Day 19, Mackinac Bridge

Day 19, Thursday 6/28 – Duluth MN to Saginaw MI, 606 miles/7152 ttl

The first 250 miles across the Upper Peninsula was smooth roads lined with trees, the last 130 included views of Lake Michigan, then came the Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Bridge.  The bridge is 5 miles long and 552 feet high and provides incredible views of both Lakes Michigan and Huron during the trip over it.

The picture does not do the situation justice. The bike is filthy and covered with bugs.

Look close - Eewww!

Day 18, Eastern ND to Duluth

Day 18, Wednesday 6/27 –Bottineau ND to Duluth MN (via International Falls), 527 miles/6546 ttl

Northern – eastern North Dakota is not experiencing the oil boom. The soil is black, rock free and very rich.  The fields are flat and huge and there is water everywhere – unlike Montana. There are miles and miles of yellow canola. 

Yellow Canola to the horizon

Minnesota seemed familiar – a lot like NY with tree lined roads, 55 mph speed limits and very muggy temps.  55 mph seems like crawling after running 65 to 70 (on 2 lane roads) throughout the west.

Day 17, Montana & ND Oil

Day 17, Tuesday 6/26 – Great Falls MT to Bottineau ND, 621 miles/6019 ttl

Route 2 across Montana provides a taste of the big prairie with hundreds of miles of grassland and fields of wheat. The equipment the farmers were using were as big as the 1000 acre fields. The towns were typically a collection of small tight houses around a huge grain elevator.

The Missouri River near Fort Peck

Trains & Grain Elevators were a common theme

Western North Dakota = oil = boom towns

I turned north in Williston (just over the state line) to try and get away from the trucks of all sizes, traffic and smell of crude. Towns away from Williston & Minot are tiny and spread far apart. The lack of gas stations caught me by surprise and provided a few worry some miles.  The display on the bike said I had 12 miles worth of gas left when I found a (closed) station in Bowbells (population 336) that took a credit card at the pump.

Every motel was filled with oil workers. I had to travel 200 miles from Williston and into the night to find a vacancy.

The beautiful rolling prairie is dotted with small lakes and new oil & gas wells – everywhere.

Day 16, Beartooth Pass

Day 16, Monday 6/25 – Cody WY to Great Falls MT, 415 miles/5398 ttl

Chief Joseph Memorial Highway is the very picture picturesque road to the Beartooth Highway and Beartooth Pass. 

The Highway on the way to the Pass

We took our time and stopped often on both highways to enjoy the dramatic scenes and cool temps. The land changed from rolling grasslands with lots of beef cattle to steep pine forested mountains and raging streams.

At the top of the pass a lift was operating and people were skiing. It is well above the tree line.

At the top Beartooth Pass, 10947 ft

The "Daves" - there was ice on the lake

Ginny & Dave

I split with Dave & Ginny at Billings MT and headed west and north to Great Falls where I start my way back east. Dave and Ginny headed east to visit family near Chicago.

With Montana came green fields, crops and lots of cattle, allergies, the sound of birds at the rest stops and BUGS. My windshield and helmet shield look like a random spattering of sick Technicolor bug splats. Montana roads are smooth and lightly traveled. Limits on the 4 lane are 75 mph and 2 lane are 70 mph. People are friendly and talkative and attitudes are lenient. In both Cody WY and Great Falls MT I saw people riding wheelers on the main roads.


About half way between Billings and Great Falls I thought I was running into a weather system but it turned out to be the high haze from forest fires to the west.

The hammer east to humidity and slower roads starts on Tuesday.

Day 15, Cody WY

Day 15, Sunday 6/24 – Green River WY to Cody WY, 291 miles/4983 ttl

Wyoming is a state of big spaces, beef cattle and working people.  We traveled though the big empty, incredible vistas and deep river gorges.  Most of the rural 2 lane roads we have traveled on in the west have
 been 65 mph so the miles slide by.

The big empty between Rock Springs & Farson

Near the Continental Divide

Greybull River Gorge

Cody - But it's dry heat...right

Day 14, Flaming Gorge

Day 14, Saturday 6/23 – Beaver UT to Green River WY, 406 miles/4692 ttl

Today we pushed further north and across the continental divide (again) on route 191 in Utah. Elevation at the summit was 9114 ft and it was deliciously cool.

View from the summit

Further on the (91 mile long) reservoir in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area was like a blue jewel in the desert.

Sweeping curves, smooth roads, stunning vistas, it was a great ride.

Classic South West

Day 13, Get North to Cooler Temps

Day 13, Friday 6/22 – Las Vegas NY to Beaver UT, 247 miles/4286 ttl

Nancy caught a 5:30 am flight back home and Dave G. got a new rear tire on his bike. We got on the highway about 12:30 local and headed north to get away from the heat.  Temps in the low desert were in the 100’s and we commented that we never would have thought that 94F could be “cool” but it was as we gained elevation in southern Utah.

Day 12, Las Vegas

Day 12, Thursday 6/21 – Grand Canyon AZ to Las Vegas NY, 270 miles/4039 ttl

We leave the “Canyon” to cross the Arizona desert and Lost Wages. There was plenty of land for sale in the desert; some of the signs had been there for a while.

Land For Sale - Come & Get It

Air temp was 110F in Las Vegas and the pavement was so hot it was greasy. This was Nancy’s least favorite ride – and we all struggled with the heat.  We spent a few hours on the strip in the evening. Everywhere was  crowded with people on vacation with a sprinkling of weirdos intermixed, some for fun some not.

