Father and Son US Road Trip- 9 States, 12 National Parks, 2 Months, 6500 Miles!

Franz

0
Jun 28, 2007
1,658
3
0
What an epic report & trip Tony ! Someone should tell your son what a great daddy he has got as I know of no-one who did go through all of this just to make it happen. Followed you on FB and found the fotos & scenery just amazing !! Looking forward to meet you soon and get a first hand report from you while we can take care of some full bottles......
Totally different to some sissies sitting on their PC's and posting one - worders & rubbish and never riding any serious tour.
cheers, Franz
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
Day 5! Today we're going to ride the Iron Mountain Road, the Wildlife Loop and the Needles Highway!!
clap.gif

afc6193d.jpg


Another beautiful day- early start, nice and cool and not a cloud in the sky!
5a758598.jpg


We take the 244 from Hill City, past Mount Rushmore to Keystone where the Iron Mountain Road (16A) begins. The 244 is a beautiful road in its own right, taking us through the spectacular rock formations that make up Mount Rushmore-
113e4d20.jpg


Riding past Mt Rushmore-
d02993f2.jpg


The Iron Mountain road (US 16A) is famous for its scenic, one-lane tunnels aligned to frame Mount Rushmore, its "pigtail bridges", and sections where the highway has been divided into single (and narrow) lanes on each roadway.

Pigtail bridge (not my pic):
144236936_9515f16d5d_z.jpg


Such care was taken not to disturb the landscape that some sections of the road actually divide into one-lane one-way ribbons that swoop and bound through mixed pine and deciduous forest. I've never seen a road like this in the US before- quite unique!
ca821243.jpg


The Iron Mountain road, along several other scenic roads in the Black Hills, was originally laid out by Governor Peter Norbeck to create a very scenic, slow-speed road for tourists. The section of US 16A from SD244 to SD89 that we are riding today is known as the Peter Norbeck Memorial Byway in honor of the governor.
ba0947cc.jpg


The numerous small tunnels insure that there are no large trucks or RV's on these roads. Lots of bikes though! I have tons of video I need to go through- hopefully I got a good video of this amazing road which I'll add here later.

We hadn't had breakfast yet to after we entered Custer State Park we stopped at the State Game Lodge, a beautiful old building built in 1920 that served as the "Summer White House" for President Calvin Coolidge and was visited by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
06a99895.jpg


They had a pretty good looking breakfast buffet and we were both pretty hungry-
15258161.jpg


Father and son at the State Game Lodge, Custer State Park, Black Hills, SD-
d11357d4.jpg


The stuffed animals in the dining room were a nice touch
mwink.gif

76a7dbe5%20(1).jpg


My son at the Custer State Park Game Lodge, Black Hills, South Dakota
815a5bf6.jpg

Next we ride the Wildlife Loop Road through Custer State Park and play chicken with some 2000 pound Bison!
clap.gif

32041cdf.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
Wow, they don't call it the Wildlife Loop for nothing- my son and I were keen to see some animals and we were not disappointed!
1f834c80.jpg


Bison everywhere!
baea2695.jpg


There are some 1300 Bison in Custer State Park and suddenly we found ourselves surrounded! They look pretty docile but I know they can be unpredictable and honestly, sitting on a bike, these were a bit too close for comfort.

I gave the camera to my son and he took the following pictures- not bad for a 5 year old, eh??
93f1fb5b.jpg


We were kind of stuck in a traffic jam of sorts- cars stopped to take pictures of the bison and I kept my eyes open and hand on the throttle thinking that IF a bison charged at us I'd try to keep the car in front of us between us and the bison...
7c147c33.jpg


Fortunately some obnoxiously loud Harleys came by and I figured if the bison were going to attack anything it would probably be one of them before us
naughty.gif

16492415.jpg


Well, we made it out un-gored and with some great pictures. Kristhawee sure was excited to have seen his first Bison- some of them were so close we almost could have touched them!
d3d6b5fe.jpg


Kristhawee took these pictures too- I think these are Pronghorns?
7ec5aee6.jpg


Yeah, pretty sure that's a Pronghorn (interesting animals- we learned a lot more about them when we were in Wyoming).
09966326.jpg


More Bison!
54b52533.jpg


Now what is this incredibly cute critter?!
6ee833a5.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
Custer State Park's "Begging Burros"! (Aka Feral Donkeys)
222c4d87.jpg


These affable creatures are superficially similar to donkeys, but are more closely related to the African wild ass, which survives in semi-arid scrub and grasslands of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. This makes them well-suited to survival in the water-stressed Black Hills.
24296afc.jpg


Despite all the warnings about not approaching "wild" animals, it was pretty apparent that these burros aren't terribly "wild".
048841f0.jpg


Kristhawee and one of the Black Hills Begging Burros
icon10.gif

fabe5475.jpg


Very cute animals-
30e7493f.jpg


Even though Kristhawee didn't have any food for them, they didn't seem to mind his company-
b5f650a9.jpg


Two kids checking each other out-
a8b1da57.jpg


Wanna be my friend??
dd585f2a.jpg


This one, with nostrils flared and eyes wide, looks like he's thinking about taking my hand off
mwink.gif

e849889b.jpg


We survived the burros, continued on and enjoyed the rest of the Wildlife Loop-
e8770bed.jpg


Next up- the Needles Highway!!
ad7887fa.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
Hard to believe, but the Needles Highway was even more impressive than the Iron Mountain road!

