Featured Touring 3,113 Miles Across The American West - With A Nip Of Sturgis Mixed In

Day #3: Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah to Logan, Utah
Total Miles: 341

Today was one of the longer days of our 13 day trip on our way to Jackson, Wyoming so that our mileage the next day would be less. We had the most interstate riding of our trip--about 160 miles. Those miles were primarily on I-15 with 20 miles or so on Interstate 70. While those in our group are NOT freeway fans, those miles today were still beautiful and the road was not inundated with big rig tractor-trailers like some U.S. interstates (not to name names, but I-40 is the worst!)

One of the things I did on this Google Map to provide some perspective of the American West was include state names in red. While the states appear rather close together, they are definitely not! Utah, for example, is about 400 miles from the southern to the northern border. And as you can see from our route, we rode mostly straight north the entire length of the state. I'm not sure why the mileage indicated on the map below (364 miles) is 23 miles more than our actual route. Oh well...



When we departed at 8:00 this morning, the temperature was a chilly 47ºF mostly because we were at an altitude of 8,000 feet. The initial ride back towards U.S. 89 was on Highway 12, Utah's Highway 12, officially designated Scenic Byway 12 and an All-American Road. We were on the section of 12 that's the farthest west and goes through an area called Red Canyon. And for good reason! It was a beautifu if nippy start to the day.



The first third or so of today's route was definitely the most beautiful. It took us along with Sevier River (pronounced "severe"), first through Circleville Canyon and then into Marysvale Canyon. The Sevier River is a 400-mile river in the Great Basin of southwestern Utah in the United States. The river starts west of Bryce Canyon National Park and flows north through a chain of high farming valleys and steep canyons along the west side of the Sevier Plateau. I found myself wishing that we could be on a route like this the entire day!

We saw a very unique sight along the river. We came upon a dozen or so train cabooses scattered next to the river with a large sign indicating that this was "Caboose Village". I looked it up when we got home and it's part of a larger "adventure camp" called Big Rock Candy Mountain which offers recreation rentals , train rides, and lodging of many sorts including cabins, camping, RV parking, and--cabooses! We couldn't stop for a photo so here's one from Mr. Google. This photo also gives you a sense of riding along the Sevier.


When we made our first gas stop of the day, we noticed that places that would typically be open during a weekday in were strangely closed. And earlier we had seen a bunch of folks in the little town of Marysvale lined up along main street sporting the Stars and Stripes. Puzzled, when we did find a place open, the clerk told us that it was Pioneer Day which is a state holiday in Utah. She said that it was a day to honor the pioneers who came West and settled in the Utah Territory. She didn't mention that it is a primarily a Mormon holiday and is observed by the whole state of Utah and Mormons worldwide. We were intrigued but also a bit concerned that it might be a challenge to find a place for lunch. But no...once we rode into the Salt Lake City metro area, everything seemed to be "business as usual".

From Wikipedia
Pioneer Day
Observed by Utah, United States and Latter-day Saints worldwide
Significance commemorates the first entry of Brigham Young and a group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847
Celebrations parades, fireworks, rodeos, and other festivities
Frequency annual

Pioneer Day is an official holiday celebrated on July 24 in the U.S. state of Utah, with some celebrations taking place in regions of surrounding states originally settled by Mormon pioneers. It commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, where the Latter-day Saints settled after being forced from Nauvoo, Illinois, and other locations in the eastern United States. Parades, fireworks, rodeos, and other festivities help commemorate the event. Similar to July 4, many local and all state-run government offices and many businesses are closed on Pioneer Day.

In addition to being an official holiday in Utah, Pioneer Day is considered a special occasion by many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). On Pioneer Day, some Latter-day Saints walk portions of the Mormon Trailor reenact entering the Salt Lake Valley by handcart. Latter-day Saints throughout the United States and around the world may celebrate July 24 in remembrance of the LDS Church's pioneer era, with songs, dances, potlucks, and pioneer related activities.

