Topic: BuB Speed Trials 09 & The Bonneville GP

[754]

I got back from Bonneville from Speedweek 09, and was itching to get back for the BuB meet, Aug 31 -Sept 4th.

 I wanted to ride there, but did not have a running bike, so that presented a problem..

 Around the beginning of summer my buddy Joe in Calgary Alberta told me about a cheap 750 Four, I told him to grab it, if he didnt like it, I would buy it. Anyway as we went thru the summer , he would phone occasionaly, and ask advice, and soon they had it running.

 I tried to talk him into making the Bonneville trip, on his Wing, if I could take the 750, and he was sort of thinking about it. Soon it was near time to go and  he said the 750 seemed to be running, but could "maybe use a few things"... I said if he figured it was up to the trip, I was willing to try it.

 He needed a Jag brought out there from where I live in Kelowna BC, so we made a deal, I would bring out the car, then take the 750.

..................................................................................

I will post this in a series of short posts, as my latest posts on here have been posting with difficulty/disappearing. There will also be no pics, as I took none the first few days, and I will have to get them scanned/posted later.

[754]

So last Friday of Aug, I picked up the Jag, and got ready to go.
 Packed most of my gear, could not find my rain pants..

 I had gone over on the phone, what the bike may need. One area of concern was tires, and rear wheel.. apparently rear rim was damaged.. I asked have you gone 70 or 80mph & was it rideable.. he said yes, so I figured it would work. I took a spare front used tire, plus the front Morris mag off my 73.

 I thought about taking a 16 in Lester mag I had picked up, expressly for going on a long ride.. & I had brand new rubber for it.. but was not sure of bearing condition, & it was behind the lathe (read.. like being in another county) plus I would have to wrestle on the 16 inch tire.. It was getting on into late Fri afternoon, and I wanted to leave that night, and drive all night.. so I left the mag.. and the tire.. behind... I would regret this later..

 So I grabbed a few points plates, spare clutch cable, tools, tire irons, Air pump (never go anywhere without a bicycle pump, too many flats in my life) my cooler, & all my other assorted junk, and throw it in the Jag..
 I drive all night soon I am in the Rockies and its getting cold, and I cant figure out the heater in the Jag, so I am getting pretty fraking cold, and fighting to stay awake, but I have 380 mile to make and I dont leave till like 10 ish at night. Eventually I get some warmth happening, stop for coffee a few times, and at about 5 ish in the AM I am near Calgary, and daylight is breaking.. this helps a bit to stay awake and I roll into Joes around 6 :15 AM..

[754]

As soon as I get to Joe's, I find out that he has to go to work in 20 minute.. ,  (not sure how I did not catch that part) and that the bike is not at his house..

 I am a bit knackered as I have not slept, so I hang about, cant sleep till the afternoon, get a few hrs in, then wait for Joe to get off his 12 hr shift. He gets in and we head over to where the bike is at Cliff's about 10 ish miles away, maybe more..

 I had asked him about 3 things to check in particular,
 Sprockets & chain

 Carbs..

 Front m/c, is it sticking or heating..

 Cliff has a shop that has a lot of 2 strokes, I mean he really likes them.. they were 2 deep, a mezzanine above and a small crane to get them up there. a few 4 stokes there as well.. cool garage, and he works on bikes, and he sold this 750 to Joe and helped wake it up..

 So there sat the 74 750, black, tired repaint, stock pipes, freshly redone seat & sissybar.. I ask for a 10mm wrench, and pull the baffles out before I did anything else. Then I took it for a spin around the block.. it sounded pretty good and ran OK.

 Then i take off the sprocket cover( they did not get around to it, thought it might be OK ) well before I got it off, I noticed the rear chain was quite badly worn, sprocket on rear looked like it might work for the trip.. I get off the front cover .. and the sprocket has 9 TEETH.. Yes 9... .. well actually 9 big ones and 9 broken ones.. well I anticipated that, had brought a factory 18 and put that on..

 Since I had planned on a short visit as well, we decided to work on the bike later.. they wanted to take me to the"Water Buffalo Club"..
 

[754]

We pile in the Jag and we drive  to the water buffalo club..

