Yellowstone, Part 1

I got to Yellowstone around 4, set up camp, and headed into the park. I saw bison, elk, and deer before watching the sun set from a vantage point above some hot springs. On the way out of the park I had to stop for bison and deer on the road a couple times. I'm hoping to see a bear tomorrow...from a safe distance.
Odometer: 1848 miles
Full resolution photos

Goodbye Jerome

I left Jerome today heading for Yellowstone and Maia, the dog pictured, did her best not to let me go. After saying goodbye to Diane and Jim, I hit the road for some boring, interstate riding. The only interesting sight on the ride was the Salmon River and a cattle drive going down the side of the highway.
Full resolution photos

Southern ID, Part 2

I went on the route that Jim helped me plan today. From Jerome to Ketchum is pretty standard highway driving, but then from Ketchum to Stanley had some good turns and the beautiful Galena Summit. The real fun happened between Stanley and Challis over 30 miles of twisties with the river on one side and canyon wall on the other. I was supposed to head from Challis back to Ketchum through the mountains, but couldn't find the turn and didn't have enough cell reception to look it up so I just followed the valley home. I was able to avoid all of the wildfires burning near Stanley, but saw lots of firefighters and firetrucks.
Odometer: 1525 miles
Full resolution photos

Southern ID, Part 1

Touring southern Idaho today. I checked out Thousand Springs Hydro Project and checked out the Fossil Beds left by a 3 million year old lava flow. Bones included beavers, zebra, otter, and water fowl. I had lunch at Elevation 486 overlooking the Snake River, a golf course, and the bridge between Jerome and Twin Falls. Diane got a little upset when I sneakily paid for lunch behind her back haha...I'm staying 3 nights at her and Jim's house for free so it's only fair.
Headed back out in the evening after it cooled down a bit (coming home from lunch was 96°) and checked out Shoshone Falls, which flows into the Snake River. The waterfall wasn't in full flow, but it was still pretty impressive, taller than Niagara Falls.
Odometer: 1130 miles
Full resolution photos

On the Farm

In Jerome, I'm staying with my friend Ethan's mom and stepdad, and they've convinced me to stay 3 nights instead of 1. Diane toured me around the farm today showing off their fields, the canal, and answering all my questions about crop rotation, grazing cattle on harvest leftovers, etc. It's really cool to see all the work that goes into maintaining the farm and keeping track of when everything has to get harvested, planted, watered etc. Also I asked a lot of questions about breeding/selling cattle and how surface water shares work, etc.
Jim did a motorcycle trip similar to mine when he was younger, but had to cut it short when he got drafted by the Detroit Lions. He is excited to advise me on a good route through Idaho for a day trip that I'll make soon. Besides learning about farm life and motorcycle day trips, there are 5 awesome dogs to play with (maybe more...it's a big place)!
Full resolution photos

Jerome

Started out early after camping at Lake Como. Rode through all kinds of geography on the way down highway 93 from canyon roads, to wide open fields. I hit some construction and chatted with some local tow truck drivers while waiting for the go-ahead to move on. One asked my last name, and when I said "Garrett" immediately said, "Oh, your great granddad shot Davey Crocket at the Alamo." Then the other driver proceeded to tell me all about my "outlaw blood." I had heard these stories from my grandpa, but only half believed them. It's super random to hear the same stories from a couple truck drivers.
93 follows the Snake River for a long while, so I got to ride by the water and stay cool. Also saw Craters of the Moon, featuring volcanic rocks and basalt flood plains, saw some deer on the side of the road, and rode with 3 other bikers from there to Jerome, ID.
Odometer: 950 miles
Full resolution photos

Missoula

Got a slow start after camping by Lake Couer d'Alene and stopped at a diner for breakfast I ended up eating with a couple and their 3 year old daughter because there weren't any open tables in the after-church rush. Pushed 90 all the way to Missoula and stopped at a cafe for a beer and dinner. Sweet potato tater tots and flirty Missoula girls are my new favorite things (: I planned on camping at the Lake Como Campground...but the signage was awful and there was no cell service, so I just camped on the beach by the lake. I heard a lot of skittering around my tent and woke up to find that a baby mouse had found its was between my footprint and tent, probably for warmth. It was lucky I didn't step on it while packing up.
Odometer: 626 miles
Full resolution photos

Starting Out

With one day until I left, I rushed all over Seattle like a mad man, getting together everything I needed for my trip and meeting up with everyone who wanted to say bye before I left. I ended up going to 5 gatherings and buying out most of REI. I made a couple more mods to the bike, wiring a usb charger to the battery and remounting the license plate so it isn't obstructed by the saddle bags.
This morning was a slow start, due mostly to the awesome time of the previous night hanging out on a houseboat in South Lake Union. Any night that ends in an inebriated taco truck run will have that effect. I rode all day, taking the scenic route across Washington via highway 2 and stopping by Lake Chelan on my way to Couer d'Alene. All the REI stuff came in handy for the first night of camping. My rain fly isn't on quite right...but I don't think it will rain. That's what I get for figuring out how to set up my tent in the dark.
Odometer: 377 miles

Full resolution photos

Test Run

I rode to Mount St. Helens today with a couple of friends to test out the new seat and saddle bags. We took it pretty easy and spent all day covering about 300 miles. The seat was great and my back isn't sore at all. I was a bit worried about the saddle bags being too close to the exhaust and getting too hot, but they handled the heat fine. After some adjustments to the straps with a scissors and box-cutter they are much easier to put on and take off of the bike.
Full resolution photos

Saddle bags

Cutting the straps

My friends Helene and Yaw that rode to St. Helens with me.

We took a nap after a stop for coffee and desert. This random dog joined in.

The Route

View Motorcycle Trip in a larger map
I'm heading east first so I won't be coming back over the Rockies in early November. Each location is a couch I have to crash on, labeled with the people I'll be staying with.  The blue lines represent the order I'll visit people in, not necessarily the exact route. I'd like to avoid the interstate when possible so let me know if you have suggestions of where I should ride between couches.

Prepping It Up

I took the ferry over to Kingston to visit Rich's Custom Seats today to get a custom seat made for my bike. Rich measured me while I was sitting on my bike in a few different positions and then put together a custom seat made of more giving foam than the stock seat plus a gel insert. Also it's perfectly sculpted to fit my butt (: I can already tell it's going to make a huge difference on my trip. Rich went fishing yesterday and caught some salmon, which he grilled and served for lunch at no cost with hot dogs, salad, watermelon, and roasted, stuffed peppers. Yum!

Other prep work on the bike included installing a throttle lock and cramp buster so my hands don't get too tired on long stretches of road. The cramp buster makes it so I don't have to grip the throttle all the time, I can use the weight of my wrist to control the throttle. The throttle lock lets me ride one handed, with my left hand, which isn't possible on a stock bike.
Full resolution photos

Seattle from the ferry

My bike at Rich's

Rich measuring and marking

The new seat

The old seat