Time to fire up the GoPro (though it's going to take me a while to edit videos)
dc68ae2b.jpg


Like the Iron Mountain road the Needles Highway is very narrow, has lots of sharp hairpin turns, low tunnels and the road has very little traffic. The first of many tunnels that were blasted through solid granite back in the 1920's-
c4bfb69f.jpg


Over the shoulder shot of the tunnel we just rode through-
fb90b2a6.jpg


14 miles long, the Needles Highway winds through pine and spruce covered mountains and the amazing granite "needles" for which the area is famous. In this pic you can see the Cathedral Spires off in the distance, a massive collection of rock towers pointed to the heavens.
c94f5e49.jpg


We stopped here for some water and snacks and to take in the amazing views-
3d6b2bbc.jpg


My son took some pictures of me- once again I'm quite impressed by his steady hand-
273541c5.jpg


ae7ed605.jpg


I regret not bringing more batteries and/or a charging cable for the GoPro. It's getting pretty old and the battery doesn't seem to last much more than an hour. It ran out of juice about this time so from here on I was snapping pics with the Canon while riding. Perhaps not the safest way to ride, but that Beemer pretty much drives itself ;)
0846ee4d.jpg


Interesting history about the Needles Highway- I'd assumed it was built by the Civilian Conservation Core in the 19030's as part of Franklin D Roosevelt's "New Deal", but I was wrong.

South Dakota Governor Peter Norbeck wanted to simultaneously preserve and provide access to some of the most beautiful regions of the Black Hills. In 1919, he designed the route for the Needles Highway, a road that many engineers deemed impossible to build. Two years and 150,000 pounds of dynamite later, the road was opened to automobiles.
7b7cceef.jpg


Simply amazing!
b6ec646d.jpg


455e6611.jpg


I wonder what the purpose of this little "cave" is?
2c6bf0c0.jpg


Some steep grades, lots of hairpin turns and blind corners- brilliant!
e37bb9db.jpg


Approaching another tunnel with blind entrance. One has to remember that this is a two-way road!
b3fed7a5.jpg


You have to be pretty careful and sound your horn before entering a tunnel lest you meet someone else coming the other way-
1f4ea084.jpg


More twists and turns-
39f4cf5c.jpg


Eventually we arrive at Sylvan Lake- it's mid-afternoon, pretty hot, Kristhawee decides that it's time for a swim!!
6ff6a804.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
It's a hot day, but the water is COLD!
eekers.gif

0a32020d.jpg


We swam out to the rock island you see in the picture above. (Remember our mission to re-teach Kristhawee how to swim?)
deal.gif

91a5bd2f.jpg


C'mon in! The water's FINE!
naughty.gif

91d48b9d.jpg


Oh my, underage babe alert
lol8.gif

62594c85.jpg


If admiring beautiful girls is a crime, let me be guilty!!
yelrotflmao.gif

be6c9fb5.jpg


Kristhawee is.... um... doing laundry??
42cbcccb.jpg


Oh, no, silly me, he's making a weapon!
lol8.gif

67c12279.jpg


Ok little dude- let's rumble!
c0cb4b22.jpg


Making friends on the beach- this family, if I recall correctly, was also from Minnesota-
319e4d6d.jpg


Kristhawee is building a volcano! (Serious work- just look at his face)
19c12fe7.jpg


We climbed up the rocks next to the beach and you get some nice views of Lake Sylvan- These would make a nice panorama if I could be arsed to stitch them together ;)
bde3cc62.jpg


3ec29e24.jpg


daa0ab11.jpg


75a8a75f.jpg


Hike a little further on the rocks and you discover this amazing view that wasn't even visible from the beach-
fb7e614e.jpg


Even more beautiful with my son in the picture
naughty.gif

895a526e.jpg


Father and Son at Sylvan Lake, Custer State Park, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA
0dce95c7.jpg


Kristhawee's feet are getting tougher!
555829e3.jpg


Having fun scrambling around on the rocks-
ec40502e.jpg


We swam some more then quite suddenly black clouds rolled in and we enjoyed a nice afternoon thunderstorm. There was lightening so we took cover. While we were taking shelter in a little gazebo-like structure in the parking lot a bunch of emergency vehicles showed up along with search and rescue types- apparently an older gentleman had been hiking to the top of Harney Peak (the tallest mountain east of the Rockies) and had collapsed...

It's not a very tough hike, but the pine beetle has killed off most of the trees which means the trail is now very exposed and it was a hot sunny day. Hopefully the gent was just suffering from heat exhaustion and nothing more serious.

We met a single father with two daughters and the younger one was around my son's age. They were getting along great and were kind of playing tag, ducking under the railings of the gazebo when the older daughter misjudged the clearance and ran head first into the concrete rail
eekers.gif
She kind of knocked herself out and then came to and had a seizure- I caught her before she hit the ground and the seizure passed very quickly but it was pretty scary and her little sister totally lost it.
bncry.gif


Fortunately there were already plenty of medical and emergency personnel on the scene. They checked the girl out and said she was probably ok but that dad ought to take her for an X-ray just to be sure. Yikes! It's scary how quickly good times can go bad. I always had that thought in the back of my head on this trip- the "what if" nightmare scenarios of crashing the bike with my son strapped to it. I consider myself a pretty experienced rider, chose one of the safest touring bikes on the planet and didn't take ANY chances but still, no matter how skilled you might be or how much you might prepare, you can never control EVERYTHING. You never know when a drunk driver might take you out (been there done that) a bison decides to use you as target practice, you blow a tire in a hairpin with no guardrail, etc etc. Yet on the flip side, LIFE is dangerous. There is RISK in everything we do. I feel like more and more people choose "safety" over common sense, to the point where many people live their lives in fear, obsessed with making everything "safe" and eliminating as much risk as they can and as a result don't really LIVE.

One of the things I really like about Thailand is that people are free to be just as stupid as they want to be. The government here doesn't try to legislate common sense. The result is a freakishly high road fatality rate, but also a really really FUN place to ride. Don't want to go too far off on a tangent, but I've been reading this other thread on Advrider called "When do you call it quits" (http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=819513) and many people there have voiced my feelings of concern and malaise better than I can. Suffice to say, the ride with my son was epic, perfect, couldn't have gone better, and for that I thank my lucky stars.

