Week Five and Home

West 2013 - WEEK FIVE.   .... Last steps before heading home.
Day 29 - Monday - 7.22.13 ....... to the Dust Bowl and beyond
Across Texas..Oklahoma..Kansas..and into Missouri..!  Up at 6 and riding at 7.. North thru the Texas panhandle and 68 miles into the Oklahoma panhandle.   Guymon and Boise City are the principal cities/towns from which the Dust Bowl emanated. Boise City is quite dumpy with the local county court house as the middle of town. As I searched the town for the advertised museum I hit one of their storm water swells and dumped my phone, cracking the whole glass face - tho it worked ok thereafter. Then I took Hwy# 64 60 miles to Guymon, a much more prosperous location, but not a place I would like to live without 50000 acres of land. The soil in the OK panhandle is sandy and rocky with none of the humus soil found in SD. The land, for the major part, was much more level and flatter than SD.  Then I continued for a ways before I put in home and started driving. I turned NE on 54 to Wichita, KS where I caught I 35 north and 335 toll to Kansas City(s). Then around to the north and the HIexp in Liberty where it was 97 degrees upon arrival. 604 miles in 8.5 hours and a total of 9979 total. 475 miles home tomorrow, the 30th day.... 1145 miles in the last two days from Austin to KC.

Day 30 - Tuesday - 7.23.13.   ..HOME HOME HOME
448 miles in 6.25 hours home thru Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin and 1052 miles in the last two days.. Thru 20 states - wi, mn, sd, co, wy, id, mt, Alberta, British Columbia, wa, or, ca, nv, ut, nm, tx, ok, ks, mo, and ia. Cool today, first under the cold front moving south and then behind the front in bright sunny coolness. Picked up two new chin strap hooks at J&P. Home by 2:30 to empty bike for equipment storage and wash. The new garage was waiting for me.

DATA.          Total.       Per day.      Per unit

OVERALL        $4156.44     For 30 days / $138.55 per day
W/out service   $3340        $111.33/day
MILES GPS      10444        348/day, did not ride 5 days, 417 miles
MILES odom     10989        Going to dinner, for gas, etc.
FUEL             $ 991.71     $33.06      46.44 miles, average MPG
ROOM            $1775.72    $71.02
BOARD           $ 423.58     $16.38
TRAVEL          $ 835.00     Including $816 service- Austin Lone Star
MISC             $ 130.43     Tolls, etc.

Week Four on trip West

Week Four of the Trip West

Day 22 - Monday - 7.15.13...... going to Colorado & Mountains
Up at 6 and off at 7:15 on Hwy 128 which runs along the south side of Arches NP and the Colorado River. Then  I 70 which runs to Grand Junction and Whitewater Colorado again intercepting the Colorado River at it source. Then I turned south down # 141-145 past our first uranium mine and the first Super fund cleanup site.
The canyon narrowed and the sides were sheer.  On the way to Ridgway on #62 I crossed a 9k' pass. At Ridgway I turned onto Hwy 550 to Ouray and  Durango. Ouray is such a beautiful place... I could live there! After Ouray I went over three major passes -  the first pass was 11081' almost on the divide,  the second was 10.9' and the third was 10.2'. I have no picture of the third pass as it was raining like hell. I slowed and all the cars I had passed, passed me. Beyond Ouray was where I took a great riding picture of Marnie. The clouds held but the rain ceased after 20 miles. It was dry into Durango so I moved on. But another downpour re-soaked me, so I stopped for an hour along with 10 other riders. When the rain let up a little, I pressed on to Pagosa Springs (short of my goal of South Fork). Dried out and dried my clothes. 7500+ feet having ridden 401 miles in 7.4 hours and 7446 overall. Dinner at a closeby bar... Finally warm... I have decided to go home and after the building project is completed we will take a car to go to Austin cuz I am tired and it is very warm in Texas.

