Retired and Trippin

We left Norfolk, NE at 8:30 am.  It was cloudy and 59 degrees, but we didn’t have to ride too far south to find sunshine and warmer temperatures.  The high for the day was 82.  Our route was Hwy 83 south, 92 east, 15 south into Kansas, 36 east, 75 south, 20 east, 73 east into Atchison and over the bridge into Missouri, 59 east, 45 south, and I-435 south to home. We stopped for gas in Seward, NE, and lunch at Gambino’s Pizza in Washington, KS. Back in the day you could buy a Honda Goldwing at Garber’s Honda in Fairbury, NE.  Since we rode through Fairbury Carl and I wanted to check it out.  Well, they no longer sell Goldwings but they do sell a boat load of ATV’s.  There wasn’t a single Goldwing in the shop. After gassing up for the last time in Horton, KS we rode east into Atchison and over the Missouri River.  The river was already out of its banks and from the bridge we could see preparations had been made for more flooding.  From the looks of the Missouri up-river they are bou

We left our motel in Pierre, SD at 8:45 am under blue clear skies.  We started the day by driving around the capitol grounds. Next we drove a loop north and west of Pierre to Lake Oahe (created by a dam on the Missouri River), to Fort Pierre, and back into Pierre where we saw some flooding. We drove out of Pierre on Hwy 34 east.  The rest of our route was 47 south, 18 east, 281 south into Nebraska, and 275 east to our destination, Norfolk, NE. Along the way we checked out Lake Sharpe and Big Bend Dam near Fort Thompson, SD on Hwy 47. We had lunch at the Corner Cafe in Gregory, SD and stopped for pictures in Ewing, NE , before riding on to Norfolk, NE. It was a good day of riding (325 miles).  We stayed dry all day but there was a ferocious wind out of the northwest.  It was partly sunny most of the day and the high temperature was 72. For more pictures from today click on the following link: https://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/NorthwardHoDay13062211?feat=directl

On Monday, June 20, we left our motel at 8:45 am.  It was sunny and 61 degrees.  We rode a few miles south to the Fort Peck Reservoir, Dam, power plant, spillway, and Interpretive Center.  It is a humongous reservoir and we had a good time checking things out. We rode east on Hwy 2 to Wolf Point, ND, had lunch at the Old Town Grill, and continued on to Williston, ND for gas.  We took Hwy 1804 east and south from Williston and were soon riding in the rain.  We checked for motels in three towns.  All motels had NO vacancies.  We called motels in Minot, ND – NO vacancies.  Later we learned parts of Minot were evacuated due to flooding.  The closest we could get was in Bismarck, ND.  Motels were filled up with oil rig workers, people helping with flooding problems, and people displaced by the flooding.  We rode until 9:30 pm to obtain lodging at a Best Western.  A long day of riding (415 miles) and most of it was in the cold (upper 50’s) rain. On Tuesday, June 21 we left Bismarck at 10

We left our motel in Shelby, MT at 8:45 am. It was mostly cloudy and 54 degrees. We rode west on Hwy 2 almost all day. About 30 miles west of Havre, MT Mel lost the front axle nut off his HD. We scoured the highway and road sides looking for the nut. Chris found the washer but the nut was never found. It was looking bad because it was a Sunday out in the middle of nowhere. A couple in a mini-van stopped and the man said he knew a guy who lived nearby who had an impressive shop that could possibly come up with a nut for him. The couple gave Mel a ride. About a half hour later Mel was brought back by Dick, a local farmer, who had a nut that worked. We were back on the road. A big THANKS to Dick and the kind couple who stopped to help. Our next stop was the Bear Paw Battlefield of the Nez Perce National Historical Park Montana, National Park Service. This is the location of the last battle of the Nez Perce Indians and where Chief Joseph decided to quit fighting. It was an interesting