I hope we can do similar rides in the future and that some day, when he's old enough to ride his own bike that we'll ride and tour together. I'm certainly not ready to call it quits and I'm pretty sure my son feels the same way. But if his feelings change maybe we'll do it in a car next time, or rent an RV and bring the whole family along. Born and raised for his first four years in Thailand he grew up on 2 wheels and learned right away that he NEVER gets on a bike without a helmet, so he found it quite surprising and couldn't understand why SO FEW of the bikers we encountered this summer wore helmets.

I moved to Asia in the late 90's and this is the first big road trip I've done in the US in ~15 years. It seems to me that while I was gone a lot more motorcycles have taken to the roads and that a lot LESS people are wearing helmets... No doubt for the folks living in the US it's been a gradual change, but for me being away for 15 year the sudden and noticeable increase in bare headed bikers was quite striking. What happened?

We encountered these bikes at a gas station somewhere west of Sioux Falls, SD and neither wore helmets or had windscreens. The result was that one took a big bug/beetle in the face, high on the cheek, just below his fashionably small sunglasses at 75mph and now his eye was so swollen he couldn't see out of it anymore...
cb300394.jpg


The folks in the parking lot were trying to help decide what to do. Most were telling him to go to the hospital, but the biker chose to continue on with one good eye, no helmet, no windscreen and the same little sunglasses...
eek7.gif
All in the name of what? "Freedom"? Looking "cool"? Being "tough"? I just don't get it... I mean, I AM guilty of occasionally going for a spin without a helmet on, so I'm certainly not in a position to preach. It DOES feel good to cruise around a lake or down a main street with the wind in your hair and nothing over your ears, but cruising on an interstate at 75mph with no windscreen and no helmet is NOT my idea of a good time... And isn't it just WEIRD that 49 of our 50 States have deemed that splitting traffic on a motorcycle is so dangerous it's illegal, yet riding without a helmet is permitted in some ~19 States? What's up with that?! I just can't understand the logic or rational, if any behind that contradiction. Ok ok, sorry, really didn't mean to go on like that, but recounting the story of the little girl knocking herself out just brought it all to a head and it feels good to put pen to paper, so to speak, and try to make sense of it all.

On with the ride!!!
f69e8ff5.jpg


Roads were a bit wet so we took it nice and easy-

More tunnels and hairpins-
0655aa23.jpg


654a3d4c.jpg

We were soon back in the sun and on our way to Deadwood!
clap.gif

ec66a216.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
What happened to the formatting in the post above? And why can't I edit / fix it?? Why does it say "HTML code is Off"?? Where did the advanced editor go?? :-?
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
It's getting late and it's been a long day. I originally was aiming for Spearfish but really don't like riding at dusk when it seems the deer are most active. Also, setting up camp in the dark is no fun- so we decide to hit Deadwood instead and ride the Spearfish Canyon in the morning when we're fresh and rested.
c2fde95f.jpg


The ride to Lead and Deadwood was quite nice- fast road in good repair with little traffic, long sweeping turns and beautiful scenery along the way-
eb70e5b3.jpg


293d8fc1.jpg


0e970aa2.jpg


ed7161dd.jpg


d7b1a007.jpg


5adab6f4.jpg


I've started to experiment with the camera and I'd like to think that some of the shots aren't half bad-
72b33a3c.jpg


110436c6.jpg


7c9db20f.jpg


92b9f6e0.jpg


Both Deadwood and Lead are pretty cool old mining towns. Seems they are still mining in Lead, while Deadwood has been pretty much converted over to a full on tourist town.
DeadwoodMap.png


Spotted a KOA on the road between Deadwood and Lead and stopped there for the night-
e78ce74c.jpg


Remember how I said earlier that I thought KOA's were more aimed at the RV crowd? Well, this was one of those types. Not a very pleasant location or site, but the staff were friendly, it was late, we were tired, and at least they had nice clean bathrooms with hot showers, WiFi and much to my son's delight, a pool and hot tub-
ba4d5c61.jpg


I had spotted a funky looking Pizza joint just up the road in the direction of Lead so we decided to hit that for dinner-
16754c84.jpg

That's MY beer, in case anyone is wondering
friday.gif


8f245fce.jpg

Awesome pizza but a large was way more than we could finish- yippee! Pizza for breakfast!

This place was called "Pizza Lab" and was half restaurant, half "disco"- they had a big dance floor and an actual DJ spinning the records- weird funny place. There was a big group of students from France there that evening and my son had a really good time dancing with them. I may have busted a move or two as well, but thank goodness there are no pictures of that nonsense!

Cheers!
8900c777.jpg


I'm full of pizza and beer- Little guy gets ice cream for desert!
icon10.gif

ea6aa239.jpg


Made it back to our campsite quite late and we both passed out in a flash- yet another full day of fun, adventure and discovery!

What will tomorrow bring???
naughty.gif
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
Good morning from Deadwood, SD!
c32a9242.jpg


We rolled over to Sturgis for breakfast and to check out the toys at Sturgis Motorsports-
fcffd6fc.jpg


Sturgis was really really quiet. Guess other than during the big rally not much goes on there?

Kristhawee has never been in a cave, and the Black Hills is full of them. Talked to a number of other travelers about which is best, and was advised that Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument are over run with tourists this time of year and sometimes there are so many people you can't even get in to the caves... Well, that doesn't sound like my idea of a good time
eek7.gif
But a few people mentioned Wonderland Cave as a cool alternative that is a lot less crowded. Wonderland it is!

