Summer 2007 Highway 89 Bike Trip
From Junction, Utah to East Glacier, Montana

 

Prelude:

Once upon a time in galaxie far, far away, a bunch of us decided to go for a motorcycle ride through some of the most beautiful scenery in America. We trailered our bikes to Junction, Utah in the heart of the Wasatch Mountains, Fishlake National Park area on Highway 89. We were starting this trip from the Junction RV park. Randy, one of the riders on this trip, is the owner of the park so we knew we had pretty secure reservations.

Junction is on Highway 89 between Circleville and Marysvale. This is the country Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made famous. We've been off-road riding the Paiute trails that envelope the Wasatch in this area from the back doors of Bryce on the South, I-15 on the West, Salina to the North, and Capital Reef to the East. This is truly God's country.

I'd like to point out at this time, that there's a fabulous restaraunt just North of Marysvale called the Big Rock Candy Mountain Restaurant. Put it on your list. They have rooms and cabins there too. It's right on Highway 89 and when you see the rock formations behind it, you'll understand where it got it's name. The Sevier River flows by it as well, and provides a beautiful spot to do some Kayaking.

 

The Contestants:

The riders for this trip are a bunch of elderly geezers who've been riding dirt bikes together for almost 40 years. We're all experienced riders, but I must say that I personally excel in the category of rearanging those funny calcium structures known as "bones".

Alphabetically, there's Alan, Debbie, Mike, Pam, Randy and Rich (the author of these historical documents). Debbie and Pam ride two-up with Randy and Rich respectively (and we respect them too). We're all decent mechanics too and, according to Murphy's Law, that should make that skill unnecessary.

We're also a bunch of photo nuts. I think some of us have semi-automatic cameras, because between us, we took over 1,000 photos in one week. I'm only putting a small sampling on this page so it doesn't take decades to open on your computer. Hopefully I picked a good enough variety to get you interested in taking this trip yourself someday.

 

First Day:

The first day was just going to be a local loop down to Bryce Canyon and back. We started off with breakfast in Antimony at the only restaraunt in town, so I didn't need to remember the name. From there is a nice country road that runs almost due South to the entrance of Bryce Canyon.

Bryce is a beautiful place full of Hoodoos, canyons, and scenic views as far as the eye can see. We didn't want to get too tired for the next day's ride, so we restricted our hikes to just walking around the rim and did not venture down into the canyon. Besides, there was a nasty cloud system moving in. And indeed it not only rained, but it hailed, in July, in the summer, on a nice day, on us.

After Bryce, we headed back to Junction. For dinner, we used the kitchen at the Junction RV park (used to be a restaraunt) and everybody kicked in something to turn out a great dinner. After dinner, we relaxed around the fire ring to partake in some grape or hops-based refreshments.

 

First Day - The Bikes at the Antimony Cafe, Utah

 

First Day - Alan, Rich, Debbie, Mike, & Pam at Breakfast in Antimony, Utah

 

Day Trip To Bryce Canyon

 

Day Trip To Bryce Canyon

 

Day Trip To Bryce Canyon
(Hard to Believe it Started Hailing About an Hour Later)

 

Mike and Pam in the Kitchen

 

Pam, Debbie, Mike, Rich, Alan, & Randy Feasting at the Junction RV Park

 

Pam, Studying the Map Around the Campfire

 

Randy & Debbie Enjoying the Campfire

 

Camp (Yeah, Roughing It)

 

Day Two:

So, today's the day. We're off to Montana. We're going to head North on I-89 to Salina to have Breakfast at Mom's Cafe. Mom's Cafe has been in Salina for about 3,000 years. It's a great place for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Great home cooking.

After breakfast we continued North on Highway 89 and would ultimately end up in Logan, Utah for the night. The ride was very relaxing. Lots of farmland and pure Americana.

In Logan, we had a great meal on the top of an old building at a Pub called the White Owl. Seemed like quite the local hangout. After dinner, we fattened-up some more at the local Ice Cream shop (ice cream is one of my favorite vegetables). This place had all the old soda fountain look-and-feel to it, probably because it was a really old soda fountain. Fun!

 

Randy, Debbie, Mike, Pam, Rich & Alan
Getting Ready to Head to East Glacier, Montana
(Pam Already Had Her Helmet on, And Didn't Want to go Through That Again)

 

Debbie, Randy, Mike, & Rich at the Breakfast Stop

 

Connoitering

 

Debbie & Randy on the Road King

 

Pam & Rich on the Ultra Classic Electra Glide FLHTCUI
OMG FYI BTW That's Too Big a Name

 

Alan & His Honda Shadow

Mike & His Electra Glide Classic

 

On The Road

 

This is Beautiful Country

 

First Stop: Logan, Utah - Dinner & Beer at the White Owl Pub
(This Outdoor Patio is on the Roof - Very Casual)

 

First Stop: Logan, Utah Dinner & Beer at the White Owl Pub

 

Goofing Off at the Ice Cream Shop on Main Street

 

Day Three:

We leave Logan, Utah to continue North on I-89 to Gardiner, Montana at the north end of Yellowstone. We'll be riding through Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. We'll make a stop at the Harley shop in Jackson, Wyoming for some free coffee and a well-needed butt break.

