The Big Northern Wyoming Loop

September 28, 2022

No, the 2,700 mile trip I returned from last week did not fully scratch my riding itch.  Aside from not logging as many miles over the summer as I might have, our seasons are changing and it won’t be long before the bike gets put away for the winter.  (Full disclose: I rode it at least once each month last year.)   This encouraged me to pick a day to get out for another long ride.

I looked at the weather and, at first, I thought that Friday was a good candidate but then things changed and rain was in the forecast.  Since I had nothing going on Thursday, it became the next choice but the most recent weather update talked about rain.  Last night I made the decision to go today.  It was supposed to be warm, no rain, and no wind so what more could I ask for.

As for the route, I wanted to ride someplace new and Hwy 14 across the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming has been on my list for a while.  Actually, the are two 14s, 14 and 14A.  The A, Alternate, is the one I was interested in as it looked to have the most curves.  I read that it gets closed for the season, sometimes quite early, so I put that at the top on my list.  It runs from Dayton, WY to Lovell, WY and I had to decide which end I would head to.  This didn’t take me long to choose as, also on my list, is the Heart Mountain Internment Center, where thousands of American citizen of Japanese descent were held during WWII.  It is located near Powell, WY and it would make sense to ride there first, check it out, and then head across the Bighorns.  

I hit the road a bit after 9am and took my usual route through the West End, avoiding riding in the city.  This takes me past the Canyon Creek Battle Memorial, a place I stop at frequently.  I quickly realized that I’d over dressed so it made a good place to stop and shed a layer.

A few weeks ago I’d seen an article that someone took on the volunteer task of keeping the site maintained.  You can read it here:

On 145th anniversary of Canyon Creek battle, Billings resident works to maintain site

As I pulled in I saw that volunteer, Dave, was there whipping some weeds.  I got his attention and mentioned that I’d seen the article and thanked him for what he was doing.  Then I remembered that I’d done a sketch of the site and had that sketchbook with me so I dug it out of my side case and showed it to him.  He wanted a copy si I placed it in the sun and he dug his phone out and took a shot of it.  Here’s mine:

I headed into Laurel, got on Hwy 212, and took that to Rockvale where I turned south and went past the now very familar towns of Fromberg, Bridger, and Belfry.  It wasn’t long before I crossed the state line into Wyoming.

I turned off onto Hwy 294 which treks through some mighty desolate looking scenery.  Eventually it climbs a plateau and the starkness is replaced by green farmland.  It was quite smoky and I guessed it was coming from the direction of Powell and smelled like field were bing burned.

I turned south on Hwy 14A and it was only a few miles before I arrived at the Heart Mountain WWII National Historic Landmark.  I parked, secured my gear, and went inside.  I paid the senior rate for admission and the docent invited me into their theater where a 14 minute film was just starting.  It was excellent, telling the story of how the people were sent there, what life was like, and the aftermath when they were released.  This was all done through interviews with people who had lived through it.

After the film I check out the exhibits.

The museum is just a small part of the exhibition as on the land above is the site where a small city was built to house the 14,000 inmates.  I didn’t do that walking tour because of time and vowed to return to go through the entire site.  Their web site is: www.heart mountain.org

I snapped a few more photos before I took off.

I stopped for gas in Powell and then headed along Hwy14A through Byron, Lovell, and then across the prairie on my way to the mountains.

When the road headed up the mountain, it got seriously steep and twisty all at the same time.  Sections of the road were warned to be “rough” and that was no lie as for several miles, large sections of the pavement were simply missing.  I was able to navigate around those.  I finally found a spot nearing the top where I could stop for a few photos.

Check out that road!

Look down below.  That’s the road I just came up.

While there, I looked out in the other direction toward the southeast.

Of course, bike photos are required.

I found a survey marking nearby.

When I got to the top, I pulled over to get a photo of this sign that showed what I’d just come up and warnings for those headed down.

And what would a ride be like without being stopped for road construction?

While waiting, why not another photo of the bike?

The next stretch was a long downhill ride into Dayton, WY.  I stopped for some pictures about halfway down.

