Passes & Canyons Blog

When we arrived in Philipsburg we hooked up with Debbie and Craig, friends of Willie and Jungle and Terry. When we took off the next day they came along on a Harley Craig had rented. He hadn’t had a bike for about 10 years but this was too good an excursion to pass up.

It was fortunate for us because these locals knew of a great road that kept us off the interstate and shaved miles off our route. We continued north out of Philipsburg on Montana 1 but when we hit I-90 again at Drummond we followed the frontage road east a few miles, then crossed under I-90 and headed north on the Helmville Road. We cruised up a canyon to a high open area till we took a left turn onto Montana 141. This ran us up to Montana 200, which runs west toward Missoula.

At Clearwater we turned north on Montana 83 and passed lakes and tons of scenic beauty. Further along we continued north on Montana 35 and then Montana 206. If you’ve ever approached Glacier National Park from the west, this may have been the route you took.

Just west of the park entrance we turned west on Montana 40 over to Whitefish–our day’s destination. Here we met up with another of Willie and Jungle’s friends, who had driven over from Portland, Oregon, just to see them for dinner, and also the daughter of friends we would see later in the trip. This daughter owns eight ice cream shops in the region so we gave her local establishment some business.

Tomorrow Canada.

Next morning, saying farewell to Debbie and Craig, we left the motel in Whitefish, Montana, and make our way through a chaotic town led to chaos with the group. Some of us would not make it through a light and then would pass the ones who did and had pulled over. But we finally made it out of town and started eating miles.

We continued west and then north on U.S. 93 alongside a river and through forests punctuated with lakes. North and west, north and west, till we reached Eureka and stopped for (relatively cheap) gas in the U.S. for the last time. Then eight miles north to Roosville and the border. No, we’re not bringing in any guns or alcohol (some did have alcohol!) and in half an hour we were in Canada.

Then it was north on British Columbia 93, the Kootenay Highway, and a good, fast highway it was. North and west and north and west and then Jungle coasted to a stop in no specific spot. His Interceptor had just quit. Jungle is a mechanic, so he got out some tools and went to work. It didn’t take long to determine his stator had died. This was not the first time on this bike.

Fortunately the town of Cranbrook was not too far away but we needed Terry, in her Porsche, to give Jungle a ride, and she had blasted on ahead because she likes speed and gets impatient following a bunch of bikes going the speed limit.

And then Terry pulled up. She had taken a wrong turn and by the time she was back on the right road we had passed her, and here she was. Jungle loaded his bags into her car and off we went. We handed Jungle off to a Honda dealer in Cranbrook and went on our way to the day’s destination, Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia. Meanwhile, Willie called our motel and asked them to tell Mario, another friend, when he arrived, to run down to Cranbrook to pick up Jungle. Mario lives in the Yukon and had flown down to Calgary and rented a car to join us for three days.

With Jungle tending to his bike, I was in the lead, but at a gas stop that took too long, Jean in her Slingshot and Donna on her Star Silverado went on ahead. The rest of us followed shortly afterward but arriving in Radium we reached an intersection and didn’t realize our road turned right. Going straight, Judy and I quickly realized our error and, seeing a good place to turn around, did so. I motioned to Willie to turn around as we passed them. We made what was now a left and soon found our motel. But where were Donna and Jean? I went in the office while Judy stood out by the road to flag the others and soon enough, Donna and Jean pulled up. Seems they made the same mistake we did but did not figure it out as quickly.

And then the rest of them did not show up. After too long, Donna called Willie and they were waiting back at the turnaround, apparently thinking Judy and I would come back for them after we found the motel. Which I was just about to do when Judy told me Donna had spoken to Willie.

About an hour later, Mario arrived with Jungle. This was Thursday and the shop would not have the stator till Tuesday. So for the next three days Willie would ride with Mario in his car and Jungle would lead the group on Willie’s FJ1100. More than that was yet to be resolved because on Tuesday we were to be back nearly to Yellowstone. What to do?

Biker Quote for Today

I ride, therefore I am (relaxed, happy, free).

