We got to Cedar Breaks early and was it cold?! As we approached Brian Head along UT 143, it got colder and colder. By the time we got to Cedar Breaks, it was 52 degrees. Only a few miles before, in the valley, it was 80. We stopped at the visitor’s center for some information about the park. If you have not been there, it always appeared to me to be a miniature Bryce Canyon, only steeper. We left there pretty quickly and descended to Cedar city on UT 14, a really good motorcycle road. After stopping in St George to get our Vermillion Cliffs National Monument stamp, we took off down I-15 for the short 100 miles or so to Las Vegas. A quick stop at REI for a new tent and a re-stocking of freeze dried food, we made our way to our friends house and enjoyed a few days staying with them as we took care of our ‘Las Vegas’ business.
On Wednesday, August 6, I stopped at BMW Motorcycles of Las Vegas for the switch replacement only to find it wasn’t in. Robert (Miller) checked and ordered it for overnight and it was repaired on Thursday. That was good. All got completed on Thursday August 7 as promised and we continued to do all the other business we had to take care of. From the 7th to when we left Las Vegas on the 11th we were consumed with getting things done so we could get back out on the road. Aside from that, we had a great visit with our friends who put us ‘homeless folks’ up for the whole time we were there.
On Monday August 11, we took off early to beat the heat in the desert and were fortunate that it stayed cloudy till we got up I-15 to Cove Fort, UT about 250 miles from Las Vegas and close to halfway to our destination of Logan, UT. We wanted to get the majority of the trip up to Yellowstone National Park done by interstate highway, the fastest route. It took us 8 hours to do the 500 miles to Logan and we crashed in the Best Western right on Main Street providing easy access to US 89 north the following morning. I searched Yellowstone for a camping reservation and got lucky that we could stay at Canyon for the night. Yellowstone National Park is REALLY busy in the summer and I did not want to take a chance on arriving late for a ‘first come first serve’ campground.
We got underway about 9:00 am on Tuesday the 12th and headed straight north on US 89, the same road we went through going over to Fossil Butte from Golden Spike a little more than a week before. It was another great ride up the highway but this time there wasn’t any campers or motor homes to spool our party! We breezed through the Bear Lake region once again and just past Montpelier, ID we swung into Wyoming. US 89 up this way is a continuation of the smooth, albeit sweeping turn road that characterizes the stretch from Logan to Bear Lake. With the speed limit of 65, it is easy to push it to 75, even when pulling the trailer. The weather was great (cool with ample sunshine) and we pulled into Alpine Wyoming for the quick but very scenic stretch of US 89 that parallels the Snake River up to Jackson, WY. Jackson is an especially nice town that blends the old and the new quite nicely. Though traffic can be a little hectic since it is the gateway to the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway and the Grand Teton National Park, the scenery in and around Jackson is pretty nice!
We stopped at the visitor’s center for the Grand Teton National Park at about noon and it was a bustling place already. I knew Rockefeller made many contributions to our National Park System (like much of the property that makes up Acadia National Park in Maine). The John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway commemorates those many contributions to conservation that Rockefeller made. Established in 1972, the parkway encompasses 24,000 acres of some pretty spectacular views of the Grand Teton Mountains. As for the Grand Teton National Park, there are three visitor centers along the Teton Park Road which basically parallels US 89 but is a MUCH nicer drive. The imposing Teton Mountains seem to be right up against you as you cruise up the park road at a pleasant 45 mph. We found some of the most impressive vistas were of Jackson Lake with the Tetons in the background. Another nice attribute of the park is the many bike (bicycle) trails that run along the park road as well as US 89. The terrain is relatively flat so it doesn’t take an Olympiad to have fun peddling the park.
We got back on US 89 just north of Moran Junction and continued north towards Yellowstone National Park. You know, every time we’ve been there, there is something new to be awed about. Whatever it is, it has always been there but it takes more than one visit to appreciate the vastness of Yellowstone National Park. I would have to say that if you only were to visit one national park, make it Yellowstone. Yellowstone is beautiful at times; spectacular at others and it seems to draw you in all the time. There is something there for everyone and the geological activity is hard to beat! Bubbling mud pots, geysers and hot pools round out the activity and the only thing missing is the lava flows (for now!).
