The Anti-Canadia Tour

Sabbaticals rock and here's the gory details. Read along if you want to be a groupie!

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Gary A
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Postby Gary A » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:09 am

Great report and super pix, Tom! :cheers: Keep em coming.

Gary A.
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Postby Tawmass » Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:35 am

* August 12, evening, Great Falls, Montana 1990 miles: Cruised out of the crazy town of Browning (after my morning mocha from the big teepee) and pointed the purple-headed warrior southward towards Great Falls. For being in the prairies, this was another beautiful section of the country, with it’s rolling hills, green valleys and farm lands. I stopped at the border of the Blackfeet Indians and admired their sculptors. Later I came across a small tree with a huge bird’s nest in it - only the nest was only about four feet off the ground. How can a bird hide from predators only four feet off the ground? I pulled in to a tourist attraction about dinosaurs, in an effort to find Barney’s family history. No purple dinosaurs could be found, much to Barney’s sadness, however I got a chance to visit with an attractive, corn-fed, Montana dairy queen, who was washing her car. Shortly after that I was happily driving down the two lane, when I kept feeling things bouncing off my boots. I thought it was pebbles coming off the road from the car in front of me, but I soon realized it was thousands of grasshoppers hopping towards me as I drove by them on the tarmac. Weird! My boots then became covered with ooze. Also I noticed a few oil rigs off the side of Hwy 89 at this time. And look, I shamed a Harley rider into waving to me! :D I pulled into Choteau, had lunch and tried to take a nap in the city park. I think I acquired about five cases of West Nile Virus while trying to nap - the mosquitoes were waiting for me! So I continued through the farm lands to Great Falls. I managed to get a spare set of keys made for Barney (thanks for the suggestion, Randy), then met up with my friends Russ & Trish Ehnes. Russ, his dad (Vic) and I headed to the NOHVCC Office afterwards to check out Russ‘ collection of antique bikes - mostly Hodakas. They have some SWEET rides! Vic used to have a bike shop and sold Hodakas, Rokons and Can Am's. FYI, Russ is the Executive Director of NOHVCC (www.nohvcc.org). We then went out to dinner and visited the rest of the evening.

addio,
-Tom
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Last edited by Tawmass on Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Tawmass » Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:44 am

* August 14, morning, Great Falls, MT 1990 miles (plus 28 trail miles): Russ and I went dirt riding out at his ranch SE of town yesterday. He is a co-owner of the Bull Run Guest Ranch that consists of over 12,000 acres - yes, that many. By the way, he and his wife just happen to be on vacation this week too - nice. At the ranch, he has over 125+ miles of bonafide single track trails. He also has quad trails, horse trails, etc. He rode his ‘08 KTM 300 XCW and I rode his spare Honda 250X. Man, oh man, did we have a blast! Rusty is an extremely good rider and one of the few I know that likes to ride the gnarly, technical stuff like me. We put in around 28 miles that consisted of 99% single track and had a blast. We saw numerous deer, bighorn sheep and grouse. And the weather was perfect, as exemplified by the photos. And that little Honda was a bloody blast! I’m quite sure I could ride it faster than my big 450X in the tighter going. At the end of the day we got back to his house and had a relaxing evening, as I teased his boy, Cory, about his VW.

Today, for something completely different, we are going out on the Missouri River and doing some fishing. Well, Russ will, but I’ll take photos, since I have no fishing license.
Abschied,
-Tom
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Postby Tawmass » Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:54 am

* August 15, morning, Great Falls, Montana, 1,990 miles (20 Missouri River miles): Rusty, his parents (Vic & Mona) and Scooter the wonder dog, and I headed out in the boat 10 miles upstream and [they] did some fishing, while I relaxed. They fished for bass and walleye. What a relaxing day on the Missouri Breaks. There was NOBODY around and we had the river to ourselves except for the occasional cow or pelican. They caught six fish and we had a fish feast for dinner - yum!

