Ray Jardine's 2011-Moto-Prudhoe

Day 10

June 30, 2011: Lander WY to W. Yellowstone MT

Near Togwotee Pass.To enlarge these photos, hold down Ctrl while scrolling the mouse-wheel.Ctrl-0 to return to original size.

Lots of snow up here; so the GDR has not yet opened here for the season.

The wife has her own bike, and the guy says she is an excellent rider.

On the left is Mt Teewinot, the Grand, and Mt Owens. I climbed all three (40 years ago).

Its so beautiful here, I'm on a photo spree.

Jackson Lake

Lewis Falls

Swiss Miss (girl from Switzerland), cycling across the U.S.

West Thumb Geyser Basin. I worked a glorious summer here at the age of 18. I always enjoy returning to this beautiful place every now and then.

I had a most interesting time talking with this fellow. Last summer he had ridden to Alaska with his son on their two GS's. He had an excellent thread on ADV about their journey, which I had read.

I took this photo while seated on my bike. The bull elk was browsing right along the road.

Same with this buffalo.

Mud Volcano. I like how the cracks in the mud give the photo its definition.

Dragons Mouth Spring.

More than 75% of the world's geysers are in Yellowstone.

Cumulus reflecting off my visor.

Buffalo

I got into a traffic jam that lasted 30 minutes while moving only at a walking speed. Sure enough, when I got near the head of the line, I saw a buffalo moseying along on the highway, quite nonchalantly, with a ranger car following behind. The ranger was motioning my line of traffic to go around the animal, one car at a time. The whole time there was no traffic coming the other way - the rangers had flatly stopped the northbound cars. So I was lucky. But when I got close the buffalo, the noise of my motorcycle alerted him, and he shifted lanes to the one I was about to use to pass him. The ranger followed suit, and motioned me to go around him in the other lane. So that's what I did. I was quite certain the animal was doing this for his amusement. And it was pretty funny alright.

A stealth camp a short ways out of the town of West Yellowstone.

Phlox

Day's mileage: 245 mi

Day 11

July 1, 2011: W. Yellowstone to Dillon MT

A field of OxEye Daisies with Sawtell Peak in the background.

Wide open spaces leading to Black Mountain.

Peaks in the Centennial Range, looking towards Mt. Jefferson (behind) and Nemesis Mountain.

Lots of runoff from the snowmelt. But is this a pretty ride, or what?!

Old cabin and Taylor Mountain. View this place in Google Earth

Out in the middle of nowhere, with more than 100 miles of nothing.

After riding though this desolate land, you are glad to see some cows. I see plenty of pronghorn, but they usually flee at the sight of a person or vehicle.

100 miles of nothing

After fueling and having lunch at Lima, I've turned SW from the I-15 and am heading back into the mountains.

These mountains are part of the Beaverheads, one of my favorite mountain ranges for hiking. The Beaverhead Mountains run along the Idaho/Montana border and form the Continental Divide for nearly 200 miles, down from Chief Joseph Pass.

During our IUA, Jenny and I walked these power lines to the next pass (Bannack Pass). Not recommended, we encountered lots of mud and some knee-deep quagmires out there.

Looking up towards Morrison Lake.

It's a beautiful day for a ride.

When you meet other moto riders out here, you naturally stop and talk. These guys were from Blackfoot and Idaho falls and were out riding for the day.Incidentally, this was my third time at this place while on journey. Twice hiking and now on the bike. View this place in Google Earth

The Old Bannack Road.

Side trip off-route: the best laid plans of mice and men (and picnic grounds planners). The Clark Canyon Reservoir in flood stage. I left the route to go find something for dinner, but didn't have much luck, so returned to the route and tried again further north.

North of the 324 and just south of Bannack State Park. Baldy Mountain (in the Pioneer Range) peeking over the rise.

Reaching the 278, I drove down to Dillon, MT for the night

Inside the front of the bus were tables for eating, or waiting for your order.

In the back of the bus, their kitchen was pretty interesting.

Seemed fairly basic, until I noticed this. :)

Day's mileage: 204 mi

Day 12

July 2, 2011: Dillon to Helena MT

the early morning drive back up to the route along the 278 was very enjoyable. A good ride in itself. This is Baldy again, a good landmark visible for many a mile. If you come to where this photo was taken, you must backtrack a mile to rejoin the route, like I did. Woops!

And old hay stacker and Mt. Baldy yet again.

A herd of about a dozen pronghorn.

Comet Mountain (10,217') from Crystal Park View this place in Google Earth

Self portrait while riding.

Pioneer Mountain Scenic Byway

Beautiful ride.

Maurice Mountain in the Pioneer Range.

Reaching Hwy 43, I stopped at a little cafe for breakfast. Inside, I met this rancher who, two years ago, found this rare iron and nickel meteorite on his property. It had lain there for an estimated 200 years. 30 pounds worth $15,000.

