The ride to WooFoo6

[dcarver]

[SIZE=12pt]After completing the unofficial ss1k, (UOSS1K) [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=24258&st=0&gopid=284602entry284602[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] the next day dawned bright and shiny and I went out to explore the town where I had crashed 27 years to the day before. But it wasn't the same. The small town, with only one 2 lane hiway called Main Street with a several 'hunting cabins', a Mom n' Pop burger stand, a John Deere dealer and gas station was now a town of 40,000 with a four lane providing ingress and egress. [/SIZE]

Holiday Inn Express, Burger King, and strip malls littered the small town memory and befuddled me. Was I really in the correct town? Had I actually crashed elsewhere and only remember the larger town, Walla Walla as being the location of disaster?

[SIZE=12pt]No, it WAS Walla Walla where I crashed, but in 27 years the small town had lost its identity and grown without forethought or planning, resulting in yet another Los Angeles looking suburb. Not that there's anything wrong that, but since my area is struggling with same issues I vowed to become more active in local politics and keep our small town heritage, culture, look and feel. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Fortunately, there are lots of acres in Walla Walla, and after leaving the town center soon I was in fields of Grain? Barley? Wheat? ****, I'm not a farmer, but this was outstanding farmland. The hills are very steep, Walla Walla farmers are known as being the crazies who farm on steep hillsides, using farming techniques developed by generations of farmers using specialized equipment.[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=12pt]Washington state is very motorcycle friendly, this is the third sign I saw in less than 50 miles warning bikers to be careful. Given the recent LA detective who died while riding, and the idiots who just kept coming, it makes wonderful sense to live in a place like Walla Walla.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Endicott caught my attention. A very small town, yet bigger than my home town, it just seemed friendly, healthy, and looked like a nice place to live.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Nice roads too.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Finally, I arrive at my destination in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Who da hoe? IDA Hoe, where my very good friends Alan and Theresa put me up for two nights, explained how they were able to convert high dollar CA property for reasonably valued property and basically showed me the light that anything is possible. Ya'll don't know A&T, but they are truly the original McGyvers and can fix anything and ride a GoldWing on dirt roads even KLR650's dare to tread. Thanks again Alan and Theresa![/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]For California folk, it's hard to realize that not every state is as regulated as we are. For example, in Idaho, if you want a CCW permit, you simply go to the local Sheriff office, fill out a form, and in less than a week you're good to go. Also, motorcyclists are not required to wear helmets. This guy refused to let me pass politely, so in the words of ToeCutter, 'Loud Pipes Get Passed' and RUDELY at that! [/SIZE]

 

[dcarver]

[SIZE=12pt]Since we were only 45 miles away from the Canadian border, A&T took me in their cage to Creston, Canada! BTW, the beer in Canada is real beer, not like the namby pamby crap served in Utah… [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Finally, it was time to leave, and heading East shortly I was in Montana, another great state that trusts their people to do right things when needed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Somewhere along the way, I stumbled across this – it was huge, and the photo doesn't do it justice.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Just for the record, I'm basically a plow horse living in a thoroughbred world. I live in a very small town in accommodations many of you wouldn't find acceptable; but for me it's fine, and every night I see the stars, hear no cars, and have plenty of bars nearby. Hey, is there a C&W lyric there? Several years ago I quit poisoning ground squirrels with bait due to secondary killing; the squirrels eat the bait and die. Hawks and other birds of prey eat the squirrels and die. Unacceptable, so now I trap or shoot. All of this is why I back tracked over 20 miles to take this pix of an Eagle nest.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Like Ovale, I too am a sucker for old buildings.. I need to find out on a map where this one was.. I know I was on the way to Missoula, Montana.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]And what can you say about a business whose name is..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Along the way, I saw a sign for a local bar.. In Creston CA, we have a local dive called the Long Branch. JB, Silent, Rayban, and a few others now know it well. So when I stumbled across a bar named the Short Branch, I had to stop and take a photo.[/SIZE]

 

[dcarver]