Day 23 - Tuesday - 7.16.13   .....on to the Divides...
Up at 6 and ready by 7:15.. Wolf Creek Pass.. 10,856' ...1st divide......I rode it in Oct '11 on the way to California. then... Spring Creek Divide... at 10898'... On  Hwy 149.... Which is the head waters area for the Rio Grande.
Then ... a higher pass- Slumguillon - but not a divide... 11530'


Then the third divide - Monarch Pass - which Marnie and I rode years ago... 11312'... On Hwy 50..

And finally, 20 miles from Aspen and the highest... 12095'... On Hwy 82..

These 4 bring the total to 19 Divide rides, including an Arctic and a canyon Divide. One more tomorrow before leaving the Rockies.

Rode two passes - Wolf Creek on 160 and Spring Creek on 149.  Monarch on 50 and Independence on 82 .... In Gunnison tonite..got here and checked into HIexp by noon, gassed up and went to ride two more passes ... Colorado amazingly green compared to it neighbors in both direction. WV was know for rusting junk cars in the yard..they do not exits in WV however .. but there are rusting, old junk vehicles and equipment around the ranches in CO and NM. 429 miles in 8 hours and a total of 7871 miles. News now and the Tour later...Changed my mind and will go to Austin to visit Kelzie- Taos...Guymon..Abilene.. Austin.... Gunnison is 7700 feet high and I slept very well.

Day 24 - Wednesday - 7.17.13.   To the Dust Bowl area of Oklahoma
Changed my mind when I realized I was only 600 miles from Austin and I could get service on Friday- so I turned south, went cross country, and ended in Lubbock which is 388 miles from Lone Star BMW.

Up at 6:30 and off at 7:45 finding my gps power did not come on. Finagled til I got power and fixed it tonite - broken wire. Chilly but bright. 30 miles down the road I went over my 20th divide ride - 10135' over North Cochetopa Pass. Rode on to Hwy# 285 and Alamosa and on to #64 to Taos all above 6K'. Before Taos I crossed the Rio Grande gorge- unbelievably deep, but no picture as I could not walk back to the middle of the long bridge. Then into the San Christo Mountains #64 and went over a pass of 9100' and 8500'. Passed Philmont, the Boy Scout reservation, alone the desert area. Thereafter, the terrain changed and the fields had a grass cover without desert fauna and was on the Prairie after Cimarron, NM. When I checked my gps I discover I was only 600 miles from Austin, much closer by 300 miles than I had guessed, so I called and moved my schedule for service up to Friday. Will go to Guymon on the way home. I rode to Clovis NM and crossed into TX. Then it began to rain and I was rewetted many time in the next 180 miles to Lubbock. It is raining hard so I can't go to dinner.  588 miles in 9.5 hours of riding to a total of 8459 miles.

Day 25 - Thursday - 7.18.13.    On to Austin and Kelzie's.
Up at 4:47 cuz on the western edge of the Central time zone in Lubbock of which I was unaware. Misting rain at the start but quickly cleared. Texas has good roads and great speed limits, but beyond that it has nothing for which it should be a state- the territory of texas.... The closer to Austin the higher the temperature as I rode cross country on state roads according to my gps. I rode thru a windmill farm of thousands of fans generating electricity... I have never seen so many in one location. Once I checked my bike into Lone Star BMW for service, I had to wait for Kelzie's arrival...what part of six messages that I would arrive at 3:00 did the kid not understand. Rode 388 miles in 5.25 hrs and 8800+ overall. As I was standing there my glasses lens fell out... We scoured the town for a glasses place for repair and found it across the street from K's apartment. Checked up on emails and did laundry. Which Wich for dinner..umh!

Days 26-27 - Friday and Saturday - 7.19-20.13
Nice days with much discussion about the future. Breakfast of frozen cherries, granola and my yogurt was great. Kelzie rode her bike inside for 1 hour...her workouts are shortened due to injuries in a running fall on Thursday around the lake. She went for her massage after dropping me at Lone Star to get my bike.. I think good service but $816 cost. Went to dinner Friday at a salad bar to counter the Which Wich item Thursday.

