Crossing the Plains in search of Bearcats...

[Buffalo Bill]

The man cave is not the place to be in June when you have a motorcycle in the garage...So, lucky for me I have an excuse......I'm headed to Bearcat Lodge in Seneca Oregon.....



So if you wanna take a nice trip to Oregon and see Bearcats, Fastcats, and Bobcats, come along....



After several attempts to get photography gear, camping gear, and all the stuff loaded....Looking a little over packed as usual..JW is gonna raz me for sure....Thats probably why I have a GS, it carries a lot of stuff.


Day One: Monday 15 June:

I usually don't sweat the weather when I'm leaving on a trip, but this time was different..I'm carrying a full bag of Photography Equipment and a Large Laptop. So when the weather channel lady says heavy rain and severe storms along my entire route west, I was not pleased.. By mid morning the skies where gray and overcast, but know rain...Finally, at 1100am I hit the road..



Rolling onto I-80 west bound at exit 397, I was ready for some Adventure. Traffic volume was low as I accelerated my ole GS up to speed...It took a hundred miles to find the groove, but once I did, thoughts of an Iron Butt Run started to creep into my head



Snack Break...



..By my second bag of Hot Gas, I was well into western Nebraska and had found the severe weather..Slamming into forty degree temps and heavy rain, my Iron Butt idea got washed, and I was just looking for the next exit, so I could put my jacket liner on...With the jacket liner on, I decide to stop in Cheyenne for the night, and let the wet weather clear out over night...



I get to Cheyenne around 6pm and take the exit for F. E. Warren Air Force Base..With some of my gear wet, I figure having a room will allow me to dry some stuff out....The guest quarters for traveling and retired military was just what the doctor ordered.. I get a room look forward to a nice sleep in a bed..


The Flagpole at F.E. Warren....I tried to put up an Army Flag, but couldn't getr done....THose Air Force Guys woulda really liked that...

Day 2: Tuesday June 16...

Clear Blue and 32 is waiting for me as I hop on the Slab,
perfect flying weather for a Lieutenant.....0534 and its already light out...Cruising past Little America west bound I look down at my outside temp gauge to see that its actually 39 degrees outside and not 32....My goal is to get across Wyoming in 5 hours, so not much time for pictures..



Elk Mountain Wyoming, near Rawlins...



Just past Evanston, headed to Ogden...



Devils Slide......Just outside Ogden UT.


1045 and I'm into Utah, ...The descent into the Wasatch is quick and before long, I'm passing thru Ogden... The bike is running great and the weather is perfect. Again, I start thinking of the Iron Butt Run..If I go all the way to Bearcat, it'll be right at 1,000 miles for the day...


Heading thru Snowville I'm amazed at how green everything is in the hills. I see big herds of sheep and a few Sheep Herders in the hills along the interstate...



Sorry, no sheep pictures....How bout a bridge instead....Found a wet spot in the road under the bridge....Hmmm, how'd that get there?




I cross the Idaho Border around 1345 and figure I'll make Boise about rush hour..



I get to Glenns Ferry, ID and decide to stop and check on my friend Dale....With 700 miles down by 1630, I have plenty of daylight to make it to Bearcat....

Dale was moving his landscape grader across town....THe thing had a gel battery that was de-charged, so it wouldn't keep the thing running...He had his hired man following him with the jumpers....It was kinda funny watching those two...



Standing in the 90 degree shade watching those two got me to thinking about Dale's guest house with the 1000 gallon hot tub filled from a hot water mineral well...AHHHHH .. I decided to stay the evening at Dale's

....no pics of the tub though...I'll try to find a sheep pic instead...


Day 3: June 17



Out the door and on the road by 0530, just in time to catch a morning storm south of Boise...Thru the rain I continue toward Caldwell, ID...



Storm just south of Boise...Chasing a neon rainbow...



Still chasing....Time to put the camera away for awhile..

At Caldwell I hop off the slab and cut thru Parma Id, and Nysaa, OR...This shortcut gets me over to hwy 20, where I head west to Vale, OR....Its still pouring rain, so I stop and have breakfast at the Cafe on the west end of town....

By the time breakfast was done, the rain had stopped and the last few hours to Bearcat where gonna be perfect riding...

Standby for cows...

From Vale I head west on HWY 20, pass thru Juntera, then take the back way thru Drewsey to the Lodge..



The backway thru Drewsey, Oregon, had lots of cattle on the roads.....Good place to test the anti-locks..


Pink is a really nice color....



The cats are waiting for me to arrive......Big, and Bob......



My room for the week.....GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRreat!



Time for a break.....Standby for more.....

I get to the Lodge and around 1030 PST, unpack my gear and settle in for a few days...

[GB]

Your photo links not working..

[Buffalo Bill]

How bout now?

Originally Posted by Gadget Boy

Your photo links not working..