We entered via the south entrance and found traffic to be light. We made it past Grant Village and West Thumb before the cars started to become a problem (slow drivers) and by the time we got around Yellowstone Lake and headed north towards Canyon Village, it really became a problem! We’ve been in a few Bison Back-ups before and I am NEVER really comfortable with buffalo walking within arms length of us while we are on the bike. There really isn’t much you can do about anything they decide to do! This time, while sitting in one of those back-ups, a full grown male started heading for us from the field. Before he made his way onto the road, my prayers were answered and he cut between the car in front of us and the one in front of them. It seemed to get real dicey when he all of a sudden stopped in front of that car, swung his head around facing them and gave them a pretty strong stare! I wonder if it was a challenge, after all it is getting on mating season! I guess that Honda Civic was more of a threat than our BMW K1600. He stayed there for what seemed like an eternity then walked up the other side of the road like he owned the place…I think he does!
It took us almost an hour to get clear of that Bison Back-up and we got to Canyon Village campground around 4:00. We got a really nice spot not too close to anyone and we dragged out the new tent with the hopes it would not be too confusing to put up. After all, we were pretty tired because it was a 300+ mile day on top of the 500 miles the day before. No worries though, all went smooth and we did our routine and turned in early only to be awakened by the rain in the middle of the night.
Wednesday morning August 13 was a cold damp one! It is tough when you come off a week’s worth of fine living at your friend’s house in the desert and then find yourself damp and cold in the woods! It didn’t take long for it to warm up and by the time we were on our way north towards Tower-Roosevelt, it was getting on time to peel the liner in our jackets. We have never been up the northeast part of Yellowstone National Park but we HIGHLY recommend it. It is home to the Lamar Valley, the highest concentration of wildlife in the park and home to the famous Yellowstone wolves. It is also home to more and larger Bison Back-ups since the bison in this part of the park seem to outnumber the visitors! We didn’t mind too much because we kept our eye on our prize for the day- a ride on the spectacular Beartooth Highway. And how spectacular it is! At some points it seems you could be in the Alps or someplace like that! About a third of the way through I decided to DRIVE the road and not stop to take pictures or anything like that. I made the plan in my head that we were going to ride the Beartooth again the next day because it WAS so inviting and spectacular! Once we headed back down the Montana side and through Red Lodge, MT, it was clear in my head we needed to plan the return trip.
We jumped on I-90 and headed east to book a room in Billings and started back out right away to head to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument since it was only 55 miles away. Little Bighorn is probably known to everyone reading this. This is the site of Custer’s last stand, June 26, 1876. It was pretty interesting and somewhat sad looking at ‘Last Stand Hill’ when you have heard so much about it. We felt a mix of emotions especially when you know the detail of the Native American’s issues with our government and Custer in particular. It was BLAZING hot there at 99 degrees with NO shade so we opted to leave with only the shortest of visits. I may have mentioned this before but I have travelled the prairies in summer and I have always found it much hotter there than in the desert in the summer. The temps can be just as great but you can also count on some humidity to notch it up even more! Our next stop was on out way back to Billing at Pompey’s Pillar. Ever heard of it? We didn’t either and THAT is what makes this trip so interesting!
Pompey’s Pillar is off I-94 just east of Billings. Standing right along the Yellowstone River, Pompey’s Pillar is a sandstone outcrop that Lewis and Clark mention in their journals. In addition to that, it is the only place where either Lewis or Clark left definitive evidence of their having been there. On the sandstone were William Clark’s name and the date of July 25, 1806. To see that was an inspiring sight. We could just imagine Clark ascending the ‘pillar’ to carve his name there. It caused me to be even more drawn to our thought that we might re-trace their expedition next year. So many things to do and so little (seemingly) time. If you are a history buff, this is a must stop!
We made it back to our hotel before we actually turned to toast and regrouped for our re-ascension of the Beartooth Highway. It was another long day at 345 miles but we got to see some pretty important places in American History. As for the Beartooth, you’ll have to wait till the next chapter to see those pics! So, there will sure to be more great parks in store so stay tuned, we’ll be back soon with our next installment of our National Parks Tour! Greg & Cynthia.