Saturday started late and after Kelzie ran outside for an hour and I gassed my bike. Then we went for a ride around the Capitol, University of Texas, and several neighborhoods. After cooling off since Nook's car does not include AC Kelzie went to get her hair cut. Dinner was at the County Line BBQ restaurant - stuffed unhealthfully. Then we watched the Tour..bed early.


Day 28 - Sunday - 7.21.13
Up at 5:30 and off at 6:45 with the help of Kelzie. 90 degrees by noon and 93 by 3 with high humidity. I find no redeeming value in Texas- politically of geographically - for me, after riding 1000 miles in TX. The roads are not bad, the speed limits are good, and Nook lives here - the only redeeming things. Went thru many small communities off the major roads ... 50% of the structures in the communities are abandoned..what a mess.. It does not look like Texas has the same economy about which Perry is out advertising in other states.... Depressing... Except for Dumas which is bustling because of a new pipeline. Went thru another very large fan farm. Tried to get as close as possible to Boise City so I can turn east thru the source area of the Dust Bowl.. 541 miles in 7.5 hours and a total of 9375 miles. So I shall arise early and ride 90 miles for that start... Nice to be resting and cool here in Dumas, TX HIexp. Gas tonite after dinner.

END OF WEEK FOUR

XX

TRIP WEST - week three

BEGINNING OF WEEK THREE

Day 15 - Monday - 7.8.13... on to Mt St. Helens and Portland

Up at 6 and trying to make contact with Hustons. Finally found Alka Seltzer cough and cold so cold symptoms are mitigated. Called Russell and cannot get my seat worked on in Shasta Lake, CA. Left at 8 on Hwy 12 for 50 miles going over White Pass at 4500'. I  went 25 miles on 131 to the turn off for a great view of Mount Rainier.. 

Along the road were beautiful flowers wherever the sunlite could get thru the unusually dense forest...close, tall, interlaced trees.

Up FS99 for 15 miles one gets varying views of Mt St Helens......

Along the way you see thousands of blown down trees all laying tops away from Helens and no soil - burned to the bedrock. I went back to Hwy 25 and rode 100 miles to Portland and our friends, Dick and Evie Huston. I could not rouse them on the phone but they seemed delighted when I showed out of thin air...nice talk of current life and history together from IU and when we visited their beach house hunting razor clams. Am at HIexp for the nite.

Day 16 - Tuesday - 7.9.13      .... out to the Pacific coast

First up the Columbia River gorge for a look on Hwy 14. The scenery after 50 miles was not too dramatic, except to look up the river at one point. So, I turned back and moved on to Astoria, Oregon at the mouth to the Columbia River (where Lewis and Clark camped). This put me on Hwy 101 heading south. Periodically I got good views of the Pacific Ocean and the immediate terrain. Great forests!  It was cold all day, sometimes sunny and cloudy at other times, it was always cold. This was a hard ride as the road wound and wandered, up and down- the pace changed frequently due to small towns, slow drivers and slow speed controls. Finally, I got to Coos Bay for the nite after 384 miles in 7.75 hours and 5200+ overall. Shoulders and back good even in tough driving condition. Almost dropped my bike last eve but a guy helped me and saved my shoulders.