Day 11, Grand Canyon

Day 11, Wednesday 6/20 –Chinle AZ to Grand Canyon AZ, 231 miles/3769 ttl

Much of the travel was through Navajo & Hopi lands and was the stark and subtle beauty of the desert with the Grand Canyon as the destination.

The Crew - at a cool off stop, Dave & Ginny G., Nancy

Anyone who has ever been to the “Canyon” knows that photos do not begin to convey the experience.  We spent time walking the rim from overlook to overlook.  The views are spectacular, the trails clean and quiet.

the "Canyon"

On the Bright Angel Trail

It was clear that we did not have enough time at the canyon and need to return with time to hike and absorb.

Sunset Colors

Day 10, Canyon de Chelly

Day 10, Tuesday 6/19 – Hermosa CO to Chinle AZ & Canyon de Chelly, 203 miles/3538 ttl

We left the high country for the desert of Arizona.

Canyon de Chelly (pronounced shay) is part of the National Park system but is not federally owned.  It is owned and inhabited by the Navajo people. Very little of the (very large) canyon is accessible without a Navajo guide. Daniel (our guide) took us on a 3 hour tour and showed us Anasazi ruins and Anasazi & Navajo pictographs.

Anasazi Pictographs - inc Kokopelli

White House ruins

Navajo families run horses and livestock in the canyon, and grow corn, hay, and peaches. There are also wild horses in the canyon. The animals do not leave because there is no water outside the canyon.  In the 3 hours we saw only a very small portion of the canyon because travel via 4wd is slow in deep running sand but Daniel shared stories from his grandfather and childhood in the canyon. He said it was 2 hours travel time (one way) to his mothers property in the canyon.

One of the stories Daniel told us was of the stick holding up the canyon wall and how he told his son to never remove the stick or the canyon would collapse.  He had us all going until he showed us the huge wall and the stick.

Horses in the Canyon

Daniel - our Navajo Guide

Day 9, Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Rail

Day 9, Monday 6/18 – The Durango and Silverton Train,0 miles on the bike

We spent the day on the steam powered narrow gauge rail with engine #486. The route is 45 miles long and runs up the Animas canyon from Durango to Silverton. The trip takes 3 ½ hours each way with stops to let off & pick up hikers.

  

Silverton is an old silver and gold mining town that has been partially restored to capture the tourist silver & gold.  It is full of artisan shops and places to eat.

Silverton & today's gold - tourists 

The old mines are scattered around the mountain

On the way back, 4 ½ miles from the depot, ole number #486 broke and we finished the trip on the bus, just part of the adventure.

 

Day 8, Million Dollar Highway

Day 8, Sunday 6/17 – Moab UT to Hermosa CO, 225 bike miles, 3335 total, Red Mountain Pass

Three passes are crossed between Moab and Hermosa, Coal Bank, Molas & Red Mountain Pass.  Red Mountain Pass being the highest at 11018 ft.  There is evidence of mining in several places and spectacular views at every turn.  The section of highway between Ouray and Silverton is known as the Million Dollar Highway. It is full of steep cliffs, narrow highway with ZERO ground between the white line and the gorge (in some places the white line has started to fall off) and hairpin curves. The trick is to look up (not down).

On our way up the pass

At the top - delightfully cool temps

Colorado!

Day 7, Jeeps in Canyonland

Day 7, Saturday 6/16 – Moab UT, 0 bike miles, Fun with the Jeeps

We spent the day off-roading with rented Jeeps.  There are Jeep roads all over the local area, including Canyonlands National Park.  The rental company provided trail equipped jeeps, maps, recommended routes and points of interest, and a cooler with ice for water and a light lunch.

Lots of rocky road

We got to see places we never would have been able to access otherwise.

Miles of off-road

At Thelma & Louise Point we found a railway that ran for 300 yards - end to end. At least anyone riding the rail had a great view.

View from Thelma & Louise Point

The rail to nowhere - pork at its best

Musselman Arch – what is not obvious is that I am sitting on a very thin arch over a lot of empty space.

Musselman Arch

View from Dead Horse Point

Hold that Rock!

Day 6, Arches National Park

Day 6, Friday 6/15 – Glenwood Springs CO to Moab UT, 240 miles

Today we traveled from the Rockies to the desert, starting in the 70’s and ending in Moab at 104F. But it’s dry heat – right…

The crew on the way - in Utah

Utah route 128 travels down the Colorado River valley from route 70 to Moab. It provided beautiful scenery for the last leg of the trip.

Rt 128 in Utah, down the Colorado

We spent the balance of the day in Arches National Park. It would be easy to spend several days in this park.

Arches Park

One of the many Arches in the park

Balancing Rock - Arches

Day 5, Get Nancy at the Denver Airport

Day 5, 6/14 – Glenwood Springs CO, Denver Airport, Glenwood Springs CO, 374 miles

This was the trip from Glenwood Springs to get Nancy at the Denver Airport and then return to Glenwood Springs. When I checked the temp in the morning it was cool but no big deal – right? Oh contraire, the temp bottomed out at 35F at Copper Mountain.  I was not dressed appropriately and the brass monkey was pickin’ up his parts!

Route 70 to Denver is a beautifully engineered piece of high speed 4 lane highway with sweeping curves, lofty views and several tunnels. The route cuts through Glenwood Canyon and crosses Vail Pass at 10622 feet.

Every turn provided a new vista

Nancy made her flights and we made it back to Glenwood Springs for a nice dinner at Glenwood Springs Brewing Co. with Dave G. and Ginny. BTW - they make an excellent double IPA.