June 20, 2010 - Cody, WY to Red Lodge, MT

Boyd and I started the day with a visit to the Buffalo Bill Historical Museum in Cody, WY. The facility is huge and should take a full day to see completely but we were in a hurry to get to Red Lodge so we only spent a few hours looking at the exhibits. If you like firearms, this is one place you would like to see. They have over 2500 exhibits of handguns, rifles & shotguns. Very impressive. They also have extensive exhibits on the plains Indians & Bill Cody's life. Gotta go if you are ever in the area.

The ride to Red Lodge, MT is less than 70 miles. After lunch, we set up camp at the KOA then headed out to ride the Beartooth Highway. This is one of America's most scenic highways, going over the Beartooth Mountains along the route travelled by Lewis & Clark. It climbs to a height of 10,990 feet. Boyd & I made it to the first stopping point 20 miles up. Just as we pulled in we received a weather advisory predicting rain, hail & winds up to 60 mph. Choosing discretion, we headed back to Red Lodge. We did get the rain & hail on the way down, but not the high winds. That was the same system that spawned a tornado in Billings, MT later that day. We would try again tomorrow.

June 19, 2010 - Spearfish, SD to Cody, WY

Boyd and I left Spearfish this morning and headed into Wyoming an I-90.  Our first stop of the day was at the Devils Tower Monument in northeast Wyoming.  It is truly an impressive sight.  From there, we made our way back to I-90 then west to Buffalo, WY where we picked up US-16 for a ride through the Bighorn National Forest.  This ride brought us our first views of the snow capped Rocky Mountains.  It is a spectacular ride with huge vistas, sweeping curves and a few hairpin turns.  At Graybull, WY, we turned west on US-14 for the ride to Cody, WY.  Cody is extremely busy this time of year and it was with great difficulty that we found lodging.  Most motels were completely booked or had only $180 rooms available.  We finally managed to get the last avail;able spot the the local KOA.  We are keeping our fingers crossed for tomorrow as they are forecasting thunderstorms, high winds and large hail.  That should make for a great ride!

June 18, 2010 - Black Hills to Spearfish, SD

This morning we said farewell to Lloyd who headed for Great Falls, MT to see his brother.  He should rejoin us sometime next week.

Boyd and I decided to ride the Needles and US-16A again.  This time in the opposite direction.  It is still an exciting ride no matter which direction you travel.  Afterwards, we headed to Sturgis where we stopped for a beer at the Full Throttle Saloon.  This, the largest biker bar in the world, was nearly vacant having just reopened in preparation of the upcoming Sturgis Bike Rally.  Leaving Sturgis, we headed west on US-14A through Deadwood and Lead then north through the picturesque Spearfish Canyon and into Spearfish, SD were we stopped for the night.  Another great day on the road.

June 17, 2010 - Exploring the Black Hills

We left the KOA this morning and headed west into the Black Hills.  Passing through Keystone, we took the scenic US-16A, a narrow, twisting road that winds its way south and west.  It is a great piece of highway that should not be missed if you ever find yourself in the area.  We next entered Custer State Park to pick up the Needles Highway (US-87).  The road winds through the park past many beautiful valleys, hills and rock formations.  Next we headed to Custer, SD for lunch, and then up to the Crazy Horse Memorial.  Finally, we travelled to Mount Rushmore, then back to the KOA for another nights rest.

June 16, 2010 - Yankton, SD to Rapid City, SD

We needed to make up some time today due to yesterday's detours, so we headed north out of Yankton and picked up I-90.  We crossed the James River and Missouri River today.  Both were flooded, but passable.  We arrived in Rapid City late in the day and decided to take a cabin at the KOA.  It was a good decision since the evening brought severe thunderstorms and very high winds.  We later learned that several tent campers had lost their tents during the night.  Sorry for them, happy for us.

June 15, 2010 - Kansas City to Yankton, SD

We left Kansas City this morning in a light rain and headed northwest across Kansas and Nebraska via secondary roads.  The rain didn't last too long and we were soon sailing down some very scenic back roads filled with sweeping vistas and curves.  All was well until we stopped for lunch in northern Nebraska.  We learned that the Elkhorn River was flooding and crossing would be difficult.  That caused us to backtrack 30 miles before we could find a passable bridge.  We did finally get across and made our way into Yankton, SD (Cow Town, USA) where we stopped for the night.

