From Ouray, we headed north and up Grand Mesa. Saw a lot of sport style bikes on the roads up and down Grand Mesa. Turns out there was some gathering happening.
The road rose to over 10,000 feet in elevation. I was amazing to go from warm to cold and back to warm in a short period of time. Great view from the top.
The north side of Grand Mesa turned more desert like and we even saw a huge dirt devil cross the roadway. Would not have wanted to ride through that!
Wyoming was also plagued with fire. That is smoke in the air.
When we stopped for fuel in Casper, WY I asked a lady what people do around here to earn a living and she said oil and work that supports oil. I guess this gives you an idea how long ago they found oil.
'07 ZZR 600. I won't tell him you thought his Kawasaki was one of those other bikes. LOL. Totally different bikes so can't really compare. Mine did better on dirt and his did better above 100MPH. Not that we rode above 100MPH.
Coming into Gillette, WY my buddy got pulled over by a female trooper. I think she liked what she saw. I told him I was taking a detour and would meet up with him later so I rode down this road at 65 MPH before I thought it prudent to slow down a little.
I saw this guy pulling this strange looking contraption in July when I had stopped for fuel in Gillete. Thought maybe he knew something I didn't. LOL.
Saw this guy when I was heading from Gillete to the Devils Tower. We stared at each other for a few moments trying to figure the other one out.
First sighting of the Devils Tower. Need to see if Netflix has "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
Our campsite was awesome! We went in on a National Park Pass. $80. They allow two individuals to sign the pass and as long as you pass through the gate at the same time all is good. Definitely saved us money on this trip.
We camped at Horsethief Campground while in the Blackhills. Spent our evenings sitting on the porch of the camp store charging our electronics.
Definitely had to go see Mount Rushmore.
And we did ride up to Deadwood and Sturgis. Not much to see when the rally isn't going on.
The pinacles hwy is a must ride. Be prepared for slow moving cages though. The views are worth it.
From the Blackhills we headed west across northern WY. We were going to go directly into Montana before heading west but the road was closed due to fires.
The KOA in Sheridan, WY had camping shelters with electricity so we were able to charge our electronics. They also have a pool and hot tub which was especially nice after a day of riding.
Even had some curious bunnies around the campsite.
This guy was riding a trike, pulling a camper. He had to come and check out our crotch rockets and regaled us with stories of years of motorcycling.
Sheridan is at the base of Big Horn Mountain. Hwy 14 over the mountain is an awesome ride and our first close encounter with snow.
Proof that a ZZR can handle a dirt road. Great scenery as well.
Down the west side of Big Horn Mountain we headed north into Big Horn Canyon and our first crossing into Montana. Great roads and very different scenery.
I took a very similar trip (solo) last summer on my '09 V. Overall, I was quite impressed with the bike's performance. My only complaint was getting knocked around by high winds...especially when going across SD.
Back on top of Big Horn Mountain we decided to linger in the coolness of the alpine meadows. If it weren't for the pesky insects I could have taken a nap up there.
Snow in the middle of summer certainly is not something I have ever seen before.
A pic to show the elevation we were at on Big Horn
Can you imagine coming around a curve and seeing this sight? Didn't quite know what to do.
I motioned for the Cowboy to come over and he said just ride on through because the cows were lazy. LOL!
From Sheridan, WY we headed up to Red Lodge, MT. The GPS tried to take us on a loose gravel road. A nearby farmer told us a better way to get there.
Setting up camp at the Red Lodge KOA.
Got an awesome Buffalo Burger and Raspberry Shake at the Caboose.
First view of Beartooth pass.
It is an amazing ride from Red Lodge, MT into Yellowstone via Beartooth Pass. You climb from just over 5000 feet up to almost 11,000 feet with some great scenary.
Enjoyed reading and the pictures too! Thanks again for sharing!:thanx:
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