continued:
twisting, swerving, down shifting, leaning in, fading out, climbing, dropping (not the bike, just the altitude, and then the long long straightaway of hiway 72 thru the high desertish landscape north to 308 then westerly thru the BearCreek.
oooops. before they leave the top of the BearTooth of course the silly video had to be made...
14.9.06
12.9.06
bhr9
continued...
"Theair there is so clean. And why shouldn't it be? It's the same air the angels breathe!" I know, i know that's a quote from Sam Clemens about the Sierra Nevadas but the attitude is the same. Wow, what a nice rest stop at 10 thousand feet. Wonder what it looks like covered in snow? Also, John Denver's "RockyMountainHigh' comes to mind. You see, this rag tag gang from the jungles of florida haven't been out of the swamps in way too too long. "America the Beautiful" comes to mind also.
The A. Gang headed up the Chief Joseph Highway full of vim and vigor because the rains had let up and life was good. They rode a Honda, Yamaha and Harley and reveled in the saying. "it doesn't matter what you ride. Just as long as you ride." These highways, mountains and lakes could not care less who made our cycles.
Chief Joseph took us up to another pass.
and another spectacular view and another history lesson about the good Chief tricking the american soldiers and escaping over the pass.
These bronze pieces of art helped transport your author back to a more rugged time in our american west.
7.9.06
bhr 8
While being overwhelmed by the majesty of the Bear Tooth Mountains Z remembered his assignmnet from lovey to get lots of artsy pics for her to draw.Here is the humble attempts...
Amazing, just amazing. A view that could have been drunk in all day, no question. But the call of the road and the thrill of actually puttin these mountains was stronger than the desire to stand and stare. So, click, click, click and they saddled up for more fun...
V.'s sled pointing Northwest.
Next stop up they cross the border and V. has a big chuckle while straddling the state line.
They enjoyed and left Custer NF and were excited and looking forward to the Shoshone NF.
the next stop is actually named "The Top of the World" and it ain't lying. It is a cozy log souvenier shop with cold beer and the hang out porch up front. Z bought his pin while they started to gear up for the nex leg a cruiser with his old lady on the back roll in. Just as he stops he looses it in the gravel and 10 rough tough biker dudes run over to help before he totally lost it. One of their group that didn't run over remarked loudly "Holy shit tommy, i never knew you could run that fast!" they all had a good chuckle as soon as they saw the lady and the bike were ok. they had nothing to say to the pilot cause he was a dumb shit not to handle his bike any better than that. Escially with his lady on board.
Their are lots of dark clouds now swirling around and just as they get back on the road its rain time. No worries mate. all part of the adventure...here is a little video...
Amazing, just amazing. A view that could have been drunk in all day, no question. But the call of the road and the thrill of actually puttin these mountains was stronger than the desire to stand and stare. So, click, click, click and they saddled up for more fun...
V.'s sled pointing Northwest.
Next stop up they cross the border and V. has a big chuckle while straddling the state line.
They enjoyed and left Custer NF and were excited and looking forward to the Shoshone NF.
the next stop is actually named "The Top of the World" and it ain't lying. It is a cozy log souvenier shop with cold beer and the hang out porch up front. Z bought his pin while they started to gear up for the nex leg a cruiser with his old lady on the back roll in. Just as he stops he looses it in the gravel and 10 rough tough biker dudes run over to help before he totally lost it. One of their group that didn't run over remarked loudly "Holy shit tommy, i never knew you could run that fast!" they all had a good chuckle as soon as they saw the lady and the bike were ok. they had nothing to say to the pilot cause he was a dumb shit not to handle his bike any better than that. Escially with his lady on board.
Their are lots of dark clouds now swirling around and just as they get back on the road its rain time. No worries mate. all part of the adventure...here is a little video...
4.9.06
bhr7
continued:
the entrance on 212 to sleepy, quite, old west feeling burg of Red Lodge is just a couple of clicks west. This 7 year old statue honoring Crow Chief Many Coups. Now i am a news junkie, thru and thru. I am hooked to the 6 oclock local, then 6:3o national for many many moons now, but this adventure changed all that. Z got to relive American history and walk/ride the very grounds that a cosmic culture loved. Here is a pic of the plaque under the Chief. His words on war still ring loud and clear.
Hope you can read this. Z felt magic here at the foot of the Bear Tooth and this plaque confirms that is was magic to the Crow also.
They stopped in at the local bike shop, Bone Daddys http://www.bonedaddyscustomcycle.com just across the stree from BearTooth Harley and found a nice "at home" feelin shop, just like the burg. Z just had to score a patch, pin and pic.
Of course you know Z's thing about all things black and white. The excellent colors of SS. so this front window art work for BD's caught his camera. The blue sky in the background is just a tease. The A. Gang score some required t's and swapped realities with the usual crowd that gathered around V.'s sled with the usual question "What is it?"
And off south they rode with Z wearing only his vest. The first turnoff, just 3 miles up the road a pull out gave him the welcome chance to put on his jacket and snap this most excellent shot of V checking in while at the foot of one of the most majestice awesome rides ever. Your humble author has neither the skills or vocabulary to do justice to the reality of the Bear Tooth. The climbing, the slow turns creeping and crawling back and forth across the face of the pass, the ultimate drop offs outside and rock for days on the inside of the twisties just have motorcycle written all over them. They laugh and vroom vroom up to the first lookout at 9 thousand feet.
and of course your humble author had to have a pic for evidence. Your honor, freakin a, i was higher than a kite on the day in question. Actually, 9 thousand feet high with my head in the clouds.