Got up early this morning, gave Barney a fresh blood transfusion, checked the valves, loaded up and now ready to head out onto the highway again after a shower. Rusty highlighted a bunch of cool routes for me to try. Hopefully it will be entirely in the mountains, since the weather forecast for the next few days will be hovering close to triple digits - and Barney’s air conditioning sucks!
despedida,
-Tom
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Postby Tawmass » Sat Aug 16, 2008 8:56 am

* August 16, morning, White Sulfur Springs, Montana, 2110 miles: After getting Barney’s oil changed, I left the Ehnes Hotel and headed south towards the Little Belt Mountains. Many thanks, Russ & Trish for letting me squat for a couple days - I am indebted! I briefly pulled off the main Hwy 89 and went through the nice town of Belt - which had three bars, and probably not as many churches. It even had its own micro-brewery! It’s funny how you roll along the prairie, then drop into a large coulee and there’s a beautiful little village. I eventually turned south into the Lewis & Clark National Forest and the terrain changed drastically to rugged mountains and trees. I noticed where Russ’ Club had an adopt-a-highway sign - good for them! Russ told me to be sure to pull into the burg of Niehart and have a Pinske Burger at Bob’s Bar, so did just that. I struck up a conversation with the owners Tony & Sherry Juntunen and they knew Russ. Hell’s fire, everyone knows Russ! Come to find out, Russ had a family cabin in Niehart for years. I chowed down on the monster burger, and got directions to Russ’ cabin, then made my way to find it. We had a lengthy conversation about Finland, since they were Finn also. I asked further directions from Roxanne & Roy Klaus (Roy bought a Hodaka from Russ’ Dad years ago) and eventually found the cabin. Nice place, Rusty! Now I wish we would’ve went riding there too! Niehart even has an 'inconvenience store'.

After Niehart I continued south through more spectacular countryside, the Showdown Ski Area and eventually settled into White Sulfur Springs and stayed at the Spa Hot Springs Motel. I spent a couple hours in the natural hot springs - wow, what a treat! There is a historic castle in town too.

I visited with locals this morning for places not to miss (over mochas), so gonna take one more spa dip, then hit the Castle Town ghost town and the Bair Museum. May even make it to Yellowstone or the Cody Gun Museum (world’s largest). Life is good.
di buona,
-Tom
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Last edited by Tawmass on Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby E-Ticket » Sun Aug 17, 2008 1:38 am

Boy, it sucks to be you, Tawm ..... <grin>

Thanks for all the great pics. I even recognized several view/same shots that we also took on our 2006 Great Sabbatical Mo-Mo Ride!

Keep on keepin' on Holmes...

Cheers! - RandyB

P.S. Let us know when you're headed back homewards and maybe Dive, Stoosan, and I will ride out and meet you somewhere, eh!
"AYHIN"

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Postby Tawmass » Sun Aug 17, 2008 8:57 am

Hey Randy, sounds fun. Will keep you posted!

"What a long, strange trip it's been."
-The Grateful Dead

* August 17, morning, Bozeman, Montana, 2300 miles: Critters seen: countless deer & antelope, and one moose - yes, finally - Bullwinkle! Critters almost hit: two bucks and two crows. Critters hit: 2,873 grasshoppers. Those damn things have put an ooze all over the front of Barney and my boots, plus makes Barney smell funny - ugh. When I stop, the bees swoop in and start chowing down on all the bug roadkill - creepy. Yesterday in WSS, I walked into a local mocha shop and, get this, a local asked where I was from. He guessed that judging from my haircut, shoes and accent, that I was from Australia! The Croaky shoes I have are great for bike touring, but they have side effects obviously. I befriended locals Tim & Sherry Barth and had a great conversation about their state. Speaking of their state of Montana, I’ve noticed that Montanans sure have a friendly attitude and are damn proud of their state - for good reason! If only they had an ocean… After more soothing waters at White Sulfur Springs, I had a late start and headed south in search of an old ghost town named Castle Town. I had to watch the odometer roll while driving through the endless prairies, but eventually headed east towards the town (four buildings) called Lennep - as the grasshoppers continued to pelt both Barney and I - yuk. Then it was 10 miles of dirt to Castle Town, where there were signs everywhere saying to stay the Hell out. There was a sign describing the ghost town and many buildings were in various states of disarray. I’ll ‘fess up and admit I hiked to the old buildings and stole photos, even though one sign said, “Danger, rattlesnakes!”. There were still ghosts in the buildings - deer, and they gave my heartbeat a raise as they bolted out of the rustic buildings while I snapped away. On the way back down the dirt road - I actually saw my first moose - woohoo!