[SCOTTSST]

nope still no pics!

[Buffalo Bill]

Do we have pics now?


I could see them fine.........Hopefully we are fixed

[GSbiker]

We have pics. Thanks for sharing. Looks like the beginning of a great trip.

[Buffalo Bill]

Thanks for the help...

Originally Posted by Gadget Boy

Your photo links not working..

[Raoul Duke]

Awesome RR! See ya in Ceresco!

[Buffalo Bill]

Thanks man....You bringing the date?

Originally Posted by Raoul Duke

Awesome RR! See ya in Ceresco!

[flux_capacitor]

Nice pics, I miss me some Oregon.

[Buffalo Bill]

You hanging with Awesome Bill from Dawsonville?

Oregon is indeed an awesome place to ride....Glad I'm only a couple days East...Can't wait to spend more time there>>>>

Originally Posted by flux_capacitor

Nice pics, I miss me some Oregon.

[Buffalo Bill]

All good things must come to an end. So it was for my stay at the Bearcat...The good thing is, I get to ride with Steve for a couple days on the way home..He's en route to Colorado, so I figured to tag along on my way back to Nebraska..




Last supper at the lodge included Hutch's Wifes world famous rhubarb pie. It was the second time on this trip I had the pleasure of this prize dish....In fact, Darrell pictured on the right, had threatened to eat the whole pie....Seems he had a score to settle with JW over not getting a piece of the first pie...Darrell, a retired Professional Cowboy/Bull rider looked as though he meant business..Had it not been for his good nature and cowboy way, I'm sure we'd still be thinking about, and not tasting that sweet pie...In the end he shared, although he did get the biggest piece...


”Thanks Darrell I'm looking forward to sharing some time on the trail with you next time I'm out”



Also pictured behind Darrell, lurking in the shadows is Kurt from Blackdog Cycle Works... www.BlackDogCW.com


Kurt was visiting the lodge on his way home to Northern Idaho...Kurt's heavily farkeled GS made things a little more balanced out in front of the lodge...My GS had been looking pretty out of place with all those Katooms...



My Big Dog ready to head east.......


Loaded for Bear....This couple stopped by for a tour the morning we were leaving...THey had shipped the bike over from the UK, and were enjoying a 4 month ride in the US...




Fog in the Valley on the last morning...





Steve and I have breakfast and wait for the fog to clear.....I had a back tire waiting for me at Happy Trail in Boise and need to get a quick turn if we are going to make it half-way across Idaho today....




On the ride to Boise, the weather was perfect, but by the time we made it to Nysaa, Oregon it was starting to warm up....Sitting in a construction zone, I notice a couple riders behind us...Looked like Dad, on an xr 650l and Son, on a KLR 250.... Anybody recognize those two?



John talking KTM with Steve....John rides a nice Black 950....."Is the whole world switching to KTM"?

We roll into Happy Trail around 1330 MST, and Kurt and the boys had the tire...By the time I got the bike unloaded and the wheel off, John was ready to pop on the new tire...In the air-conditioned shade of the shop we Gotr Done and where back out the door by 1420 MST...Nice Job, and thanks.....


Out front at Happy Trail we spotted this cool TW......

With things heating up on the Blue Turf in Boise, we stop and get a late lunch....After lunch we push on to Twin Falls, Idaho for the night.....



Could of been the afternoon heat affecting my vision, but does anyone recognize this guy from "Silence of the Lambs"?

The Best Western had nice up front parking, and as an added bonus, a Hardly parked there for photo ops....

Actually we met the gentleman who owned the Harley....Tom, from Washington was heading to Boulder to pick up his bride...He was planning on making it to Colorado the next day...



The breakfast spread was the best, and Zahara a nice lady from Bosnia made sure it stayed that way....The scrambled eggs and biscuits and gravy were fresh and delicious....


I have to throw this picture in.....This is some of the gear I was moving from my room back out to the bike....Pretty amazed how much stuff fits on that bike....

Just after breakfast we run into Tom with the Road King...He decides to tag along with us for a while, since we're all heading East....Our goal for the day was Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and his was Boulder, so we said fine.....

Ended up loosing Tom after the first gas stop...His rig lost a fuel pump and he ended up having to get a tow truck....Bummer for Tom...



Lunch break in Rock Springs Wyoming....THings were starting to heat up by the time we got to the Rock....A check of the map, a bite to eat, and we were back on the road headed south on 191 toward Flaming River Gorge and Vernal UT...



The ride south was thru some high country with big wide open views...Here, I hiked around to another ridge to get these shots.....Kinda dumb/what the frick was I thinking, because at 8,200 feet above sea level wearing all my riding gear, I was not exactly dressed for hiking....I need to get one of those SPOT things...


Can you see him now?


Finally back to the bike....Raising my arm so the air can flow into my lungs a little easier.....