Speaking of clouds, notice the change? KOA's camp leader told me this morning "Those mountains make our weather, so keep an eye on them" when i asked him "whats the weather going to be like today?". In fact ridin SS in these magic mountains felt better than any high producing drug i'm sure. Cept maybe, rrr, well, thats for another story.
here are the Alphabet Gang.
Z,Q and V.
They are facing northeast and the camera is pointing southwest with the Yellowstone off in the far distance. Lovey like this pic so much it was the first one she painted.
3.9.06
bhr6
Its' currently 8am. sunday morning and i can visit here for a bit while the homestead is quiet. Picked up the "repaired" computer from the new local shop. Built a quick 30 minute film and set the software Pinnacle to "create dvd" and then had to leave to pick up Joey and Marti. On the way home, lovey calls to say "your computer is making that sound again". i could hear in the background the most hatefull sound ever of the puters alarms going off, just like before going into the shop. So now i'm down 200 plus bones and still can not create my movies.rrrrrrrrrrrrrr. "I'm sorry" says lovey. "It'll probably mean a new motherboard" i guess out loud.rrrrrrrrrr. Which reminds me. "Talk Like a Pirate Day" is fast upon us. Sept. 19http://www.talklikeapirate.com/. I think that bikers are pirates deep down, so expect some interesting stories.
It's always something. Missed destination daytona's bike night last nite due to lovey not wanting to rided in the rain. spoke with d and n and heard that they would ride over there and gives us the low down. They only live 10 minutes away. Which also means that during biketoberfest http://www.biketoberfest.org/ and bike week http://www.officialbikeweek.com/ one constantly hears the vibrating vroooom vrooooom of freedom.
now for a few pieces of items not mentioned in bh5. V reminded me of some points:
continued...When V. jumped out of the home in industrial billings montana to run into the Casino for directions, Z jumped out with a flashlight and stood behind the trailer with the motorcyles in it to direct traffic around us. Flash, flash, wave it here and there. "Hope this can be seen. Man it sure is quiet out here" Z thinks to himself. V. rolls out of the club and laughs heartily asking "how many cars came by?" he knew the answer was zero and laughed all the more.
Next. Now they were all used to people stopping, staring and askinglots of questions about V. sled. One of my favorite answers so far is "Well, it started out as a vtx." and this adventure had its share of those, but as they were leaving the SuperWalMart (after being checked out by a sweet cross-eyed, tooth challenged, chuncky girl who remarked at them" i used to think they were bad, but now gray haired bikers are so sexy". Z had his usual hat on altho his long gray beard was all a scraggle, so they all turned to V and had a good laugh) was a group of teenagers going in the store and the loud mouth boy holllers out across the lot. "Hey. Nice bike man. Is that a v-8 in it?" V. was at a loss for words.
continued...
a good nites sllep was followed by a glorious sunrise with t shirt weather and high clouds. i walked up to the front office to register after finding a ticket on the windshield reminding us to, even tho i had filled out the paperwork last night or more correctly at 4 am.Anyhoo the good old boy Luke who ran the place recommended "i think you'll like the Bear Tooth Pass and the Chief Joseph Highway for a nice motorcycle ride" Z. relates this to the others, they scout it out on the map and agree. Z determines from his Magellean GPS that we are at 5 thousand some feet at the camp. Yikes, they live at 25 feet, this really isn't Kansas anymore Toto.
It's always something. Missed destination daytona's bike night last nite due to lovey not wanting to rided in the rain. spoke with d and n and heard that they would ride over there and gives us the low down. They only live 10 minutes away. Which also means that during biketoberfest http://www.biketoberfest.org/ and bike week http://www.officialbikeweek.com/ one constantly hears the vibrating vroooom vrooooom of freedom.
now for a few pieces of items not mentioned in bh5. V reminded me of some points:
continued...When V. jumped out of the home in industrial billings montana to run into the Casino for directions, Z jumped out with a flashlight and stood behind the trailer with the motorcyles in it to direct traffic around us. Flash, flash, wave it here and there. "Hope this can be seen. Man it sure is quiet out here" Z thinks to himself. V. rolls out of the club and laughs heartily asking "how many cars came by?" he knew the answer was zero and laughed all the more.
Next. Now they were all used to people stopping, staring and askinglots of questions about V. sled. One of my favorite answers so far is "Well, it started out as a vtx." and this adventure had its share of those, but as they were leaving the SuperWalMart (after being checked out by a sweet cross-eyed, tooth challenged, chuncky girl who remarked at them" i used to think they were bad, but now gray haired bikers are so sexy". Z had his usual hat on altho his long gray beard was all a scraggle, so they all turned to V and had a good laugh) was a group of teenagers going in the store and the loud mouth boy holllers out across the lot. "Hey. Nice bike man. Is that a v-8 in it?" V. was at a loss for words.
continued...
a good nites sllep was followed by a glorious sunrise with t shirt weather and high clouds. i walked up to the front office to register after finding a ticket on the windshield reminding us to, even tho i had filled out the paperwork last night or more correctly at 4 am.Anyhoo the good old boy Luke who ran the place recommended "i think you'll like the Bear Tooth Pass and the Chief Joseph Highway for a nice motorcycle ride" Z. relates this to the others, they scout it out on the map and agree. Z determines from his Magellean GPS that we are at 5 thousand some feet at the camp. Yikes, they live at 25 feet, this really isn't Kansas anymore Toto.
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