Day 3 broke cloudy and cooler and was much more bearable. First off, however, JC needed an oil change for his new Slingshot at 600 miles to Yuki had picked up the oil and filter and made an appointment to have it done in Rexburg. He met JC at 7 a.m. and led him over there–and hour away–while the rest of us slept in. Then we got on the road and met JC and Yuki in Ashton. Yuki, you’re a good man.

U.S. 20 took us north until it started bending east toward West Yellowstone, at which point we turned west and north on Idaho 87. That brought us to U.S. 287 and lunch time found us in Ennis, Montana, where it became necessary to make a stop at Willie’s Distillery. You will recall, of course, that Willie–our Willie–was the organizer of this trip. And we had lunch, too.

From Ennis we needed to get to Butte, and the best, most direct route would have been on Montana 359, but Jungle was so focused on the cars in front of him slowing to make the turn onto that road that he did not see the signs and so we blew on past. Judy and I noted this and presumed he had not been confident that this small road was paved all the way and had decided to go a little further to catch Montana 2 to join I-90 at Cardwell. When Jungle, who we later learned was still looking for 359, got to the left-right option at Montana 2 and turned right–the wrong way–I ran up close on his rear flashing my brights but he just kept on going.

Truth be told, there was nowhere at all on this little two-lane with no shoulder at all where we could have pulled over or safely gotten four bikes and two Slingshots turned around. So I settled in behind him knowing highway 2 would also hit I-90 at Three Forks Junction, just adding 25 miles to our ride. This, of course, on top of the extra 10 miles added by not turning onto 359.

Interstate 90 west to Butte was brutal but we finally reached exit 208 to Anaconda, where we were supposed to have met Terry, who had gone ahead in her Porsche (and had not missed the turns). Of course she was not still waiting; we had called her and told her we would be late.

We were now on Montana 1 headed to our day’s destination, Philipsburg. But our hassles weren’t over. We came upon road work and waited awhile in what was now about the hottest sun we’d encountered all day and once we got going we found we were facing nearly 15 miles of fresh chip seal. As in mucho, mucho loose gravel and absolutely no way to avoid it. But passing through some beautiful country on a very twisty road. I strongly recommend this route any time they’re not doing a chip seal.

We finally got past the road work and on to Philipsburg, a very nice old town enjoying a rejuvenation, and stayed in the beautifully renovated Kaiser House hotel where, at Willie’s direction, Terry had arranged a spread of wines and cheeses and sausage and crackers awaiting us.

What a relief to shed the leathers and dive in.

Biker Quote for Today

I don’t have a bucket list but my bike-it list is pretty long.

Starting out Day 2 we cruised over to the canyon overlooks by the Flaming Gorge Visitor Center before heading to Manila for breakfast. The Red Canyon Lodge serves dinner but not breakfast so we got going pretty quickly this morning. The route was a bit further north on U.S. 191 then left onto Utah 44.

From Manila we headed northwest on Utah 43 to the state line and then Wyoming 414 to Mountain View, under I-80, and on north on Wyoming 412 to U.S. 189 and north to Kemmerer.

At Kemmerer Jungle made a mistake the rest of us appreciated when he passed U.S. 30 and took us almost into town. There was a gas station so we stopped for gas. Relief! By this time it was starting to be clear that the rest of us like to stop and get off the bikes more frequently than the 125-150 miles Jungle seems to prefer. So starting at Kemmerer we took more frequent gas stops even though nobody was truly low on gas.

And yes, once again it was blazing hot. I’ve learned that I need Gatorade or something of that sort to ward of dehydration on days like this so Kemmerer got a little more sales tax out of me.

We went back the very short distance to U.S. 30 and followed it past Cokeville almost to the Idaho state line, where we picked up the north-south Wyoming 89 that serves as a shortcut around Montpelier, Idaho. Then we joined U.S. 89 on north into Wyoming’s beautiful Star Valley.

Past Afton, to Thayne, and a little beyond and we came to a very important stop, an ice cream shop we had been told about. The Old Mill Ice Cream shop serves single scoops that are as big as the double scoops you get most places. And everyone knows how important ice cream is when you’re traveling on motorcycles.

From there we continued north to Alpine, and Alpine Junction, where U.S. 26 took us northwest into Idaho and along the shore of Palisades Reservoir, which was one heck of a great ride. Absolutely gorgeous.