Gunny

June 14, 2010 - Goreville, IL to Kansas City, KS

Today, we covered 418 miles today travelling from Goreville, IL to Marion, west to Chester, IL, and across the Mississippi on Route 51.  At Perrysville, MO., we picked up Missouri Route T to Hwy Oo.  Man, I wish we could tow this road back to Florida.  It is a great ride.  We eventually made it over to Route 8, stopping in Potosi for lunch.  Eventually, we worked our way over to Columbia, MO and from there via I-70 to Kansas City, KS where we have stopped for the night.  We are treating ourselves to a night at the Comfort Inn.  Back on the road early tomorrow.

June 13, 2010 - Racoon Mountain, TN to Goresville, IL

First let me explain that this blog is a day late because there was no Internet available last night.

We took some back roads this morning - US-41 from Raccoon Mountain to Murfreesboro, TN.  What a beautiful ride.  Twists and turns, over the mountains, through the woods, along and across the Tennessee River.  We were very happy we took the ride, however, it did put us a little behind schedule.  So, after lunch, we jumped on I-24 and headed west.  The first major city we hit was Nashville.  What a mess the traffic was, and on a Sunday afternoon.  I will certainly avoid Nashville n the future.  It did not help that the temperature on the Interstate was at least 10 degrees warmer than on US-41.  After cutting across the southwest corner of Kentucky, we entered Illinois.  After checking in at the Illinois welcome center, we decided to head for the Ferne Clyffe State Park near Goresville, IL, to camp for the night.  We only managed to cover about 300 miles in the heat of the day and the campground was not much cooler.  More tomorrow.

June 12, 2010 - Day One to Yellowstone

Boyd, Lloyd & I met for breakfast at 6:00 a.m.in Dade City this morning then hit the road.  We made a bee line north via I-75.  Not much to report other than hot, hot, hot.  We stopped for lunch in Perry, GA.  We stopped for the night at the Raccoon Mountain Lodge in Chattanooga, TN.  After setting up camp, had dinner and are now sitting around a campfire, courtesy of Eagle Scout Boyd.  We made 568 miles today.  Tomorrow we will hit the back roads en route to the Badlands.  Will try to get pictures tomorrow.

June 5, 2010 - Lake Panasoffkee

This morning had a very unusual and happy start.  We gathered as usual in downtown Plant City.  While waiting for the rest of the group, our good friend and riding buddy, Boyd Harrell, presented us with copies of his new book.

He then proceeded to autograph them.

Thereafter, we adjourned to Snellgroves where nine of our group enjoyed the usual breakfast and conversation. 

When it was time to go, four men and machines headed north to explored the roads between here and Lake Panasoffkee.  The route took us through Zephyrhills, where I pointed out A-Team Cycles, Inc. who had given me some good prices on motorcycle maintenance, and on to Dade City so I could show Lloyd the location of the River Road Smokehouse where we would meet next Saturday to begin our trip to Yellowstone.  Once through Dade City, the roads became more interesting with rolling green hills and extended vistas.

After a comfort stop at the Hess Station at Spring Hill and Cortez Blvd., we continued northward to Istachatta, Pineola and around the east side of Bradley Lake.  To this point the roads were fairly well known, but we soon found ourselves on some first time highway - East Trails End Rd., Withlapopka Dr. and East Gobbler Dr.  Very interesting.  I am sure we will visit them again.

We made it to Lake Panasoffkee around noon and we went first to the restaurant I had selected for the day - The Harbor Light.  The dining room there affords a great view of the lake.  Unfortunately, they have to be open to take advantage of the view.  They had apparently recently changed to summer hours and were not scheduled to open until 4:00 p.m. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)  Luckily, J.T. knew of another restaurant and soon led us back to Catfish Johnny's.

The food was decent, although Boyd was not thrilled with the grouper.  The rest of us were happy with our fare.

We soon mounted up for the return trip which was to take us across Sloan's Ridge, Lake Erie and finally Green Pond.  Before tackling Green Pond, Boyd set up his new helmet cam.  I sure hope the video came out well.  I am looking forward to seeing it.

It was an excellent day - no rain, but hot (94 degrees and humid on the way home).  I arrived home about 2:45 p.m. after covering about 180 miles.

Next week I will not be reporting on the usual Saturday rides as Boyd, Lloyd and I will be leaving on a 6,000 mile trip out to Yellowstone National Park.  Barring any technical gremlins, I will be reporting on that trip in this blog, so stay tuned.

See you soon on the highway,

"Gunny" Monroe