Day 17 - Wednesday - 7.10.13      ...on toward San Francisco

Up at 6:30 to get to Fort Bragg, CA HIexp. Got to ride the coast on 101 with continued views of the Pacific not readily available yesterday- beautiful. Cold and clear. All of a sudden fog....and cold - freezing! I was riding the "Highway of Redwoods" thru several groves on the bypass- Drugy Scenic Parkway. Then a long period to the Rockefeller Forest and the "Avenue of the Giants". The trees are so huge and close together- to say nothing about the amazing height. I had dinner with two grads working for the CA forest service marking and putting for bid state pine and redwoods. As I proceeded down the Avenue the temperature rose from 50s to 98 degrees... Hot.. hot... so I stripped down. Then I hit CA #1 which goes up to 1800' over the Coastal Range mountains and down to sea level ....and the temperature fell to the 40s....cold... freezing..adding clothes. I then hit the coast again and the foggy views were coldly beautiful.... Arrived to heat my room and rest.. Nice but demanding ride in the Coastal Range and in the Redwoods. Dinner at a bar with calzone, with WW points. 368 miles in 8 hours of gawking.

Day 18 - Thursday - 7.11.13.  San Francisco and the Wharf (for free)

After the weather changes and thinking about crossing the desert from San Diego to Austin, I have decided to change directions. I will go from San Francisco to Grand Junction CO, crossing Nevada and Utah in the central areas but far north of the southern route. Back into the Rockies I shall go south on the continental divide to Santa Fe and Austin, stopping in Oklahoma Dust bowl areas to give Nook time to clean her apartment.

Up at 6 and left in the cold and moist coastal conditions at 7:15. Rode 176 miles on CA #1.

Stopped in Mendocino,  the town we visited in '76 and near which we camped in the same kind of weather as today. What a ride...up-down, left-right with many turnouts to save my passing. Eucalyptus and redwoods line the road in some areas and I can still smell the eucalyptus. One stretch required riding 500 feet up from the straight down ocean without guard rails. Views were limited but dramatic. Towns of few people were numerous and closer to SF there was some cattle farming. After some suburb driving I hit the Golden Gate Bridge and entered San Francisco very tired and sore from the very demanding ride in cold weather. After checking in and arranging parking, I took a 20 mile trip around the city and its parks, including the underside of the Oakland Bay Bridge. After complaining about the quality of this facility- no wifi in the rooms, 18 TV stations without MSNBC and the tour, not being told but charged $45 to park my bike, and being refused to, got my free nite back- I walked to the Wharf and ate. Within points I had clam chowder & fried calamari. They compted my parking and put some points on my account 25% of a free nite. Over at the cable car the line was a block long and I am not a  consummate "waiter" so I moved on after talking with some Swiss people. The number of foreign speakers here is amazing. Nice ride today...one of the best of the trip in spite of the cold. Walked 16 blocks in two slow sessions- one for dinner on the wharf and to see the cable car, and one for Carmel corn.

Day 19 - Friday - 7.12.13    South to Santa Cruz, Yosemite, & NV

Up and out of here... Good riddance!  Paid my ticket to Wyoming... Started in San Francisco at sea level. Went down CA1 on the Cabarilla Hwy 60 miles to Santa Cruz out of San Francisco and along the ocean. Then East to Merced on 152 for 120 miles thru the truck farm area at 100'. Rode to Mariposa for gas and on to Yosemite National Park at 4200' on 140. Cold to SC and then very hot until 7000'. Leaving the valley I climbed to over 9800'. Then down to Mariposa from 8100' for gas before starting across the high desert above 5k' on 120. This is the area where we packed to 10k'+ in the late '70s with the Downings. Picked up gas in Lee Vining on 120 and Tonopha while riding 300 miles of high desert on route 6. 13 miles from Ely it started to rain for about 5 miles and on arrival met Hwy 50 (same as thru Salem WV). On the road I saw two does and four fawns, all very dark, thick hair which made the fawn white spots stand out.  They ran down the road with me until they figured out where mom was and doubled back. At the Ramada Inn in Ely at 6000 feet after 654miles in 11.5 hours and 6670 total miles so far. Very comfortable above 7k'. 