Once past the lake we turned northeast on Idaho 31 to Victor and then Idaho 33 to Driggs. We checked into our motel, had badly needed showers, and then spent the rest of the evening in the large, luxurious mobile home of Willie and Jungle’s friend Yuki, who lives in Driggs. This is a thing about traveling with Willie and Jungle. People they know come join you for a while and then peel off. We’ll meet a lot more of their friends along the way.

Yuki provided beer and wine, a variety of munchies, and we got so settled in we canceled our dinner reservation and sent a team out for a couple pizzas.

Two hard days under our belts and we’re having a great time.

Biker Quote for Today

Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long.

We got away from Willie and Jungle’s place in Eagle not even an hour later than planned–not bad for eight people in/on seven vehicles. Destination: Banff and Jasper.

The line-up as we left, which remained largely the same through much of the trip, was Jungle in the lead on his Honda Interceptor, Judy and me on my Concours, followed by Donna on her Star Silverado. Then came Jean, Donna’s sister, in a Polaris Slingshot she rented. I say “in” because as far as I’m concerned, that thing is a three-wheeled car, not a motorcycle. And in Colorado this last legislative session, they created a new vehicle class for this sort of thing, called “autocycle.”

Next was JC in his own Slingshot. Brand new, just delivered the day before and already the speedometer doesn’t work. JC had been planning to ride his Harley but he was taken by the thought of Jean’s Slingshot so he tried to rent one, too. They didn’t have any more so he said, “OK, sell me one.” They didn’t have any to sell either so he called a dealer in Denver, bought it, and had it delivered to Vail.

Following JC was Terry in her Porsche Carrera 2, and Willie rode sweep on her Yamaha FJ1100.

That was the crew as we headed west on I-70 through Glenwood Canyon to Rifle and then north on Colorado 13 to County Road 5, which skirts west and north avoiding Meeker, and up to Colorado 64, where we turned west to Rangely and on to Dinosaur, where we picked up U.S. 40. Then west to Vernal. All this way it was blazing hot and in Vernal it was 103 degrees. We were being cooked!

At Vernal we turned north on U.S. 191 to a turn-off for the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and also the Red Canyon Lodge, our destination for the day. The coolness at this higher elevation was much appreciated and the forest setting of the lodge made for a great stopping point.

The two folks in the Slingshots couldn’t rave enough about how much fun they were having in those things.

Me, I was just glad Judy and I were doing well on the Concours. We haven’t done a lot of long-distance rides together so I had been a bit apprehensive. But we did great. That’s a good thing because we had 12 more days and about 3,000 more miles ahead of us.

Biker Quote for Today

I love to ride; I hate to arrive.

One of the sweetest joys of riding a motorcycle is being out there in the world you’re passing through. That’s as opposed to being enclosed in a steel cage, peering out through a windshield that limits your view, shut off from the smells and other sensory inputs of the world around you.

And then you throw buffalo into the mix.

I was in Yellowstone National Park awhile back, and if there is one thing you can count on for sure in Yellowstone it is getting held up along the road by people stopping to photograph wildlife. Some pull over, while others stop in the middle of the road. Sometimes the animals themselves stop the traffic because they are roaming free and have decided to roam right there on the road.

So why does a buffalo cross the road? To get to the other side? Perhaps. And if you’re in a car and they’re crossing right in front of you, you’ve got some separation from that 1,500-pound critter with those pointy horns. It’s a little dicier when you’re on a bike.

There I was, in a mass of traffic intermingled with numerous “Bison bison” (the official Latin name for the beast). It wasn’t a threatening situation but I would have had to have been asleep not to be conscious of my vulnerability. Suppose one of those bulls suddenly feels threatened, or a protective cow gets worried about her young’un. Let’s just say I was very alert. And I made sure not to make direct eye contact with any of the big ones because I’ve heard that they consider that a challenge.

That may not have been the case with another motorcycle tourer I’m familiar with. Gary France is a Brit who some years ago took an American odyssey on a rented Harley-Davidson. Gary, who had been in Sturgis at the same time I was, also headed on to Yellowstone about the same time I did. He also found himself stopped on the road by buffalo, and he describes what happened next:

“The big bull gets most of the way across the road . . . and then turns back right in front of us! He seemed a bit upset and was snorting . . . he was about 10 feet away from me, when I looked sideways and saw the other two bikers getting off their bikes preparing to retreat . . . I kept taking pictures as I wondered what to do . . . I too then retreated. A park ranger in a car came driving up and put his car between the bull and us. He with the aid of his megaphone (told) the three of us to move even further back and get into a car. Any car.”