 We get to this guys garage, get introduced to him and his lady, and we start talking bikes. To say this guy was into water buffalos would be an understatement.. he had I think 3 runners and a few more projects, but also other bikes. What I found interesting were the Suzuki Rotaries he had several, plus a cutaway motor on the bench, with a handcrank you could turn to see how it works .. sorta cool..

 He had a couple Bevelhead Ducatis , one was on the bench, he was changing the front wheel to uses a 4ls Grimeca..!!.. I commented that Wolfgang in Nakusp BC sells them, and he said that was where he got it! He also had a really early 750 GT ducati, low numbers, like 270 or 280!.. and a pretty new one that he rode most of the time.

  Of course many pics on the wall of bikes , people places.. etc.. I commented on his Champion plug blaster, said you dont see them too often. He held up a weird sparkplug for a Suzi Rotary and said, "At 45 bux USED  :on ebay, you tend to try to clean and reuse them!"

 He had gobs of more bikes there, even outside in a shed, I spotted an Armstrong enduro, first I had ever seen.. a nice 70s Beemer airhead, too...

 It was a cool visit, after a few hours it was back to Cliffs & the bike.. Cliiff offered me his raingear, as I was missing part of mine. So I tried it on, fit sorta , bright yellow and lined so it was bulky, but I figured I better take it along..

 We decided I would ride the bike back to Joes, get to try it at hiway speed, and finish up the bike in the AM..

 My plan to leave Calgary Sunday morning was rapidly unravelling..

 So we struck out, around midnight, rode about 7 miles stopped at a liquor store, got some beer... I checked the front brake.. it just felt slightly warm.. just could barely feel it.. a good sign, I was thinking..

 We ride another 3 or 4 miles to Joes , I start using the front brake often,  when we get there, I check the brake again, now it is HOT.....

 We get inside have a few beers and watch Hell Ride (great flick), and turn in...later than planned..

[andy750]

Good read so far Frank...I like the style ;-)

Looking forward to more! I am sure this will be interesting!

cheers
Andy

[754]

 Sunday Morning, and we get up, not so bright, and not so early. but I figure a few hours and the bike will be ready...

 We get out into the garage, and stasrt on the bike.. Pull the front wheel put my Morris mag on, it has a thinned disc that is not so true, in fact you can feel it whenever you are braking. I first get the spacers switched and it is against the fork leg... aaAAARRRGGGGHHH.. .. I remove and swap spacers, and we are golden, cept I never made a speedo drive for it(Kawi 4 bolt mag)

 I decide to split the caliper and leave it on the swing bracket, I pump out the caliper, and find... PRESERVES !     .. jelly and jam..looking stuff. Getting worried we might have to try to find a new Oring.. on a Sunday... I see the piston is almost pit-free and has some greyish skunge on it,  I confer with Cliff (who has arrived) and we decide that the skunge is making it drag and should be ok.. so we bolt it up, and bleed it.. Must say it is nice to work on the caliper thru a 7 spoke mag, rather than a wire wheel!

 I had noticed night before that carbs seemed pretty good, but on rolling off had a cylinder popping. I notive that #4 pipe is about 3/8 inch away from the flange.. .. I find that odd, loosen clamp and try banging back with rubber mallet, but it wont get closer.. pretty soon we have it off, try sanding it, still wont go. During this time Joes neighbor the piano repairman  has shown up. I start to think that maybe there is rust formed in the overlapping flange part, neighbor has a soda blaster, so they take the pipe over and clean it up. Still wont go on we are pounding on it with the rear peg boltloose thru the pipes, but it just wont go on further. I give up in disgust, and bolt it on as it was before.( later in the trip, I figure out the problem)

 I brought a leather saddlebag on metal shelf, along,wanted to mount it on the sissy bar, above the taillight,  We had to cut part of the old mount off, then fabricate a mount to the sissy bar,  one on top, one at the bottom. This burns up more time, but we eventually get it on to my satisfaction..

 Another neighbor drives by in the alley spots the bike, stops to talk.. he had given Joe a XS750 triple, in pretty good shape a few weeks earlier.. looks at the 750 and informs us that his buddy had a 69 , so I mention casually I would like an early one, is it available.. He says that the fellow died, wife probably has sold it... .. so I asked him to try to find out..