On the descent into Vernal, Utah...



From Vernal we continue east past the Dinosaur National Monument...Sorry no time for pics...Then we stop in the town of Dinosaur, Colorado for a quick drink and a break... Does it look like we're having fun?

"No Steve, you can't ride my GS"


Home for the night in Steamboat Springs, Colorado......Rabbit Ears Pass is a Land Mark on the way to Walden, Colorado...The motel is nice....I stayed one night last year and liked the sign...The rooms are ok too...



Town was kinda dead the night we stopped...This Brew Pub, Magnolia Something or other, two blocks from the Rabbit Ears, had what we needed..Beer and Food....


Fish taco.....MMMMM.....Dark Beer......MMMMMMMM....Preppy Boy Waiter.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...



Stay tuned for Sunrise on Rabbit Ears Pass and the last day......


Last day on the road, another 680 miles or so and we can stick a fork in this trip....It'll be done....

To do this I decide to get an early start....The motel computer rings my room at 0400hrs....My plan is to be on the road by 0500...Sunrise is at 0538, so I figure it will be getting light around 0500...



I climb the pass and get to the top of rabbit ears.......the picture tells the story.....Time is 0514hrs...All my days in the military, I always hated getting up early, but also always enjoyed seeing the sun come up....

Being able to see the sun rise over the rocky mountains is a special treat...I try to keep riding, but find myself stopping on every other curve to soak in the view.....



Down on the flat headed toward Walden, Colorado, I snag one more shot of the fog laying in the valley below Rabbit Ears.....

The ride to Walden was uneventful...The early morning calm makes for some fast traveling....I get to Walden in record time and top off gas, then continue toward Laramie...

Its 0603hrs as I roll out of Walden, I'm pretty much the only one on the road, so when I see a white ford explorer in the distance coming toward me, I check my speed.73 in a 55, know sweat, hold that speed...As the white explorer gets closer, I can see it has nothing on top, probably not a cop...

Ever have that feeling you're about to meet Johnnie Law?..At that moment, as the white explorer came toward me, I had that feeling...My focus was on him, as his was on me..At about an 1/8 of a mile his lights in the grill and on the dash came on...Sheeeeit, It's the Sheriff..I'm slowing as I pass him. Then for some reason I just smile and wave as he goes by...When I was waving he was up against the glass of his windshield trying to see if I looked like someone he wanted to meet....Lucky for me, he didn't think i was worth meeting.......He kept going and I backed it down for a couple miles....

Actually I stopped and snagged this shot.....



In the Sheriff's Zone....








I make quick time to Laramie and take a break to check for leaks on the pass with ole Abe Lincoln in the background...



Not long after Abe, I pass thru Cheyenne and cross the state line.....I'm home, but still have another 400miles till I'm home....For those not Familiar with the above sign...The guy on the horse is Buffalo Bill... "I'll buy you a beer if you can name the Horse he is on"....Its not Beemer...



First gas stop in Nebraska in about 10 days....I meet Jim...He's all smiles, headed east on his Harley...Started out the day in Cheyenne and headed to Chicago...He spent a career working for the University of Illinois, and after 30 years bought himself this bike....His favorite beer changes, and he likes dark beer sometimes...His most memorable ride on a bike was some 30 years ago when he road the Beartooth Highway from the Northeast gate of Yellowstone to Red Lodge...It was a windy day from the south, don't think I would trade my beemer for that Harley.....You go Jim...



Next stop on the road to check for leaks was this field full of noxious weeds....this is what happens when the prairie is plowed and it doesn't get farmed....Bunch of weeds....



Since I haven't found any naked girls or pigs that could sing, I'll talk about the bearcat...



I started out the ride looking for Bearcats...What I found was a Valley in Oregon called Bear Valley, where a couple Bobcats Live....The combination of the two ended up being the Bearcat.....For those looking for a real Bearcat, or one with wings I hope you find it....



With the miles on the clock, it was time to unpack my stuff and get back to mowing the lawn...



When I rolled in the driveway, Buffalo Roy was waiting......



Nothing like a cold beer with a good friend after a long ride....


The End....

[fifthcircle]

Originally Posted by Buffalo Bill

Home for the night in Steamboat Springs, Colorado......Rabbit Ears Pass is a Land Mark on the way to Walden, Colorado...The motel is nice....I stayed one night last year and liked the sign...The rooms are ok too....

The Rabbit Ears is where my good friend Jeff and his lovely wife concieved their first child a few years ago


Nice report Billy!

[Buffalo Bill]

Originally Posted by fifthcircle

The Rabbit Ears is where my good friend Jeff and his lovely wife concieved their first child a few years ago


Nice report Billy!

Small World for sure......What'd they name the child, Peter, Briar, Easter, Cotton?

[funhouse]

I was thinking Grumman