June 18, 2023
Last year I did a nice day ride on Hwy 14A in the Big Horn mountains of Wyoming, going over that range to Dayton and back to Billings. It was a great day, stopping at the Heart Mountain Internment Center and then riding the twisty roads over the mountains. I wrote that ride up here. Since then I’ve wanted to return to that area and ride Hwy 14 that connects to Hwy 14A at the top of that range and check out a few of the special sights along the way.
I looked at my calendar and glanced at the weather and kept putting it off due, mostly, to the weather. Heavy afternoon thunderstorms seem to be the rule this time of year. Add to that, Hwy 14A is closed for the winter and I was waiting for the last vintages of winter to leave the area and figured that after Memorial Day would be a good time. Along comes this weekend in June and the stars seemed aligned.
Rather than a day ride this time, I wanted to camp at the Five Springs Campground that an acquaintance told be about. It’s supposed to be unique in that most of the campsites are away from the parking area and is, therefore, more popular with tenters than RVs.
I packed up Sunday morning, traveling lighter than usual this time since I’ll only be out for one night. I didn’t take my usual travel bag, instead I packed everything in my side cases except for the tent and sleeping bag. My small tank bag held my usual stuff: phone, wallet, water bottle, and charging apparatus.
I left just before 9:30am and took the usual southbound route out of town. When I turned onto Grand Ave at 62nd Street I was surprised to find that it have been freshly paved in the past week. It felt great except they haven’t finished the work at the railroad crossing and there is raised lip at an angle. I negotiated that and continued on to the end of the new paving where I turned onto Lipp Road. The ride through Laurel to Fromberg was uneventful. I stopped for a photo in Fromberg, a place I know quite well having spent many hours there sketching the north side of their Main Street last year.
I continued on Hwy 310 south through Bridger and into Wyoming. It was somewhere in this area where the wind came up. At first it seemed to be from the east but then came from the south and I was headed right into it. I noticed that my fuel economy had dropped from 54 mpg to 38 so instead of figuring I could do most of this ride on a single tank of gas I topped up in Lovell.
Just south of Lovell I got on Hwy 14, a new stretch of road for me. I pulled over in a rest rea on the outskirts of Greybull and found that there is an air museum there, right behind the rest area. Unfortunately it was closed or I might have taken a walk around it. It looks like visitors get to board some of the larger planes.
After passing through Greybull it wasn’t long before I headed into the Big Horn Mountains. I passed through Shell which was much smaller than I thought it might be and then started the climb into the mountains with some great scenery. I stopped along the roadside to take some photos and to mount the dashcam.
The first scenic stop to make is the waterfall on Shell Creek which is a well-developed rest area and interpretive center. There were already quite a few cars there but I got the bike parked and did the walking tour.
The wind continued to push me around but I just reduced my speed and continued to enjoy the ride. Other drivers, the few that there were, seemed to be in a big hurry and I pulled over a few times to let them pass.
The next stop is the Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark. I didn’t check this out last year and it’s been on my bucket list so I turned onto the dirt/gravel road that promised to deliver me to the parking area in 1-1/2 miles. The road wasn’t too bad but I had to take it slow in 2nd gear, trying to avoid the water-cut ruts along the way.
I got to the parking area without incident and got the bike ready to leave while I would do the mile and half hike to the Medicine Wheel itself. It was pretty cool and windy so I got out my knit hat and kept on my riding gear.
The hike is on a nice and compact dirt road for the most part and mostly uphill. Here are some photos from along the way.
When I got to the top I was the only there. I did a circle around the wheel and shot some photos.
When I got back to my bike I was feeling pretty hungry so ate the sandwich I’d brought and had stashed in the bike’s glove compartment.
About the time I had my last bite I felt the first raindrops. I gulped down some water got my gear on just as it really opened up. I wanted to take the time to pull on my rain pants but I also wanted to get down that dirt road before it turned into a mud slide so I just headed out. A few hundred yards into that downhill I felt the first hailstones. My visor was fogged up and covered with water on the inside and outside so I was riding with it partially open which let the occasional hailstone to strike me. No fun. About halfway down the road it really opened up and the road started turning white with the pea-sized hailstones that were now starting to move along with the rain water in the rivets cut into the road. I got to the bottom and turned onto Hwy14A and figured that my best best was to continue on, hoping to get clear of the storm as I descended the mountain and got under the clearer skies I that could see ahead.
I rode through rain and hail that transitioned to mostly rain for the next 7-8 miles as I headed downhill. Finally it cleared and I found a spot where I could pull over. My gloves were soaked so I swapped them for my waterproof cold weather ones. I also wiped my visor and windshield and remounted the dashcam. Since I had the rain liner in my jacket I was pretty dry from the waist up but the water that ran off my torso went right into my riding pants and the jeans I had on under them. At least I made it through that weather safely.