 Its getting on in the afternoon, we are getting near finished, and Joe has to get ready for work, and leaves.  His neighbor and Cliif are waiting till I get ready.

I have oiled the chain and adjusted it, it really really wore out, but I am hoping, I can make it down to Bonneville or nearby.. the rear tire is pretty bad, but by the look of it, I think it will make it to the Salt..I wanted to get to the Salt by Monday nite, but it is around 900 miles, so I am not going to be there by then , so I may miss another day of racing.

 I am down to packing, I have a quick shower and start putting all the crap on the bike.. and it is a lot of stuff.. I really wanted to have the Oscar cooler along, but it is bulky, the raingear they lent me was very bulky as well, due to being lined. I duct tape a spare tube to the handlebar ans one arond the end of my tent.. its starting to look like a top heavy mountain of stuff..I am wondering if i can get  on and off the bike 

 I guess the other guys were starting to find it a bit amusing, they suggested taking a pic before I leave.. but wait we want something in the pic.. comes back a few minutes later with a Kids rocking chair.. He want it on top of my stuff, so I good naturedly agree and pose for the pic..

 It had a real Beverly Hillbillies truck look to it, I am sure.. .. it is higher than my head, they take it off, after a few pics.

 I can get on the bike with a bit of difficulty, and just kickstart it, I figure it will get a bit easier after a few tries..

 So here I am , leaving Calgary on a 300$ 750, that no one has ridden more that 15 miles, in a lot of years, with an sh!tty tire, and even worse chain... it 6:15 pm... and I am finally off...

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Sure wish you had pictures..........................

[754]

 I suspect when the laughter dies down, the Pianoman & Cliff will email me a pic of the Calgary Hillbilly Honda...

 I had my camera along, and plan to add pics later...in the appropriate spots in the story, but truth be known, I was hyper to get to the Salt, behind a day,  thought about pics  often, but hated to stop, so first pic is on Tuesday morning..

.....................................................................................

 So I am riding out of Calgary heading south, I go about 6 miles or so and gas up.. bike seems to be running fine, a bit tight on the seat, not much room to move around. I fill up and walk around the bike and notice there is a roll of duct tape sitting on the tail light bracket, so I strap it on with a bungy.. I chat briefly with a Hog rider at the gas station, I talk to pretty well any rider.. usually.

 I get back on the road, seems to be the right direction/route, my map only starts below LA (Lethbridge Alberta ).. I rode this 30 yrs back so I think I know where to go.. It is around 75 degrees when I leave, a lot cooler than it had been at home all summer..

 I get out of town find a comfy speed, works out to be around 4300 rpm.. like I used to cruise at when I had a stock motor.. having a little bit of trouble holding it at a consistent speed, am using tach, but I know the light on it are out so I will be hooped at night. I lfigure with a crappy tire/chain I better keep the speed down.

 I stop about 50ish miles out at a gas station grab a snack.. my hands are tingling really bad.. I get this when I have not ridden a while.. Speaking of which, I have not been on a bike in 23 months.. so I am for sure not broken in..

 Got a great view of the Foothills to my right, and the Rockies behind them, as the sun gets lower in the sky, it shaping up to be a cool sunset.. I like seeing that on a ride..

 I turn onto Highway #3 at Fort Mcleod, start heading east toward LA, pull over, throw on a wool shirt, temps starting to drop... I get into LA, and am not positive where the road leaves 3 and turns south to the US border.. but it seems I am going the right way. I do pass a few gas stations, but end up not stopping (I should know better).. There are a few towns on my map between LA and the border, but I am not thinking, where I am and that it is Sunday night..

 By now its dark, I am on a prairie, it not real warm as it is probably 3000+ feet elevation or more.. I slowly motor on , and see them towns on the map, but they are a mile or two over & small, and now I am thinking that they may close their gas stations early on Sunday.. I have no tach light so it is harder to judge my speed, but I am trying to pace myself.. Turns out the border is around 180 or 190ish from Calgary, I had thought maybe 125/140.. eventually I get on reserve.. I have no idea yet how much gas the bike will use..