I forgot to mention something in yesterday’s post.  While Chris and I were doing laundry a young chunky boy and his mother came into the laundry mat.  He could tell I was the rider of the motorcycle outside by my clothes – I guess.  He told me, “that scooter outside sure is nifty.”  I found this humorous because nifty is an unusual word to be used by a young boy these days. We departed our motel in Hungry Horse, MT at 9:30 am.  It was 50 degrees and raining lightly.  We rode Hwy 2 east and in short time the temp dropped to 46.  It rained off and on until we arrived at East Glacier Park, MT, where we gassed up. The weather here was much improved with cloudy to partly cloudy skies, no rain, and temps in the 50’s. We rode north on Hwy 49 to an entrance to Glacier National Park (GNP).  We then rode into the park a short distance and walked to Running Eagle Falls.  It was a pretty area. We continued north on Hwy 49 and Carl realized he had a problem with his trailer tires rubbing in t

We rode away from our cabins north of Seeley Lake, MT at about 10:00 am.  It was cloudy and 48 degrees.  Our route today was Hwy 83 north, Hwy 35 north, and Hwy 2 east into Glacier National Park. We had lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall café that was in the same building as a Sinclair gas station.  Carl was leading the group so this was his selection for lunch.  Ended up – it was a good place to put on the feed bag.  Everybody said their food was very good. We checked into a motel across the highway from the café and then rode to the Hungry Horse Dam and Reservoir, which had been recommended by the proprietor of the café.  He said it was second largest dam in the US of A.  It was pretty cool looking. We then rode to Glacier National Park. What we could see was beautiful but it was disappointing in two regards.  Number one – Logan Pass was not open due to snow and road repairs.  From the west end we could only go in 16 miles before traffic was stopped.  We could not go high enoug

It was mostly sunny when woke up.  When we hit Interstate 90 westbound shortly after 8:00 am it was 52 degrees.  Our route today was I-90 west, to exit 278 to visit the Missouri Headwaters State Park, Hwys 287 and 12 north to Helena, Hwy 12 west, Hwy 141 north, Hwy 200 west, and Hwy 83 north to just north of Seeley Lake, MT. Not too far west of Columbus on I-90 we started to climb in elevation.  A rain storm also blew in.  We exited, donned our rain gear and continued westbound.  Somewhere in the area of Livingston, MT the temperature dropped to 37 and it was raining and snowing at the same time.  Fortunately it was too warm for snow accumulation. Portions of I-90 paralleled the Yellowstone River which was out of its banks in many places. After a stop in Bozeman for gas we continued westbound to the area of Three Forks, MT.  We drove to the Missouri Headwaters State Park to find that it was closed due to flooding. This is where the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin rivers meet to

Today we rode from Sheridan, WY to Columbus, MT via I-90 north, Hwy 14 west, Hwy 14A west,  Hwy 120 north, Hwy 296 (Chief Joseph Scenic Byway) west, Hwy 212 north (Beartooth Highway), and Hwy 78 north to Columbus. This is a total of 320 miles. We rode away from Columbus at 8:15 am.  It was sunny with temperatures in the low 50’s.  While riding north on I-90 my motorcycle rolled over 99,000 miles.  We took Hwy 14 and 14A west. We learned before we left that Hwy 14 beyond the point where it split with Hwy14 was closed due to snow so we opted for Hwy 14A.  It was a beautiful ride and we saw some snow and cold temperatures. I had an encounter with one of Byron, Wyoming’s finest while riding through that town.  I got my first speeding ticket.  What a pisser.  THE MAN is harassing me!  No pictures were taken to document this experience. I found out later in the day, after a phone call, that my friend Gary had a similar experience in Byron on one of his motorcycle trips.  BE VERY CAREFU

We left our cabin beside the Terry Peak Ski area at 8:15 am.  It was another beautiful day, but it was also 52 degrees.  At the bottom of the mountain it had increased to 56. Highway  85 south took us to the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway (Hwy 14A), which we rode north into Spearfish, SD.  Spearfish Canyon was a beautiful relaxing ride and along the way we saw bridal veil falls beside the road. At Spearfish our group split up temporarily.  Carl, Marge, Mel, and Trisha took off north and west for Devils Tower and a prairie dog ranch.  Chris and I rode west on I-90 to Gillette, WY and the Lakeway Power Sports Honda dealer to have them check out my overheating issue from last summer and the day before yesterday.  Nothing definite was figured out. Our group came back together in Gillette and we all rode west on I-90 to Sheridan.  The Big Horn Mountains, that came into view on the horizon and got closer as we neared Buffalo and Sheridan, were beautiful. We called it a night at a new