Day 20 - Saturday - 7.13.13.      On across the desert.... To Utah

Very poor nite of sleep for only 5 hours. I did too much yesterday and drank a Pepsi at dinner.  I did learn last nite that it frequently rains in the desert around Ely. I got up at 6:30, exercised, cleaned bike, got gas and dressed to eat and ride. It was a beautiful cool morning riding at 80 mph above 5500 feet thru desert terrain over 6k'+ passes. Got gas 200 miles out and rode on after a coke. The entire road was rolling and winding interspersed by long straight flat sections connecting the hills-mountain passes. The last 100 miles were colorful and dramatic formations and canyons rivaling the national park scenery.  Cool and comfortable above 5k'. The last 60 miles dropped below 5k' and the temperature went to 98 degrees.  Adjusted my seat and repaired my clock-heat indicator. Made 380 miles today in 5.5 hours, a total of 6994 miles, and 1036 miles in two days from San Francisco.

Day21 - Sunday - 7.14.13.  Rest day before going to Colorado

Up late after deciding on a rest day. Laundry and bike washed by 10 so I took a ride thru Arches National Park. This afternoon the temperature was 101. Went by balancing rock and got to the arches as prescribed. I swam and read in the afternoon, with early to bed. Race watch from the Tour de France ... nice climbing into the sky by Sky.

End of Week Three

x

   

Going West - Week Two ERBb'

BEGINNING OF WEEK TWO

Day 8 - Monday - 7.1.13... on to the Icefield Parkway in Alberta Canada
Up Hwy 93 for 100 miles and crossed into Canada and British Columbia at Roosville. Continued in high agri-forest conditions at 3000'. There was residual of the flooding from last week. At the Trans Canada #1 I crossed into Alberta, went south to Banff and at the same time I crossed the Continental Divide - from Pacific to the Atlantic. Since today was a holiday, Canada Day, Banff was packed and complicated by heat over 90 deg. The roads were packed and driving slow. A ride around town and the thermos were I stayed and swam I decided to split - lines even into McDonalds. I went north up the Icefield Hwy to Lake Louise for the nite.  Terrible motel. Very hot and poor Internet. When it cooled off I went to Lake Louise and Morraine Lake. The grand hotel is beautiful and I remember grandparents Beebe staying there. Only animals were beautiful white coated Mountain Goats. Originally I was going up to Grande Prairie and then to Edmonton, but I am so tired from riding I shall rest in Edmonton at Calder's before Grande Prairie.  So tomorrow for 300 miles to Peter's via the Thompson Highway. 350 miles.

Day 9 - Monday - 7.2.13 on to Edmonton for a rest at Calder's
Up at 6:00 and left at 7:00 up Hwy #1 to the Thompson Highway to the east. No traffic as I rolled out of the Rockies, thru the foothills and onto the Prairie at high speed. I stopped at the first town, Nordegg, for breakfast and it caused me to be so sleepy I had to stop at McDees in Rocky Mountain House for coke and coffee. Refreshed, I rode on to Red Deer and north on 2 to Edmonton - 90 degrees by noon. The most beautiful part of the Rocky Mountains is in Canadian along the Icefield Highway. 300 + miles in 4.25 hours. Peter Calder is a friend from our doctoral program at IU, 1969-72.

Day 10-11 - Wednesday & Thursday - 6.3/4.13
Lunch and dinner out- Vietnamese and Lebanese. Washed bike, cleaned clothes and fixed throttle controller. Sat and talked.

Went to bike shops looking for my chin strap clip and finally found one at the fifth shop-stop in the afternoon. In between we had lunch with a friend and fellow faculty member of Peter's at Vietnamese. In the evening we went to a 4th of July ribs, steak and shrimp dinner at the faculty club. Great meal of many points!

Day 12 - Friday - 7.5.13. Back on the road for north Rockies.
I have ridden the rockies as there are no road above Grande Prairie in or by the Rockies. Left at 7:45 for Grande Prairie, Grande Cache, and Hinton. Cold morning starting out and from noon on it got worse. The rain and mist were intermittent for the next 5 hours. It was hard to appreciate the rolling foothills and lovely forest to say anything about the Grandes. Crossed the Athabaska River.. which flows to the Arctic Ocean. Rode 499 miles and have completed 3867 miles so far.. Thanks to Peter and Judy Calder for a great respite.

