Mounting Mountaina...

[GatorTiger]

I tried something else now: click on any panorama pic to see the bigger version... I don't want to bust the display on the board...



I got up early and packed everything back on the bike. Made a mess in the parking lot servicing my chain. Oh well...



Anyway, Devil's Tower was the first item on my agenda. While most of I-90 and the area going towards it is fairly flat the closer you get to the tower, the more the hills start waving at you. It's beautifuly riding there. And once you pass that little peak coming north on 24 you see this:

(http://gatortiger.smugmug.com/photos/79120946-O.jpg)



Close-up:





But not just the tower, the area around it is very beautiful:

(http://gatortiger.smugmug.com/photos/79120976-O.jpg)



With 4th of July weekend coming up there are many festivities planned. Hence the presence of all the chrome. This is V-Twin territory. Lots of curves, but not steep. Don't want to scratch your chrome pegs on the ground, now would you???

(Playing with smilies is fun... But back to the report...)







I didn't want to pay the fee to get in, so I just took the pics and left. I was on a schedule, after all and had half the continental US to cover over the next couple of days...



Next up, the location of one of my favorite movies:





To be continueth...

[GatorTiger]

Mo'nin' y'all! Rise and shine!!!



On with the trip...



"North by Northwest" is of course the movie I was talking about; and it was filmed here:





It's amazing what perspective can do to perception. The monument, being quite big, looks rather smallish from the parking lot:





Since they wanted $8 bucks (cash or check only) and I only had plastic with me at the time I passed on the parking, stopped in the no stopping zone, and zoomed the pics:







Going on you come around a corner you get to a free parking ramp.



You can only see George from here, but it is no less beautiful scenery:





The area overall is very pretty. I wished I could spend some more time here.



Unfortunately there are too many things that need to be done and too little playtime all the time, aren't there?



The black hills have a very appropriate name. The rock seems darker than further west and the trees r-e-a-l-l-l-y darken up the area! Also, the rock that is coming out of the ground seems more round and polished than further west. There the rock is more reddish and seems to have 'broken-off' edges. It's hard to explain. I guess further west has more of a Bonanza feel to it, this area more of a North-by-Northwest feel...





It's amazing what they can carve out of rock these days...





Up next: time to be bad!!!!



To be continueth...

[GatorTiger]

Aaaalrighdy then... Family is off on their own road trip to Indiana to visit friends, and I finally have time to finish off the report...



Coming from Mt. Rushmore I didn't even get back on the interstate, but stayed on SD-44 going east. Pretty empty and about the same speed limit as the interstate. My plan was to enter the Badlands NP down below (dang, here we go again... )



After a while on 44 the scenery indeed started to change







and slowly turned into this:





Imagine a bag of concrete sliced open, placed upside down on the ground, and let soak up humidity and dry right there. That's what the land started to look like. Desolate as well. And hot!! Man...



All of a sudden I passed by the sign for the road I had planned on taking. It took off to the left, secured by a barbed wire gate, and seemingly ending in a field... Gee, let me think: fully loaded bike (full tank, however), hot, little water, gravel (best case)... Naaa... I pass this time! I later found out that the gravel only lasted for about 3 miles before merging with a paved road. Oh well...



Then another sign: Entering Badlands NP! Crap! Missed it! Didn't want to turn around either... Three miles later this:

.



And I thought that it was bigger than that! Slight disappointment! And I bought an annual pass to cover all the NP fees... Sigh... Pressing on...



Even with it being very bare (and did I mention hot?) it does have a certain appeal:

(http://gatortiger.smugmug.com/photos/79121031-O.jpg)



There are even some old railroad track foundations (tracks are long gone):





And yes: there is water!!!!





I think this might be the only watering whole in the whole of the area...



As I continue the scenery is starting to become nicer:





Maybe this is going to be good after all, I thought. Not before long this is the view:

(http://gatortiger.smugmug.com/photos/79121157-O.jpg)



And sure enough, after another mile I was standing in front of the fee booth!!! Good thing I got the annual pass!!