Mel and Trisha departed at 7:00 am today to ride to Rapid City for a new front tire.  They made out like bandits, though, because the HD dealership replaced the tire at a cost of $0.  The rest of us left later and we all met at Mt. Rushmore at about 11:10 am.  It was another beautiful day that started in the 60’s under mostly blue clear skies. It was Marge’s first visit to Mt. Rushmore and she really seemed to enjoy it. It really is an impressive place. We rode into Keystone, SD for lunch at Peggy’s Place.  From there we rode the Iron Mountain Road south into Custer State Park.  We had to make an emergency potty stop for one of our members at the Elk Haven Horse Camp.  While waiting there, Carl schooled Chris in a quick game of checkers. We rode on to the Crazy Horse sculpture that is still in progress and will be for many years to come. We opted to stay outside the park to avoid paying and we took long distance photos. Just north of Hill City, SD we stopped at the Prairie Berr

We left Alliance, NE at 8:00 am.  It was 61 degrees under blue clear skies.  A great day to ride. Our route today was Hwy 385 north all the way to Lead, South Dakota and we used Hwys 87 and 16 around Custer State Park. Just south of Chadron, NE we rode through an area that looked very similar to the Black Hills area.  It didn’t last long, however.  We got gas and took a break at the junction of Hwys 385 and 79, 5 miles south of Hot Springs, SD. We rode through Wind Cave National Park and saw a lot of buffalo very close to the road.  They are big critters. We paid our $10 to ride the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park.  They provided each of our motorcycles with a colored band to show that we had paid and they were good for 7 days.  On the Wildlife Loop we saw donkeys, pronghorn antelope, and a wild turkey or pheasant with babies tagging along beside the road.  It was a pretty ride but not a lot of wildlife to view. Immediately upon leaving the Wildlife Loop of Custer State Pa

We departed Concordia, KS at 8:00 am.  It was 59 and foggy.  Our route for today was: 81 north into Nebraska, 136 west, 14 north, 6 west, 34/281 north to Grand Island, and 2 west to Alliance, NE; a grand total of 425 miles. Our first stop was for gas in Nelson, NE.  Marge decided she needed more clothes for warmth.  She needed help putting on her sweat pants over her blue jeans so Carl “helped” her by holding her upright.  He then rewarded himself by copping a feel and giving her a little butt hump. What a sick man!?!?!?  Chris eventually had to help out . . . . . . . . . .  with getting the sweat pants on, not the other stuff. Hwy 2 between Grand Island and Alliance is dubbed the Sand Hill Journey and is designated as a Nebraska scenic byway.  Portions of it lived up to that billing.  The highway pretty much paralleled a very busy BNSF rail line.  All eastbound trains were pulling full coal cars while all westbound trains were pulling empty coal cars.  The train traffic reminded C

Today we left on a two week trek north.  Carl & Marge, Mel & Trisha, and Chris and I took off headed for the Black Hills area of South Dakota, Yellowstone National Park, and Glacier National Park.  Chris and I met up with Carl and Marge at K-7 and I-70 at 3:00 pm.  We rode west to Topeka, where we met up with Mel and Trisha.  It was mostly sunny and 85 degrees when we left. Our route was I-70 west, Hwy 177 north, Hwy 24 west, Hwy 15 north, and Hwy 9 west. A short distance west of Topeka Mel took an exit to check out a potential electrical problem.A motorist assist officer with the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped to provide assistance. The ABS light on his console had come on indicating a problem.  He found that he had previously routed an ABS wire too close to his rear brake caliper and rotor.  The rotor had worn it through to bare wire, which caused his light to come on.  After rerouting the wire and applying a little electrical tape we were back on the road. Some clouds h