The Grand Teton Mountains were named by a drunken French trapper. The name literally means Big Tits. When you see the way the mountains seem to jump right out of the flat surrounding fields, it's easy to see how they came by their name.

Yellowstone has too many wonders to try to describe, so just imagine some of God's best works and you'll have an idea. It would be easy to spend weeks there and not see everything. We had about a half a day to absorb what we could. We got a little rain, but that just makes for an interesting ride. We got to Gardiner, Montana late in the afternoon, got to spend a little time walking the town, and had a great dinner.

 

Start of the 2nd Day, Just Outside of Logan, Utah

 

More on the 2nd Day, Outside of Logan, Utah

 

Travelling Through the Mountains, Northeast of Logan

 

More of the 2nd Day

 

Randy & Debbie Taking a Butt Break by Bear Lake, Utah

 

Butt Rest - Alan, Pam, Mike, Debbie (Hiding) & Randy

 

Alan & Pam Wishing They Were Back at Work
Instead of Enjoying All This Stupid Scenery Stuff

 

At the Grand Teton Visitor's Center (Grand Tetons in the Background)

 

Cruising the Grand Tetons, Heading to Yellowstone

 

More of the Grand Tetons (aka, the Big Ta Tas)

 

Cruising Through Yellowstone

 

Cruising Through Jellystone Boo Boo

 

Cruising Through Yellowstone

 

Getting Settled in Gardiner, Montana

 

A Look Back at the North Entrance to Yellowstone - Gardiner, Montana

 

Day Four:

We left Gardiner early in the morning to continue North on I-89 to East Glacier, Montana at the East entrance to Glacier National Park. We'd be trucking through the vast farmland of the Big Sky Country. We passed through Livingston (not the Doctor) and Great Falls.

About the last hour of this stretch turned into a real workout. Cross-winds were hitting us at about Warp-3 and really kept our attention. I don't want to exagerate, but I think I saw a Buffalo blow across the road.

We arrived at East Glacier a bit worn out and were confronted with the news that there were nine fires burning in the area and the Park was either closed in sections and/or just not pleasant to wade into. We knew this might be a possibility, but these fires had been burning for weeks and we had hoped they'd be out by the time we got there. Still wouldn't have changed our plans since the ride itself was worth the price of admission.

We had a great dinner at a Mexican restaraunt just behind our hotel. Good thing it was close as driving might have slightly been impared by the dozen pitchers of Margaritas we shared.

 

Heading North out of Gardiner

 

The Train Depot at East Glacier

 

An Afternoon Rainbow/Sunset Combo in East Glacier, Montana

 

The East Glacier Lodge

 

Inside the East Glacier Lodge

 

Flowers at the East Glacier Lodge

 

Days Five-Eight
(Alan, Debbie, Mike & Randy):

After the first night in East Glacier, Pam and I split from the group to head South on I-15. We were going to visit with some friends down in Saint George, Utah so we needed to be back at Junction a day before the rest of the group. Alan, Debbie, Mike and Randy stayed another night in East Glacier and then headed Southeast toward Red Lodge, Montana and would be heading up over the Beartooth Highway to a place called the "Top of the World". It's a chilly little spot with a view seemingly down onto the Grand Tetons. Pam and I were there about ten years ago, so we knew they were in for a spectacular view.

They would then head back through some different sections of Yellowstone and catch highway 89 back down to Junction. Next time we do something like this, Pam and I won't be pressed for time, so they would be forced to endure us for the entire ride.

 

Randy & Mike Conoitering

 

Red Lodge, Montana

 

Back on the Road Again

 

Randy Showing Off His Caboose

 

Heading for the Beartooth

 

Heading for the Beartooth

 

The Beartooth Highway Has a Bunch of Switchbacks
Verified by Mike's GPS Screen

Rock Creek Vista Point

 

Rock Creek Vista Point

 

Top of the World - West Summit

 

Top of the World - West Summit

 

Snow in July - Global Colding

 

Back Through Yellowstone

 

Back Through Yellowstone

 

Yellowstone - Where the Buffalo Roam

 

These are Big Creatures

 

That's a lot of Buffalo Burgers

 

Day Five (Pam & Rich):

Pam and I headed pretty much straight South on I-15. We had a great lunch in Butte, Montana and walked around the historic district a bit before getting back on the road. Butte has a very nice historic distric. I'd like to go back and spend a day there sometime.

As we neared the end of the day, we started looking for a place to crash for the night. The first town we stopped in was Dell. There's an old Railroad Depot there that they're restoring and it was a nice little town. We would have stayed there, but we wanted to make a few more miles before stopping.