Day 13 - Saturday - 7.6.13. South -Icefield Parkway to British Columbia
Up at 6:30 and driving by 7:45 0n a cool sunny day to Jasper on the Yellowhead Hwy. Very cold. I turned south on the Icefield Parkway and it started to rain and continued the cold. Rained hard, snowed and hailed on and off for the next 150 miles to the end of IP and onto the Trans Canada Hwy #1. Over elevations of 6800' causing water shed changes. I started this  morning on the Atlantic side, crossed to the Artic area, and then over the
leaving the Rockies.........
Continental Divide again to the Pacific basin. Gased up in Revelstoke at about the end of the rain and it started to warm. I turned south toward Kelowna on 97 at Sicamous and it started to get very hot.. like 90s but it felt good comparatively. Followed along beautiful lakes all the way south.  Rode 499 and 485 miles since Edmonton for a total of 984 and a total of 4361 miles. Developed a cold...off for Alka -- caugh and cold. Very sore in the neck during the rain and cold.. Right arm more than left.

Day 14 - Sunday - 7.7.13        back to the USA
Up at 6 and on the road by 7:15 to be held up twice for an hour by two bicycle rides on 97. Rode along water the entire way from Kelowna and Penticton, which by Chelan became the Columbia River. Finally crossed the border by 9am+ and went toward Twisp...one of my favorite town names I discovered in 07 when passing thru this country. Twisp is Indian for yellow jacket or wasp. It is located in the Methow Valley only accessible by several 4000' passes. The Indians used to come there in the summer to pick berries and fish for the winter at lower elevations. Tried to go over the other pass at Winthrope but it was a traffic jam so I turned around and went south. The area is very arid and only green where it is irrigated so little agriculture..but a lot of wood and tourism-skiing. The area is the Loup Loup area and 4 rivers come together to form the Twisp River which empties into the Columbia. Several rich people have houses here- Starbucks, Microsoft people, and Bardhl Oil people. I next went to find out about the Beebe Orchard (we have had an apple box from there on our wall for 30 years) near Chelan. Went to a fruit sorting factory and talked to some workers. No Beebes were involved any longer and now mostly live in Boston. However, most of the orchards are gone after being sold twice and they gave alot of land for a park at the end of the Beebe Bridge.  The Beebe Ranch is selling building lots along the Columbia River - I suspect for a pretty penny. As I came into the town of Cashmere on Hwy 97-2 I saw a sign indicating the "Aplet" factory (a candy our family got at Christmas that we all hated) with an indication for a tour.  Needless to say I did not tour.  Finally, I went over three passes, 4k' and 2-2700' in desert heat and environs to get to Yakima where it is very hot (last week it hit 111 degrees). My glasses are deteriorating as the finish is coming off the lens. Nice ride of discovery today with 385 miles in 7 .25 hours and 4746 miles total.

xxx

13 trip West u

Trip West - 6.24-x.x.13
Ride the Rockies - edition II

Day 1 - Monday - 6.24.13
Leaving Madison and Marnie @ 7:15.. Nice ride until rain started in Owatona and continuing the cloud/wind-sprinkle-rain cycle for 3 hours. Much land was flooded and rivers out of their banks. Then it cleared around the South Dakota border where there were remnants of a tornado last eve. When I passed by Mina lake, I stopped at the old cabin that was the focal point of my summer weekends thru my adolescent years. It appears the two women who lived there have moved elsewhere because of their age and infirmities. Hot until I got to Ipswich. Marnie had reserved my room at the Hospitality Hotel. Dinner at a local restaurant - omelette and salad. Then a side trip of 35 miles to Roscoe (where I found John Beyers for tomorrow's arrangements) and the Ipswich area. Saw several cock pheasants and twin fawns. 594 miles in 9.5 hours plus 35 looking around.