[SIZE=12pt]At this point in time, I was pretty fried. I’d been on the road for too many hours, and frankly, it wasn’t all that much fun, and I still had a ways to go. Opening the tank bag, I grabbed two Ibuprofen, took a swallow of water from Skyways hydration kit and.. got stung by freaking meat bee right on the lip. The SOB flew up under the helmet, landed on my lip. Looking cross-eyed at it, I remained cool for all of 0.0005 seconds then tried to squash the *******; but too late, and here’s the result.. Do you know that one doesn’t really need Novocain at the dentist? My entire upper gum was numb for over 40 minutes, and I drooled water every time I attempted a drink. Freaking great, and thoughts of my bud ToeCutter came to mind..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Ever been to Dixon, MT? I have.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]And it’s pretty out there too.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Shortly thereafter, the afternoon rainstorms came, and I foolishly thought I could ride on through it.. that if I went FAST enough, I wouldn’t get THAT wet. What an Id10t as we say, and I ended up at dive hotel eating Buffalo burgers and drinking beer. In other words, a GREAT time![/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The next day dawned bright and Shiny, and I was poised to ride Yellowstone Park. This too had special meaning to me in that 1975, while riding a CB750 Honda with Wixom bat wing faring, saddlebags, and CB radio, the weather changed and I was in a severe state of hypothermia without proper gear. Somehow, I made it to the lodge, and got a room. Exiting the lodge and trying to find the room I got my *** beat by 3 red necks who also totally disabled my Honda. It really sucked, but that was then, and this was now, and the day held promises of a new beginning.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]You’ve seen other folks posts of Yellowstone, so I’ll keep this short and sweet..[/SIZE]

Bison on a cruise. They move like Harleys..

[SIZE=12pt]Big bison just up from his nap..[/SIZE]

 

[dcarver]

[SIZE=12pt]My favorite pix of Yellowstone..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Hotwater and falls..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Life is everywhere..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Surreal; makes a fellow wonder about it all.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The details..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Yet another Old Faithful foto..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]And moving on, the Grand *******, err, uhh, sorry ladies, the Grand Tetons..

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[SIZE=12pt]And of course, just my luck.. Guess who slaps the radar on my *** then follows me for 17 miles at 45 mph?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Leaving Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the weather looked ominous. This time, not being a total fool, I donned my $10 Dennis Kirk close-out special rain suit and boldly went where no FJR had gone before. Of course, 20 minutes into the deluge, I realized I was wearing a freaking cheap *** rain suit that had the total propensity to drench me 'boyz' and leave me miserable. At least it was a 'warm rain'.. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Too make the best of a situation always stay optimistic.. The views were spectacular.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]See what I mean?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]And finally, I was approaching Park City, nirvana spot for FJR pilots across North America..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] To be continued.[/SIZE]

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[madmike2]

A very kewel report! :yahoo: :clapping:

 

[Bluestreek]

Great photos!

You covered a lot of the same country as we did on your way to WFO. It amazes me how the country can look totally different with a small change in the weather.

 

[dcarver]

Great photos!You covered a lot of the same country as we did on your way to WFO. It amazes me how the country can look totally different with a small change in the weather.

I noticed the same thing! I saw earlier reports of Yellowstone park and the photos looked like they could have been from two different areas. I passed through early in the AM, the cool air magnified the steam effect. At the time I actually thought this would 'ruin' the photos.. Now I realize it just made for a different experience..

 

[fjrchik]

awesome carver, keep it comin!!

 

[twowheelnut]

Nice Ti, er Tetons! :good:

 

[HaulinAshe]

And there I thought it would be tacky to make a comment about the Kum&Go store name. When I saw that sign, I thought "This should be Nevada, then I really could!"



Either it's a chain, or we both stopped at the same place with the same thing in mind. Must be a MX thing.

 

[boogahboogah]

Thanks for the photos, reminded me of my last trp out west. Loved the 'Tetons' photo ! Got any more ???

P.S Kum & Go is a chain operation

 

[Fairlaner]

Hey Don looks like you had a blast.

sorry you ran into me first

See ya soon.

Richard