It's a short pleasant ride to Nemo and the final mile or so of road is dirt with steep grades and in really rough shape- not my idea of a good time on the big LT, but we made it!
df2f67f7.jpg


You can only enter the cave with a guide, smart I guess since to this day they still don't know where the cave ends- it's that big! Our guide was a really cutie too, college student working at the cave over her summer holiday.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat before our tour started-
acb28030.jpg


The entrance (not my pic)
AboutUsStatic2.jpg


Down we go- it was a pretty hot day, but nice and cool in the cave.
ebc13d9b.jpg


No crowds here- It was just us and one other couple! Krsthawee is diggin it!
baa54eca.jpg


They leave the lights on which has allowed ferns and moss to grow-
59a8dc2f.jpg


Formations found in Wonderland Cave include Stalactites, Stalagmites, Dogtooth Spar Crystals, Column Formations, Helictites, Lobulites, better known as Popcorn Crystal and frost Crystals. Calcite Lily Pads, Ribbon Stalactites, Boxwork Crystals, Flowstone and many more.
7b1b77e2.jpg


This is a "living" cave, which means that most of the formations are still growing. They call this the "Carrot Patch" :mrgreen:
cdaf2291.jpg


4221acde.jpg


Pretty hard to capture the colors with my simple point and shoot camera, but suffice to say, it was quite impressive!
391178d3.jpg


987d786d.jpg


Hands-on geology- touching flowstone
50b9b7c2.jpg


Some quite strange and rare formations-
843f5198.jpg


Kristhawee in Wonderland Cave, Black Hills, South Dakota!
5c0f30a4.jpg


200+ steps to get out
naughty.gif

71192fcd.jpg


Bye bye Wonderland Cave!
b3e00f76.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
I thought maybe the little guy would be tired from hiking around the cave and climbing all those stairs... Nope! He says "Dad, let's go for a hike!"

Good on ya Kristhawee! I see what looks like an old fire road. Let's see where it goes!
dee45f37.jpg


4c8f32dd.jpg


Can't tell you how proud I am of my son- tough yet sweet little 5 year old and so interested in the world around him
thumb.gif

dcfc90f4.jpg


7a7f36ee.jpg


Gorgeous afternoon for a hike, loving the solitude and views-
88e3944f.jpg


e6f7c944.jpg


It's getting late and I have no idea where this trail goes- let's turn around-
fbaa0bcd.jpg


My son the aspiring naturalist
icon10.gif

adf230ca.jpg


We got back to camp quite late and I cooked dinner in the dark and we fell into our sleeping bags and were asleep in seconds.
aec4bd81.jpg

Does life get any better than this? :thumbup:
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
The Black Hills were fantastic but it was time to press on if we were going to meet our friends at Yellowstone National Park in a few days.

My son wanted to go for a swim before we left, so we got on the road rather late.

From our campground in Deadwood to the campground I was aiming for on Highway 16 in the Bighorn Mountains was only about 240 miles.
28917670.jpg


I figured even with our late departure that it would be a piece of cake.
mwink.gif


Riding west from Deadwood and Lead we passed the "Presidents Park".
c64eecd9.jpg


Then we hit the fantastic Spearfish Canyon Scenic Highway (US 14)
570edda2.jpg


Lots of other bikes out and about-
5633c4ac.jpg


This is the kind of road that really makes you want to crack the throttle. Have to be careful though- don't really want to get pulled over for speeding with my 5 year old son on the back...
4b39d337.jpg


Zoom zoom!
208860d9.jpg


I'm trying to keep it close to the posted speed limit of 45 and there are a lot of sport bikes blasting past me in both directions, so I HOPED that any popo will go after the speeding crotch rockets and ignore the BMW Land Yacht
lol8.gif

1264b24d.jpg


There's not much of a shoulder and in many places it's thick forest right up to the edge of the road, so I do worry a bit about deer and keep the brakes covered.
6f52a58f.jpg


Amazing scenery-
8395d266.jpg


The big K1200LT Land Yacht handles these fast sweepers with aplomb and I'm thinking to myself that this wouldn't have been nearly as much fun on a Goldwing... :happy3:
3d120b5c.jpg


baa8e82d.jpg


dc0360f7.jpg


Would have been nice to stop and take a dip in the Spearfish River, but we'd left camp a bit late and needed to keep going if we were going to reach the Bighorn Mountains by a decent hour.
72df92e6.jpg


Wow, what a road!
2969cf6f.jpg


Little interesting factoid- Spearfish Canyon is where they filmed the final scenes in the epic movie "Dances with Wolves".
1ecaa4ba.jpg


Zoomin'
6af03faa.jpg


70575369.jpg


Got stuck briefly behind a tractor... ;)
59615cf7.jpg


Dunno if the big land yacht made them nervous or something, but they kept hitting the brakes in the strangest places and almost wiped out on the gentlest of curves...
6d8e7a07.jpg


We reach the end of Spearfish Canyon all too soon, roll through the cute little town of Spearfish, and jump on the I90 Interstate headed West.

It's starting to get a bit warm- It's actually 11:49 am (I haven't adjusted the bike's clock for Mountain Time yet)
4194b18e.jpg


Welcome to Wyoming!!!
7b1ef5dc.jpg
 

Jurgen

0
Subscribed
Oct 23, 2009
685
141
43
www.chopard.org
Fabulous story Tony, I would love to do such a tour with my grandson, but this would be too much responsibility. Also the material available in Asia and roads would probably make it even more hazardous.

Your son must have collected wonderful memories through such and exceptional adventure.
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
It's getting hotter and the wind is picking up... I didn't think a big heavy bike like a K1200LT would be affected so much by the wind, but we were getting blown all over the place and I had some white knuckle moments when passing or being passed by large trucks.

Finally, after about 40 or 50 miles of this crazy wind I decided to get off the interstate, so we took the 14/16 which will reconnect with the interstate in Buffalo, WY
5e429821.jpg


It's still very hot-
7c237453.jpg


There is nothing out here except coal mines (couldn't see the actual mines, but could see the huge clouds of black dust that the diggers and dump trucks kick up), gas and oil mines, and cattle-
9afb7b68.jpg


Miles and miles of nothing-
c62e2a95.jpg


I was thinking to myself that this would be a terrible place to break down or run into bad weather- we went for many miles without seeing another vehicle or inhabited building.
80fd5458.jpg


5739e8e6.jpg


a68065ff.jpg


3f3b5315.jpg


Looks like we might get wet...
be63401f.jpg


We ride on and on and it's still hot and windy and I know that my little guy must need a break, though he's not complaining.

