Forgotten River Towns Tour
Send this Article to a FriendTHE RIDE, DAY FOUR: EAST YELLOWSTONE INTO FLAMING GORGE, UTAH
(day four & five map)
At sunrise we hit the Grand Loop into Yellowstone for another day in Paradise with plenty of wildlife stopping traffic on roadsides. I did get to photograph MORE moose, (and will spare you the lengthy description), but we barely slowed down for the shots of the buffalo. After having close up encounters with herds of buffalo in the Sturgis area, it simply was not worth the time or crowds to stop and see the buffalo on this trip.
As a motorcycle rider, we all know we are virtually invisible on the roadways. But if that tourist in the minivan has one eye on a buffalo and is pulling out into traffic, motorcyclists must be less than invisible, because they did not hear my horn either. As we entered an area where lots of cars were pulled over in the park, we just KNEW there was something exciting to see in that area. But we also knew that we had to focus on not getting hit 100% more than checking out the sights so that Billy Bob Tourist did not run us over. Several times, it was just too frustrating getting past the traffic in those areas. When I got the "Want to Stop?" signal from my husband, sometimes I would just shake my head- wanting to get as far away from the crazy people who were trying to run me over as fast as possible.
We paused for some photos while passing by the Grand Tetons, and came to a full stop in Jackson Hole for breakfast. Wow, now that is an interesting town on many different levels. The stagecoaches riding down the streets were a nice touch, but cosmetic surgeon ads on the sides of the stagecoach kind of ruined their effect!
We rode out of Jackson alongside the river to Holback Junction. It is not a very exciting route, but I suspect that God used up all his color palette and creativity for the entire region at Flaming Gorge, so these outlying areas just have to deal with being a bit less exciting when sitting between roads like Bear Tooth Pass and Flaming Gorge.
We twisted our way into the Flaming Gorge Dam area and checked into the Flaming Gorge Lodge, before jumping back on the bikes to go exploring in more depth. The Dam itself was pretty impressive, and the surrounding roads and views were spectacular. For the first time in the trip, we pulled out the little camera that took video and played with that toy to capture some video while riding the roads cut out of red cliffs that dropped into brilliant blue lakes. This area was filled with wildlife that came out to stand by the roadside in areas as if employed by the local Chamber of Commerce to enhance the beauty of the already spectacular area.
We enjoyed a comfortable night at the Flaming Gorge Lodge with great service and a wonderful restaurant before heading out the next morning to explore more of the area.
THE RIDE, DAY FIVE: FLAMING GORGE TO SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
(day four & five map)
This is another road that appears time after time in every list and book of "The Best Roads in America" and for good reason. The dramatic colors of the red rock cliffs against the sparkling blue lakes make everything in this area all the more dazzling as you weave your way through the curves and swirls of the roads that resemble a world-class roller coaster. We seemed to be the only ones in the entire area that morning, with the exception of a dozen deer, a frisky mountain goat, some wild turkeys and the hundreds of jack rabbits trying to get as close as possible to our tires. We took the road that brought us down to the lake in the bottom of this vibrant valley, and enjoyed the luxury of playing tourist in what felt like our own private park.
After exiting the Flaming Gorge area, we stopped at a little restaurant called The Villa, in Manilla, Utah. Here we were treated to a close up view of a porcupine by one of the local trappers also having his breakfast.
We were winding down from vacation mode as we headed back to Salt Lake City, knowing we had to return the bikes that night, when just outside of Salt Lake City we stopped for lunch at a cute little deli/ bakery. Marcelo Occon, the owner of Fresh Harvest Bakery & Deli, playfully substituted one of his decadent pastries for the small side salad that actually came with my menu choice. Obviously, this place is a "must stop" on my next trip through that area. If you have a weak spot for exceptional food and overly accommodating service, you can check the details out at www.freshharvestbakery.com.
The folks at Eagle Rider in Salt Lake City greeted us like old friends when we returned the bikes and were eager to hear the stories of our trip. They had won our hearts and our loyalty upon our arrival by filling our saddlebags with new riding gear and clothing when our luggage was misplaced by the airlines on the flight out from Florida. How do you repay such kindness? Mentioning them here is one way! I also fit in a quick photo shoot with one of their female employees for my book project, www.RealWomenRiders.com that night after we turned in our rental bikes.
It was a whirlwind five days of riding. After dropping off the bikes, we hit the red-eye flight home to Florida. Heading back to 90 degree heat and overwhelming humidity after several days of freezing while wearing full leather to ride in snow topped mountains was quite the adjustment! But the airline did manage to find our luggage. So, we arrived back in Tampa with a suitcase neatly packed full of clean clothes and untouched leathers.
Even with my experiences traveling all over the globe, these roads truly rank at the very top of the list for the most scenic I have ever traveled.
