Yesterday we left Rock Springs early, around 0745. Our first stop of the day was a Kawasaki dealership in Rock Springs to get the front tire replaced. They were still closed for the holiday, so we rolled on. The ride north out of Rock Springs was beautiful, but mostly the same. It was green rolling hills. Sometimes the Hoback River was in view other times not. We could see the Tetons way off in the distance the whole ride. 75 miles outside of Rock Springs was a town of 1400 people. We stopped there to look for someplace to replace the tire. There was no one in town with the capability, but Ryan called Jackson and found a Harley dealership that was able to help. On to Jackson we rode.
In Jackson we stopped at the Harley shop got directions to a Yamaha dealer and got the tire repaired (see Quickie from yesterday for details). After a two hour delay and some lunch at a bagel shop (still not a replacement for Bagels & Java) we were back on the road with a much safer ride.
Jackson was a mad house. People were everywhere. We have decided that tourist towns are not high on our list of things to do. We did get pictures of the antler arches around City Park and off we rode.
Grand Teton National Park was a pretty ride. As we left GTNP on the way to Yellowstone (the two parks are connected on the road we were on) there was a ton of road construction which made for a slow and cautious ride. In Yellowstone we were pretty frustrated. Traffic was really slow due to road construction. Several times we stopped for 10+ minutes just to wait. It was only the south entrance that was undergoing construction so once we passed it; things were fine as far as the road is concerned. We met another rider as we entered Yellowstone and he commented on his riding in Alaska. He said “there are two seasons; winter and construction. It seams to apply here also.
We got to Old Faithful around 1930. As we were driving up we saw him going off in the distance over the trees. Then we waited with the throngs of other tourists for him to fire up again. So worth the wait! It was an amazing site. By this time it was 2015 and getting dark. We had thirty miles to go and it took almost an hour. As Dierks Bentley sings “people are crazy”. At any sign of wildlife people slam on their brakes in the middle of the road to take pictures. OK for a car, but on a bike not the best.
We had dinner at Bear claw BBQ in West Yellowstone, MT. It was tasty and went down nice with the beers.
The theme for yesterday was hurry up and wait and look out for crazies. We are off to Yellowstone again today then on to Hardin, MT for the night.
In Jackson we stopped at the Harley shop got directions to a Yamaha dealer and got the tire repaired (see Quickie from yesterday for details). After a two hour delay and some lunch at a bagel shop (still not a replacement for Bagels & Java) we were back on the road with a much safer ride.
Jackson was a mad house. People were everywhere. We have decided that tourist towns are not high on our list of things to do. We did get pictures of the antler arches around City Park and off we rode.
Grand Teton National Park was a pretty ride. As we left GTNP on the way to Yellowstone (the two parks are connected on the road we were on) there was a ton of road construction which made for a slow and cautious ride. In Yellowstone we were pretty frustrated. Traffic was really slow due to road construction. Several times we stopped for 10+ minutes just to wait. It was only the south entrance that was undergoing construction so once we passed it; things were fine as far as the road is concerned. We met another rider as we entered Yellowstone and he commented on his riding in Alaska. He said “there are two seasons; winter and construction. It seams to apply here also.
We got to Old Faithful around 1930. As we were driving up we saw him going off in the distance over the trees. Then we waited with the throngs of other tourists for him to fire up again. So worth the wait! It was an amazing site. By this time it was 2015 and getting dark. We had thirty miles to go and it took almost an hour. As Dierks Bentley sings “people are crazy”. At any sign of wildlife people slam on their brakes in the middle of the road to take pictures. OK for a car, but on a bike not the best.
We had dinner at Bear claw BBQ in West Yellowstone, MT. It was tasty and went down nice with the beers.
The theme for yesterday was hurry up and wait and look out for crazies. We are off to Yellowstone again today then on to Hardin, MT for the night.
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