Camp Hope Riders

After leaving Craters of the Moon National Park we rode into Boise, ID to spend the night and get some service.  The service wasn’t planned and took a little longer than anticipated, but allowed us to get some much needed downtime.

 We spent much of the day relaxing and working on the Blog, etc.  Did you check out the links section for some of videos of our ride?  We’ll get some more of that out there soon.

Besides working on the Blog, as always, we were busy plugging for Camp Hope and the work being done and so desperately needed for our disabled Veterans.  And, as always, we met some wonderful people. 

In Boise we met Amber at the Boise Airport’s Inn America where we spent the evening.  She was very patient with us as we crowded her lobby while we busily worked all morning long.  Thanks Amber! 

Also at the Inn America we met Connie Fenty, an author working on a travel book of her journeys across America.  Connie is also a Yoga teacher and thought perhaps the Veterans at Camp Hope could benefit from relaxation techniques.  She was talking about the possibility of volunteering her services.  I mentioned the long-term plans for Camp Hope and how that might very well be an option.  Well have to keep Connie and her offer in mind:  www.yournatureconnection.com.

While at a Walmart in Boise we caught a lady admiring our bikes and trailer… another opportunity… Maurine “Mo” Johnson is a member of a unique church in Meridian, ID; the Common Ground Biker Church.  They hold services in the Busted Shovel Bar & Grill in Meridian and reach out to the biker community.  As a rider herself, she was very interested in the cause and our ride.  I noticed she’s already been on our Blog and has posted a comment.  Thanks Maurine for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers and helping us spread the word.

That evening on our way through an Oregon mountain pass on I-84 we were in need of some fuel and stopped in  Durkee, Oregon.  The proprietor was kind enough to allow us to fuel although he was about to shut down for the evening.  We shared with him the purpose for our ride, and we enjoyed his “country wit”… of course, he could have kept the comments about the deer and bear collisions on the mountain pass as well as the unfortunate recent accidents in the area to himself.  Our ride after the fact was just a bit disconcerting.

Until tomorrow…

Chris and I busy working in the Inn America Lobby...

Fueling up in Durkee, Oregon

As I mentioned in my last post, we made it as far as Victor, Idaho when we decided to stop for the evening.  From the minute we entered the town we were greeted with kindness and interest. 

We pulled into a gas station just outside of town, handed out some brochures at the check-out counter and had a brief conversation about Camp Hope and the work being done on behalf of disabled Veterans.  We stepped out and moved our bikes to the side to wait for Ron and the RV to make it down off of the mountain pass.  We weren’t waiting for more than 5 minutes when Ron pulls in followed by the town’s Sherriff. 

OK… at first that looked a little suspect, especially when he asked if we needed directions (out of town is what I read between the lines), but he was previously a detective in New York City, had seen Ron’s New York state tags, and was just looking to help a fellow New Yorker.  Well, he got out and we shared Camp Hope and the purpose behind our ride with him, and he made sure were taken care of by ensuring we were staying in a quality place for the evening and eating at the right establishment.

In the meantime, the attendant at the gas station was sharing Camp Hope with some of his other customers.   Two of those customers, a husband and wife, as they were leaving screamed out of their vehicle, “Thank you for your service!”… and I was off behind them with brochures in hand.

All this to say, if your travels ever bring you to the Grand Teton/Jackson Hole, Wyoming area, do yourself a favor and take the Teton Scenic Byway (Wyoming Hwy 22 / Idaho Hwy 33) through Victor, Idaho.  The ride out of Victor was beautiful.  We took Idaho Hwy 31, to US Hwy 26 through Swan Valley along the Snake River, and then continued on US Hwy 20 to Craters of the Moon National Park.  The stretch through most of US Hwy 20 was a desolate, barren landscape, but beautiful in its serenity… it was just us, the wind and the road.

Oh, by the way, when you come through Victor, make sure you stop and eat at Scratch: http://www.eatatscratch.com.  It’s a small, wonderful restaurant.  It was so good, we ate there twice!  And if you’re camping and need a place to stay, look for the Teton Valley Campground.   It was a nice, clean campground with a friendly staff.

P.S.  Check out the new link to some video clips during our ride.  You may want to check that often for updates.  We’ll definitely be posting more.

Arco, ID... definitely not an endorsement.

Craters of the Moon National Park

Scenes from Craters of the Moon

OK… maybe 40 degree sleeping bags weren’t our best option for Yellowstone in late September.  Brrrrr!  What a cold start to the morning.  Our thermometer read 34 degrees, but we were told it dipped down into the 20s.  Brrrrr!

First thing in the morning, after thawing that is, was a stop at a Ranger station to check on the road closure.  Lucky for us the road towards the south end of the park was temporarily open, and we were able to make it to Old Faithful and the south entrance of the park heading to Grand Teton.

In Grand Teton we encountered more fires and smoke, which left a haze that made it nearly impossible to appreciate the scenery.  Catch a glimpse below, the mountains are still impressive.

From Grand Teton we made our way south to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and then across the Teton Scenic Byway into Victor, Idaho where we stopped for the evening.

By the way, my sincere apologies for the delay in posting to our Blog.  Our service has been spotty at best sometimes.  For instance, we had absolutely no service in Yellowstone until we got to the village at Old Faithful.   I suspect we’ll have more of this as we go through some of the remote areas on our route.  We’ll do our best to minimize that though.

Thanks for following us!

Old Faithful... and no, I don't mean Duke!

