Travelogue -- Dr Bob's US Northwest Motorcycle Ride
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27 June 2013, 10:30 PM MT, Gardiner, MT

I warned y'all. All day long I have thought today was Wednesday. During dinner I discovered that it is Thursday! Here's what I said on June 23: "Had my chocolate shake also. That's how I keep track of days, by counting shakes." Go back and check it. You will see that I said it. Then on June 24 I said: "I cannot count today as a real day. I did not have a chocolate shake. I am laden with guilt, so much so, that I will probably have two tomorrow. But, on the other hand, I will be in remote areas tomorrow. I may find it difficult again to find a chocolate shake. Maybe that means three the next day. I don't know if I can handle that. I will try, though, if I must. I cannot let this go on too long, I will lose track of days." So, here's what has happened. I have had a chocolate shake every day except the 24th, and I have not made it up yet. And you can see what has happened, I am off one day thinking that today was Wednesday. If I don't get this fixed soon, I am going to have some real problems.

I left Pocatello this morning, late. I was up late last night. I finally got off at 9:30, and I didn't get as far today as I had hoped. I quit a little early, but that was because I was ready to start the Beartooth Highway, and I might have finished it after sundown. I don't want to be in the high mountains after dark. I can ride in the dark, I have a number of times, but I don't want to be in high mountains and run out of light. So, I will tackle the Beartooth Highway tomorrow morning. I would have preferred afternoon, because that way the sunlight would be behind me, but I think I will be able to manage. I may not know what day it is, but I will know I am on the Beartooth Highway.

Do you ever check out my map to see where I am? You may not have noticed, but I update it daily showing a blue bar where I spent the night. It seems that I update the red path every day also. For example, I am in Montana tonight, directly north of Old Faithful. That wasn't on the red path until I updated it tonight to show the red path going into Montana. I have said I do not ride to a schedule, and I do not reserve hotel rooms in advance. That's because I keep changing where I am going. When I left home I had no idea that I would end up in Pocatello. It could be that I wouldn't have known how to spell Pocatello. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I do keep the map up to date.

Let's get to today's pictures. I want you to know that I took 74 pictures today, but I am not going to show you all of them. Just the very best ones.

OK, what is this bird? When I took the picture, I thought it might be a bald eagle. Now I don't think so. It might be an osprey. Somebody tell me. This nest is on a platform on top of an electric pole.

This is the Snake River. I saw it a number of times today. This was in Idaho. It runs through Jackson Hole, through Yellowstone, and it empties into the Columbia River. It is 1,078 miles long!

Now I have climbed the west side of the Grand Tetons, and I am in Teton Pass, about 8,400 feel elevation, looking down east to Jackson Hole. The sign says, "Howdy Stranger, Yonder is Jackson Hole, the Last of the Old West."

The Grand Tetons soar up on each side of me.

Suddenly I am overcome with an urge to know what a Grand Teton feels like.

Now I know.

I descend the east side of the Grand Tetons into Jackson Hole. I was here 13 years ago with Hanna for the Jackson Hole Film Festival. I decided to find where the film festival was held. And I did. At the Snow King Resort.

I remember our last morning there in 2000, it was September 23. It had snowed overnight. I was concerned about getting out of Jackson Hole. We would be going through the same pass I just came through on the Harley. We made it just fine, but snow plows had been in the pass. Here's what I saw from our room that morning. That was an early snow, the night of September 22.

Here are some shots of Jackson earlier today.

That's antler horns. All four corners of the park had a gate like this.

Then I headed north to Yellowstone, I wanted to see Old Faithful again. I was not satisfied with the pictures I took in 2000, the sky was filled with clouds and it was hard to distinguish the geyser from the clouds. I knew that would not be the case today with the bright blue sky. I ran along the Grand Tetons first, and found them as amazing as ever. Here are some pictures I took today.

Makes you wonder why people like Harrison Ford would want to live in Jackson Hole. How can you take that beauty day after day? I would go crazy.

I spotted this guy fly fishing along the way, and it was another reminder of our visit to Jackson Hole in 2000. One evening an event was planned where some of us were taught how to fly fish. I was busy talking shop, but Hanna volunteered. It was kind of funny. The guys had trouble, they thought they knew what they were doing and would not follow instructions. Hanna knew she did not know what she was doing, so she listened and followed instructions, and was told she did the best!

Then on to Old Faithful. Here's my pick of the 33 pictures I took today of Old Faithful.

As I continued my travel toward the Beartooth Highway, I saw these critters grazing beside the road.

I crossed the Continental Divide several times today. I will be in mountains again tomorrow, and that will be all the high mountains for this ride. I will hate to leave them behind, they can be awe inspiring.