I then went to the dead town of Martinsdale and paid $5 to go through the famous Bair Museum. This was a very eccentric family that had way too much money and invested in antique and priceless furniture/art from around the world. The exquisite furniture, art and other displays were incredible. I then went back the way I came in and continued south on Hwy 89 - boring! Looooong straight sections of pavement, but then turned southwest on Hwy 86 over the Bridger Mountains and the Bridger Ski Area. After the boring prairies, suddenly I was in heaven again after just a few miles and the road snaked its way over the pass. I eventually descended into the beautiful area of Bozeman and snagged a KOA ($35) for the night. This will be the first night of using my inflatable air mattress, after Russ convinced me that the Thermarest is only 1.5 inches better than sleeping on the ground. I had Russ mail my (actually JD’s) Thermarest and other oddities [not being used] to my house, which helped lighten the load for Barney. Last night (Saturday) I partook in Bozeman’s finest night life. They have some fun bars within walking distance on main street! I hooked up with some crazy girls for awhile that were celebrating a bachelorette party - the natives were restless!

Man, was that air mattress great to sleep on last night - no back ache! Donno where I'm going today - whichever way the wind blows - probably Jellystone.
gut,
-Tom
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Postby E-Ticket » Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:30 am

Tom!!

Get your maps out, go to the North end of Yellowstone and check out the mud pots and hot springs just 200 yards from teh Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.

And then take Highway 212 out of the Northeast entrance and head for the Beartooth Highway and Beartooth Pass.
It's above 10,000', looks like Alasksan tundra up on top, and has just incredible roads and views.

Do it, you won't regret it!

- RandyB
"AYHIN"

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Postby Tawmass » Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:45 am

Yup, been to those (and many other) mudpots. And the Bear Tooth Hwy. is on the agenda, probably later in the week when I may head to Red Lodge for the Bear Tooth BMW GS Rally. :)
thanks!
-Tom
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Postby E-Ticket » Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:49 am

Way cool, homie! Looking forward to some pics from the "top of the world".... - RandyB

Tawmass wrote:Yup, been to those (and many other) mudpots. And the Bear Tooth Hwy. is on the agenda, probably later in the week when I may head to Red Lodge for the Bear Tooth BMW GS Rally. :)
thanks!
-Tom
"AYHIN"

Mine: '12 KTM 350 EXC-F ("Wee Beasty"); '99 Honda VFR 800i Interceptor
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Postby Tawmass » Sun Aug 17, 2008 11:00 am

Yeah, looks spectacular! Oh, and I found your dwarf on fire...

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Postby E-Ticket » Sun Aug 17, 2008 12:54 pm

That's it! Boy, that makes me want to go on another big trip so bad.... and your pic is helping validate my political incorrectness. <g>

- RandyB

Tawmass wrote:Yeah, looks spectacular! Oh, and I found your dwarf on fire...

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"AYHIN"

Mine: '12 KTM 350 EXC-F ("Wee Beasty"); '99 Honda VFR 800i Interceptor
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Postby Tawmass » Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:15 am

* August 18, morning, Cody, Wyoming, 2532 miles: Critters seen: countless deer & antelope, elk, herds of buffalo, one snake, geese, and one mountain lion. Critters almost hit: two bucks and one buffalo. Critters hit: 2,231 grasshoppers and 3,783 night bugs. I took off from Bozeman, MT (as they had downtown blocked for a car show) and headed east, then came into Yellowstone National Park from the north entrance by way of an obscure back road. Along that road, I noticed some kid on his dirt bike just sitting along side the road. I pulled over and asked if he was okay and he said he didn’t know what happened, but his motor just locked up. Look close in the pic and you’ll see a massive skid mark on the pavement - doh! They really go before they blow! He was fine and his buddy was coming for him. And just after that I came upon a trailer-park junk yard - never seen one of those before! I continued south following the Yellowstone River, and guess what song was locked in my head? You guessed it - Yellow River. As I was motoring along the river, I saw a group of people that had swamped their boat. That must’ve been exciting! It was really getting hot out, hovering close to 90+ degrees and the river looked inviting, but I was eager to get to the Park. Odd that they charged me $20 for a motorbike, when Glacier Park charged same as a bicycle - $12. Once inside the Park Arch, the traffic came to a crawl, but that was okay, since it was so scenic. I pulled over at most all the stops, beginning with Mammoth Hot Springs. The pungent smell of sulfur was abundant, as was the boiling water.