It all ended well, but you get the picture. I can’t help but wonder what it must have been like to visit Yellowstone on a motorcycle years ago, back in the days when bears used to hang out along the roads hoping that tourists would feed them. You almost never see bears in Yellowstone now, because management policies have been changed to discourage them from coming around, but I’d feel a lot more insecure meeting a bear on the road than a buffalo.

It kind of puts a different spin on the term, “a walk in the park,” doesn’t it?

Biker Quote for Today

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

I’m still not riding yet, due to my surgery, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. And if you lack people to ride with I definitely recommend the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club (RMMRC) because this very active group has a lot of fun and interesting rides planned.

The riding season starts early with this group so there are several trips that have already happened. Let’s go through what’s coming up.

The big trip this year is the Northwest Passage Tour, June 2-16, approximately 4,700 miles: We will be riding from Denver north through Wyoming, Montana, and Alberta then to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and back into Colorado.

Flaming Gorge Camping Weekend, June 22-24.

Full Mountain Loop, June 30, approximately 285 miles and four mountain passes (Berthod, Gore, Vail, and Loveland).

Taylor Canyon Camping Ride, July 6-8.

Autumn Southwest Ruins Ride, October 6-11: This 6 day fall colors ride will take us through the central and southern Rockies to the SW canyons, south into New Mexico’s Rio Grande Rift valley, around the Valles Caldera, and northwest to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

There are other events planned, too, as well as spur-of-the-moment impromptu rides you can ask to be notified of as they happen. One of these days you’re going to see me on one of these but that’s still a ways in the future. I’m getting to the frustration point where I feel absolutely fine but any strenuous activity at all reminds me big time that I’m still in recovery. Heart surgery will do that to you.

Biker Quote for Today

Leave it all behind and just ride.

I was still in the hospital after my heart surgery and Bill came to see me. He figured I had a lot of time to read and brought me a copy of Two Wheels Through Terror. This is a book that tells the 2001-2002 motorcycle journey of the author, Glen Heggstad, down through Central America and South America. The big problem was that in Colombia he was kidnapped by guerillas and held for a month.

Bill was really wrong about me having a lot of time to read in the hospital because for the most part I didn’t have the strength and spent most of my time sleeping. But almost six weeks out of the hospital I have picked it up and started reading it. Oh my god, what a story! And this guy Heggstad is one tough guy.

During his month with the guerillas he was force-marched long distances over steep mountains while being almost starved to death. Then as part of his strategy to get released he took to starving himself deliberately, making the point to the bad guys that if they wanted any benefit from releasing this gringo they had better do so quickly while he was still alive.

He notes that, once safely with the Red Cross, he was brought a clean shirt. Normally he wears size XXL but this was a medium–and it fit perfectly. The guy went through some serious abuse.

Anyway, it really came home to me after he was released. Most people would have given up the trip and immediately flown home but Glen was determined to keep going, even though he needed a new motorcycle and all new gear. But first he had to recover. He had to battle back to the bike. Oh yeah, I can identify with this!

Here are a few of the things he said about his condition:

So physically weakened, it would take nearly a week just to be able to walk a city block without passing out, and several more just to build up the strength to balance a motorcycle.

Oh, yeah, I know. I was two weeks after surgery before I could go out and walk part of the way up the block and back.

Add to that, time with the ELN has left me weakened mentally and physically. After a brief trip to a local gym, I found myself too weak to bench-press an empty bar.

The good thing for me is that all along I have had the total support and never-fading smile of my saintly wife, Judy. Glen had guerillas deliberately trying to break him mentally. But that bit about pressing the empty bar: I started out doing curls with one-pound weights and was tired after a set with those.

The long miserable wait has ended. After pumping up the tires, I blast down the road for a two-hour, get-to-know-my-new-friend ride into the countryside, complete with rain in the darkness on the way back. Yet even the foul weather is a welcome relief as I’m just happy to be back in the wind under any circumstance. It’s as though life flows back into me again, while the excitement of being on the road permeates my being.

