5000 miles in two weeks and my backside does not hurt.
July 13th and we are leaving Los Angeles with two destination goals in mind: The International BMW Motorcycle Owners Association rally in Gillette, Wyoming and accumulating the many of the 24 national parks for the Southern California Motorcycle Association’s “California Parks Adventure”, one the AMA’s “Grand Tour Events.”
The two bikes have been serviced, the gear has been packed and the Mapsource route has been downloaded into the GPS’s. It is 6 am, tanks filled, bladders empty, and the air is cool when we backed Ellen’s and my bike out of the garage and started the short 1200-mile, two-day ride to Custer, South Dakota.
Custer is only a short ride to Gillette and on the way we saw a few sights not part of our normal travels: Custer State Park, Mt Rushmore, the Badlands, Devils Tower, and had breakfast in Sturgis.
During the ride to Gillette we had a stop in Sturgis, which at the time was getting ready for its annual lemming revival, for breakfast so that we could tell our non-motorcycle friends that we have “been to Sturgis.” Sturgis is a nice little town, like Mayberry, in the middle of nowhere, just off the highway, with a couple of main streets and lots of small shops and helpful folks. I recommend that if you are in this area of the country stop by, have breakfast and buy a tee shirt at the Harley and BMW dealerships. Relax and learn to smile.
On to Devils Tower. When we were there we did not have any close encounters of any kind, just a stop for some pictures and to see a great national park.
Finally, we arrive for the Rally in Gillette. This moving party is located in a different part of North America each year. It is the annual pilgrimage for BMW motorcycle owners. We meet, we learn, we laugh, at night we tell lies of what great rider we are, we eat bratwurst and drink beer. Not a bad way to spend three days.
After three days, we leave Gillette and head for Yellowstone National Park. Upon arriving we learn to really see the park you have to slow down and ride behind the RV roadwhales. The sights in Yellowstone are breathtaking; here are two: Old Faithful and Yellowstone’s version of the Grand Canyon.
So after a nights stay it is on to California but first we have to see the Grand Tetons.
We finally arrived in California via Idaho, Utah and Oregon and visited these California National Parks: Lava Beds National Park, Redwood National and State Park, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Point Ryes National Seashore, Mur Woods National Monument, Fort Point National Historic Site, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Devils PostPile National Monument, Manzanar National Historic Site, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and Yosemite National Park.
The most interest part of this ride was that this portion of the state is on fire and riding through a little smoke became a normal occurrence. I thought I gave up smoking a long time ago.
That haze in the background is the forest on fire. CA299 was very smoky.
I am always asked would I do it again? Yes and more, the western United States has some of the finest national parks in the world, or at least that part of the world I have seen. Each one has a certain air about them and I am glad our government had the good sense to preserve this beauty.
If you have the time, or make the time, get yourself a yearly park pass. Load up the bike with your favorite things and explore what this county has to offer.
Hum, the Iron Butt Association has a tour of 50 parks in 25 states in one year. Maybe that can be a three-week ride next year?
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