The twisties into Dayton were great.  I went through that town and then to Ranchester.  I’d already made the decision to take the “Slab,” AKA I-90, back to Billings.  It was getting late the the 2-lane road just follows the slab so, what the heck.  I set the cruise control to 75 and just relaxed.  When I got to Lodge Grass, MT, I pulled off for a snack and water break.

I gassed up in Hardin and the only issue riding from there was that the road heads pretty much due west and right into that late-afternoon sun making vision a challenge.  But I make it back in one piece without incident.

It was a 346.8 mile day.  Here’s the map, however, it shows me taking the 2-lane from Hardin to Billings but I took I-90.

The 2022 Adventure - Table of Contents

To make the posts for my 2022 Adventure easier to navigate, I am including this Table of Contents:

Day 1 - Billings to Wendover Campground

Day 2 - Wendover to Grand Coulee

Day 3 - To Blaine, Washington

Day 4 - To Sequim, WA

Day 5 - In Sequim

Day 6 - To Oregon City, OR

Day 7 - In Oregon City

Day 8 - To Bates State Park

Day 9 - Twists and Curves

Day 10 - Back to Billings

The Wrap Up

2022 Adventure - The Wrap Up

September 22, 2022

Now that I’m back and somewhat decompressed, it’s time to makes some notes about the experience.

Well, for one thing, at 10 days, it was too short.  The three week trip I took last summer was just about right but, as I wrote about in the first post, this summer got complicated and the 10-day window was all I had.  I feel that I made the best of it.  I checked the boxes I had set for the original trip: 

- I rode Hwy 20 through the cascades

- I went to the Northwest corner of the lower 48 in Blaine, WA

- I rode a ferry in Washington

- I visited family in Sequim

- I rode the western edge of Washington state

- I visited a friend in Oregon City

- I rode Hwy 26 through eastern Oregon

- I rode along the Salmon River

Interestingly, when I planned the original route, a loop, I was doing it clockwise and I ended up doing it in reverse.  I don’t really have an explanation for why I made the change but it worked out fine.

After a trip I always think about what I brought and didn’t use and what I should bring next time.  There are some items I brought and didn’t use that I’d bring again such as my tools and tire patch kit but I had pared things down quite a bit from last year.  This time I’d brought a tie-down strap in case I needed it for the ferry ride but didn’t and wouldn’t bring it again.  I brought a knife and fork but all I ever used was a spoon.  I have a mess kit but only use the pot and lid but it packs small and convenient so I’d bring it again.  I brought bear spray and, luckily, didn’t have to use that.  I had mosquitoes spray but never saw one of them.  Pretty much everything else was used at least once.

On my list of what I’d bring next time is tea.  I don’t drink coffee but a cup of hot herbal tea in the morning would be nice.  A knit hat and gloves would have been welcome on those chilly mornings but my heavy riding gloves worked.  Next time I’d find room for a welcome mat.  I have a yoga mat that I’ve cut up to use in an upholstery project and a 12” x 18” piece would pack easily and would be handy for standing on when changing shoes, sitting on a wet bench, or just outside the tent.  

I don’t have much to say about the bike itself.  It ran great and rode well.  I kept an eye on my tires and they about due for a change.  I put them on in Pittsburgh last year and and now have almost 10,000 miles on them which is pretty good.  Motorcycle tires don’t last as long as car tires and I’ve read that some guys go through a set in 6,000 miles or so.  I’ll order a set and get them mounted this winter.  Here they are today:

Front.

Rear.

That front is wearing funny but not the severe cupping I had on the stock tire, a Bridgestone, that I had last year.  A set of tires like these Michelins is about $500 which is pretty inexpensive considering the fun they provide.

I continued to be impressed by the design and engineering of this machine.  It is so reliable and performance goes way beyond what I demand.  I am a fairly timid rider who is becoming less timid with experience and have started using “Sport” mode which makes the throttle extremely responsive and feel like it is twice the power that it does in “Tour” mode.  On those twisty roads, “Sport” is the way to go.

I’m hooked on having cruise control.  While not a good idea to utilize on the twists and turns, on the straighter roads it gives my hands and wrists a welcome rest.  I know that I have a carpel tunnel issue, having been diagnosed decades ago, and have dealt with it by frequent resting when doing hand-intensive work, but on the bike, that is not always possible.  The cruise control offers that rest but I return from this trip with a fair amount of tingling in the right hand and think that a surgical fix might be in my future.  If it extends the enjoyment of my time riding, I’d consider it.

