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Buell Forum » Tale Section (Share your tales of adventure here.) » Archive through September 17, 2008 » Idaho, Glacier & Sturgis « Previous Next »

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Iamike
Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2007 - 05:15 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

This is just a teaser from my 4,200mi. trip out West. Keep in tune and I'll update the posts as I can.


Yes!


I know it's not a Buell, but if you want to see the pictures deal with it.
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Iamike
Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2007 - 06:12 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Anyway, the father of my daughter's college roomate turned out to be a cycle rider. He is into Trimuphs.
He had been bugging me to go with him to a Tiger rally in Idaho and since I'd never been there or Glacier park I couldn't pass it up.
Right before we were going to go another friend called and wanted to go on a ride with me. He rode a cruiser and since I'd ridden with him before, I knew that he couldn't handle the pace or distance our Idaho trip would require.
I was going to ride up to my parent's cabin in Northern Minnesota to spend a few days with them before Eric came up on his Tiger to head out West. I invited Greg to come up there with me and we rode around the area before taking off.
Here is a lunch break in Wisconsin at a marina on the St.Croix river.


Lunch
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Iamike
Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2007 - 06:53 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

After our 540mi. ride up to the lake we rode around the area for a couple of days. I didn't take any pictures of Leech Lake or Itasca Park (where the Mississippi begins) since I was saving memory for the big trip. The roads in that area are pretty good for riding but with the sand and vacationers moderate speeds are safer.

I got to fish for a couple of days after Greg left and before Eric came up.






Here Eric and I are getting ready to leave.



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Iamike
Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2007 - 10:28 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The weather had been pretty hot and muggy the past few days. As we rode along in Minnesota they was supposed to be in a drought, but to the untrained eye I couldn't tell. All the vegetation was a lush green and there was a humid haze in the air. Eric chose his mesh gear which later he said was a mistake to start with. The air temp was 64 and with the humidity it cut through his jacket. I wore my cold weather jacket and rode in comfort.
It was a nice ride up Hwy 64 from Akeley to Bemidji. Once we hit Bemidji it was 4-lane Hwy 2 all the way to western Montana.
The ride across North Dakota was uneventful but hot. The temp was hitting the upper 90's so we kept well hydrated. N.D. really is a scenic state even though it doesn't have the dramatic vistas of the mountains.
We were planning on about a 700mi. ride for the day so when we rolled into Glascow, MT at 6 the local motel looked inviting. Gassing up at the local convenience store a guy told us that there was a swim meet in town and all the motels were full. We were hot & tired but after a sub sandwich we headed out for the next town with a motel, 80 miles away. We had a couple hours of daylight left so we figured it would just get us closer to our destination.
Malta, MT. 104 deg.F. We found a motel that also had a campground behind it. Being the cheapskates that we are we camped out, big mistake. First the mosquitoes ate us alive while setting up. A quick jaunt across the street to a convenience store solved that and our thirst for a beer. Second the trains went by every 10-15 minutes all night long. I didn't get much sleep at all that night. We didn't have to worry about bears though, once they heard my partner's snoring they would figure that there was a bigger badder bear already eating us.





Up at the break of dawn there was no dew on anything. We decided to head out for a few miles until breakfast. It was 74deg. so the mesh gear was called for. The mosquitoes didn't get too much blood as we tore down camp.
It may have been 74 in town but it dropped to the low 50's a few miles down the road. A stop at a real cowboy bar to change into warmer duds and we were off.





After a hearty breakfast in a teeny town we headed off for the Tiger rally that was to start that afternoon. Kamiah ID is 850mi. away so we rode hard to get there. My ST can get over 300mi. on a tank of gas but Eric's Tiger had a range of about 250 max. We found out that yes, Toto we aren't in Iowa any more. Gas stations were few and far between out here. I had tried to tell him to gas up when we were at 175 as we rolled through Havre. 35 miles down the road he started looking for gas, and found none. Several places were closed and when we stopped at one that only had 85 octane he wouldn't put any in. Ft. Benning finally had gas and Eric only had 1/2 gal left, too close for comfort.
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Iamike
Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2007 - 10:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Once we get through Helena we started to see mountains, finally we are getting close. The continental divide at this point is only 5,300'. A quick blast up I90 and we are in Missoula.

A gas fill up then finding Hwy 12 to the Lolo Pass. It is hot again and there is some evidence of smoke in the air from a forest fire nearby. Hwy 12 through Missoula is not for the faint hearted. It tuns several times, needed changes from one side to the other. Way too many stop lights but we finally turn off on just 12. Not too far up the road I see the sign that I have been waiting for.





