300 miles on scenic highways in Idaho and Montana

 We started the day going for a run along the Idaho Falls greenbelt along the Snake River, and stopped at City Bagels and Bakery for another authentic New York-style bagel - the second of this trip.

We planned our route today based on Butler motorcycle maps, and thoroughly enjoyed riding through wide mountain valleys, narrow gorges with tall rock cliffs on each side of the road, and along scenic rivers.

We started today riding west on US 20 under hazy skies due to smoke from wildfires in Canada. 

US 20 goes through the Idaho National Laboratory, part of the Department of Energy focusing on nuclear energy. You can't see much from the highway and we didn't have time to stop at the Atomic Energy Museum but it looks fascinating - when do you have an opportunity to see a nuclear reactor?

In Arco, the first town ever powered completely by nuclear energy (for 1 hour in 1955) and site of a large rocky hill where since 1902 graduates from Butte County High School paint the year they graduated, we continued on US 93 north.

This section of US 93 from Arco to Challis in the north is part of the the Peaks to Craters scenic byway. We rode past Mt. Borah, at 12,662' the tallest peak in Idaho and part of the Lost River Mountain, through wide valleys and narrow, twisting canyons.

\

 

In Challis we crossed the Salmon River and US 93 is now part of the Salmon River scenic byway

Also known as The River of No Return, the Salmon originates in central and eastern Idaho not far from where we rode today, and flows north until it joins the Snake River. 

US 93 was such a fun motorcycle ride, with wide, sweeping curves along the river, tight turns in the canyons, and outstanding views of the mountains.

We crossed into Montana at the top of Gibbons Pass in the Bitterroot National Forest, and soon after winding down into the Bitterroot valley we came to Hamilton where we're spending the night. 

Although the temperature was in the high 60's when we left Idaho Falls, by early afternoon the sun came out and the temperature climbed into the high 90's. We had a reservation at the Super 8 but when we walked in were told the air conditioning just went out. After 2 hours on the motorcycle in temperatures just under 100 degrees, we looked for another option and snagged the last room at the Quality Inn just down the street.

We're now cooling off with the air conditioning blasting on high, talking about one of the most scenic rides we've had, and getting ready for another potentially hot - but gorgeous - day on the motorcycle tomorrow.

Mountains, rivers and fields in Wyoming and Idaho

 Day 3 of our motorcycle trip started in Rock Springs, Wyoming, heading north on US 191. For the first two hours we rode through a flat, arid landscape with no trees. Occasionally a dirt track wound off into the far-off Wind River Range that looked like faint shadows in the horizon.

Eventually we started climbing and the landscape changed to rolling hills and green bushes and trees as we entered the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

As we continued north we rode between the Wind River Range to the east and the Wyoming Range to the west.

We came to the first river for today and rode alongside the Hoback River, a major tributary of the Snake River, through a steep-walled canyon topped with pine trees.

In Hoback Junction the Hoback River flows into the Snake River, and we turned west on US 26, following the Snake through another canyon.

US 26 then runs for miles along Palisades Reservoir as we entered Idaho. It had been cool in the morning with temperatures in the 60's, but as we descended below 6000' elevation, the temperatures rose into the 80's. 

US 26 continues west through Swan Valley, home to much of Idaho's agriculture with endless, vibrant green fields backed by mountains.

We're more in touch with our surroundings riding the BMW vs driving in a car - feeling the wind and sun, noticing the different smells in forests, watching hawks and osprey soar overhead. It was a bit jarring to end our day on a 4-lane highway in Idaho Falls, and we look forward to more country miles tomorrow as we continue north toward Canada.

Colorado - Utah - Wyoming on Day 2 of our trip

We made a last minute decision to ride through Colorado National Monument this morning as we headed out of Grand Junction - and what an incredible experience! 23 mile long Rimrock Drive winds, twists, goes through 3 tunnels and offers breathtaking views of the canyons and the top of the mesa.

We were lucky enough to spot 2 Desert Bighorn sheep calmly watching us from a rock outcropping.

We didn't see any other motorcycles and very few cars, but there were quite a few bicyclists enjoying the newly paved road.

We then headed north on CO 139, riding first past ranches and farms and then steadily climbing into the Bookcliff Mountains, topping off at 8,205' on Douglas Pass. 