Day 2 - Wednesday - 6.25.13
Woke to fog.. Off to Roscoe to survey the task at hand- straightening grandma and grandpa Elford's headstones. When I arrived about 8:30 two young boys who are gofers for John showed and we went to work. We had the project completed by 9:00. Then I went to the Roscoe State Bank, where John is the President, and opened a checking account. John and I then went to breakfast at the town cafe.  Went by Elford's house several times, visited Adee Honey company with it's 36,000 hives (largest in the country), and the west of town. Roscoe is very prosperous as it now has 2 implement dealers, a lawn seed company in the old grain elevator, two other crop seed companies, several ethanol plants nearby, and several industrial businesses. Back in Ipswich I read and then went to the Marcus P. Beebe memorial library- that is what it was with no family history.. The other town museums were closed today.

Day 3 - Wednesday - 6.26.13 -  to the Black Hills
Up at 6 and off by 7 to pass thru Beebe and say goodby to g+g Elford - checked the graves and had breakfast in Roscoe. Grandpa was born in 1895, died in 1989 and would be 118 this year.  Grandma was born in 1887, died in 1985, and would be 126 years old this year. On the way in I documented the development of a huge lake which started to fill spontaneously 2 years ago when the Red River flooded in ND- I am told it is more than 10 miles long, 12 feet deep, and stocked with fish. The destroyed farm in the water is the place where grandma bought chickens, whose heads I chopped off in the morning before the mail route, for canning and freezing. I was following the Yellowstone Trail - Plymouth to Puget Sound- with it's home in Ipswich. I then crossed the Missouri River (the longest in the US) and Lake Oahe at Mobridge. On the Trail I always encountered this house and have taken its picture many times- I always imagined this was the house in the famous painting where the women is on the ground reaching out toward an old house-this house. Over the bridge the terrain changed as I rose from 1900 to 3700 feet on the high plains. I had to stop in Faith, SD for gas. Founded in 1910, this is where grandma Beebe taught before grandpa took the stage there to propose marriage and bring her to Ipswich. 50% of the land was in crops - 80% of which was hay. The remaining land was either pasture or rolling prairie.  All the sloughs are full and land is beautiful.  It takes 20 acres for a cow-calf combination and most spreads are 10,000 acres. Everyone was doing hay. I stopped in Sturgis to see about a chin strap snap I need to replace.. No luck... and on to Hill City. As I entered the Black Hills I rose to 6400 feet. 368 miles in 6.25 hrs. Then I took a tour in the Hills ending with dinner - went south on the Needles Highway thru the needles (6400'), onto the game viewing road in Custer State Park, stopped at Blue Bell Lodge, and passed by Rushmore. Got trapped on the road by buffaloes and the cows with calves scared me. So I got a car to ride along side me between me and the buffaloes.  This was a great ride of up-down, around-around and so different than the straight line drive across the plains. I developed a pain in my upper back again. Arrived at Rushmore late afternoon for the shadow time, see. They wanted $11 to park at Rushmore, so I had dinner in Hill City. Total of 450 miles in 9 hours, with 1092 miles so far.

Day 4 - Thursday - 6.27.13.    To the Rockies
Awake at 5 on the eastern edge of the Mountain time zone, up at 6 and on the road by 7:30. As I left the Black Hills near Edgemont I dropped from 4400' to 3400'. Then I worked on rising to a mile high at Lusk, WY on 18/85. From there I went to 6000' feet at Wheatland on I26' coming off 270. Finally, I was on 34 and 7K' and Laramie, where I toured the U of Wyoming.  Finally, over 9100' on 230/127 to see the snow of the Snowy Range of the Rockies and on at above 8000' to Colorado and Walden. Very hot from Wheatland on despite gains in elevation. Two mile out of Wheatland and south of the last gas station it said no gas for 65 miles...couldn't they put that 2 miles before the last gas.
The trip beyond Laramie was wooded, winding and beautiful compared to riding the high dry lands all day...must take 40 acres for a c/c combo here as the grass is sparse and short. 360 miles over 6 hours. At a local motel right at the corner, at the top of my ride in the Rockies, and where I turned east last May to get from Salt Lake to Fort Collins. I have seen buffalo, mule deer, white tail deer, antelope, and pheasants. Broke down - 12oz ribeye, huge salad, and blue cheese.

