West 2002
 
 

Day 03

July 27

  
  Having done two days of over 700 miles each, we are looking forward to a bit shorter day today, something in the 500 mile range. As it will turn out, it will be about 440 miles before we stop. Close to where we camped at Game Lodge Campground, Custer State Park has a wonderful route called the Wildlife Loop Road that I had driven in a car previously. We decide we will run it on our way toward Yellowstone and just catch breakfast where we can. The amazing thing about the Wildlife Loop Road is how varied the wildlife is that you will see. Doug is hoping to see the buffaloes as I tell him that there are several herds that live in this area. I just prefer not to see them too close since they have ‘right of weight'. As we ride along, I enjoy the simple two-lane with its variety of curves and the lack of traffic. We see an antelope cleaning his antlers on some thistle alongside the roadway and I feel like I just interrupted someone taking their bath. But he doesn't seem troubled by our presence as I stop for a picture, then quietly move on.  
 
 
 

I'm glad we are on quiet motorcycles instead of teeth rattlers. The ST is so quiet I actually sneaked up a coyote one time on the Natchez Trace much to his surprise. Further along, we encounter a small flock of wild turkeys hunting for their morning beetles and bugs. They look at us as if to say -

"Just what are you doing here?”

We continue to follow the road as it pleasantly rises and falls with the terrain, offering beautiful vistas in the high spots and green valleys to descend into. Then as we round the bend we see them – a dozen or so wild donkeys.

 
 
 
 

I notice a particular belligerent looking black and white one standing in the road staring intently at me, who is apparently the leader of the gang. I think to myself -

“If you had a baseball cap on backwards and could talk where I could understand, you'd probably say ‘Hey you, whatcha' doin' in my ‘hood?'”

Having been on the business end of a few donkeys and mules in my time, I warn Doug and Coop just in case –

“Watch out for their business end. If they connect with you they'll knock you right off the motorcycle!”

At first they refuse to move, staring at us defiantly, but after much horn honking and easing forward, the black and white one slowly meanders out of the way and the rest follow suit. I still watch their hindquarters carefully as we go through, making sure they're not lining us up for a field goal. Then we come to the prairie dog town.		  
 
 
  I don't believe I have ever seen as many prairie dogs in one place as I see before us. It's as crowded as a Super Wal-Mart the day before Christmas as they scurry around, eating and eyeballing us. We stop for a few pictures and then move further on. I'm wondering if all the buffalo have wandered into the far off hills when we finally see them – a nice sizable herd on our left. Then I look ahead - several of them have wandered out into the road. After all, it's their personal road and we are just tourists disturbing their breakfast and lowering their property values. You don't know what vulnerable is until you sit on an ST1100 facing a full-grown buffalo.  
 
 
 
There's a young male standing on the right side of the road and he doesn't look real happy. He's hollering with his tongue stuck out and speaking in Buffaloese. I assure him we're just passing through and have no designs on any of his female friends. We manage to whiz on by, and I'm thankful that he understood my southern accent. As we leave the Wildlife Loop Road we pass through another buffalo herd but they are pretty easy going this time. As we head for highway 87, we stop at the Blue Bell Lodge for breakfast. It's a park lodge, rustically decorated with several animal heads hanging on the walls. I order my usual hen fruit and decide I'll try the buffalo sausage. Glad his brethren didn't know what I was having for breakfast earlier – the passage might have been a little rougher. The food's good and soon gone and we are on the road headed to the Spires. What a majestic sight they are – reminiscent of the towers of some great cathedral. We stop for pictures and admire the rugged terrain.
 
 
 
 

We finally reach highway 14 and take it to highway 14A that combines with I90, then splits off again. Back on the slab, much to my disappointment, but it won't be another all day affair. The wind is blowing so hard you lean right in the left handers. But we hang on as we quickly cross into Wyoming. I am counting the mile markers until we get off the slab and back onto highway 14A. Finally relief comes, and we settle down to a great highway with nice sweepers and beautiful views as it weaves through the Bighorn National Forest. With so many grand vistas, you sometimes ask the question –

“Just how many pictures do I really want?”

I will shoot 17 rolls of film before this trip is over. We play tag on the crooked road with a group of slow moving horse trailers, with the one in the lead sounding as if his old truck is fixing to thrash. Finally leaving them behind, we descend into the flat lands like Mongolian horsemen, having the road all to ourselves. As we near Cody, Wyoming we look ahead and see the sky has turned an ominous black and the wind has picked up a bit. Expecting rain, Doug pulls off to cover his electronics and Coop and I follow suit to zip up our vents. Then it hits – a wind like I have never experienced before. It is all I can do to hold my ST upright on the side of the road. We are talking about over 1000 pounds of gear, rider, and motorcycle! The rain comes down in sheets mixed with a little hail and the fierce wind buffets us as the sky turns an eerie color. I know staying where we are out in the open is not a good plan, so we start to move on, hoping to make it to some cover. But riding is almost impossible as the wind buffets us and threatens to sweep us off the ground. Doug spies a building down a side road and heads for it, with Coop and I in hot pursuit. We pull along side the building to get out of the wind and to see what happens. I scan the horizon for funnel clouds and am surprised not to see any.

 
 
 
 
Then the wind and rain quiet down for a moment. We wonder if it's over but we find out soon that it's not. After the quiet zone passes, the storm renews its fury as strong as before. Finally it moves off past us and a little sun breaks through. We mount up quickly and head out, keeping a watchful eye on the skies. They are still a dark, ominous hue so I keep looking for a shelter that we can pull the bikes under if we need to. We finally make it into Cody and stop for fuel. It's near suppertime so I began looking around for a place to eat. And there it is – Granny's Family Dining, right on the main drag with a parking lot full of cars. We pull in, searching for parking places, thankful that we survived the storm. The food's good and the service not bad, even though they swap servers on us in midstream. As we talk, we realized we still have quite a ways to go before we get to the campground that we planned to reach. As we walk back outside, we notice the same ominous dark clouds are sitting exactly in the direction we plan to go. As we discuss our options, Doug offers to check out the motel next door – called the Uptown Motel. It's one of the old time roadside motels that's been around a while but the rates are fair and the clerk is a really nice guy.
 
 

 
 

He has a converted house in the back that has three separate rooms and even offers to let us put our bikes in the garage – after he moves out his car. Turns out he is a local schoolteacher who runs the place in the summers.

“I have to do all the cleanup, maintenance, and run the front. I've had about two hours of sleep in the last 24” he says with a weary grin.

“A lot harder than teaching I bet, but I reckon it pays the bills” I reply.

He nods a tired nod, and I whip out the old credit card on him and we're inside for the night, thankful to be out of the weather. Besides, I can walk next door back to Granny's and get my pig meat and hen aigs tomorrow – what a deal! We arrange our bikes greatfully in the garage and pick our rooms – mine the farthest away with a door that closes and that I will stuff pajamas under so Coop and Doug can sleep without sound effects. We decide to wander down the streets of Cody and visit a few stores, but nothing really gains our interest other than the exercise. It's back to the house and lights out as the storm has taken its toll on us physically. We've got Yellowstone then Glacier to make tomorrow and unknown to us, some sad folks and a surprise waiting for us down the road.