Scenes from Yellowstone

The road through AJ's windshield on our way to the Grand Teton

Group photos at the Grand Teton

Scenes from the Grand Teton

Antler arches in Jackson Hole, WY

We started the day off in Buffalo, Wyoming and immediately got on the road.  We were however surprised to find that Ron had been busy.  He managed to somehow make a rather large bumper sticker to promote Camp Hope and taped it to the back of his RV.  Take a look at the photo below.

US Highway 16 lead us out of Buffalo, and what an absolutely breathtaking ride!  We then took Wyoming Highway 31 back to 16 and that turns into US Highways 16, 14 and 20 just outside of Greybull leading you straight into Yellowstone.

We were in for surprise though when we arrived.  There was a huge fire in the park and the Park Service had shut down a section of the road leading to Old Faithful.  With construction and a road closure on another road in the park, are only option was to head north in the park. 

Ron and the RV had to stay at one site—the only RV site that wasn’t full.  The problem being this was strictly a hard site, no tents allowed due to bear activity.  The rest of us headed north to the only non-primitive/non-backcountry campground that wasn’t full.  Of course with the fire and the road closures, that was no longer the case when we arrived.  Luckily we met a fine gentleman, Harold, and his family who allowed us to share their site.  Have I mentioned my snoring?  Poor people!

By the way, check out the picture AJ managed to take of the Yellowstone sky at night.  Beautiful!

Our travelling billboard

On the road to Yellowstone on US Highway 16

Discussing our options

Scenes from Yellowstone

AJ's shot of the night sky in Yellowstone

We started off Day 10 in Sturgis, South Dakota… We needed our bikes serviced, and decided to get it all done while in the area.  Those with “metric” bikes stayed in Sturgis, and two of the Harley-Davidson owners, Kristen and I, made our way to Black Hills Harley-Davidson in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Some would consider that wasted time—time we could have better spent on the road—but we met some wonderful people there.  Two associates of Black Hills Harley-Davidson, Paula from Service, and Chrissy from Parts; and a fellow rider who was stopping for some service as well, Guy, an Air Force Veteran.  All three were very interested with Camp Hope, and we spent a considerable amount of time talking with them about all of the work that’s been done and the plans for the future. 

Paula spoke about a gentleman based out of Keystone, South Dakota that has an organization called Camp Freedom which works with disabled Americans.  She was going to try to put him contact with Camp Hope and see if he can bring in and host disabled Veterans at his facility.  What a great idea!

The response we’re getting everywhere we stop and have an opportunity to speak of Camp Hope is very, very encouraging.

On to the ride… Day 10 had us traveling from Sturgis to Devils Tower National Monument and then on our way towards Yellowstone National Park, both in Wyoming.

West of Sturgis, on our way to Devils Tower, we took South Dakota Highway 34 to Wyoming Highway 24.  The ride was spectacular!  After Devils Tower, on our way to Yellowstone, we made it as far as Buffalo, Wyoming where we bedded down for the evening.  We’ve been putting in some long hours on the bikes, and today was no exception. 

Enjoy the photos… more to come.

Group photo time at Devils Tower

Scenes from Devils Tower

Which way do we go...

We will be at Old Faithfull today somtimes we really did not say but we will call when we get there and we will get a post on here and we will wave to you from their live webcam. Here is the link. 

http://www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/yellowstonelive.htm

Today was a long day on the road, and included cold, damp riding.  We weathered it well though, and made it just an hour outside of Badlands National Park.  Tomorrow’s ride will have us visiting The Badlands and Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota, and Devil’s Tower in Wyoming.  Stay tuned.

Also, there’s a new link to FirePin on the right.  Check it out… it allows you to find us on our route in real time.

Getting an early start

A beautiful sunset which had some of us thinking we were in some episode of Jericho.

After our first night of camping some of us had a difficult time crawling out of sleeping bag and tent, but much had to be done.  Break camp, wash, pack-up and eat.  We rode into River Falls for breakfast and  later had some service performed at St. Croix Harley-Davidson.  As always, there’s always someone wanting to know who we are and what were about.  And of course, we’re always more than willing to oblige them. 

Once all our “important” tasks were complete, which included a secret stop at DQ for a Blizzard, we headed out with our new rider, AJ, for South Dakota and points beyond.  The weather had other plans for us though, and we ended up stopping short of  our destination; Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  No complaints though… we’re having a great time…  and there will be much more to come.

What? Me snoring?

Chilling with a Blizzard

Heading out

We picked up a new rider in Milwaukee, Kristen, and started making our way into Western Wisconsin and Minnesota.  What a beautiful drive through scenic Wisconsin.  In Tomah, Wisconsin we met a lovely lady–the Self-Proclaimed Motorcycle Goddess–Paulette Jochumsen.  She spotted us while on the road, and then actually caught up with us during a stop.  She saw our T-shirts–gotta love those T-shirts–and just had to talk to us and get the scoop.  We were all glad she did.  Thanks Paulette!  We then made a quick stop in Sparta, Wisconsin for a photo-op… check out below.

We crossed into Minnesota, and rode up the Mississippi on Hwy 14, Hwy 61.  What a beautiful ride!  Anyone riding up in the area… I strongly recommend it.

Then it was back into Wisconsin to meet up with AJ, our next victim, and his family who hosted us for the evening in their home in the beautiful River Falls community.  Thank you Pete, Lana, Nick, Max and Molly for the welcome and a great evening of fun and camaraderie.  Also have to thank Pete Meulemans, AJ’s father, for the case of MGD!

Last but certainly not least, Goose joined us for the evening and we had the distinct pleasure of meeting his beautiful fiancé, Sammi.  Goose, we’re going to miss you on the trip.

Our photo-op with the Spartan

A warm welcome at Pete and Lana's