Finally I spot a little roadside watering hole, like an oasis in a desert-
7fd3e9de.jpg


The Spotted Horse! (As you can see, it's still very very windy!)

We duck inside and it's like a place lost in time- a couple of old timers at one table and what I guess to be a father and son at the bar.
4dd25ac3.jpg


Gotta love the signs above the bar- "Drink till she's cute" and "Life's too short to drink cheap beer" were a couple of my favorites
lol8.gif


I ask the barkeep for a glass of water and she tells me, "We don't drink the water around here"...

What a strange and interesting place. Kristhawee took my camera and snapped these pictures-
57884168.jpg


f77be589.jpg


bc9361ff.jpg


Kristhawee even got a picture of me with The Duke himself! John Wayne!
566742fb.jpg


Kristhawee and The Duke!
7653d2e2.jpg


It was a good thing I'd topped off the gas back on the interstate because it was about 70 miles to the first little town (Clearmont) that had a gas station.

After we'd cooled off and chilled out for a while at the Spotted Horse we went back out into the wind and heat to press on to the mountains-
f4bffe97.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
We continue West on US14/16 and it feels like this road will never end... I start to think maybe we just should have stayed on the interstate...
40301904.jpg


d3ae8e71.jpg


Then finally, way off in the distance, we spot the Bighorn Mountains!
a1011016.jpg


There's snow up there! Kristhawee is excited!
6779d9bc.jpg


The road starts to climb and the temperature starts to drop-
20fb3531.jpg


Entering Bighorn National Forest!
b9b6f174.jpg


The road and the views get more interesting-
a4fc32c1.jpg


Dunno about the rest of you, but I'll take forest over plains any day!
1c007d42.jpg


US 16 winding through the Bighorn National Forest-
023815cd.jpg


a3dd06a1.jpg


Fantastic road!
d31535b9.jpg


Can you see the highway through the trees?
20afdf7c.jpg


b2cef2ce.jpg


26c174ec.jpg


Nice and cool up here near the tree line-
71f77d6f.jpg


See the snow?
ffbb6fb3.jpg


This is the first snow we've seen on our trip and it's a welcome change after all the heat we had earlier in the day.
21d84819.jpg


b91933f3.jpg


6618b3b8.jpg


289d9e34.jpg


Windscreen is getting pretty buggy!
400743f7.jpg


Finally we arrive at Meadowlark Lake and the Lake View campground-
1e90facd.jpg


9dc8a698.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
The Lake View campground on Meadowlark Lake in the Bighorn Mountain National Forest is exceptionally pristine and beautiful!
65d0a3ef.jpg


We found a great spot in a tent-only area right next to the lake. Kristhawee helped me set up the tent-
c72bab21.jpg


This was a really cool spot- we were actually on a little island- we had to cross a couple small streams to get to this spot, and if you look closely at the picture above you can see a steam just behind the tent.

We got the tent set up just in time too because a small thunderstorm rolled in quite suddenly. No worries- we'll just chill in the tent until the rain passes.
300066d2.jpg


Father and son
kumbaya.gif

252dcec5.jpg


My son came up with this funny game that he calls the "Bison game" where we push against each other and see who has the strongest head. Believe it or not he wins a lot!
yelrotflmao.gif

d02a0933.jpg


The rain has stopped, it's getting late, and the temperature is dropping fast-
822773a8.jpg


I have to say a BIG BIG THANK YOU to the campground hosts, Don and Barb-
0bab5a16.jpg


We arrived quite a bit later than I'd planned and I didn't have much in the way of food.

When I went to register and pay for the camp spot I asked Don where would be the nearest place to buy some food and he gave me a funny look and said probably the closest place would be all the way down in Ten Sleep, 20 miles away...
eekers.gif
Don's wife gave me a disapproving look and stated the obvious, "You don't have any food?!"

I was pretty beat and the idea of jumping back on the bike for a 40 mile grocery run did not sound like my idea of a good time, but gotta do what ya gotta do.

I went back to tell Kristhawee that we'd need to get back on the bike and we were just getting ready to go when Don came down in his truck with a big bag of food!
clap.gif
Wow! He told us that another family had had to leave unexpectedly when one of their kids crashed on a bicycle and that they'd given all their extra food to Don and Barb as they left.

Don and Barb were kind enough to pass it along to us.
bounce.gif
Can't thank you enough for your kindness Don and Barb!!
DukeGirl.gif


I tell you, you meet the nicest people when you travel!
Norton.gif


There was (and still is) a total fire ban in the Black Hills so we hadn't had a camp fire since our first night at Lake Vermillion. Don said it was no problem to have a fire here, so off we went to scavenge some wood. Seems my boy loves fire just as much as I do. I was a total pyro as a kid and I think my kid is a chip off the old block
kboom.gif

4da2740f.jpg


9ce2691c.jpg


We enjoyed hotdogs for dinner, courtesy of Don and Barb, and I had everything we needed to make smores for desert-
8f6c8456.jpg


Full and looking a bit sleepy
9d59f93b.jpg


One more smore before bed-
378f4153.jpg


Our warm dry tent awaits-
1158d43e.jpg


Good night!!
dd49db15.jpg
 
Apr 20, 2011
57
0
0
hi i have been trying to post a reply for a few days but i think due to the amount of photos and info i've been struggling!! anyhow!!
wow wow wow, what an amazing adventure!! what an incredibly brave and brilliant Dad are you Tony, total respect!!!! could keep writing and praising, so i won't, what memories and what a great little chap is he!!!!! big up to you both!!!!

