I had been to all of these places previously but this was the trip to let 'Red', my buddy/my wife, get a feel for how I envisioned our retirement years. Had that Lava Red Eglide all shined up and new tires and oil, we were ready to take the trip of our lifetime. Left Poteau OK at noon on a Thursday without a care in the world. Tried to take the scenic route to Tulsa to start the trip out right. Got to 'T'town by 2Pm, stopped by MyersDuran HD to say hello to old friends and then stopped by our favorite bike shop and picked up ProPads to ease the monkey butt syndrome that would follow. Finally, headed west on 412. Not the most exciting leg but many miles and not much time. Had sorta planned to ride til a adequate motel flashed it's lights at us. By the time we had made to Boise City and not a single motel that we had the nerve to stay at had a vacancy-we knew it was going to be a long night. Got into Raton Pass at 2am. Not one room of any shape. Ate breakfast and headed north. Made it to Boulder, no rooms, sun was up and rush hour traffic on I-25 was scaring the begibbers out of me. Rested 2 hrs in a roadside park and charged off again. Made it thru Denver without incident, headed toward Winter Park. Keep riding and looking, but now it was for the scenery. Made WY by 2PM, found a wonderful little cabin and restaurant, 26 hrs and 1100 miles since Poteau. Can not repeat what Red said but I assure you that will not happen again. The bed was heaven, breakfast was great and we set out sites for Yellowstone. Talk about luck changing, no rooms anywhere even close to the Park or in the park but we got the last rent-a-tent the park had left. Ended spending 2 1/2 days in Yellowstone, riding around and taking pictures. Too many wonderful things to discuss here but if you have not been there-go!!! Watch out for the Bison, we call them buffaloe. They are like a very large English Bulldog, they go where they want, when they want. Now we were off to Glacier Mountain Park. I feel like I am cheating you by not describing all the breath-taking scenery we rode past but by the time we got there we were hoarse from shouting 'WOW', 'LOOK AT THAT' 'OHH MY'. You get the picture. Finally made it to Glacier, spent maybe 4 1/2 hrs total in the park. They have a beautiful lake and 2 ways to drive thru the park. If you have a strong constitution take the 'Road to the Sun'. If you don't have the constitution, take it anyway. They have pant liners to keep the seat dry. The Glaciers are not nearly as impressive as I am told they were when Lewis & Clark were doing their little map trip.When you exit the park you will find a nice tourist trap at the first intersection. Eat healthy, fill up the tank and maybe strap on a spare gas can. Taking Hyway 2 to Williston ND will not take up a lot time snapping pictures. I have included a picture of the only noteworthy scene we saw-Buffaloe Rock Memorial. Very interesting roadside stop. A rock that seen from a distance to the Indians, pioneers and soldiers looked like a giant quarterpounder meal standing on a hill.Making Williston was a pleasant relief. After hundreds of miles of rolling hills, cows, three trees and four towns this looks like a saloon to a cowboy after a long cattle drive. A nice little college town dominated by the Oil & Gas industry. It had been seven years since I last passed thru. A lot busier and more bustle going on.After a pleasant meal, turned right and headed for Sturgus. This was a much more interesting segment of the trip. The peculair formations visible in the hills and the sharp color distinctions made the miles glide by effortlessly. Taking a break from riding in one of the small communities you pass is uplifting. The local hot spot may be a bar, cafe, fuel sales and gen store all rolled into one. The people inside always treated us like regulars and made our visit pleasing.Sturgus. This was the week before Bike Week. Estimate 100K bikes in the area. Bought obligatory 'T'shirts. survived two hours and headed for Deadwood. Made all of the required visit areas, MT Rushmore, Devils Tower, Crazy Horse, Badlands, etc. Everyone should do this once. After that, you can make up your own mind.Once you get south of the congestion it gets lonesome. Made NE, very interesting and friendly people. Encountered a swarm of Dragonflys, needed a flake jacket. Two actually, Red could not hide behind me. Made it halfway accross the state before someone pointed out it was helmet required. Too easy to forget.Iowa next, by this time miles were beginning to add up and your arm was literally worn out waving at all the fools going to Bike Week. Six or 7 hundred thousand you say, half must have broke down or turned around before they got there. Slipped into MO. Mound City and St Joseph were towns that I had lived in in early 50's. Sure had grown and changed in my mind. Once we got south of Kansas City, started getting into the Ozarks. We call them God's Country. The Rockies and the Smokies are wonderful places to go but the Ozarks never get old. Had to go by Roaring River State Park and feed the trout. Try this if you are ever close.Eureka!!! Springs that is. Nice place to visit and the roads are as exciting to ride as any I have seen in the 40 states I have been in on the bike. Puttered down Pig Trail (Hyway 23). Slipped accross the state line south of Ft Smith and rolled into the driveway. 4788 miles in 11 days and 11 states. Cannot describe all the excitement of the trip. Need a little rest. The best trip of all? The next one.
This is a motorcycle ride in the states Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas. This motorcycle route has 11 scenery characteristics and other road conditions to help you plan your road trip. This motorcycle map was created by twowhltrv in May. Click here to see other Motorcycle Roads by twowhltrv