OK, this is what I’m still waiting for. It’ll be about another month.

Biker Quote for Today

Forget a knight in shining armor, I’ll take a biker in dirty leathers any day.

I always enjoy the annual OFMC weeklong trip with the guys but beyond that I am largely someone who likes traveling alone. I can go where I want, stop when I want, and ride just as much or just as little as I want.

So I’m the kind of guy who is particularly interested in something like the AMA Grand Tours program. As explained by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), “AMA Grand Tours, which allow riders to travel to destinations on their own schedule, are the perfect choice for motorcyclists who enjoy traveling solo or with a small group of family or friends. Participants document their visits to tour destinations with a photo or a stamp in a travel log. For 2018, the American Motorcyclist Association is highlighting six AMA Grand Tour events.”

I’ll present the list below but first I want to mention one in particular: the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.

This is one of those times when you really know that things do change over time. Holy smokes! The Hoka Hey is now an AMA-sanctioned event!? Wow.

A little history here. In its first year–and it was initially supposed to be a one-off event–this event met with a tidal wave of skepticism, cries of fraud, and just general doubt on the parts of many, many people, including some who participated. I don’t remember all the twists and turns at this point but if I recall correctly, the two guys who reached the finish line at the same time were disqualified and I don’t know if the $1 million prize (was that the amount?) was ever paid out. I mean, I guess it was, but there were people who disputed that, saying the “prize winner” was in cahoots with the promoter. I don’t claim to know.

This must have been about 10 years ago. And now here it is an AMA-sanctioned event. An understatement: I guess they got the kinks ironed out.

So what are these tours for 2018? Here’s the scoop, straight from the AMA.

2018 AMA Grand Tours Schedule
AMA District 2 Polar Bear Grand Tour: Jan. 7-Dec. 23
Residents in the Northeast can join riders starting in the winter season, when groups ride to points each Sunday in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut. Even though they start during winter, the rides continue throughout the year. The 2017-2018 tour marks the program’s 40th year.

Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge: July 13-Aug. 13
Starting in Medicine Park, Okla., this route continues for nearly 10,000 miles, entirely within the lower 48 states, before returning to Medicine Park for the finish. The tour traverses scenic byways and passes through several National Parks and Native American reservations.

SCMA USA Four Corners Tour: Jan. 15-Dec. 15
This AMA Grand Tour offers two USA Four Corner Tours: the “Regular” and the “True X.” The organizer provides a package containing the ride materials and reviews the completion of either ride when they receive the finisher’s package.

SCMA USA 15 Best Roads Tour: Jan. 15-Dec. 15
This challenge started in the spring of 2011 after the AMA published a “Best 15 Roads” article in American Motorcyclist. Two riders took the challenge that year: Kathy and Larry Lamarche from Canada. Since then, many riders have accomplished the feat. The list was updated in 2016 with three replacement roads and a route change to an existing road group unit.

SCMA California Adventure Series: Jan. 15-Dec. 15
The California Parks Adventure challenges riders to visit all the national parks in California. There are 25 national park sites, stretching from Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma in San Diego to the Lava Beds and Redwoods in northern California. The 25th and newest park, Caesar Chavez National Monument, was created in October 2012. The challenge is to ride to each park within a calendar year and document the visit with a photograph and a stamp from the visitor center in the SCMA Passport.

For the California Missions Tour, riders add a photo of themselves at each location in their passport book, purchased from SCMA, detailing all 21 locations. Riders submit the completed passport and attend an annual awards banquet, where SCMA presents them with a California Missions pin and plaque.

Tour of Honor: April 1-Oct. 31
In this unique AMA Grand Tour, riders take any route they wish to stop at seven memorial sites in each state. Riders can visit as many selected memorials as they choose, meaning they can complete one state or several. After registering and receiving their rally flag, riders travel to the sites and photograph the flag, alongside their motorcycles, at the memorial. Visit any seven memorial sites to receive a finisher’s certificate.

I’m not sure at this moment but maybe I’ll discuss the several tours on this list that interest me.

Biker Quote for Today

Two wheels, one engine, zero limits.