Alan
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
Good morning from the Bighorn Mountains!
599a6d05.jpg


One of the little streams we crossed to get to our campground- hard to see but it's full of small trout-
5a4caa08.jpg


We woke up pretty early and went for a short morning hike part way around the lake-
23f3e307.jpg


When we arrived at this campground the day before my son had spotted a bunch of kids camping up on top of the hill overlooking the lake. They were super nice kids from nearby Cody, WY who were out with their dads for a long weekend of camping. Their spot:
107792d2.jpg


The oldest, who couldn't have been much more than 7 or 8 years old followed us down to the tent-only area by the lake and even helped carry some of our gear to our campsite (it was a walk-in site). #17
02098262.jpg


The kids (along with one of the dads) invited Kristhawee to go on a short geochaching hike and they took really good care of him. It's rare to meet such polite, friendly, mature kids- my hat off to their parents who are obviously raising them right!

I'd heard of geocaching but didn't really know what it's all about- pretty darn cool! This is the Meadowlark Lake Geocache-

The Meadowlark Lake Cache

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache...3-1ada77ef7446

You might have noticed that Kristhawee has a collection of dinosaurs on this trip? Well, one of the little ones (a T-rex I believe) now resides in the Meadowlark Lake Cache. It's no little thing for a 5 year old to leave a toy, so if you do happen to see Kristhawee's dinosaur I'm sure he'd be really excited to see a picture.
Norton.gif


We climbed up on a boulder and enjoyed the silence, solitude and beauty of Meadowlark Lake-
e4493b21.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
No rush today as it's only 80 miles to our next destination- Thermopolis, Wyoming!

Kristhawee said good bye to all of his new friends and I stopped to thank Don and Barb again for the food and we roll out of the Lake View camp heading west on US 16 towards Hot Springs County, WY.
bc50e4ea.jpg


Seems half the mountain came down- some serious roadworks and, much to Kristhawee's delight, some HUGE dump trucks.
a40df96b.jpg


af3bd93f.jpg


It made me all the more grateful for the food that Don and Barb gave us yesterday- it would have been miserable and possibly dangerous to ride through these road works after dark and in the rain.

Lots of bikes coming up the mountain headed east-
61029d7b.jpg


Amazing views!
618aa3cb.jpg


Most folks blow right by the Bighorn Mountains on their way to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I'm really glad we spent a night here and realize that there is a lot to see and do in this National Forest. Bighorn National Forest consists of over 1.1 million acres. Created as a US Forest Reserve in 1897, it is one of the oldest government-protected forest lands in the U.S.

The Cloud Peak Skyway that we rode yesterday took us past the Cloud Peak Wilderness and is worthy of further mention (from http://www.fs.usda.gov/bighorn):

Cloud Peak Wilderness

On September 3, 1964, the United States did something that no other nation had ever done before. They created "The Wilderness Act".
The Act states :"In order to assure that an increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas within the United States... leaving no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness."
Introduction

The United States Congress designated the Cloud Peak Wilderness in 1984 with the Wyoming Wilderness Act and it now has a total of 189,039 acres. All of the wilderness is in the state of Wyoming.
About the Cloud Peak Wilderness

Long recognized as having some of the most majestic alpine scenery in America, this region was managed as the Cloud Peak Primitive Area as far back as 1932. For 27 miles along the spine of the Bighorn Mountain Range, Cloud Peak Wilderness preserves many sharp summits and towering sheer rock faces standing above glacier-carved U-shaped valleys. Named for the tallest mountain in Bighorn National Forest--Cloud Peak at 13,167 feet--the Wilderness is blanketed in snow for a large part of the year. Most of the higher ground doesn't show bare ground until July. On the east side of Cloud Peak itself, a deeply inset cirque holds the last remaining glacier in this range. Several hundred beautiful lakes cover the landscape and drain into miles of streams. The forest is an attractive mix of pine and spruce opened by meadows and wetlands.
fswdev3_008977.gif


Riding west on US 16-
9367af49.jpg


Amazing road, incredible views!
8d6b743a.jpg


55e7dbc5.jpg


7114a7c6.jpg


I had no idea the Bighorn Mountains are this cool!
9b8febb6.jpg


Held up by another tractor
lol8.gif

51b28738.jpg


To all you HD fellas, I'm just teasin'. I think a big Harley tour bike would be a fantastic way to tour the country at a leisurely pace. Every Harley rider we met was nicer than nice and no one ever gave us any shit about our pretentious German Land Yacht.
lol8.gif
Some day when I'm older and grayer I'd like to try touring on a Hog
naughty.gif

9fc5f847.jpg


Out of the mountains and in to the desert-
23ba1012.jpg


Getting hot again, but thankfully we don't have far to go.
60e00e19.jpg


World's Largest Mineral Hot Springs!
ca7437c9.jpg


Welcome to Thermopolis, Wyoming!
4aab80ad.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
Thermopolis is Greek for "Hot City" but we were headed some place nice and cool- Our first stop in Thermopolis was the Wyoming Dinosaur Center!

In case you hadn't noticed, my son loves dinosaurs- he was in for a treat!
701fdefe.jpg


He can tell you the name of just about every dinosaur in the place. Here's Dimetrodon-
91fa9bb0.jpg


The Dinosaur Family Tree- I was just as fascinated by this as he was-
4914c003.jpg


77a8cdd8.jpg


Tuojiangosaurus, a close relative of Stegosaurus, which has always been one of my personal favorites-
97f0dd3b.jpg


Some huge and fierce looking aquatic dinosaurs-
6030e585.jpg


Tyrannosaurus Rex trying to sneak up on a Triceratops-
f560ade1.jpg


Momma Parasaurolophus with her babies-
8ce2f6e7.jpg


Kristhawee took my camera and photographed pretty much every dinosaur in the place
yelrotflmao.gif

dd8352b1.jpg


We hammed it up a bit too
naughty.gif

40216886.jpg


Eeek! Allosaurus is gonna get me!
eekers.gif

82a6bede.jpg


Once again I'm pretty impressed at how steady my son's hands are- he really understands the whole "squeeze" the shutter button concept.
f2e8821f.jpg


One of the dinosaurs for which the Wyoming Dinosaur Center is most famous is the Supersaurus nicknamed "Jimbo"
lol8.gif


Jimbo is the most complete Supersaurus in the world. But he's so damn big that it's pretty much impossible to take a picture of him! He stretches from one end of the building to the other!