We were glad we continued because the town we ended up in had its own special charm. Lima, Montana is about the last place with a hotel before you reach Idaho when heading South on I-15. There was a lot of nostalgic buildings, a great hotel, an excellent restaraunt and, of course, a cemetery. What else could you need. We enjoyed walking around town in the morning before we left. Came across an old Snow-Cat like you might find in the Anarctic. Seemed less out of place than you might think. Great fun.

 

Pam Doing Guard Duty Near the Gates of the Mountain on Holter Lake, Montana

 

Pam Dodging Traffic in Downtown Lima

 

Treasures are Found in the Unlikeliest of Places
I'll Bet They Could Still Use This Here in the Winter

 

Day Six:

Leaving Lima, we continued South South on I-15 to Lehi. We went through Logan, so we stopped at that Ice Cream shop again. Of course, we had to walk it off, so we took in the town park just across the street and then walked back to get a better view of a Temple we had seen earlier. We stopped at a place called Thanksgiving Village. It was a nice little tourist-trappy area to walk around with lots of gardens to walk through mixed with lots of shops.

 

Stopped in Logan Again for Some Ice Cream
While There, We Walked Through the Town
Park to Get a Better View of This Mormon Temple

 

Rich at the Thanksgiving Village Center, Just North of Lehi, Utah

 

Pam at the Thanksgiving Village Center

 

Day Seven:

Lehi was pretty relaxing. Just had dinner and spent the night. No energy to check out the city. In the morning, we headed back towards Junction, but we were going to make one last stopover at a town called Bicknell.

Bicknell is near the North end of Capitol Reef National Park. The Aquarius Inn in Bicknell is a favorite of the guys when we're on our dirt bike rides through Utah's Paiute trail systems (more of that roughing it stuff). It's got a nice pool and jacuzzi, and there's a freshly-upgraded restaraunt right out front. On the way there, we diverted to Fish Lake Reservoir so I could show Pam one of our favorite dirt-biking haunts.

We had time in the afternoon to take-in Capitol Reef, which might just be one of the least-known parks in the country. If you miss this park, you're missing a truly unsung treasure. There are great rock formations, an old farm and orchard that used to service the stage as well as Butch Cassidy's gang, and ancient Indian petroglyphs. The orchard is open to the public if you're hungry - just grab an apple and go. I think it was one of the original drive-thru restaraunts.

 

Pam at Fish Lake Reservoir

 

Pam Heading for the Old Fish Lake Reservoir Lodge

 

Capitol Reef

 

Capitol Reef

 

Capitol Reef

 

Petroglyphs at Capitol Reef

 

Pam at Capitol Reef (or is that another petroglyph?)

 

Day Eight:

In the morning, we headed South on Highway 12 and drove to Bryce Canyon. We passed by Boulder, Utah, where there's a shortcut that'll take you to Bullfrog City on Lake Powell if you dare. We've done it on dirt bikes, but I wouldn't suggest doing it with a car unless it's 4WD.

From Boulder, highway 12 turns into the Hog's Back Highway. Don't look down (on either side) and hope you're not in a large vehicle when there's another large vehicle in the opposite, skinny lane heading towards you. Scary awesome. Sidestep to the Devil's Backbone if you have time and a vehicle that's not afraid of gravel roads. That's where two mountain ridges come together end-to-end and there's a bridge connecting the two. There's views on each side of the bridge, almost straight down a few thousand feet.

We topped-off at Bryce and then headed directly North to Antimony on the road we used the first day to come down to Bryce. This is a very nice road. I think we saw two other vehicles and a bunch of wildlife. I even saw my first Antelope and they were very close to the road. We've seen lots of Elk and Deer before, but these Antelope were comparatively small, so I can see why they either hide or are just harder to see. We ended the day back at our motorhome in Junction.

 

Back in Camp

 

Day Nine:

After getting the bike loaded snugly in the motorhome, we headed off to Saint George, Utah to visit with our friends Jim and Lila. On the way, we stopped at Cedar Breaks National Park, just East of Cedar City. This is another treasure that many people haven't heard of. Utah has so many beautiful places, it's as though it's one seamless National Park. Let's see: lots of beautiful national parks, everybody's friendly and helpful, hunting, fishing, hardly any traffic..... yeah I can't imagine what I like about going back to Utah every summer.

 

Rich & Pam at Cedar Breaks

 

The Ampitheatre at Cedar Breaks

 

Day Ten:

We hooked-up with Jim and Lila in Saint George. Lila Had to work the day we had free, but Jim drove us to Zion for some hiking and sightseeing. Along the way, we stopped at Zion Harley, and a park near Hurricane where you can go boating and off-roading all at the same place - Yee Hah. Going to have to go back there with the canoe and some dirt bikes.

Zion is another beautiful place. Lots to see and do. One of the places I could visit often and still feel I need more of it. It might be a few years before I can get back, though. Dang!

 

Jim & Pam at the Combo Lake/Off-Road Park

 

The Narrow Wet Hike in Zion - Cool Yer Toes

 

Pam with Teddy Roosevelt in Zion

 

Jim & Pam Drying Their Feet

 

Jim & Pam at the Zion Canyon Overlook

 

More Zion

 

More Zion

 

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