 Several things are on my mind as I ride along.. will the bike make it.. Will I have enough money (tight budget& no credit card).. but what really worries me is, I am riding a bike with Alberta plates and I have a BC license.. I had the reggie of course and a note from Joe, saying I can use the bike..

 As get get near the border and am on reserve, I turn into a small town Milk River, its maybe 10PM and it looks like a ghost town..I see one truck go by slowly looking at me and nothing else is stirring..
 
 So I get back on the road,, only 1 town left and it is a border town Coutts, this road turns to Interstate on the US side I figure there will be a gas station, right by the road.. There is actually by the road a station, but closed, so I cut thru the ditch and head into Coutts. Small town, and not much happening, I drive around a few blocks, end up by a field and large open strip.. and I start thinking.. I am near the border, maybe right at it, better turn back before they think I am trying to jump the border..

 So I turn back on the highway, the border is in sight, and I pull up.... to the border station...

 

[754]

I pull up at the border, the new stations are freaking huge!

 There is a booth  with an agent,  on my left, another standing on right. The booth guy ask me to pull up, as I do, the 2nd guy calls out my plate to him, loudly... ALBERTA *** ###, and  I start getting anxious. Booth agent asks where I am from & for ID, I tell him and hand him my passport. He asks where I am going and I tell him down to the edge of Utah, then back up to Washington and home. They actually treated me pretty good, and when they were finished and told me to go, I asked if there was any gas nearby. They said if you can catch the station there (pointing at a sign you could see), might be open, otherwise its Shelby, 37 miles.. Its 10:45 PM

 I ride off to the station, ecstatic that I am across the border, and pull up. There are a few lights on, so its hard to tell if its open.. and unfortunatly it is not.. I see another nearby, even darker, I ride over to check it out, of course it too is closed..

 I figure I have used up 1/2 of reserve.. and I dont know how far I came, so I figure I am good for 20 miles tops, unless I do the old ride up to 60mph with moderate throttle, kill engine and coast, repeat.. a few dozen times.. I figure that might do it but, if I fall 4 miles short.its still a long push.

 Although I am at the northern tip of an actual Interstate #15, at a border town.. there is no gas ..

 Sweetgrass looks to be a very small town, I am sitting at the edge of it, and the possibility of spending the next 8 hours here, is looming large in my future.. .. plus its not so warm out anymore..

 I glance around and take stock of my situation, i see a few neon lights for a small hotel/bar, past that, looks like all houses.
Which leaves me with little choice, I head to the bar.. only maybe 4 cars parked off tho the hotel side, nothing in front of the bar, but door is open & I hear music.. I pull up near the door.. as I park the bike and clamber off a 40ish fellow comes outside to have a look.. "I used to have one of them he says  "

 I explain that I really need gas, and could he maybe find some  He says sure I got some at home, give me a ride its a few blocks.. he starts folding down a passenger peg .. at this point I figure he has beeen in the bar a bit, cuz he seems not to notice the torso size lump of gear on the seat. I explain I just cant give him a ride..

 So he says he will walk, he heads off into the semi darkness of the houses and I wait... and around a minute later he is back.. empty handed.. Then he says, " I forgot my van is here at the bar..".. and he walks off the other way about a hunders feet and returns with a gas jug. We proceed to put most of it, in the tank. I tell him I will be fine with a gallon, but he puts in more. Then I ask him how much he wants for it, and he says.. Nahh, dont worry about it  ..

 So I figure I better go in the bar and at least try to buy him a beer , if not pay him..

[andy750]

I am enjoying these stories Frank - very cool.

Keep it coming...welcome reading on a dreary Boston afternoon...

[noahspop]

i'm digging the stories too.
pics aren't that important right now, would be nice, but it reads like a good book.
thanks a bunch.

[Old Scrambler]

Keep it going Frank...........and just so everyone knows.........this is a 100% true story.  I took the attached pics on the salt and at the hotel in Wendover. If you have an interest........I posted a short story and a few pics a couple of weeks ago.

[andy750]

Hey Old, I must have missed your story can you post a link to it here...always interested. And I dont doubt the story is true...I get the impression this is the norm for Frank ;-)

I like the photo at the hotel...some good looking bikes ...but a trailer on a 750??

cheers
Andy

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Frank is MIA. Don't be a tease Frank..............................