I stopped right after the gate at Cedar Pass Lodge and took a look around:

(http://gatortiger.smugmug.com/photos/79121077-O.jpg)



Studying the map I got at the gate I found out that the gravel road was only a couple of miles long and that it merged with pavement after a while. I also found that I rode the route that I originally wanted to avoid, since I deemed it less scenic... Oh well...



So now continuing on the originally planned route I was presented views like this:



and this:





After a couple of mile I get to the other gate at the north and of the park and took a last look around:

(http://gatortiger.smugmug.com/photos/79121292-O.jpg)



Nice!!! And now I had another 1500 miles of superslab ahead of me... Nice!!!



I got to Sioux Falls and wanted to grab me a room. Nuttin'! All full!! What??? Since it was kinda early still I pressed on, skipping the nice sit down dinner at Chili's I was aiming for with a Bic Mac later (which I guess was a good thing: after riding in 100-deg weather all day I was not in the best of smell-conditions to actually sit in a public eatery... )



I stopped in Sioux City and got the last room (!!) at the Hampton. Suite with whirl pool! Since it was the very last room the nice lady behind the counter gave it to me for 20% off. On second thought: Maybe she was thinking I needed a good soaking the way I smelled...



Here is what I got (sorry for the watermark - couldn't avoid it this time):





That theme would repeat itself the next night. I made it to Paducah, TN, wanting to get a room. Again: nothing! (Note: I never book in advance since I necer know how far I get...) For next 150 miles EVERYTHING was full!!!!!! WTF? With the 4th of July weekend, this being a MAYOR recreational area (lakes and all) and several MC rallies (chrome...) hotels were booked solid. I finally found a room at a Days Inn just before Nashville. When I opened the room the TV started blasting at full throttle. I turned it off, only to find it would turn itself on again after 10 seconds... Is everything crooked today? Pulled the plug and silence... Aaaahhhh!!! The place was kinda dumpy (maybe I was spoiled by too many Hamptons...) But a bed and shower was all I needed, anyway... Had a good night's sleep nonetheless!!



And to end on a saucy note :



(As seen in Iowa...)



Here endeth the trip...

[Brother Number One]

Cool blog.  I must confess to just looking at the pictures but will settle in and read the words when I have more time, like when I've gone back to work :D

[tnoisaw]

My brother recently moved to Kalispell.  I guess the little fella deserves a visit.   8)

No Duh! This is his brother- I live thirty minutes from Glacier Park. Eat your heart out guys! ItÌs has beautiful as stated and then more. Ya, I only have to drive for a few minutes to get there. Yup, IÌm close. Sure Înuff, Glacier is my back yard. Yup. Yes sir Bob. IÌm there- where there is. ThatÌs me. Okay, Înuff bragging.:lol:



IÌm sure my brother may realize, if he ever gets here, that Southern Illinois is has beautiful as Northwestern Montana. NOT! Or as beautiful as from where I moved from in Iowa. NOT!



You know the Iowa state song that takes you down I80. ÏCorn, corn, corn, corn, corn, Des Moines, corn, corn, corn, corn, Nebraska.Ó Then in Nebraska you can pretty much repeat the Iowa song and add feed lots to it.



We drove the Glacier ÏSun roadÓ a few weeks ago and it was very beautiful. A little snow is still there plus a the most beautiful views in the world. I lived ten years in Alaska and this area is much more beautiful- and much closer. Though IÌd love to ride to Anchorage from here. :lol:

[wasions]

Oh, is it Whitefish?  One fish, two fish, whitefish, kalispell.  See?  No big difference.  And you'd have to give me two Glacier Parks for a Crawfish Crik.



(I hadda go and tell Tony where I spend my downtime.   :roll: )

[Great Escape Tours]

What a great looking adventure, and some of those panoramics...(I may have to try that PTGui myself).



I'm sure you made a ton of people jealous...=)

[GatorTiger]

What a great looking adventure, and some of those panoramics...(I may have to try that PTGui myself).

Thanks!! 8) PTGui is a great program. Easy as cake and great results.

I'm sure you made a ton of people jealous...=)

More on the way... 8)