motel and sure enough...the brake lights weren't working, even thiough they worked earlier in the day. So as griff trouble shooted that, we saw that the Kissan brake farkle installed by the previous owner was having a bad electrical connection...in fact a wire was loose. In the middle of this, I hear a somewhat familiar voice and turn around and it is BugR...and the BugR's wife! That was a pleasant surprise! He asked what we were doing and we chatted for a bit, while griff fixed up my bike. The BugRs then headed off to some dinner. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to reconnect, but it's always fun to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar place. back to the bike...We didn't have the proper jeweler's screwdriver (can you imagine that) with us, so we just pulled out the farkle and made a proper connection and so now I have brake lights. Much better...thanks griff!

More later...as we cross the Beartooth Pass the next morning, with temperatures expected to be in the low 30's

 

[Bustanut joker]

Well, to continue on.... (for those old retired guys in the peanut gallery that obviously have nothing better to do)......
..I notice a fellow motorcyclist also taking a break next to us and start chatting with the guy. His name is Daniel Meullenberg. He is from northern europe..I can't remember exactly...I think he might have been either from Belgium or the Netherlands. Anyways, he is an exchange student at a seminary in Pennsylvania. The main thing is...he is heading west to Highway 1 on the west coast...

...on an old Suzuki GS450.

He just had a tire put on by a dealer...but it was wider than the standard tire...so they modified his chain guard to allow the tire to fit and spin. He had a great adventure ahead of him...that's for sure. His carbs were already acting up in some higher altitudes he said...and we were in eastern Wyoming at that point. Anyways, I admire his spirit...and the fact that he is doing something on his own...no matter what. Good for him. I got daniel's email addy, so when this report is done, I will send him a link to this report. Kudos to you Daniel.

If this was all this report consisted of.... it would be enough.

Those few words (and this picture) say what motorcycling is all about....

Thanks Weaton..

Barry

 

[FJRBluesman]

Awesome pix. Thanks for sharing.

 

[dcarver]

Damn fine RR, Wheatie. Never knew ol Griff was tougher than nails too. I shoulda talked more with Griff, sounds like he's the real deal. Good on both of you, and I await your next 15 minute-delayed installment!

 

[teerex51]

What? Not a single traffic jam all day? Bummer...

OK, Wheatie, you got us hooked by now. Hurry up and tell us the rest.

 

[beemerdons]

Excellent Ride Report, Wheatie! Thank You! That is what is the greatest thing about the hobby/sport/lifestyle we all share:

The Spirit of Adventure all of we motorcyclists possess. Thanks again to you and dcarver for spending an hour at Stanley Boys CFR campsite. This is also a fun part of motorcycling: Spending time in friendly conversations talking about biking!