The Lolo pass has an excellent road with a 70mph speed limit for a lot of it. The curves are marked at 35-45 but run at 65 with ease. Trees line the road and a scenic mountain river flows along beside it.









We ate lunch at the Lochsa Inn. It had been recently rebuilt after burning down on 2001. The huge logs and great views made lunch quite enjoyable.





I had never ridden such a long road full of curves. My tires showed it too, if I keep this up I won't have much rubber left on the sides.

Finally we roll in to Kamiah, ID for the rally. We meet in the Lewis & Clark Campground.







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Kandie
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 02:10 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

More, more
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Iamike
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 09:13 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

It really made my heart feel good with all the thousands of motorcycles we saw on the trip. Most everybody was really freindly and wanting to talk.
At the Lochsa Lodge we were talking to a couple from Washington that were riding little 250 dirtbikes, loaded down, around on the area trails. Then a bus load of bicyclists pulled up to ride their mountain bikes on the trails too. Several came over to talk. We were kind of trying to get back on the road but people kept coming up to talk. It was like no one had seen an Iowan out there or something.









The view from my campsite





From across the road





I didn't ask





We finally made it back on the road. We were going to stop for more scenery pictures but the road was mostly tree lined. I did get this one.





We had met John & Gary, from Seattle, and they were going to ride up to Glacier with us. Gary had a better camera and was taking a lot of pictures. I'll post some after he sends them to me. He stopped in Lolo Hot Springs to get some good ones on the way down from the pass.
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Rotzaruck
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 09:46 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Mike,
I'm officially jealous!! Looks like a fantastic trip. Thanks for sharing. Lets me be one of those armchair travelers!!!
I'm wondering just what's under those rocks in those clear moving rivers/creeks. Usually a feisty little red eye around here.
Keep it up!!
Rotzaruck!!
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Iamike
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 09:54 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Before we headed out for Glacier a bunch of the Tiger group were looking for people to ride the Lolo Motorway with them. It is a 110mi. old dirt road that follows the ridge all the way down the west side. I tried to talk Eric into doing it but he was leary of riding that far on dirt. I told him that if I ws on my S3 I would have done it. I didn't want to have to try and pick up my 740# + luggage that my pack mule ST had become. So we took off and left the rally.

Riding back through Missoula was a lttle better since we were headed up Hwy 93 instead of 12. There was also less smoke in the air but the heat was already at 90.

We got stopped for gas in a small town called Ravalli that also had a Native American museum and shop. It was a good thing that I was on the bike. I really like that stuff and could have spent quite a bit on a blanket or two, a painting and such.

As we were leaving the station I look up the road to check for traffic when I hear a crunch. I look over just in time to see Gary rolling down into the rock strewn ditch. It seems that Gary is a little short in stature and the Tiger is a little tall in the saddle. Gary forgot to check clearance before he put his foot down, and nothing was there. He joked that he was surprised that we helped him before we got the cameras out. Now his Tiger had some battle scars to make it look like he was riding it like it was designed for. Some of the guys back at the camp had their bikes pretty beat up from adventure riding.

At the South end of Flathead Lake we took Hwy 35 around the east side. This lake is 28mi. long and 675' deep. It is supposed to be the second larget natural lake in the US.

We took a quick break at Finely Pt. S.P.





I couldn't figure out at first what the woman was doing there on the dock. Then I realized she was wshing clothes.





A quick ride up to Yellow Bay S. P. and it's time for camp. What better place could we pick then here?







Babling brook right behind us





View from our campsite





We went into Woods Bay for some supper and travel food. a nice quaint little town.



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Iamike
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 10:41 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

After filling our guts and some good discussion we head back to camp. The camp ranger said that we could take a bath in the lake if we want. I asked about the the woman washing her clothes and he said that it was no problem. In our area of the cabin in Minnesota they have become very restrictive as to what you can do around the lakes. Flathead Lake was crystal clear and one fisherman said that you can usually see 30' down.

I wished that I had some water moccasins, the rocks in the lake killed my feet as we went in. The water felt cool at first then I hit a warm spot. I asked John if he had been over there.

As the sun was setting I walked down to get a few shots.









It was a full moon and I woke up around midnight to the moon shining in my tent bugscreen.





I had been having trouble sleeping due in part to my inadequate sleeping pad but the excitement of the trip kept me awake everytime I woke up to turn over. My hips were sore from laying on my side.
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Iamike
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 12:19 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

We were amazed at all the cherry orchards along the lake. All this muti-million dollar property covered in orchards. I guess that is better than out of the place houses.