The Wyoming Dinosaur Center was a big hit with Kristhawee and I really enjoyed it too!
f8f50a9c.jpg
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
How does one top a visit to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center? With an afternoon at Thermopolis' Star Plunge Hot Springs Water Park of course!
clap.gif

5fbcd738.jpg


He can't swim remember. No way he'll jump!
mwink.gif


Yo Kristhawee- you can't swim, remember??
629898e3.jpg


That's pretty high little dude- aren't you scared?!
b3e2cc31.jpg


Apparently not!
lol8.gif

7448fd9e.jpg


710ff463.jpg


Vid-

Man this kid is fearless! He must have jumped off that high dive 20 or 30 times over the course of the afternoon, and of course I had to fish him out every time. I was flippin exhausted and he just wanted more!
mwink.gif

973e4e2b.jpg


I was a bit surprised that the lifeguards were cool with having a kid who obviously can't swim jump off the high dive...
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
The high dive wasn't the only attraction at the Thermopolis Star Plunge Hot Springs Park

Plenty of water slides! Little ones-
ee66bf21.jpg


Big ones-
09fb6c11.jpg


8619e896.jpg


Hot spring pools of various temperature and depth
3486eaec.jpg


64b9dda9.jpg


Hot springs on your head
naughty.gif

4f2db967.jpg

(photo by Kristhawee)

f0a7e596.jpg


The Vapor Cave
eekers.gif

bcf52846.jpg


Inside the vapor cave, hot and stinky!
6047986d.jpg


Back to the high dive- my kid is just like the energizer bunny- he keeps going and going and going!
f2aa6f9f.jpg


069b5b0d.jpg


0c3f2a56.jpg


Banzai!!!
bc1d08a7.jpg


I need a nap!!! Kristhawee is doing laps on the little slide just to my right, where I can keep an eye on him-
e0782504.jpg


017e55c1.jpg


I find a beach chair and am planning to chill for a bit-
595bbdf6.jpg


No sooner have a sat down to CHILL, we have a bit of a disaster...

My son has been doing laps on the small water slide that drops into the out door pool and somehow has managed to tear off half of his big toe nail
eekers.gif


Good god it looked painful and he was in a LOT of pain! His big toe nail on his left foot was torn right up the middle and one half was GONE
eek2.gif


As the pain really kicked in my poor son was SCREAMING and I felt terrible that there was nothing I could do to take away his pain. They had a pretty decent first aid kit and we cleaned up his mangled toe and made sure there wasn't any paint under what was left of his toenail. It looked like a clean wound- they had some numbing / anti-bacterial spray and bandaged him up as best they could, but he was still in a lot of pain.

The shocker was when the staff mentioned that this happens a lot
eek7.gif


They said that the hot water breaks down the paint in the slides and causes it to crack and that kids get toe nails and finger nails caught in these cracks. What the hell?! They know there's a problem but they don't actually do anything about it?!

I'm not the litigating type, but seems to me this place is just asking to be sued... What a terribly way to end such a fun day...
bncry.gif
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
It took a while but finally my son settled down, but he was still pretty rattled and I'm sure his toe still hurt from where the nail was torn off
bncry.gif


I got him some ice cream- that always helps
icon10.gif


Then I asked him what he wanted to do- go back to the motel and chill, or ride on my back and go see the famous "Swinging Bridge".

He said we wanted to see the bridge. Good on ya Kristhawee- most kids would have called it a day; you are a seriously tough 5 year old!

It's a nice little hike through hot spring rainbow terraces to the bridge-
8eddc0db.jpg


896dc9e9.jpg


The Thermopolis Swinging Bridge-
0453730f.jpg


A bit of history-
fc115918.jpg


It does swing a bit, but it's a pretty solid bridge-
990afdfe.jpg


Kristhawee must have been feeling better because he got down off my back and started walking on his own-
47872d2d.jpg


Views from the Swinging Bridge-
7d24714c.jpg


9e2fcf11.jpg


We walked around the park-
e0623ade.jpg


75d829e9.jpg


Really cool Bison "sculpture" in the playground-
40876c2d.jpg


Kristhawee took a picture of me on the Bison; he wasn't keen to climb up with his injured foot.
a4c74b7e.jpg


be4a0d56.jpg


Another full day! After the Star Plunge, Swinging Bridge and Rainbow Terraces it was time to find some dinner.

First I picked up some first aid supplies for Kristhawee's foot. I worried about infection and hoped that as long as we kept it clean he would be ok. I also wasn't sure if he'd be able to get his hiking boots on the next day...

We hit a burger / ice cream shack for dinner-
50d30d53.jpg


It was yet another LONG day, full of excitement, discovery and a bit of drama too! Kristhawee looks exhausted, as well he should-
611bafbd.jpg


Back to our motel, cleaned up and dressed his injured foot, and he got to watch some cartoons on TV but was soon sound asleep.
4278e1ad.jpg


Sweet dreams my little prince!
94628481.jpg
 

Franz

0
Jun 28, 2007
1,658
3
0
Looking at all the added fotos left me speechless. I have never seen such a comprehensive report on any forum !! The amount of fotos and the comments have me wonder as on how you can remember every detail of this trip so clearly ? This report deserves to be called "The Mega Report on GT-Rider Forum" 55555. Cheers, Franz
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
Franz;282434 wrote: Looking at all the added fotos left me speechless. I have never seen such a comprehensive report on any forum !! The amount of fotos and the comments have me wonder as on how you can remember every detail of this trip so clearly ? This report deserves to be called "The Mega Report on GT-Rider Forum" 55555. Cheers, Franz
Cheers Franz! Well, I tried to keep a little journal which I'd update as time permitted, jotting down little details and whatnot that I'm sure I would otherwise forget. I'm trying to bang out this trip report as quickly as I can lest I forget some details, but I'm realizing that at the rate I'm going it's going to take me just as long to finish this story as it did to do the ride!
My plan, once it's finished, is to clean it up and publish it in a book for my son. Thanks to you and everyone else for your kind comments!
 
