Big Horn Overnighter, Day 2

June 19, 2026

6:30am

While it wasn’t that cold, the wind really picked up last night so after I got my dinner made, I retreated to my tent to consume it.  The tent rattled in that breeze but kept me out of it.  I ended up calling it an early night, pretty much my usual time, I bedded down by 9pm.  I didn’t sleep as well as I usually do after a day of riding and woke up, not unusual, but had a hard time falling back asleep.  At one point I thought that I may have put my head on the downhill slope so I turned things around.  That helped a little.  I had weird dreams when I did sleep.  Sushi?  A pasta sorting machine?  Yes, just weird.

I got up at my usual time, about 5:30am, and took care of all the morning duties and then got water boiling for my oatmeal and cocoa.  The sun is coming up as I write this so it will warm up pretty soon.  I have no plan as to when I’ll take off but plan to be back in Billings about noon and it’s about a 2-hour ride from the campground.  That will give me time for a hike and packing.

Some morning views….

….

Home in the afternoon.

I got the bike packed and headed out about 9:30 or so.  On the way out I stopped by the lower campground to take a closer look at the road that goes up to the main campsites there.  The road is as bad as I remember and, maybe a bit worse.  Riding a motorcycle up would be a careful operation.  I walked it and I think staying to the center would be the safest way.  Not too slow and not too fast.

On my way out I saw a sign tacked to the main board.  Huh?  I didn’t even stop here because I rode directly up to the upper campground and there was no notice there.

Oh, well.

I headed toward Lovell and it was pretty uneventful.  I noticed when I crossed the Big Horn River, it was really low.  There is a drought everywhere.

In Lovell I pulled over to fiddle with the navigation app even though I know my way.  I saw the price of gas and took a photo.  By the time I put the phone away, it price dropped to $3.99.

Nothing to say about the rest of the ride.  I set the cruise control on to the speed limits and just went.  I did pull over in Frankie to take a photo of something they are build, sort of a “BoatHenge.”

I arrived home a bit after noon and I did stop to get gas before I did.

It was a 120 mile day.