I enjoyed breakfast talking with Jason, a UC Berkeley student. He was an earth geology major, but seems more interested in the geology of other planetary systems. At least that was the jist of our conversations. I leaned much about meteorites from mars and the moon. And I think Jason was interested in the fact that I had helped program the voyager mission 40 years ago.

Table Mountain (10,223') in the Highland Mountains Range.

View this place in Google Earth

An old RR grade with a tunnel. As I drove in, I could hardly see where I was going, despite my headlights. I tried to flip up my tinted visor but couldn't find its tab, and realized that the visor was already open. Lesson learned: drive in only a few feet, then stop to let the eyes adjust to the darkness, before proceeding. Anyway, it was a fun ride through the tunnel.

This part of the ride is not shown on the map at the head of this page. Google couldn't find the road that parallels the highway. I found it by trial and error.

Dido the above, for the road that leads past Basin.

Lunch stop.

Basin, MT

Day's mileage: 175 mi

Day 13

July 3, 2011: Helena to Kalispell MT

It's a beautiful day in the Montana mountains.

It's also the day of the blue camas. I had never seen so many of them.

Internet search for "blue camas" to learn about this interesting flower.

Camas was an important food source for many Native Americans in these regions.

these guys were from Maryland.

Looking at this photo of those clean bikes, I realized later that these guys had ridden a different road than the one I was headed for, with all it's mud puddles. Both of us were on the GDR, but they were using GPS tracks while I was using GPS routes. And at times like these, tracks are the better way to navigate, I was finding.

Empire Millsite View this place in Google Earth

the road (Marsh Creek Rd.) up and back down this mountain was much more rocky than this, but I didn't stop to take any photos on the more difficult sections. On this part of the route I could have used a lighter bike. Or at last one with more ground clearance.

Half of an old CDT sign, on the CD itself. View this place in Google Earth

I crossed about 20 mud puddles such as this, and a few were much deeper than expected. One was over my boot tops when standing on the foot pegs. But with each one the bike climbed back out without problems, thanks to the knobby tires.

I didn't think I had followed the route quite correctly on that last stretch, due to problems with my GPS. It had pushed way too close to the limits of my riding skills, regarding the safely of riding alone. Some parts were steep and rocky (S. Fork road), and in some places the danger of the bike falling off the road were much too great.

This stream crossing was mid-boot deep and easy to cross.

I made it out to Lincoln, and got onto the pavement from there.

Swan Lake

The first thing on my agenda when reaching Kalispell at day's end was a car wash. Those mud puddles had the bike looking pretty grotty.

Day's mileage: 207 mi

Day 14

July 4, 2011: Kalispell

Day off. Changing engine oil and waiting for the motorcycle shop to open on Monday.

I'm taking a day off here in northern Montana, after riding the Great Divide route from New Mexico. It's been an enjoyable 12 days of riding. I didn't cover it all, but the vast majority of it and certainly enough to get a good feel for it.

This is Alyona from Saint Petersburg, Russia. She speaks excellent English with a slight European accent, and is in her second year of university (in St Petersburg). She's working here for the summer, and says it was very hard to get a visa for this country, which I find regrettable. We need more young people like her interested in experiencing our culture, such as it is. The more first-hand global understanding, the better. (As long as these young people are not being exploited, as some US corporations are known for doing.)

Tomorrow I will be changing into street tires, and then proceeding into Canada.

Day 15

July 5, 2011: Kalispell to Coleman, Alberta

6:30 AM and waiting for the service department to open. I ordered new tires, and one by one I'll be removing the wheels so that a mechanic can install the tires. Removing the wheels is easy, and saves me a little bit of money.

New tires and chain.

a stop in the shade to cool off and eat some lunch at the Historical Village Museum in Eureka, MT.

Welcome to Canada. The border agent was not interested in seeing my drivers license, only the passport.

Elk River

Three Sisters as seen from Fernie, B.C.

I finished the day at this little motel, in Coleman, Alberta.

Day's mileage: 157 mi

Day 16

July 6, 2011: Coleman to Honeymoon CG Alberta

The Frank Slide: "The greatest landslide in North American history. One hundred million tons"

Grotto Mt from Lac Des Arcs.

Entering Banff National Park

Mount Rundle

Cascade Mountain

Fairmont Hotel at Lake Louise

Lake Louise and Mount Victoria

Despite the crowds near the lake, I found this quiet picnic area to eat lunch.

JUst beautiful

Bow Lake and Mount Thompson, Jasper National Park

Looking up at Cirrus Mountain, from Big Bend

From Big Bend, looking down the Icefields Parkway. View this place in Google Earth

Honeymoon Lake Campground, Jasper National Park (site #1)

This is Edvin from Sweden. He's biking from Anchorage to San Francisco, and has been on the road a month now. I invited him to share my campsite, to spare him the cost.

Day's mileage: 344 mi