I continued through the park and the vistas were incredible! Yellowstone Falls was just as beautiful as I remember from last time I was here 25 years ago. Then came the buffalo. Traffic was stopped as the bison decided to get onto the road and just stand there. It was beginning to get late in the day and I had a bit of time to make up if I was to make Cody by dusk. Traffic was stopped for a mile at each bison crossing (there were many), so I slowly and carefully went around everyone - till I got to the buffalo. They are bigger than cattle, just as dumb, but very quick to get agitated. I admit I was a bit concerned as I passed within feet of a few of them - massive animals! I only got a couple shots, and this was while driving one handed and taking a picture with the other - a coordination challenge! Hence the reason for the lousy pix of them. I pulled over at one vista point and these three beautiful people from France came over and struck a conversation - what fun! They thought I was absolutely nuts passing the buffalo on a bike - I couldn’t disagree. We had a good time for about 30 minutes, especially telling them that I may be in their country in a few weeks. The shorter one was way cute too.

I then had to haul fanny and kicked things up a notch to make it to Cody, and ended up violating my number-one rule - no riding at night. It was crazy with all the deer alongside the road. I had to hit the horn numerous times. The next song stuck in my head was, “I’m Looking At The World Through A Windshield” by Commander Cody. On the way, there were more than a couple forest fires burning, turning the land smoky, and the fire crews were everywhere. Man, after the sun set, the bugs REALLY came out - it’s like I was riding in the rain or snow. Yes Martha, it was that bad.

I got into the Cody KOA (only $17) at 9pm, set up camp and had a good night’s sleep. Looks to be another scorcher today. Methinks I’ll head back through Yellowstone either to the Grand Tetons (the Frenchies and I had a big laugh over that!) or West Yellowstone - It’s much cooler at 8,000 feet! There’s a spray carwash in Cody and I should be nice to Barney.
Hugs and kisses,
-Tom
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Postby E-Ticket » Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:22 pm

Love the report and pics, Tawm.... but you're just killing us!

That does it. We're dragging the maps out this weekend and planning our next trip as well. :idea:

Cheers! - RandyB
"AYHIN"

Mine: '12 KTM 350 EXC-F ("Wee Beasty"); '99 Honda VFR 800i Interceptor
(AMA Member)
Wife: '22 Kawasaki KLX 140R F; '04 Honda CBR600 F4i (AMA Member)

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Postby Tawmass » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:12 am

* August 19, morning, Cody, Wyoming (again), 2554 miles: Well, I ‘thought’ I would quickly hit the Cody Museum/Buffalo Bill Historical Center and roll down the road again, but I didn’t get out of the Museum until 4:30! Wow, that place is absolutely incredible! It’s actually five museums in one: the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, the Plains Indian Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum and the Draper Museum of Natural History. Plus it has the McCracken Research Library. The Firearms Museum is the world’s largest - yes, Margaret, largest in the world! I drained three of my camera batteries going through the place - a must see for anyone close to the area. Oh, and all the pictures were taken at angles to minimize flash reflection, but I wasn’t too successful on many of them - dang. William F. Cody (aka Buffalo Bill) was a rock star! Hey, and they even had a 'Tommy Gun!'

Afterwards I came back again to KOA, set up camp and went out to Mexican dinner with a wonderful lady named Stephanie Richards from Nanaimo, BC. Got up early this morning and hope to get a full day in of riding/photos and will set a goal of either Grand Tetons or West Yellowstone.
usted está leyendo esto todavía?
-Tom
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Last edited by Tawmass on Thu Aug 21, 2008 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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