We talked about going into Kalispell to look around and maybe get me a better pad but we want to get to the park so we move on. We stop in a town called Hungry Horse (and we were) so we stop for some breakfast. As we are dismounting a guy rides up on a Honda Trans-Alp.





His name is Andreas and is from Heidelberg Germany. He started his trip in Buenos Aries, Argentina, with his girlfriend riding with him and has spent the last 9 months on the road. His bag has a log of his mileage and cities he has visited.





In case you can't read his website on the bag here is his link: www.ernasreisen.com
His photos are much better than mine and his commentary is both in German and English.

We ate breakfast together and asked him dozens of questions. He wanted to ride from the west side through the park and we wanted to camp on the east side and ride west. Someone had told us that it was best to see the park with the sun at our backs.

We had heard there were forest fires around but that they wouldn't affect us much. We headed out across the southern end of the park on Hwy 2 but could see smoke ahead.









We got stopped at a traffic stop and had to wait for a pace car. They told us to keep together and not to stop along the way unless we had business there. I think they did that because we rode right past the fire-fighter's camp and an active forest fire. There was smoldering stuff right by the road and we could see the fire less than a mile away. Thre were the water planes bringing in the huge buckets to drop on the fire.

As we headed up this fantastic winding road we almost missed a curve. There was yellow accident marking paint that indicated another biker had recently done that.













We were in an area that had obviouly been recently burned. Later on in East Glacier I was talking to a couple of the fire-fighters and asked if that was last year's burn and they said yes. Since it was right near the town they said the town was evacuated in about 1/2 hour after the flare-up occurred.





Just as we were getting ready to leave up rides Andreas.





I was hoping that he'd come camp with us but he was on to more adventure. I could have spent days talking to him about his trip.
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Iamike
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 05:45 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

We checked into the KOA at East Glacier. I hadn't stayed at a KOA for quite a few years because I lean towards state and county park campgrounds.

Since there were four of us and four tents they gave us a group site. When I pulled in there was a pickup with a 35' horse trailer trying to get out. It appears that they came in late at night and thought that there was a drive-through. After they got in they couldn't back it out. We watched them for 2 1/2 hours until a backhoe came and drove the trailer out. We were amazed at how calmly they acted with this hassel.

Our campmates for awhile.









GLACIER PARK

All I can say is - WOW! These pics say it for themelves.













































And now I'll pause so that you can catch your breath.

Stay tuned...more to come.
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Iamike
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 06:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I had always thought that Glacier Park was really remote and that there wouldn't be a lot of traffic. There is a fair amount of civilization around and the traffic in the park is about what I have found in other parks.
We were really lucky that the smoke from the fires didn't affect our viewing. The winds were favorable to us.
I would have liked to hike but we weren't really set up to do that. While at the visitor cewnter two guys rode up on Velocettes. We stopped to talk and found out that there was a group of them there from Seattle. I thought that I had taken a picture of them but can't find it. I'm sure that one of the other guys did so I'll post it when I get it.

Here are some more oooh and aahhs:



































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Iamike
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 07:23 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

As you can see in the above photo that you want to pay attention to where you are driving. There are several places where there is very little barrier between you and steep dropoffs.

























We got an up close an personal view of this guy.









I'll get some more after I resize them.
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Iamike
Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 08:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

As we started to move down the west side it was obvious that they get more rain. Everything was lush green.









If you look closely at this one there is a vertical flat section, the road is at the bottom of that. Keep your eye on the road.















































As we were riding down past this creek and into the woods the temp. went from 77 to 65 in less than a mile.

That's the end of the Glacier pictures. If Gary sends me some better ones I'll post them later.

Stay tuned for Yellowstone and Beartooth Pass!
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Chadr81
Posted on Monday, August 06, 2007 - 12:18 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Some of those pictures are breath-taking! I would love to take a trip like that someday.
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Iamike
Posted on Monday, August 06, 2007 - 09:54 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

When we get to West Glacier we are all hungry so where do we head to? Hungry Horse (of course). We say our goodbyes to the guys from Seattle and head our separate ways. They were headed home and we still had to go through Yellowstone and Beartooth Pass.

Eric & I decide to go down Hwy 83 since it is more direct and follows the Rockies. Unfortunately the smoke from a big fire in Northern Idaho is blowing right down the range. It is so thick that we can barely make out the mountains. As we head south it slowly clears up. This road was another great choice. Good pavement and nice curves, did I mention that I like curves?

We cut over to Hwy 141 and find another great road. We cut through Helena to head to Bozeman to think about where to spend the night before heading into Yellowstone. I just heard on the news that there is a huge forest fire near Helena. We got by there just in time.

