Today was another day of superlatives - too much scenery, too many photos - too much of everything to do justice to anything. Yesterday some of our group got very close to a bear, something very special. Apparently he was just wandering along enjoying the late afternoon sun.i have been emailed the phote but cannot figure out how to post it (bugger). Today we went from West Yellowstone in Montana, back into Utah, (if only for a few minutes) then onwards to Billings Montana, via the world famous Beartooh Pass. As much as yesterday was a surpurb day, today was even better. Beartooth pass seperates Yellowstone from the plains of Montana, and is universially accepted as being one of the very best roads for motorcyclists in the whole of the US. No arguement from me - steep and quite tight switchbacks, climbing to over 12000ft, then down the otherside . If only we could enjoy it without any other traffic. Mel, a superbike racer and someone who can really get the most from a Harley, did a couple of runs on some stretches of the pass - something those of us with pillions can only dream of! We saw some cyclists making the ascent(and subsequent descent at great speed) and I can attest that this would be a great achievement- superhuman in fact, better suited to the scrawny athletic type rather than the typical Harley guy, rugged and relient on 1690cc for hill climbing. Other highlights of the day were feeding the chipmucks ($5000 instant fine) and getting very close to the bison - magnificent creatures, huge. We came across a motorcyclist in Yellowstone Park sprawled on the roadway being attended to by medicos and good samaritans, feeling quite sorry for himself. He'd forgotten the golden rule and was watching wildlife rather than other vehicles on the road - bang. By remarkable coincidence we saw him with friends (his bike relatively unscathed but on a trailer) at a gas station in Billings. He was less a wee bit of skin - not bad considering he was riding sans helmet, just a T shirt and jeans. The numbers of motorcycles (and mainly Harleys) on the road is phenomenal - all headed for Sturgis, South Dakota, by one route or another. Imagine 1000 Harleys, imagine 100,000 Harleys, now try 1,000,000 - that is 6 zeros... To say that we're slightly anxious would be to understate the obvious. As we were about to leave a rest stop lTe in the day, in pulled an ancient Harley with a dog (apparently a comination Australian Shepperd / Border Collie cross) called Zeke, as pillion complete with "doggles" over his eyes. He sat on the rear seat and whereever the boss went, Zeke went too, quite the celebrity. So,another day where scenery changed dramatically as the day progressed, from forest to volcanic moonscapes, to bowling green surfaces on the upper slopes (until you got close) and even a bit of snow. I feel embarrassed even trying to describe what we've experienced today. Tomorrow, the site of Custers fateful last stand, the rapid city, the base for our odyssey to Sturgis. Comments are closed.
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Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
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