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The day of our departure came all too quickly. There were still so many things that I had hoped to do, places to see, and anticipated experiences that lay unclaimed. I was so excited to get the whole gang here, that I failed to anticipate the challenges of multiple people that would come with it. But hey, it was their vacation, right?

The guys were still stricken with the anomaly that had challenged them all week long, but this morning they did rise a little earlier. Bear was not able to meet the anomaly head on, though. In desperation, he threw up his hands and left his tent behind. Easier to leave it than the challenge of packing it that morning!

Finally on the road, we turned north on 79 towards the Broken Spoke and Newcastle, and then east on 212 to Belle Fourche and finally to the 112  towards Hulett.

Hulett is a great town that has it’s own party going all week long. Small shops and stores, and some reliably better food than normally found in Sturgis. But unfortunately we didn’t make it here this week, and we will only be passing through on our way to check out the Devils Monument real quick like before retracing our steps back to the 212 into Montana.

In prior years, the flag at the trading post at Devils Monument has always been the Harley-Davidson banner during the rally. It was sad to see that the flag flying this time was Old Glory, flown at half mast in honor of the police officers that were slain the previous week. God, keep them and comfort their families.

Our previous plan out of Sturgis was to go west on 14 towards Yellowstone. This new plan recommended by the Georgia Crew took us west on the 212 up through Montana, and I have to say it was a beautiful trip. It seemed that we were constantly riding through one canyon after another, over one more hill, across a beautiful valley marked by fields of fresh mowed grasses, and back into another canyon. The terrain was breathtaking, and it seemed to make the long day in the saddle far more acceptable.

Bear’s mother lives just outside of Billings, and after a little prompting, Bear decided to stop off and visit with her for a little bit. Panman and I rode a little further to Laurel where we found a little bar that served just what we were looking for… Twisted Lemonades. A couple of these and we were off looking for a room for the night.

Funny how it works out as shades of the previous year. Billings was having a fair that weekend, and consequently every room for miles was booked. We lucked out and found camping space at a little campground behind the truck stop there in Laurel. Bear would catch up with us in just a little bit. That will work, or….

Why did I know that Bear’s anomaly was going to come back and bite me in the ass! Bear left his tent behind, and the mosquitoes along this river campground were true maneaters! “Damn it! Guess he will have to tent with me!”

Did I mention that Bear got his nickname because of his penchant to rattle his tent in his sleep? Perhaps “rattle” is not a subtle enough term! I believe in taking one for the team and all that, but geesh!

That evening was spent playing dominoes and drinking Twisted Lemonades. Morning came early. Hell, I was already awake. Might as well go shower! Bear got up much earlier than normal, too. Maybe because it wasn’t his tent, and I was set on packing it onto my bike. He He!

We made our way down the 212 to Red Lodge, where we stopped for breakfast. The breakfast special Portuguese sausage and eggs sounded great, with plenty of coffee. But when I tried to substitute pancakes instead of hash browns, the waitress curtly told me “no”. And with that continued taking other orders. No explanation, nothing. The guys nearly fell out of their chairs laughing.

Red Lodge is a real cool old west style town, with the flat faced buildings and porch like overhangs that cover a wide walk. I would love to go there again… just don’t try to alter your breakfast order! No telling what dinner must be like!

Red Lodge also happens to be the jumping off point for the Bear Tooth Pass. This pass is amazing, with its switchbacks and hairpins taking you up into the Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone Park. We passed by lakes left behind by the melting snow, some of which still clung to the crests of the mountain. The road wound its way through the Rockies, leaving us in awe on every passing corner.

The Bear Tooth Pass finally gave way to the Northwest entrance of Yellowstone… and it’s $20 fee per bike! It is interesting how many ways our government finds to tax us. Have you ever looked at your phone bill? Ahem, I digress.

We stayed on the 212 which took us back into Montana (yes we were still in Yellowstone), and through Cooke City and Silver Gate. Another cool old west style town, it made me wonder how they have winter access since the Bear Tooth Highway is closed during the winter?

We passed back into Wyoming again and through some really beautiful country, until we came to a bridge. This had to be one of those special highlights. In the middle of that two lane bridge, in stopped traffic, we too had to pull to the guard rail and shut off our engines. A herd of buffalo began crossing the bridge, just a few yards from where we sat in awe. The bridge rumbled as these powerful beasts trotted across. Cows, calves, and giant bulls snorted and glared as they passed. And then something amazing happened.

As the herd made they way over the bridge, some idiot in a truck decided to “push” them along. No, he didn’t make physical contact, but it was clear he was tired of waiting. Anyway, as the herd made their way across the bridge, two huge bulls that were bringing up the rear stopped and turned and stared down the truck. They occasionally would look back to see if the last cows had made it over the bridge, and when clear they turned and ambled off the bridge themselves. A page right out of military doctrine. And performed flawlessly by buffaloes! Amazing to watch!

We made our way out of the west gate of Yellowstone into Idaho, and traveled south down the 20 towards the venerable I-15. It has always amazed me how beautiful northern Idaho is, but how southern Idaho is so much like an industrial zone. Not all of it, just enough to notice.

We rode hard south through Idaho and into Utah. I had hopes that we could push as far south as possible before nightfall. Well, we made it to northern Salt Lake City. Not too bad. But the real kicker was the winds from a freak thunder storm that hit us head on. Wow, one moment 75 mph, the next 45 mph the winds were so strong. Definitely time to find shelter.

We grabbed a hotel room and hunkered down for the night. There wouldn’t be any adult beverages this night, so the anomaly shouldn’t affect us from leaving early to get across the desert before it got too hot, right? Wrong! Must be a carry over effect!

Our final leg home, and we have a good way to go. But not as far as our first leg to Rifle, so I wasn’t worried. The guys had other ideas, however. They twisted the throttles hard and drove on for home.

The rest of the ride wasn’t without it’s challenges, either. Lake Mead and the Valley of Fire was hot! Real hot! And of course we passed through Las Vegas in the later afternoon around 2:00 on a Sunday, so traffic was backed up. We finally made it to Primm, and started looking for something cold and air conditioned. More lines! We pushed on.

One unique advantage that California has is the legal ability to split lanes. And we did, moving through the stopped and idling traffic and into Baker, were the temp gauge was 112! Why, oh why were we doing this in the middle of the heat zone? We pulled in and grabbed a sandwich and some cold drinks, but the guys were in a hurry to get home and didn’t want to wait for it to cool a little. So, onto the highway and back to splitting lanes we went.

Not far out of Baker, I go cut off by a truck that decided to change lanes and got stopped midway by stopped traffic. Damn it. I never saw the guys again. They never looked back, and I finished the trip the way I probably should have started… alone! Some things are just meant to be, I guess.

Sturgis 2011 was a good trip, but it had its challenges. I met some great people, and spent some time with some new friends. I heard some great music from the likes of Charlie Brechtel and Iron Cowgirl Missy, and I revisited some favorite rides. No, I’m really not complaining! Can’t wait for next year!!

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