Limbimtimwim takes a mighty dump on the US of A

[Deano]

WOW. I'm jealous too. Great photos mate.

[fergie]

this would have to be the most enjoyable thread i have read in a huge/long time! well done.thanks.

[limbimtimwim]

Salmon to Anaconda

Salmon has a Sacajawea 'interpretation' site.


The road going north out of Salmon is like a super-duper Kaimai range road. There are many very large hairpins going up a mountain. At the top of the mountain is the border to Montana. Thanks Jake the underground train driver from New York for taking my photo near the top. Irritatingly and what I have found is quite common so far is that there are not enough safe places to pull over and take a snap of what is quite a stunning view and an impressive feat of engineering.

At the bottom of the hill there is some Montana farmland, which is very pretty.



After Salmon I went to a place called Missoula to get some new tyres, since the original Dunlop D208 rear was down to the wear indicators and it was time for replacement. So I wasted a bit of time finding a shop, and then waiting for the tyre to be fitted. So I didn't get that far, I only made it to a place called Anaconda, which is about 5 miles off the freeway heading East from Missoula.

I went to Anaconda because I stopped at one of Montana's highway rest stops, which are far more frequent that California's and even better maintained, full of free information, warm, completely devoid of staff and are spotlessly clean. In Montana the signs lie and say "Next rest stop 60 miles" when there are is in fact one about 20 miles down the road. Perhaps the people in charge of rest stops have had a falling out with the people in charge of signs. Anyway, this rest stop had pictures of the buildings in Anaconda, and they looked a little quirky. So I went down the road to take a look.


Indeed Anaconda was full of slightly odd buildings. It also had a weird feel about it, like a town that was badly maintained or forgottern. I thought this was perhaps the freeway was built, and did not come by close enough for people to stop.




I went into a bar and had a beer. I had sat down next to the right person. Turns out Anaconda once had a large copper smelter that at it's peak employed thousands, that's where the old dude at the bar used to work. So with the smelter came a railway. So with the railway and the smelter, there was a town of at least 12000 people. Now the town only has a couple of thousand people. The smelter gone and railyard gone, the town is equiped for many more than it needs to service, and and perhaps afford to look after. Projects are half done, roads are potholed. Pointlessly the two main streets are one way two lane streets, there is no way they need that with their current traffic load, this isn't San Francisco. Either the town policeman was watching me, or he drives aroud and around those main streets all day.. There are probably more bars per-capita than anywhere else in the world, which means there are lots of mostly empty bars. Apparently on Friday they close a street and have outdoor live music, shame I missed it. It'd also be really f*(^ing cold.

[limbimtimwim]

Anyway, funny place Anaconda. I think it deserves to survive, but it probably won't.

[limbimtimwim]

Anaconda to Teton Village

I left Anaconda early enough so I could get to Yellowstone and have lots of time to take pictures.

It was warm in the sun, but cold in the shade. So when moving, I had to have my scarf on for the first time yet. Again, a great bit of road and scenery as you climb over a pass getting near Bozeman, but nowhere safe to stop and take a picture. This road kind of like the Bombay hills, but it rises higher and has more turns.

A bit further down the road, uh oh!! Highway patrol man hiding after a crest and Mr GPS says that I am speeding by 10MPH. But I am in the 'slow' right hand lane, and there is a red Ford F250 raised up high like they do serious off roading (I bet they don't) is in the left lane. After we pass, highway patrol man starts to move; I slow to the speed limit at the bottom of slope, the Highway Patrol man is gaining quickly, I start getting a little nervous, he passes me, disco lights lights come on and YUSSSSSSSS he pulls over the big red truck. A lucky escape I think maybe because I was in the slow lane or maybe because I slowed down at the bottom of the hill... I can hear the driver of the truck now "But the puke coloured bike was going just as fast as me!!".

Phew..

I pass through the town of Bozeman, which looks like a nice place. After Bozeman it's South to Yellowstone.