After riding "the slab" for a hundred miles or so, we began to look for lunch. We stopped to gas up then looked for nearby restaurants. Since we were close to Provo and Brigham Young University, there were loads of places to eat. Or course, our group chose one that was about five miles away through about a dozen traffic lights. We went to a place called the Black Bear Diner. The usual lunch / bar food but the temperature was perfect and they had outdoor seating. And bears! And lots of parking for the bikes. The drama of the day was that Patrick lost his ear plugs and we all had to stop everything and make an attempt to find them. Funny enough, his ear plugs were connected to each other to a neon orange cord that he wore around his neck. He never did find them and turned down an offer by Steve to use his (unused) Motorsports Edition "EarPeace" ear plugs which the rest of us all use.



The remaining miles to our destination of Logan were nearly all on I-15 through the heart of Salt Lake City. Those miles looked like nearly every other major city we've ridden through on a freeway. But once we exited for the final 30 miles to Logan, we once again rode a beautiful canyon and lovely countryside. Utah State University is locate in Logan which has that "college town" vibe that's so nice (read--good pizza, good beer, and good ice cream).



Russell, Steve, & I all stayed at a Best Western Plus on main street. Roseanne and Patrick stayed across the street at a Hilton property to collect hotel points. Being hungry, we did some checking and all roads led to Jack's for...pizza and beer. On the short walk to the restaurant I saw this Mormon temple framed by the mountains. There are Mormon temples galore in the state of Utah, even in some of the tiny towns we rode through on this trip and our previous ride through Utah.



Here's the gang (minus me) in Jack's. This place had fantastic pizza and a terrific local craft beer selection.






Our server at Jack's recommended an ice cream shop named Brookers, a new place thats "hook" is that all the people that work there dress like Americans from around Revolutionary War times. Seemed a bit odd to us but it was kind of cute. The place was absolutely packed and for good reason! This was some of the best ice cream I've ever had. Sorry I don't have a photo of my Pecan Praline. I was so into eating it that I forgot to photograph it!






Stay tuned for tomorrow: Day #4 -- Logan, Utah to Jackson (Jackson Hole), Wyoming

 

Thank you so much, @learningtofly. I appreciate the luck for my new job in particular. Yikes..... Glad you're enjoying my ride report.

 

Thanks, @learningtofly! So, my question to you is...what is a caboose called in Hertfordshire??

Yes, I love Earpiece earplugs. And I also like that they provide a spare. I always bring a backup little canister when I ride (even locally) "just in case".

 

Day #4: Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming
Total Miles: 189

For the second time so far this trip we had to make a fairly substantial detour. Each of us had been dreaming about riding through Logan Canyon like we did two years ago and also having raspberry shakes (a malt in my case) on Bear Lake in the little resort town of Garden City. Alas, that was not to be. The clerk at our hotel informed us that fiber optic cable was being laid on the Logan Canyon Road and the roads were completely torn up. Additionally, the day prior to our departure there had been a fire (yes, another fire) that burned right across the road. The fire had been completely extinguished but had gone across the road leaving riding havoc in its wake. So detour, here we come.


Today's mileage was fairly low by design even though it took us through three states: Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. Our destination was Jackson, Wyoming, a famous "glitzy" mountain ski town. Two years ago when we stayed there it rained nearly non-stop and we saw disappointingly little. So we figured this year we'd get there early to really explore the town properly. The weather definitely cooperated and we arrived with plenty of time to play tourist. Actually, we didn't have to "play" tourist since that's exactly what we were.

We made our one gas stop about a mile from a little town called Afton which sits along the western border of Idaho. As we prepared to mount up, I noticed another Mormon Temple in the distance. While Afton is not in Utah, I understand that years back a number of Mormons settled in areas which now lie within the borders of Wyoming.



Between Afton and Jackson, our route took us through a beautiful canyon in the Bridger-Teton National Forest along the Snake River. Today there were tons of folks white-water rafting. This was one of my favorite parts of this route.. I could do this ride every day for the rest of my riding days and never tire of it.