[754]

Heyyy,, back from the bar..

 I go in the bar, sit by gasman.. cant buy him a drink as he has to go... but I explain that my goal in life was not to spend the night there unexpectedly and I am happy to get the gas, so why dont you take this 10$ bill.. which he finally did. We chatted a bit about 750s but he had had his years ago.. After a while he leaves.. but not till he warns me about deer on the road..

 I am sorta nursing, my beer and listening to  the other couple in the bar chatting/gossiping to the ypoung blonde barmaid. after a while I figured out or they told me there had been a bike Rodeo there the week before.. we chat a bit and they were telling me about some old bikes that were at the rodeo, even a few Indians.. turns out  I knew the one Indian guy..  It was Tom..Benson, I had phoned him before looking for parts, and emailed him, re ebay auctions.

 Then this couple in the bar asked where I was headed & how far tonite, and I say Great Falls maybe, and they go.. Whoah, watch out for the deer man.. and proceed to tell me a bunch of horror stories abut deer & elk accidents.. which the barmaid confirmed.
 I asked them about a sideroad I was thinking of taking further down, and they said dont ride that at night, but hey I was not down that far yet..

 After a few beer I figure I better not push my luck, and decided to hit the road south. Pretty uneventful, fairly rolling low roads thru prairie like terrain, moon was near full, but it was getting colder.

 I cant see the tach cause the lights are not working, and speedo is unhooked, and I seem to have trouble holding my speed.. eventually, at some point during  that night,  I finally figure out the throttle sleeve is slowly turning... %@$%$#.. So I dont really know my speed, but I figure I am doing 50-65 most of the time, watching for critters, and preparing to jam on the brakes.. not making great time but I figure, if I am going slower, I might be able to miss the deer..

 I make it into Shelby, and after I drive through the whole damn place , a few miles...find a sort of truckstop with a restaurant. It is around 1:10, and its about time for supper, and coffee, and rest/warm up.. I end up leaving around 2:00 am and it is 80 miles to Great Falls.

 It is surely getting colder and I am tired, and its started to not be fun.. I get around about 1/2 way to Great falls and I see a rest area, so I figure I better pull in.. better than stopping to rest on the roadside.

 I park in front of the washrooms, get stiffly off the bike, and walk around a few steps and a vehicle is pulling up and it is the Sheriff.. He asks how I am doing & how far I am going, and I reply, maybe Great Falls, but I think I will rest up a bit. He warns me again about deer on the road. I say I havent seen any but I am watching cuz everyone told me.. I say its getting a bit chilly, and he glances at his dash and says its 47 degrees..!
He then tells me to have a good trip and drives off.

 I had hoped to get past great Falls or further and ride maybe longer.. I was going to get coffee in Great Falls and warm up, but now I am thinking... its even colder than I thought, and I figure it will drop even more .. so maybe I should wait around a bit or even till first light.......................................................

 

[andy750]

This story reminds me of some of my trips 

cheers
Andy

[754]

Not long after the cop left, I decide to stay till around sunup. Good a place to stop as any, at least I am off the road, and its probably nothing open for 40 miles.

 I check out the bathroom, had a little bit of a heater in it, I hang around and warm up. after a while, I go outside.. I dont feel like rolling out the sleeping bag for a few hrs, as it is nicely tucked into the tower of stuff, it is in the top bag, but I dont want the hassle.

 I try laying on a concrete bench, its flat but about 2 or 2.5 ft wide.. it aint warm or soft, but probably less damp than the ground. I have my insulated lunch bag slung over my shoulder, with my camera inside.. it holds most 6 packs of beer comfortably, and just full enough of stuff that it makes a great little pillow, without feeling like a camera. I sort of doze off a little, its pretty quiet, minimal traffic on the hiway, and almost no one stopping in the rest area.
 
 Eventually , although wearing several shirts and warm jacket I get a bit cold, then I go back into the washroom for a while to warm up.