The road to Yellowstone is paved with money. There are a few nice looking places off to the side of the road that I am sure I could never afford.

The road is very scenic, it winds along a river. It would be a nice 75mph road, but we are hobbled to something less fun.

I stop at a turn off to a place called Big Sky and have a bite to eat at chapel on the side of the road.

As I am about to leave I spot a plaque on the front of the chapel. It has my name on it.
I find a real-estate agent up the road (At what I discover is the rich person chalet town of Big Sky) and ask them if they know anyone with my surname. Turns out she does. Bozeman's local royalty have the same surname as me. There is a castle and a street with my name in Bozeman. I knew it was a nice town :-)

I continue on through pine forest. There are warnings about large mammals on the road, like ya know, Bison. A large electronic sign proclaims '15 animal inpacts this year. SLOW DOWN'. Me vs. Bison would result in Bison win, Simon fail.


Eventually I come to West Yellowstone, which is the last town in Montana before the entrance to the park. I am quite surprised to see it is a not a hellishly expensive resort town like Queenstown, but something more like Oakune. I am actually quite impressed by this and hope that the fee to Yellowstone isn't huge. But sadly it is, $20. Like GC, I consider turning around. But no, I don't, I keep going.

It was worth it.

After you pass through the gate there is some more pine forest, but soon you are following a river that winds through the forest where people are fishing happily in the cool air, it's all very picturesque.

There are of course geo-thermal things to stop and take a look at, but it is starting to rain. Then it is starting to hail. Yay.


I do stop and take the time to watch Old Faithful do it's show, which was okay. A lot of people were watching, but it did not fail and rose to the occasion.

But Yellowstone had yet to type in the cheat codes. The road south from Old Faithful and to the Grand Teton National Park is the cheat code. Let down little by Old Faithful I was very impressed with what was to come. It was also very cold. Coldest ever on a bike for me.

[limbimtimwim]

Brr. But you know, rivers, ponds, waterfalls and lakes surrounded by snow raised my spirits somewhat; but that was nearly dashed when I was speeding a little and a sheriff saw me and pulled over with his lights on... But he did not turn around... Phew... And then of course, there were the Grand Tetons themselves. Which devoid of cloud, soaked in sunshine and covered in snow are pretty damn awesome.

I got the cheapest room in Teton Village (It's the so-off-it-is-almost-shut-down-season), some fine soup bread.
And then there was an epic lightning storm.

After that i was freezing and went right to bed with the feeling just coming back into my toes..

[T.I.E]

I got to get my name out there somewhere, Would of had a place for ya between La and Vegas, sorry i wasn't up with the plan early enough.
Keep it safe and watch that road kill.

This Norfland boy lost in California

[Hitcher]

Lightning in the USA is magnificent. I now understand why the locals sit on their porches and watch.

[phoenixgtr]

Wow!! Good on ya mate. This is a fantastic journey

[limbimtimwim]

Teton Village to Lander

It was cold and rainy when I left.

I had a coffee at some place I asked about the weather. 'Oh... Cars were coming down the road earlier on with snow on them'. Nice.

So yeah, it was pretty going up the hill.

Then it snowed.

But it cleared up, and there were some funny hills near a place called Dubois. And a shifty looking Jackalope.


And some funny cliffs.

But then Wyoming got a a bit boring. This is the best it could manage.


So yeah, not much interesting to report really.

For some reason today my thoughts were on the car industry here. American cars and trucks totally dominate the landscape. The Dodge Ram (In several different sizes) and Chevy Silverado (And it's twin GMC) are incredibly common. So how GM and Chrysler got themselves in economic trouble leaves me in wonder. How badly did they have mismanage their companies to put themselves in such a bad position? They had steady income from these trucks, but they couldn't manage it.

I wonder what Ford does differently? Perhaps they don't make cars that suck? Perhaps they have not gone crazy with wide product lines? Who knows?!