I continued down Hwy 14A and came to the turnoff for the Five Springs Campground. The road to the campground is the old 14A and the sign tells drivers that vehicles exceeding 24 feet should probably not try going up it. And go up it does. Steep, with lots of tight turns. When I say tight I mean like first gear tight. The road itself looks like it received new paving in recent history and I only dodged a few potholes.
I arrived at the campground and looked at the map in registration area. There are two loops withthe bottom one just to my right and the upper loop to my left. The road up was very sketchy and was previously covered with asphalt but now it about 50-50 asphalt and water-cut ditches. I decided that I needed to check out that upper loop as I’d read those are the preferred places to camp. I headed up, staying on what remained on the asphalt and about halfway up I had to pull over for a motorhome trying to make its way down. I can’t imagine how they got that thing up here. The road up:
When I got to the parking area, I rode around the loop once, looking for a place to park as there were already lots of vehicles there. Hmmm, maybe this is going to be busier than I thought. I got off the bike and noticed people taking picnic items out of their cars and heading across a bridge. I talked to a woman who told me they were just having a BBQ/picnic and then they’d be leaving. There were two tents set up near the parking area so I headed up the trail nearby and found another campsite a bit further up. I thought I might take it and when I got back to my bike the same woman stopped me and said there were more sites above and below the group area they were using and I might like to check them out. I did and decided on site #6. It was only about 100 steps from where I’d have to leave my bike so I started unpacking and hauling my stuff in.
After staking out my claim I hiked back down the hill and registered. Sites are $7/night but I got half price because of my militant interagency card. What a deal.
I got the tent set up and exchanged my wet clothes for some dry ones just as it started raining. I headed for my tent and waited it out, reading a new book on my Kindle. When it stopped I fired up the stove and got dinner started. On past rides I’ve been using meals from Backpackers Pantry, who not only have a good selection of vegetarian options, but are also quite tasty. A while back I’d picked up a meal from Patagonia Provisions, a chili with red beans but had never used it because, unlike the Backpacker Pantry meals where hot water is poured into the pouch, this chili requires 10 minutes of simmering. I didn’t want to burn that much fuel on multi-day rides but brought this one along since fuel conservation wasn’t going to be an issue. I boiled about 2 cups of water in my pot but figured that it wasn’t large enough for the chili mix as well so I put the chili in my frying pan, added hot water to that, and put that pan on the stove, covering it with its lid. I had a little hot water left over so that became a welcomed cup of herbal tea.
The chili turned out well and really tasted great. It was plenty spicy, even for me who usually travels with extra hot sauce everywhere.
I got things cleaned up and with the break in the rain I headed out on a hike to the nearby falls. The trails was muddy in sections and the rocks were slick so care was needed even though I am wearing my hiking boots. The trail ended at the bottom of the falls. Some photos.
The falls are actually lots higher but I didn’t see how I could get a better view. I did shoot this photo through the trees.
I hiked back down on a different trail and continued on down that rutted road to the main gate. I toured the lower campsites on the way back and found that the trail took me to that group site just below where I was camped. There was a side trail and I decided to hike up the steep hill to get a close look at a rocky outcropping.
When I got back it started raining a bit so I called it a night and headed for the tent.
I rode 219 miles today.
June 19, 2023
It pretty much rained all night, off and on. It wasn’t a hard rain and there wasn’t any wind so that was a good thing. I stayed warm and dry in the tent. The tent’s rain fly really does work and I brought a heavier sleeping bag this time so I was pretty comfortable.
I woke up a bit after 5am, my usual wake up time, and lounged for quite a while. I read my book and then thought about a plan for getting out of here. It’s still raining. I have one bar of cell service and checked the weather and all I could see was that nearby Lovell was raining and planned to keep it it for a while. I thought that if I was going to tear down camp in the rain I’d at least wait until it warmed up a bit. I got out my iPad and started writing this blog entry.
The rain let up about 9am and the sky lightened. I started packing stuff up in the tent and got dressed. After I got out it looked promising so I fired up my stove and made tea and oatmeal. I hauled a few loads to the bike and then broke down the tent and got it packed. I donned my rain gear and got ready to hit the road. It was about 11 am.
When I left the campground I couldn’t remember which way I’d arrived and took a wrong turn but figured out right away that I should be going down, not up, so I turned around. A good spot for some photos.
I stopped on the way down to shoot a photo of the road.
I turned back onto Hwy 14A and headed toward Lovell. It was starting to warm up and in Crowley I pulled over and took off my rain gear, sweatshirt, and swapped my cold weather gloves for my wet, summer gloves which I figured would dry out soon enough.
The rest of the ride was just a cruise. I took the usual route back but instead of going through Laurel, I turned on River/Theil Road and worked my way back to Shilo in Billings.
It was a great trip of 337 miles.
Note that I’m just 258 miles from the 26,000 mark. When it hits that I am due for a valve adjustment check, a job I am not going to attempt. Instead, my plan is to ride to the dealer where I bought it in Rapid City, SD, drop it off, and then go camping while the work is done. Details are still being worked out.
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