Internet photo


The hotel we stayed at, The Antler Inn, was the same place we stayed two summers ago. While it was the least expensive hotel available both right in town and well into the outskirts, it was by far our most expensive hotel of the trip. And definitely the, shall we say, "least adequate". That's Jackson for ya. I tried to reframe it as "We're paying to be 10 miles outside of Grand Teton National Forest. Plus it's located a block and a half off the main square. And the thing is, there really aren't any alternatives anywhere even remotely nearby. Steve looked up some other lodging offerings and they ranged from $700 up to $2,400! Yes, that's per night.




Steve and Russell hanging out on the bear bench in front of the lobby reflections of "progress" in the background.



Jackson really is a very cool town. Here's a bit of info and history from Wikipedia for those of you interested. Honestly, I find myself learning even more about the places we go when I do ride reports upon our return!

Wikipedia
Jackson is a resort town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 10,760 at the 2020 census, up from 9,577 in 2010. Jackson is the principal town of the Jackson, WY-ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Teton County in Wyoming and Teton County in Idaho. The town is often called Jackson Hole, which is the name of the valley in which it is located. Jackson is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to the ski resorts Jackson Hole Mountain, Snow King Mountain, and Grand Targhee. Jackson also acts as a gateway community for Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Jackson was originally populated by Native American tribes including the Shoshoni, Crow, Blackfeet, Bannock, and Gros Ventre. In the early 1800s, the locality became a prime area for trappers and mountain men to travel through, one example being John Colter. After being discharged from the Corps of Discovery of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1806 at Fort Mandan, in present-day North Dakota, Colter visited Jackson Hole during the winter of 1807/1808. David Edward Jackson gave his name to the valley after a winter spent on the shores of Jackson Lake.

As part of the Hayden Expedition of 1871 and 1872, William Henry Jackson took the first photographs of the Teton Range and Yellowstone. His photographs along with the sketches by Tom Moran, were important evidence to convince Congress to protect Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone National Park became the first National Park in 1872. Grand Teton National Park was created in 1929 and greatly expanded in 1950 after John D. Rockefeller Jr. purchased and then donated over 30,000 acres.

The town of Jackson was named in 1894 and incorporated in 1914. Some of the early buildings remain and can be found throughout the area of the Town Square.

The rest of my Day #4 post will be primarily Jackson photos with a few comments here and there. Nary a motorcycle in sight. Well, I take that back. The last photo will have two bikes in it. And second to last.....a dog.

This is a hopping spot all day and night long. Steve, Russell, and I tried to squeeze in for a nightcap after dinner but it was too crowded even to do that!



Some ride iron horses, others drive real horses! Steve was chuckling because he had just shown the stagecoach driver a photo I took of the stagecoach team last time we were in Jackson...in a pounding rain.



A shot of a couple of the ski runs from a Jackson side street



Spied in an alley



One small part of the coolest knife shop I've even been in! And I've been in a bunch thanks to the company I keep.



Day #4 continued in my next post

 

Day #4 continued

One of the most interesting things I saw in Jackson revolved around hats. I think I've shared here that I've gone down a hat rabbit hole. Steve got me my first cowboy hat last December for my birthday--a beautiful Stetson. Now I have four with my eye on a fifth. Russell has seven and Steve has five. It's a disease.

Evidently the new "thing" is branding your hat. Literally. Check this out! The first photo is a hat that was a demo of sorts and covered with some of the brands that were available to customize your hat. Note the mini branding irons hanging on the wooden rack.









Lots of galleries and fantastic art in Jackson. Some of it indoors and some outside for public consumption.



One half of a chess set...and one of my favorite art pieces we saw



Can't leave out the theatrical arts



You never know where you'll see a moose!



Meet Duke.



And, yes, finally a motorcycle photo on a motorcycle forum! These were parked outside the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. Something tells me they are parked there most every night in the summer.



Next up, Day #5: Jackson, Wyoming to Red Lodge, Montana through the Tetons, Yellowstone, and over the Beartooth Highway

Stay tuned! I'm back to work Tuesday through Thursday so will return (most likely) on Friday with our next episode.

 

Day #5: Jackson, Wyoming to Red Lodge, Montana via the Beartooth Highway
Total Miles: 234

All five of us were very excited for today's ride which would take us through Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and across the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, Montana. We awoke to a very chilly 40º morning and hit the road after bagels accompanied by steaming cups of coffee--and adding a layer to keep warm.