I hope the US government doesn't waste it's monetary input into these companies.

The place I stayed in called Lander. It's hosts, what a rather cynical person at the bar told me was a prestigious outdoor education centre for rich people, called the National Outdoor Leadership School. She explained to me there was sort of a divide in the town that wasn't an economic one between conservationists and hunters. There were lots of republicans in the bar still wearing their camo and a whole lot of people in t-shirts and with frequent facial hair singing along with the jukebox.

But they wern't talking to each other.

[gijoe1313]

Golly! What a great trip and excellent write ups! Keep 'em coming and remember to take those shots no one else will (the mundane and ordinary! hehe)

[limbimtimwim]

Lander to New Castle

It was, again, rainy and cold when I left Lander. The guy at the motel warned me about the weather. The people in the servo warned me about the weather. They say it is about to snow. Meh, stupid dork that I am, I kept on.

14 miles out of town I see another bike coming towards me, and he pulls over and stops, and so do I. He is nearly out of fuel. I tell him how far he has to go, and he is no longer worried. I ask him about the road ahead. He says no snow, just some rain.

So my highlight out of Lander to Colorado was some cowboys in the hills.

Someone, who shall remain famous, told me that Southern Wyoming was "America's Toilet". The strong steady wind was frustrating (Throttle to the stop for awhile and couldn't get to 75mp/h without shifting down), the landscape boring, the towns far apart and shitty, all and all the Southern Wyoming is no fun.



Got quite a bit better right after the 'Welcome to Colorful Colorado' sign however.

The wind died down, the temperatute went up, the land got lumpier, the towns less shitty.



I even haggled successfully with the person at the desk of a chain motel. Something that has eluded me so far.

Well done Colorado for saving my day! I shall be seeing more of you tomorrow..

[scracha]

Dunno why but I just thought of that stupid game Road Rash. Anyhoo..

Fark Simon. It all looks awesome.


http://picasaweb.google.com/simonsAp...59430176764690

Testicle festival....wtf?

[limbimtimwim]

New Castle CO to Telluride CO

Ever heard of either of these places? No, me neither.

New Castle isn't much. The road to Aspen is quite frankly crap. It has lots of traffic lights and just takes forever. But the road out of Aspen is awesome. It climbs up a mountain and is thin and winding enough to discourage people in RVs and towing campers. There are signs warning you not to do that anyway. Someone has even bothered making a website about it: http://www.independence-pass.com/ . It is high 12,095 feet/3686M.
I just took a photo or two.




Then it was another mountain pass, Monarch Pass. Which wasn't as photogenic, but it was a good fun road with sweeping bends. It's also high, 11,312 feet/3,448M according to Wikipedia.

After that, some hydro lakes, which felt a little bit like the road north of the Clyde dam.


So after that I found myself heading towards Telluride, which I had never heard of, but my sister said was a nice place. The road in is great, you come through a pretty canyon

and end up in the dead end, but incredibly rich town on Telluride. I can't describe how.. elite feeling.. Telluride is. Rich people sit in cosy expensive restaurants eating expensive food in their expensive clothes. Queenstown is just cheap pretender to this.

The free gondola is awesome, I agree is is "The Most Beautiful Commute in America" as the website says. http://www.telluride.com/telluride/the-gondola.html .
.
Powered wind apparently. Perhaps all the hot air coming from the local moneyed up people.
The view from the top is great.




Today I came to the conclusion that Americans do not understand waste very well. Everything comes in it's own packaging. Even when served soup I got come crackers, in individual packets. Salad dressing? Individual packet. Cup in hotel room? Polystyrene in an individual packet for each one.
Seems a little senseless. I guess the only sense is that there is no washing up, just throwing away...

[usa-vtwin]

Awesome thread and trip! I did this tour in a Corvette and seeing your photos and doco brings back great memories..It's inspired me to work hard this year and go back and do it on a bike. Ride safe and keep it coming. * lucky lucky lucky*