On the Road With Nine Guys
The OFMC is off on its annual summer trip and there are nine of us again. For my money, that’s really too many but I’m happy to say it’s really been OK this year. It has actually been a really good time.
We’re doing something of a grand tour this year, which is to say that we’ve gone into Grand Teton National Park instead of just passing by it. We’ve gone into Yellowstone and actually stopped at places such as Old Faithful, rather than passing by or not even going to that part of the park. And of course we came over the Beartooth today, which is always a good ride.
It’s a good year to be making a grand tour. Yellowstone is famous for the incredible congestion that is caused by tens of thousands of tourists, stopping en masse every time a wild critter shows its face. You can’t avoid that entirely but apparently the recession has cut tourism quite a bit, so the traffic was definitely bearable.
On the other hand, your economic stimulation dollars are hard at work in the national parks, and we got stuck in construction delays again and again. So, six of one, half dozen of the other. But a great place to ride.
Coming over the Beartooth was terrific, despite the gravel spots and the delays. Being from Colorado, we are jaded with elk and buffalo and those sorts of animals but even we stopped to see bears at a couple spots. Coming down from the Beartooth there was one just off the road, up the hill, and he was flipping over rocks to find food underneath. One rock he kicked aside tumbled down the hill right into the road in front of me. Not a danger, as I was stopped at the time, but very interesting nevertheless.
And then there was the very interesting scene we encountered in Yellowstone. Somebody pulling a trailer with a big Harley on it ran off the road and crunched everything. The Harley was lying upside down in the shrubbery and the car was bent upward at both ends. Air bags probably kept the occupants from being too badly hurt but the car, bike, and trailer were all totaled. And they were really weird to see in that condition.
So anyway, a couple more days and we’ll be back home. It’s a great summer to be out on the road on a motorcycle.
Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
The joy of riding without a helmet
Biker Quote for Today
Confused and Prone to Wander
Tags: OFMC