Not to long after we set up camp at a KOA south of Livingston three cycle riders from Minnesota pulled in. They were right by us at East Glacier too.





A guy camped on the other side of us came over with a couple of beers and wanted to know about my cycle. He was interested in one so we talked for quite awhile. His wife came over and invited us over for baked chicken beans and corn on the cob. That was much better than the camp meal I was going to make.





The next morning we get up bright and early to head into Yellowstone. The line started backing up pretty quickly. Since both of us had been there before we just spend some time at Mammoth Hot Springs Then head for Beartooth






















This guy parked himself right in the middle of the road for awhile. I wasn't about to go ask him to move.





Here is his harem



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Fez
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 04:44 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

great pics, glad you enjoyed the area.

good thing you arent an avid fly fisherman, any time i ride along the bigger rivers i nearly kill myself looking for rising fish.

its amazing, ive lived in montana for 10 of the last 12 years and i have never been to glacier. need to make a point of that while there are still glaciers!
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Iamike
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 06:53 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Thanks for the comments. I have never fly-fished but it looks like a lot of fun. I think that when I retire I am going to come out West and do a lot of it.

Since you mention the point of the glaciers dissapearing, one of the boards that I read said that they started getting smaller in 1860 (or around then). I don't recall too many motor vehicles or power plants at that time. (sorry for the political comment)

Back to the ride: There are two small towns on Hwy 212 just outside the N.E. entrance to Yellowstone. They looked like a great place to hang out but their gasoline was quite expensive. Probably due to how hard it would be to get the gas to them.

The ride up Beartooth Pass was nearly spectacular. I am almost on sensory overload on this trip. Most of the road was in good condition with great sweepers.

Of course I had to stop several times for pictures.













11,000' - Wow, I'm breathless.





That's it for the pictures. I always wish I would have taken more. One of the other guys took quite a few so I'll post some of his later.

After stopping in Red Lodge we discussed going back over the pass and then riding over one of the roads in the Bighorn Mountains. Since the Sturgis traffic was starting to really pick up we were afraid we might have trouble finding a campsite if we came in too late. We decided just to head to Buffalo and this would give us an excuse to come back.

At the KOA in Buffalo we camped by some bikers from California. We tried to talk them into riding over Beartooth telling them that they'd be crazy not to.

As we rode towards Sturgis on I-90 we were surprised at all the bikes riding away, since it hadn't offically started yet. After talking to one he said that a lot of the activities go on the week before without all the crowds.

We rode through Sturgis on Friday without stopping. As we rode east it was really cool to see the steady stream of cycles (and trailers) headed west. I would guess that they accounted for 75-80% of the westbound traffic.

About a third of the way across S.D. we ran into rain. It became torrential and after riding 16mi. in a construction zone, with 2-way traffic, I could hardly see anything so we called it quits for the day. The Comfort In that we stopped at tagged us for almost $200 for a room. I asked the clerk what the normal rate was and she said that they double their rates during the rally. It was either that or ride in heavy rain with 25-30 mph winds. We took the dry room.

It was sad to see all the soaking wet bikers getting turned away after the motels filled up.

The final day was anti-climatic. Just ride the 450mi. and avoiding a speed trap in Minnesota we made it back.

It was a great trip with no problems and great comaradarie. I was impressed by Andreas' courage to embark on a ride like his and am glad to be able to do our ride too.
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Sleez
Posted on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 - 06:05 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

wonderful write up and pics, thanks for sharing.
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Fez
Posted on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 - 11:54 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

i used to live in red lodge, at the time i had a yamaha fzr 1000. i had LOTS of fun on that pass. and the chief joseph. used to have both those roads pretty much memorized.

when i lived there, the discovery channel was doing a show about super cars. they had a ferrari f-50, a callaway corvette and a top of the line porsche. my riding buddy and i went up looking for races, but they had the road closed and wouldnt let us near them.

silvergate and cooke city are probably the towns you are talking about. the price of gas has more to do with how far you have to go to get gas if you dont want to pay the prices than how far it has to go to get to them.
cooke city is a snowmobile mecca in the winter. sleds out number cars by a large margin. really good back country skiing too.

next time you're in the bozeman area, be sure to let me know. i'll get you in a drift boat with a fly rod in one hand and a cold beer in the other. only reason you'll go home is to sell everything you have to move out here.


and i know what you mean about the glaciers too, i read this website that says the earth is flat. when some random web site disagrees with most of the scientific community, i pretty much always side with the net.
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Mikej
Posted on Thursday, August 09, 2007 - 08:49 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Very nice report and pics.