I will mention the only loss I experienced and that was of a small bag I carried that was retained by a cargo net.  I had no problem last year or this year until the last day when it disappeared off the bike somewhere between Butte and Bozeman.  The bag itself had no value but it contained my rain paints, sleeping pad, lightweight gloves, and a couple RokStraps.  I think that the wind rattled it and it worked its way through the mesh of the net.  Lesson learned.  RokStraps on everything.  At least the contents are easily replaced and if this was the only negative on the ride, that’s not too bad. No one died.

The day after returning, I cleaned up everything, aired out the tent, and got it all repacked in labeled boxes, ready to go for the next trip, destination to be determined.  Then the bike got a good bath.  Cleaning off the remains of insects always takes some time.  The Bart the Dog kept me company as I got the bike looking sharp again.

That’s pretty much it.  I look forward to the next long rides, probably to check off the other two corners of the country, Key West, FL and San Ysidro, CA.

2022 Adventure - Day 10 - Back to Billings

September 20, 2022

It was a chilly morning in the Upper O’Brien campground along the Salmon River.  When I finally did get up, I checked the air temperature on the bike’s readout and it was 33 degrees.  I did bring warm clothes but was at the lower range of what I needed.  I put everything on and went out for a walk to get the blood moving.  I’d slept OK with the sound of the river nearby and almost no traffic overnight on the nearby road.  The sun eventually started lighting up the tree tops and I was ready for a long day’s ride.  Some views from around there.

It warmed up to the low-40s by 8:45 so it was time to go.  This is the road out and what I was on for quite a while.

Eventually the twisty forest road gave way to open country as it continued to follow the Salmon River.  With the morning light, these hills are just beautiful.

Riding vs. stopping to take pictures is always a tough decision but after the ride, I'm always glad that I took them.

Then, in the middle of nowhere, I passed by a place with an old car for sale.  I’d usually just keep going but this was a Volvo so I turned around and went back to check it out. It looks like a pretty good deal.  It’s too bad that I can’t tow a trailer with my bike.

The road beckons.

In Salmon, ID, I stopped for gas and set up a route to Billings on my phone.  It had me head south to Tendoy and take a road there that heads east.  OK, I did the 20-mile ride only to find out that the road there is gravel.  No thanks.  I headed back to Salmon and stopped for lunch.  

I rode Hwy 93 north and it was great with lots of twists going up to a mountain pass.  At the top was a rest stop at the turn to the Lost Trail Ski Area.  I took a break.

As I turned onto Hwy 43, the voice navigator said “Welcome to Montana.”  The road traveled through the forest before it opened up to the Big Sky, adjacent to the Big Hole National Battlefield.  Time for a few more photos.

I passed through Wisdom, MT and then stopped in Divide for a photo.

A word about weather.  On this trip I’ve had, mostly, really nice weather, the rain and hail in the Cascades aside, and the one thing I haven’t contended with is wind.  As soon as I got back into Montana’s open country, I was hit with a strong crosswind from the north.  It’s hard to ride in that and I actually changed my course a bit to go through a canyon that added 5 miles to the ride just to get a wind break.

It was already getting late in the day so I had to make some decisions.  If I stuck to riding 2-lane roads I would be going through countryside after dark with a higher likelihood of encountering wildlife.  That, on a motorcycle, can be fatal.  The alternative was to grab Interstate 15 and take it 20 miles north to Butte and then take I-90 back to Billings.  That seemed to be the wiser choice so that’s what I did.

I stopped for gas in Butte, layered up, and then headed east.  The traffic was very light but the temperature was dropping, about 48 when I went over the pass out of Butte.  Things went fine and I made it across Bozeman Pass only to pick up some rain in Livingston that didn’t let up until I got to Big Timber.  It wasn’t heavy but it was steady and it was getting dark.

I stopped for gas in Columbus and pretty much cruised easily the rest of the way home.  My wife tracks me with the AirTag I have on the bike and she had the garage door open and ready for me to pull in when I arrived.

It was a 528 mile day and a total of 2,694 miles for the trip.  I was gone for 10 days and 8 of them were on the road which averages to 336 miles per day.