 Good thing, albeit boring they have a travel advisory radio thing in there, tells you the time & weather, in a few locations, & loops over and over every few minutes.. the time changes on the 1/2 hour I think. This way I sort of keep track of time, got there I figure around 2:45 ish, and figure the Sun should come up somewhere around 6ish. I try resting against the wall leaning against the hand dryer or a post, when I nearly doze off or lean, it wakes me up. I go in and out to the concrete bench,  a few times, eventually I try sleeping standing slouched in a corner but a bit away from the heater, and actually do fall asleep for a short time... one time I wake up as someone comes in the washroom.. I was probably less surprised than them..

 After a few hours the sky lightens up, and I figure to leave when it looks like the sunrise will start.. (did nearly a carbon copy of this cold  stay at a rest area in Wa going to BuB in 07 !)
One would figure at my age, perhaps one would know better..

 Around 6ish, I kickstart the bike, always kickstarted it, but now I got to play with the choke, which is a little tricky, cuz I never ran stock carbs for 20 years... I get it to sorta run and head back on  I 15 South.. Now the sun may well be comming up, not all the time as it is rolling hills prairie, but as it is low 40s, it aint gonna warm up very fast.. .. i ride the chilly 40 miles to Great Falls, a bit uneventful, cept I get passed by 2 baggers, at about 80 or 85 per, and I sort of wonder where they are going..

 I get into Great Falls, take I think exit2 outa 3 or 4, figure that is safe.. well it turns out, there aint no truckstop by the freeway thing, it is an Ahole exit that makes you drive 2or 3 miles into town.. bad choice.. I get sorta in town,look for a family restaurant, or maybe a Dennys, that sorta thing.. pass McDs, Burger King, but not into that.. want to sit in a real chair eat, swill coffee and get warm, while the sun come up.. but I cant dind anything. After a mile or more I backtrack get back to the beginning, now I am getting pissed.. I stop at a Casino type eatery place or two, but they are not open at 7am. Finally after dodging over a few blocks trying to find maybe a hole in a wall neighborhood place I reluctantly stop at a big Chain Hotel.. I feel a bit outa place, look like a bum off the road, feel a bit better when I see a few guys in fatigues, , but I probably looked a lot worse than them. I  wander thru a huge lobby with thick carpets and luggage dolly and bell people, and find the restaurant.. It looks nicer than my wallet, if you get the drift, so rather than pig out, I get a toasted cinammon bun, and a pot of coffee..

 After I finish in there, never felt very comfortable in there, I head to the lot, and take a look at the bike. I oil the chain, and maybe adjust it, it aint looking very good, when I started I figured maybe it was kinky and running it oiled would look a bit better.. it is not sitting right on the back sprocket..

 Not very warm yet, but I head out on the freeway and south.. maybe 8:30 ish.............

[fishhead]

And.......

It kinda reminds me of this one time I went to pick up a bike.
 I went there, I picked it up, then I came home. It was fun..

Not near as interesting as Franks adventure...

[754]

 Back on I 15, time to make some miles..

 I have  a sort of goal in mind, Shoshone ID.. if I can make that.. it is about  200 out of Bonneville, so that means from Sun nite to Monday nite, I have to ride.. around 700ish miles..

 Its warmer but not real warm, but its early.. It is mostly clear at this point

 I am starting to get into nicer scenery, mountains and after a while riding along a windy river valley.. nice  views , & enjoyable ride. I go over the Wolf Creek pass, and after a while I descend into a broad wide valley, in the middle lies Helena.

 I take one of the exits, a see an older Texaco station & pull in for gas.. I think I picked the right  one..

 I collected gas and oil stuff for a few years, still have lots of stuff, but tapered off on the aquiring.. this Texaco station was full of stuff. Out front was one of them cast iron benches, with a repop Schwinn Phantom chained to it . Station had a working garage, and between the bays there were old pumps with globes, another pump in the office, plus tins and signs. I asked if the owner was around as I paid for my gas, but they said nope, he stepped out. I look around a bit and rest, fiddle with the bike a bit, oil the chain  maybe . Then I see a 70s LINGCOD pull up aka Lincoln Continental, in nice shape, with an old guy driving it, and wearing a Texaco shirt.. like the other employees.. I peg him as the owner (too old to be working there, like 75 or more).. I guessed right, chatted a little bit about the memorabilia. Then before I left, I used the washroom, inside was a pretty nice poster from the 60s for the Texaco Sky Chief Fire helmets, parents used to buy for their kids! Poster was about 3ft across, a few water stains and a bit of wear, but just on the edges. I was sorta surprised as that could easily get vandalized or defaced in there. Pretty cool place..