The BMW's odometer turned over to 46,000 miles and it was fun to reminisce about those miles over the past 6 years that we've had the bike.

We were on US 64 west for a few miles, then US 40 west crossing into Utah, and finally US 191 north for the rest of today's ride. The landscape kept changing from twisting through stunning rock formations to riding along the grassy, windswept mesas at over 8,000' elevation (the cooler temperatures very much appreciated!).

We crossed the Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River and caught glimpses of the 91 mile long reservoir that lies in both Wyoming and Utah.

We rode 264 miles today through three states with amazing landscapes on very lightly traveled roads - a dream day on the BMW. Tomorrow we continue northwest into Idaho with more twisty hairpin turns and long sweeping curves to keep us happy.

On the road again

 Today is our first day of a 3-week trip into the Canadian Rockies, down through Glacier National Park, and back home. We originally planned this trip right when COVID hit, which meant we couldn't cross into Canada or west through Glacier. A lot has happened since then - we moved from Arizona to Colorado - and now have the opportunity for this trip.

It's hot this summer so we left home at 7:30am for a 6 hour ride northwest to Grand Junction, CO. On the way through Pagosa Springs we saw four hot air balloons - a fun start to our morning.

The ride on US 160W to Durango is one we make often, and we enjoyed the cool air with temperatures in the 60's. Once in Durango we headed north on US 550, climbing into the San Juan National Forest on one of the most beautiful and incredibly fun motorcycle roads we've ever been on. We passed the Durango & Silverton narrow gauge train along the way.

After a quick stop for gas and a snack in Silverton, established in the 1870's during the Colorado mining boom, we started on the 25 mile section of US 550 known as the Million Dollar Highway. Built in the 1880's for supposedly 1 million dollars to connect the two mining towns of Silverton and Ouray, it's a motorcyclist's dream. 

The 12 mile section from Red Mountain through the Uncompahgre Gorge is downright scary - no guardrails, lots of twists and hairpin turns, rocks on one side and a sheer drop-off (remember there are no guardrails) on the other. Mike doesn't get to look around and take in the gorgeous views so I take photos to share with him later.

Once through Ouray - another 1870's mining town - the ride becomes very tame although still beautiful, riding past Ridgway State Park and the park's 5 mile long reservoir as we continued north to Montrose.

We stopped at Backstreet Bagels for lunch on one of the best bagels we've had since we left Vermont 12 years ago, then continued on US 50 west along Colorado's Western Slope through Olathe - famous for fabulous sweet corn.

The temperature was in the mid-90's as we rode along the divided 4-lane highway between the Grand Mesa, West Elk Mountains, and Uncompahgre Plateau. The landscape here is completely different from the jagged mountain peaks in the San Juan mountains.

We were hot and thirsty when we pulled into our hotel on Main Street in downtown Grand Junction, named because it's where the Gunnison and Colorado rivers meet in the Grand Valley. We'll cool off and enjoy the evening before starting Day 2 of trip as we continue north toward Canada.

Colorado/New Mexico Loop on a late Fall day

 It was a beautiful late October day yesterday, so we decided to ride 194 miles looping south into New Mexico. Thanks to Butler motorcycle maps we chose a road marked in red, meaning lots of elevation changes and twisties.

To get to the twisty road, we first headed south on US 64/84 through the Chama River Valley. This was our first time riding the BMW on this route that is bordered by ranch land.

We headed east when US 64 split off from US 84 an started to climb up Brazos Summit, the second highest paved road in New Mexico.

What a fun road on a motorcycle - 77 miles with lots of curves and twisty turns, stunning long views with Fall foliage colors, and almost no other vehicles on the road.

The highway tops off at 10,528' and then winds down to about 8,000' in Tres Piedras at the junction of US 64 and US 285 where we turned north on US 285.

What a change in landscape as we rode on a straight road through a high altitude valley with wide open plains and far-off views of the Rockies.

We rode past the Rio del Norte National Monument, an important wildlife corridor and home to people for thousands of years. 

We crossed back into Colorado and turned west in Antonito on CO 17, one of our favorite drives as it twists and turns through the San Juan Mountains over the Cumbres Pass at 10,022'.

We had a beautiful afternoon with perfect Fall weather, gorgeous scenery, and fun motorcycle roads straddling Colorado and New Mexico.