When I rode the M2 through Yellowstone I wondered about those buffalo and if one would see and hear the black rumbling Buell and think it was a competitor looking for a challenge. I haven't heard of one in the recent past charging a car or bike, but still I kept an eye open for an escape path. Neat critters.
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Fez
Posted on Thursday, August 09, 2007 - 10:46 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

the first time i rode my fzr over the chief joseph highway, i was hauling ass carving corners and having a blast.

then i saw an 'open range' sign. the thought of coming around a corner at 80+ mph and seeing a cow in the middle of the road got me to take it down a notch or three.
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Iamike
Posted on Thursday, August 09, 2007 - 01:37 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Fez,

You may have misunderstood my comment on reading a board. I meant one of the information boards that they have at the park. This one was pointing out one of the big glaciers and said that it once extended all the way down into the valley. But they had been declining since 1860.
This is straight out of the Natl. Park Service, not some obscure internet site. I just get real tired of people blaming modern man for all of our situations when climate change has been going on since day 1.
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Fez
Posted on Thursday, August 09, 2007 - 03:02 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

yeah, it read funny that's for sure. i have a really hard time resisting being a smartass. gets me talked to at work far too frequently.

it is true that the climate has been changing as long as there has been one (various ice ages, warm periods, etc).

but i expect that sign (or another one) also mentioned how much faster the glaciers have been shrinking in the last 50 yrs?

and beyond that, take a look at what was happening in the years leading up to that. so the glaciers have been receding since 1860. ok, thats about 30 to 60 years since the beginning of the industrial revolution or the time when coal was widely used for power on a large scale basis. so i dont necessarily see the 1860 date as removing human involvement as a variable from the climate change debate.

but anyways, whatever the cause, i need to get to glacier before the glaciers all disappear.
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Naustin
Posted on Saturday, April 26, 2008 - 10:37 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Mike - How did I miss this last summer?! Awesome!
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Iamike
Posted on Saturday, April 26, 2008 - 11:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I finally got those other CDs but never got the pics posted. I'll try to do that soon to whet the appetite of anyone interested in going this year.

It's too bad that so much of the grandeur of those parks is lost when I reduce the size of the picture. I've never been to the Alps or Bugaboos in Canada but I was definitely in sensory overload at times here in the US.
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Bartimus
Posted on Sunday, May 04, 2008 - 09:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Mike,
What are you riding nowadays? An FJR?
Looks like y'all had a great ride, thanks for sharing the pictures!

Bart
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Iamike
Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 - 09:27 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I picked up an '05 ST1300 for travelling since I had so many miles on the S3. Our trip to AZ made me realize that I didn't want to flog the S3 like I wanted to to keep up with you guys.

After meeting up with the Tiger guys (and a couple BMWs) made me think that a Uly might be kind of fun someday. In the meantime a local Honda shop bought a bunch of leftover '06 VFRs. I was thinking one would be nice when a neighbor found one that a guy had bought and didn't like it. Needless to say I couldn't pass up that good of a deal.

We were talking about coming down to AZ again this spring but all the talk about March Badness caught us up and 950mi. is a lot closer than 1,500. Of course AZ was probably a lot dryer than GA was.
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Mark61
Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008 - 01:00 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Thanks for this Mike! It is great! Hoping life lets me make a ride like this someday.

So what were the totals? Total Miles? Days on the road? Cost estimate for the trip? What about having to get service while on the road?

Thanks again! Great pix! I know what you mean about losing the "granduer" compairing pix to being there...

mark61
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Iamike
Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008 - 04:12 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Mark,
This was one of those minimal planned low budget type trips. The one friend wanted to go on a trip but I knew that he couldn't handle the miles that the big trip would require.
The other guy had been asking me to ride out to Idaho to meet up with the Tiger guys. I needed to burn some vacation (some problem huh). So I decided to run up to my parent's cabin in northern Minnesota with buddy #1 for a few days since it was basically on the route that buddy #2 wanted to make.
Since it was #2's trip he made most of the route planning and we were camping so it wouldn't cost too much.
I didn't keep very good records, even on trip miles, but I guess I spent about $500-600, rode 4,500. We camped every night but the last one ($100 due to being close to Sturgis) and ate on the cheap too.
It was really nice just taking off and riding, not worrying too much about schedules. I really want to do it again soon. Another place to read great trip stories is on ADVrider.com, those guys know how to travel.
I always got dinged in english class because I didn't expand on my writing. After reading some other guys great descriptions on their trips I try harder to put the reader in the feel of the trip.
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