 I head out again and on towards Butte..  on this stretch or the last leg, I discover one of the passenger pegs, has deided not to travel any further with me and the bike.. too bad as I like to put my feet back there once in a while for a change..

 I motor on towards Butte, nice mountain roads and good scenery... weather is about 1/2 cloudy & half sun.. after a while I get into Butte, then join I 90 West for around 8 or 10 miles, then take an offramp to rejoin I 15 South again..
 

[andy750]

And.......

It kinda reminds me of this one time I went to pick up a bike.
 I went there, I picked it up, then I came home. It was fun..

Not near as interesting as Franks adventure...

Any road trip is worthy of a mention 

Some are more interesting than others.....

[754]

I am on I 15 going south, but not for long. I stop at a rest area, chat with a fellow with a motorhome heading to Wa state.. We discuss the usual, where did you start/where are you headed, talk about the bike a bit, then I am off.

 Its fairly cloudy, with a few ugly black ones, in the hills, and I am going that way. After only 20 ish miles I turn of the freeway for good at Divide. This will put me on 23 which is heading West mostly, and will end up on 93 south of Missoula.

 Just before I turn off, I see a mileage sign for Idaho Falls, and it is 220 miles or 195, something like that. .. I make a mental note of this, but dont realize I am mixing up  Idaho Falls (straight south) and Twin Falls (near Soshone but a LOT further southwest from Idaho Falls)..this will come back to bite me..

 I pull into Divide, its off the the freeway, not really a town, but I find a sorta lodge/store/gas station and pull in. There is only one problem, its closed and for sale. I stupidly did not leave the Interstate at Butte, and am now probably at around a 1/3 tank of gas. At this point Wisdom is too far, as opposed to backtracking to Butte, there is small towns further south on I 15, but are they like this one I guess I screwed up again..

 I am only there a few minures standing there, and a fellow comes from inside the building, unlocks the door, and I ask if he has gas. He says no but the next town Wise River does, he says about 12 miles. I thank him, and ride west.

 Before I get to Wise River, i run through a bit of a town, not on the map, no gas, not really 12 miles..?.. it seems.. Of course I am hoping that is not it, but you worry a bit, when there are no other towns on the map for 40 miles. I ride a few more miles and get into an even smaller place, its Wise River, there is an old store with a single old pump. It is a 70s pump with a sign to pay double what is shown.. I fill up, go in and pay, give them an extra buck, I am glad to find gas..

 Now the clouds are really threatening, its black where I think I am heading, and I am in the mountains, and it is starting to spit. I consider putting on the raingear, but it is a hassle, does not fit well either. I consider, &realize the risk of getting too wet and cold, then donning the gear.. I scan the clouds and it looks a bit brighter off in the distance. I am heading northwest for a while, then turning 90 degress towards Wisdom. I decide to go for it, without the rain gear. It comes down a bit, road starts to get wet and spray up, then eases off, nice for a bit the does it again, I am not going into a solid wall of black cloud so I press on..

 Nice scenery, mountains, running along a fishing stream, a few meadows here an there, the odd farmhouse, but quite desolate.

 There is a reason I wanted to return to Wisdom. We went through there by truck once, from Butte . We had seen a poster for a Rodeo in Dillon further south on I 15 from where I turned off. We got to Dillon Sunday morning after the rodeo to find a few drunk cowboys passed out on the street! We left from there and headed north to Wisdom, cuz it looked interesting. Now Wisdom is really a small town what was interesting was the desolation on the road up there, no traffic, no power poles, almost no farms, just miles and miles of open land, the Real Wild West.. still intact. We turned at Wisdom and then took the route West to # 93 then north to Missoula. When I hit 93 today, I will go south and stay on it into Nevada. So basically, i revisit a place I think of occassionaly, and fill in another part of a highway, I had not travelled before..