Grand Teton National Park is a mere five miles from Jackson. It's named for Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. At 13,775 feet, Grand Teton rises more than 7,000 feet above Jackson. The park covers about 310,000 acres and the mountain range is 40 miles long. The first part of today's route is one we traveled two summers ago on our (now seemingly) annual Sturgis trip. The thing that struck me about the Tetons was the same thing that struck me today. The mountain range appears to rear up out of nearly dead flat "foothills". It was truly stunning. This photo doesn't capture it well, but it's my attempt to share this unique aspect of the Teton mountains with you.



We didn't visit the park visitor center this year as we wanted to hit the Beartooth Highway before afternoon storms moved in. Other than a couple of stops at view points and one for gas and lunch (in Yellowstone), we kept on rolling. That turned out to be a wise decision and kept us from riding Beartooth in the rain.

My bike and me at one of those viewpoints with the Tetons in the background



The glaciers on the Tetons are shrinking at an alarming rate.



The entrance to Yellowstone National Park is about ten miles from Grand Teton National Park. Two years ago we saw exactly ZERO bison as we rode through both parks. Today we started off seeing a herd of probably about 100 between the two parks. Our clue as to what was off to our right was the line of cars pulled off the side of the road! I took this photo after we also pulled off. It was to be the only time we stopped for a photo op...much to my chagrin, especially since these animals were far from us. Some of the ones we were to see were VERY close. And by the time we rode through Yellowstone and hit Highway 212 on our way to Beartooth, we probably saw about 1,000 bison! And I am NOT exaggerating. If I were leading, I'd have pulled off several times. But there were five of us that would have had to stop--and I wasn't leading.



A quick, touristy pic of our group at the famous Yellowstone entrance sign.



This photo is from a Las Vegas newspaper article. I was looking for one that represented a lot of what we saw bison-wise. But we saw individuals just off the road, mamas and babies, big dudes lying on hillsides, small herd, big herds. Here a bison, there a bison, everywhere a bison-bison! At one point we had to wait in traffic while one big guys sauntered across the road. We didn't get the best view as we were a bit back in the traffic queue, but it was still quite the experience. My bison photos aren't nearly as good as those of @Bikerman in his Sturgis and U.S. trip report. So if you like buffalo, check out his thread that's featured on the Front Page.



Two years ago we went to the west part of Yellowstone to see Old Faithful. This year's route took us to the north-northeast part of the part where we would exit the actual park near a small town called Tower Junction. We were looking for Highway 212, part of which includes the Beartooth Highway, a new experience for all five of us!

When we were planning out trip and looked at the map, Steve said that this part of the route reminded him of a little kid with a crayon just scribbling his little heart out.



The AI overview from a Google search about the Beartooth Highway:

"The Beartooth Highway is a stunning 68-mile scenic drive along U.S. Route 212 that connects Red Lodge, Montana, to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park at Cooke City, Montana, traversing high mountain passes in the Beartooth Mountains. Known as "America's Most Beautiful Drive," it features breathtaking views of snow-capped peaks, alpine lakes, and open valleys, with opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing, and photography. The highway is typically open from late May or early June to mid-October, depending on snow conditions, but always check the weather and road conditions in advance."

The map I included above isn't the whole 68 miles but only the highest and twistiest portion. The map gives you an idea of the plant life up here--which is not much. This part was all above the tree line. The highest elevation of nearly 11,000 feet at Beartooth Pass, makes it the highest elevation highway in the Northern Rockies. It's right around the same elevation of the passes we've done on the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado on which I've reported in the past.

Here's aerial view from a Facebook post. Thank you for a fantastic photo, Tim Doolin! This photo really give you a feel for this road....which at points I found to be a real "sphincter clencher!



When we wound our way down off the mountain, we rode only a few miles before arriving in the town of Red Lodge, Montana, our destination for the evening. The town a small Harley store with tee-shirts and such, and I just had to buy a shirt with this logo.