Dec 27, 2007
3,854
18
38
After a week of camping it was nice to sleep in a big comfy bed
naughty.gif


We stayed at the Hot Springs Inn which is a cheap no frills motel in the center of Thermopolis. It's got really mixed reviews and for just $59.99 + tax (Thank you Priceline!) I wasn't expecting too much, but seems it's under new management and the staff were super friendly, fridge in the room, WiFi and we got one of the newer remodeled rooms which was small but quite clean. Here's what our room looked like (not my pics):
c5397f29%20(1).jpg


c5397f29.jpg


We rolled in there on Sunday July 15th and it was really quiet. (In fact all of Thermopolis seemed really quiet; isn't this supposed to be the high season?)

The staff (who I initially thought were customers) were just sort of lounging about in the shade, and they nicknamed my son "Teddybear" because when we rolled in they didn't think he was an actual kid but rather some kind of toy or doll strapped to the back of my bike. They were apparently really surprised when I took him off the bike and he turned out to be an actual living breathing kid
lol8.gif


We watched in amazement as a herd of deer wandered down Broadway, nibbling at trees and shrubs along the way. At least they stayed on the sidewalk and out of the street
lol8.gif
My camera was charging so regrettably no pics.

We enjoyed breakfast in bed - I'd picked up some blueberries and other goodies at a local store the evening before and had also hit a laundromat as we were pretty much out of clean clothes. It was nice to be able to re-pack and re-organize in an air conditioned room. I realized we had slightly overpacked so took this opportunity to get rid of an old shirt of mine and a pair of shorts that were really too big for Kristhawee. It was around this time I decided I wouldn't shave till the end of the trip, so adios razor. I had the K1200LT Land Yacht packed to the gills so any little thing I could get rid of I did.

I inspected my son's injured toe and it still looked very painful, but not terribly swollen. I'm no doctor, but the wound still looked clean so I applied more numbing / anti-bacterial spray and let my son pick out his favorite bandaids (I'd picked up Muppet and Cars bandaids, which he thought was pretty cool)
naughty.gif

89cc7877.jpg

938750a9.jpg


I'd also bought some children's advil to try and dull the pain a bit, so after getting his toe bandaged up I found the thinnest pair of socks he had and loosened up his little hiking boots as much as I could. He gritted his teeth and managed to get his boot on over the injured toe. He was quite apprehensive about his injury but his boot offered good protection and soon enough he was walking around like he'd never been hurt.

I was still worried about infection, but did my best to keep his toe clean and kept my fingers crossed that he would heal up quickly. Anyway, there would be no hiking today!

The plan today was to ride to Red Lodge, Montana, and then over the Beartooth All American Highway to Yellowstone National Park.
cb5a012a.jpg


We stopped in Cody for lunch and Kristhawee blew off some steam in the hamster cage
yelrotflmao.gif

179c0874.jpg


470e28b4.jpg


It was about this time that I noticed his face was starting to peel. Weird, since he'd been wearing SPF 50 sunscreen whenever he was on the bike and we'd been riding mostly mornings with the sun to out backs... It's finally occurred to me, as I write this trip report, that on the day of his accident he never showered after spending the whole afternoon in the hotsprings. I'm guessing perhaps the sulfur and other minerals in the water may have reacted somehow with his sunscreen giving him, in effect, what looks like a chemical peel.

f276b054.jpg


Seems I must have made a wrong turn in Cody, because shortly after leaving the town we rode past this sign-
7bf4b74e.jpg


Oops... we're on the 20 west instead of the 120 north. Oh well, I ask Kristhawee what he thinks about going to Yellowstone instead of Red Lodge- he's cool with that :)
7d13c390.jpg


Stunning scenery and a fantastic road as we ride through Buffalo Bill State Park on US20-
9ced3d86.jpg


Some cool tunnels too!
240c5346.jpg


8ce00f7b.jpg


And more tunnels!
587865df.jpg


Riding past the Buffalo Bill Reservoir-
76f8496d.jpg


3fc8363c.jpg


I think I see some snow off in the distance!
82236cdf.jpg


Beautiful country- my camera does not do this place justice-
6c6e123e.jpg


2238415b.jpg


The colors and erosion in the sandstone foothills here reminds me of the Badlands-
17adeda9.jpg


Little spots of snow in the mountains. It sure would be fun to follow some of these dirt roads into the hills on a proper bike.
f77de6e2.jpg


Anyone have any idea what this odd structure is on the hill above the Green Creek Inn in Wapiti, WY?
0cdd90a0.jpg


Looked like something out of a scifi movie set- I'm totally clueless as to what it might be, but very curious to know-
099db21e.jpg


The road gets twistier the closer we get to Yellowstone-
d4c27a1f.jpg


I'm not bummed at all that we missed the road to Red Lodge- The Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Highway was called "the most scenic 50 miles in the world" by President Teddy Roosevelt.
aec0518b.jpg


Interesting and varied geology-
07e3a27e.jpg


4ddc3aa9.jpg


It was in the 90's. Some scattered rain felt nice and helped cool us down-
e45772ad.jpg


The highway follows a river up the Wapiti Valley-
f29cf28f.jpg


704ceab2.jpg


US West 14/16/20
82e10379.jpg


Getting closer!
d83520e6.jpg


More trees and cooler as we climb in elevation-
ee7ab90c.jpg


3a106b35.jpg


bf7dbd06.jpg


b50df47c.jpg


abcecbdb.jpg


Approaching the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park!
aca89970.jpg


c70a182b.jpg


813c0a7e.jpg


62735e38.jpg


We're in! Welcome to Yellowstone National Park!!
121c3255.jpg