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Yellowstone: Bisons, Bears and a Half of an Elk’s Rack

Tuesday, May 19 Our plan for today was to ride around Yellowstone and find a campsite for our last night in the park. We had a cup of coffee on the deck of the lodge watching the farewell eruption of the Old Faithful geyser. It was a bright day, though we could spot the clouds […]

Grand Tetons, WY to Yellowstone, WY: The Old Faithful

Monday, May 18 We awoke to a beautiful morning on Jenny Lake. After breakfast we headed over to the lake and were greeted with complete stillness and incredible views. The water was a perfect mirror reflecting the morning sunlight and the snow capped peaks of the Tetons. Parts of the lake were covered in floating […]

Vernal, UT to Grand Tetons, WY: Big Sky Country

Sunday, May 17 After a bizarre free motel breakfast of muffins, terrible coffee, and giant Memorial Day cupcakes, we set out for the Tetons. We rode through the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, which I expected to be more red rocks like Utah but it was mostly brown and green. We rode along some high […]

Moab, CO to Vernal, UT: Arches, Red Rocks, and More Arches

Saturday, May 16 It felt nice waking up in the middle of the red desert surrounded by cool rock formations. Matt said that all night he had been listening to the wild sounds of the desert. I wear ear plugs at night to escape Matt’s snoring, so missed all the spooky night desert chatter. Maybe […]

Mancos, CO to Moab, UT: Wild Wild West

Friday, May 15 After a quick breakfast, we packed up the camp and were on our way towards Durango. From Durango we rode on 550 through two spectacular passes surrounded by snow peaked mountains and dense forests. We arrived in Silverton, an old mining town set in the middle of a valley. I love towns […]

Chama, NM to Mencos, Colorado: Mesa Verde

Thursday, May 14 We fixed ourselves a simple breakfast and leisurely packed the bikes. It was another perfect day so we knew we had good riding ahead. Bill was out front doing chores while we packed. Once we were reasonably packed, I chatted with Bill as he did some leather work in his shop. Once […]

Chama, NM: A Day on the Dude Ranch

Wednesday, May 13 It’s hard to overstate what a strange experience it is to have someone come up to you in a parking lot who recognizes you from your blog. It was our good fortune though, as Bill is a fantastic guy, a true cowboy. He told us we could stay the day and another […]

Taos to Chama, NM: Meeting Wild Bill

Tuesday, May 12 We contemplated staying in Taos for another day, but decided to press on towards Santa Fe and possibly beyond for today’s ride. On the way out of town we stopped to look at the San Francisco de Asis Church, an old adobe Spanish mission that was depicted in Georgia O’Keeffe paintings and […]

Clayton to Taos, NM: Entering Indian Territory

Monday, May 11 We woke up to a gloomy morning. While packing the bikes in the motel’s courtyard we met a professional photographer Rene Heil and his wife who travel the US documenting the work and life of American cowboys. He publishes a coffee book of his work every year. Rene was very enthusiastic about […]

Sweetwater, TX to Clayton, NM: Out of Texas

Sunday, May 10 We got an early start and followed the empty roads across the plains of the Texas panhandle. All of the small towns we drove through seemed to be on their last leg – boarded storefronts and empty streets. We did ride through some beautiful fields of wildflowers and once even an eroded […]