Day 5 - Friday - 6.28.13.  On the Rockies & Continental Divide
Up at 6 and on 125 north back into Wyoming. 230 to I80 to 287 where I crossed the Divide at a low flat area, then moved north to another crossing (but not even marked).  The land is close to high desert with only scrub. Then west and no gas so I had to go to Landers for gas at noon. Then I turned south and climbed to the 8K' level and more desert conditions - went over 8500' and then down to 7550' where I crossed the Divide for a third time on Hwy 28.  The terrain was boring and I was driving 85 mph when the cop caught me for $100. Northwest on 189 to Bonderant and 26...The last 150 miles were the best - next to the Hoback River, along the Snake River, next to Paradise Reservoir, and back to the Snake on highway 26 thru the Teton Range.  In the Snake River valley there were huge fields of potatoes, hay and wheat. I was able to manage my upper back pain by slouching and relaxing so I kept going and made 529 miles in 8 hours, crossing over the continental divide 3 times in 90+ degrees from noon on.  At Idaho Falls HIexp. No back pain.

Day 6 - Saturday - 6.29.13.    North to Chief Joseph Pass
Up at 7 and off by 8 in lovely weather and anticipation of a great ride. Went north on 28 west of the CD/Rockies to Salmon Idaho on  Lemhi River, dropping a thousand feet from 4700' at Idaho Falls. I passed the 45th parallel and have left middle earth. All alone on the road at Salmon I picked up the Salmon River (a river Marnie and I rode years ago) and gas. Then the valley narrowed to a winding canyon on the rise and was the Lewis and Clark Trail, the Nez Perce Trail and the Sacajawea's Homelands. I talked with a DNR person who was driving a truck with an antenna on the bed... sounding tagged Salmon in the Lemhi River. I finally rose to the pass and ...  The first crossing of the Continental Divide today - Pacific to the Atlantic and into Montana.
I rode to Wisdom on 43 and during a break my glasses came apart. We could not get them right so I changed to clear ones and waited for optometry in Butte. Before Butte I  went cross country to Anaconda because it was a moon scape for copper mining and smeltering when we were last here. However, it had a new landscape due to the superfund repairs of the slag mountains - beautiful by comparison. On to Butte where I got my glasses fixed at a Walmart and then proceeded to see Butte....rain, heavy... So I sat under cover for an hour before I went up the steep city slopes. Thereafter was a race to Helena for the nite, crossing the Continental Divide again- Atlantic again, has to be - at 6968'. Almost ran up on another state cop at 85 mph. Arrived dry as no storm in Helena. Off to tour the city - great civic center and walk area where I ate a wonderful salad. My back bothered a bit on the rainy wet expressway.. My right arm actually hurt more than my left arm.

Day 7 - Sunday - 6.30.13       the Divide and Glacier NP
 Left at 8 on 12 West ...rained up hill to the divide - McDonald Pass at 6320', Atlantic to Pacific I think - and down the other side in the bright morning sun. 141 thru the countryside to 200 east where I went from Pacific to Atlantic.. On the other side of the mountains I North'd on 287-89 to Browning and St Mary's to the "Road to the Sun" going thru Glacier National Park, crossing .. From the Atlantic to Pacific. Logan Pass - 6546'. Then 50 miles in 90 degree heat to Kalispell Montana. The place was packed and very slow going over the 50 miles of the park.

END OF WEEK ONE ......

XXX