Day #5 continued in my next post

 

Day #5 continued

We arrived in Red Lodge mid-afternoon or so. It was cloudy but we were happy to not have been rained on while navigating the Beartooth Highway! Here's a little map that was in our hotel room. Two years ago we went east out of Yellowstone and through Cody, Wyoming on Route 16. Red Lodge and Cody, for perspective, are 65 miles apart.



Shortly after parking the bikes and checking in, I went downstairs and out onto Main Street to explore. Red Lodge is a great little town of about 2,200 people. It's near two ski areas called Red Lodge Mountain and Beartooth Basin. That's no draw for me personally. The first time I ever went downhill skiing way (WAY!) back in high school, I broke my ankle and had to use crutches in a Minnesota winter for about two months. But where there's skiing, there are mountains, and where there are mountains there is beauty! And the area around Red Lodge is definitely no exception.

A few shots on the street. There had been a motorcycle rally the weekend (or two?) earlier, and we saw posters showing there would be a car show in a few weeks. Even though the rally was over, there were a lot of motorcycles parked along the center of town. It seem that the Beartooth Highway and proximity to Yellowstone is a magnet for bikes.







We kept seeing the these two bikes throughout the day like we were leapfrogging along the same route. It got to where we'd wave as we passed then reposed each other. Both machines are Victory motorcycles.



I both admired this bike's paint job and was made dizzy by it at the same time.



And then there was this baby!



Complete with its own mascot or luck charm or....



Steve joined me after taking a catnap. One of the places we found and loved was this unique tee-shirt shop. There were over 1,000 logos that you could add to your tee-shirt in over 100 different colors. And there were probably about 30 different tee-shirt colors to choose from! The woman that ran the place, Misty, was delightful and we chatted with her for probably half an hour. She shared with us that she'd grown up in Red Lodge, moved away when she was old enough to be out on her own, but found herself missing the place and returned for good. This is the shop...



And this is Misty with the "tools of her trade". That big machine on the right is where custom screen printing is done.



Day #5 Red Lodge continued in my next post

 

Day #5 continued

Steve and I stayed at a historic hotel called The Pollard which opened in 1893. For many of you in Europe, the place would not be considered old. But in the U.S., It is definitely "historic"! And beautiful, too. Steve and I love to find unique hotels when we travel on our motorcycles. Sometimes they cost a bit more than the chains but then again, sometimes not. But they always have a story to tell and they always leave us with wonderful memories and stories of our own. Russell, Roseanne, and Patrick chose to stay at the edge of town which also meant they had to drive or ride in for dinner. It did work out for them to all ride to dinner in Roseanne's Prius while Steve and I were able to just walk the block and a half to the place we ate.

Here's a shot of The Pollard from their web site.



Checking in....



Steve in the Piano Room. At least that's what we called it.



Steve had scoped out restaurant offerings back when we were originally planning this trip and found a place called the Carbon County Steakhouse. Carbon County is the county within which the town is located. It was well reviewed and the menu looked delicious. Not cheap but we decided it would be our "splurge" on this trip. Yes, it was worth it!



Wonderful West and mountain ambiance



Not only were the steaks great, the martinis were, too!



I'd seen this bracelet the night before in Jackson and almost bought it. I hemmed and hawed and finally said "no". However, that was BEFORE we saw about a thousand bison the next day! I took that as a sign and decided to see if I could still buy it. I suspect the big fat martini also played a part in loosening my purse strings. So when we got back to our room at The Pollard I called and spoke with the saleswoman I'd worked with. She remembered me and the bracelet and said she'd be happy to sell it to me over the phone and ship it. It was waiting for me when we arrived home a week and a half later. What a terrific memento of an amazing experience!



The next morning we all met up for breakfast at Marli's, the restaurant in The Pollard. We'd have considered eating someplace other than our hotel but all the local folks we spoke with recommended Marli's hands down for breakfast.



And there are fresh donuts every morning served up with a smile!



Our four bikes all loaded up and ready to hit the road for Day #6 in my next post.




Stay tuned for Red Lodge to Deadwood, South Dakota with a solemn stop at the Little Bighorn Battlefield.