 I ride on , now it is more open and flat, enjoying the desolation and the BIG SKIES of Momtanas.. and its not raining, but cloudy..

 After a while, as I near Wisdom and am about 12 miles out, I see something on the road.. up ahead..

 As I get nearer, looks like bikes, and I start to slow down.. and its starting to look, ...like chicks on big bikes.. Nawww it my eyes playing tricks.. I get closer and it is two girls on bikes, one has a few tools spread out beside it.. I ask if they need help, and they say the other went into town they are OK.. I wish them luck and hope they enjoy the rest of their ride, and head off into Wisdom...

[andy750]

Great stuff...I looked up where on the map Divide and Wisdom and Rt 93 were...looks desolate for sure....and very very interesting roads.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

93 IS a nice road all the way south from Missoula! Some really nice riding. 

[754]

If you search online, there will be a pic of the 'Wise River Mercantile" the store I got gas at, and it shows the "Double the Money" pump!... and a lot of shots of the river and valley.

 The area is called Big Hole Valley, famous for growing hay, fishing, and the Big Hole Battlefield.

 The river is maybe the only one in lower 48 with 5 species of trout, and I believe the only one with Grayling!.. sounds like great fishing.

 I forgot till I saw pics last night online, what a spectacular worthwhile ride it is..

 Apparently Widom at one time had a few thousand residents..

[754]

 I roll into Wisdom.. it looks like a Western town out of a movie.  Clapboard buildings with big false fronts, many of which are probably 80 yrs old.. Not sure how big the place is but probably 2 or 3 blocks long..

My memory has faded a bit, I did not really take notes on the trip, so I am pulling everything I write is outa my head..

 I find the general store and get a few snacks, I ask the lady working there, how far to Twin Falls (as I am trying to make Shoshone 24 miles north of Twin). She is helpful but not sure so she asks someone else, they say maybe 5 or 6 hrs!.. I find this confusing as I am mistakenly thinking I am only 200 miles north of there, but I am wrong & not yet realizing it. Some people in them small towns often dont travel much, 300 miles may be a major trip they dont often take, I am noticing.

 I go outside to eat and soak up the ambience of the small town, quite interesting.. across the street is a repair/tire type shop, and a bike is there, its the guy getting help for the girls on the side of the road, I chat briefly with him.

 To the right there is a small patch of grass with a single rail fence around most of it, and there are horses tied to it, and a few real cowboys wandering around. There is a 1 ton dually out front of the store, big fuel tank in the back and hauling a big horse trailer. There is also a very hyper blue healer type dog, running everywhere checking everything out.. as soon as someone walks near that truck, the dog runs up to the back, leaps up on the bumper and moves to his spot near the front of the cab so he is not left behind. The truck cowboys are chatting a bit with the horse cowboys, the dog realizing they are not yet leaving, gets back off the truck..

 Ahh life in a small western town, sorta nice to sit back and see..

 I get back on the road, its still open valley, up to just past the Big Hole National Battlefield, beyond that, it soon start turning into forest. Up ahead, I see mean black clouds, but I know I will be turning 90 degrees to the south, in another dozen miles. This will put me at the Idaho border, in the Beaverhead Mountains. Seeing as the clouds are not filling the sky it is hard to tell if I will turn out of it, or hit it.

 The last few miles it is heavily trees and climbing, suddenly I hit the junction of 93, and a Welcome to Idaho sign. I turn south, and immediately, I begin a dizzying descent, 8 or 10% grades, 180 degree switchbacks, dropping altitude quickly. Above, just near the junction there seems to be a ski hill. This is the first real mountain roads, I have encounterd, and it is sorta fun. A nice bikeing road. After a bit it gets down to a very narrow valley bottom by a river the mointains rising steeply up both sides, it widens a bit slowly. I pass through a couple small towns, Gibbonsville, and North Fork,  and then along the Salmon River to Salmon Idaho.

 I am getting pretty tired/ knackered/ beat, it is mid afternoon, and I am suffering from lack of sleep.. up ahead dark clouds are looming and they are dropping rain. I get into Salmon, see a big park to the side, I pull over park on the street near a big tree in the park, and lay down under the tree to rest..........