John's 2011 Motorcycle Trip July 11-16
Awesome place!
We are on our way to Yellowstone! Here we are at Idaho Falls, Idaho. Nice town about 120 miles away from West Yellowstone.

I hope to get 5 days of riding in.
Tad and Sue join us. Tad will be our guide since he has been to the Park many times and even worked there one summer. John will be riding his motorcycle, but we will be staying together at Worldmark right near the West entrance to the Park.
Tuesday morning John heads into Yellowstone with his brand new Senior Pass. Soon he sees steam coming out of the ground everywhere.
There are lots of bubbling lakes, streams and mud pits.
Old Faithful doing his thing. I wanted to get a real close up shot, but it started raining and I went to the parking lot to get my backpack and helmet. Of course the irruption happens when I am back in front of the Inn. A thunderstorm moves in and I get wet leaving Old Faithful to finish my ride. I did enjoy seeing Yellowstone Lake (huge) and many miles of beautiful rivers. To see more pictures click the thumbnails below.
End of Day 1
Wednesday it is back into the Park. John will go to Madison, Norris, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Roosevelt and Canyon Village. All are sites in the Park. Tad, Sue and Evelyn will do the same loop in the car. We will meet at Mammoth and then in Canyon Village for lunch. John will wait for the car group to catch up.
We will have a great day! We will see many water falls, rivers, meadows, geysers, geological formations, beautiful flowers.

Wild life includes bison, elk, deer which are abundant in the Park.
This mountain was steaming . It was Roaring.
 
 
 
The Park had 350 of these touring cars before WWII
Climb aboard and let's take a tour.
More formations.
 
Evelyn thinks I should get one like this. Not.
Lazy elk in town.
More photos from Day 2
On my third day of riding I make it to The Tetons
I find this gravel road that goes back off the highway a few miles. Not a soul around. River on one side, flowers on the other. And, the mountains in the background.
I am at the Jackson Lake Lodge.

New Yellowstone cap hides an extreme case of "helmet hair".
I just had to pull over and take this picture.
Jenny Lake
There are lots of pull-offs with views like this.
More photos from Day 3
Thursday, Day 4 of riding I leave Jackson, Wy and ride a very scenic road to Teton Village. I left Evelyn, Tad and Sue in West Yellowstone. They drive to the Tetons where I was yesterday.
In this ski resort village, some hang gliders take the tram to the top of the mountain and jump off.
They land near the Village in this field. This was a tandem ride.
I leave the Jackson area and head through the mountains. Here I am at Teton Pass looking back from where I was earlier.
Again I was impressed by the wild flowers on the ride back to West Yellowstone. Today I drove in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

 

End of Day 4
Saturday, Riding Day 5:

Today I make a 100 mile loop around Hebgen Lake and Henry's Lake.

Hebgen Lake is where the 1959 earthquake killed over 20 people when a big piece of the mountain crashed down forming a new lake and causing a lot of damage. The force of the mountain dropping caused 100 mile per hour gusts that blew one camper away.
Here is where the mountain side used to be.
Lake formed by earthquake. On the left of the photo you can see trees that where not in water at one time.
I find a great forest road that follows Beaver Creek. Suddenly I find myself face to face to with.........
This beast. A female moose.
End of Day 5 and my ride through Yellowstone.
THE END