I haven’t written anything here for a while because I was out of signal range, and the mornings and evenings have become chilly, so I didn’t really feel like typing anything on the computer 😊.
The oil change at my friends’ place in Nakusp went well. Thanks to them, I also got to ride a boat and visit some natural hot springs. Although I didn’t want to, I hit the road again on Saturday morning. I originally planned to stay in BC longer, but I got delayed, and smoke started to spread in the area, which I wanted to avoid. So, off to the south to reach the United States. Historic motorcycles were setting off from Nakusp, and in Nelson there was an exhibition of all kinds of cars and bikes, so it was quite a themed experience.
My first major destination was Glacier National Park, where I had reserved a $2 pass to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road from west to east. You need a reservation for it now—before, you could just drive through. Since my slot was at 1 PM, I took a detour and entered the park through an entrance where no one was present to collect the entry fee, so I ended up paying only $2. Because there was a lot of smoke in the area, I didn’t take many photos—there wouldn’t have been much to see in them anyway. Just one from a nice curve.
I continued south on Highway 89 to eventually reach Yellowstone. On the way, I stopped at Great Falls at a Honda and Kawasaki motorcycle dealer to replace my rear tire, which was at the end of its life after about 6,500 km. Hopefully, this new one (Dunlop K750) will be the one I finish this adventure on. Then I reached the park boundary and spent the night at Eagle Creek Camp thanks to a kind older gentleman who shared his spot with me. He also advised me to head south on Highway 191 all the way to Rock Springs—but more on that later.
I took two days off, expecting no signal in the park, and that turned out to be true. On Tuesday morning, I got up around 5 AM and entered the park. After breakfast, I realized I had left my toothbrush in the food box back at the camp, so my early start was wasted as I had to go back for it. I explored the northern part of the park and hiked up Mount Washburn (3,122 m). At the summit there is the last functioning and active fire lookout, and the trail is quite pleasant. It climbs only 448 m over 4.5 km, so it’s a nice ascent—I managed it in under an hour. I continued exploring the park, but around 5 PM a storm rolled in, so I left and found a spot between the parks.
On Wednesday morning, I headed to Grand Teton, and in autumn it’s beautiful. I recognized places I had visited before. I’d say both parks are much drier this year than they were ten years ago when we were last here. I also visited Jackson Hole. I originally thought I’d stay overnight, but I arrived quite early, and all the hotels were very expensive.
Then I continued south on Highway 191 toward Rock Springs. The whole ride was great. After passing the town of Eden, I turned onto a dirt road that led me to Boars Tusk, the dunes, and the sandstone paintings. I regretted not getting more fuel before turning to this road, because there was a lot to explore. The man who recommended this route forgot to mention that all the interesting spots aren’t directly on the road—you must detour to reach them. But at least I managed to outrun the storm that was heading into the desert.
All photos are in the gallery: https://fotky.kapi.cz/gallery/2azN7xCOk_2Y4ocrPbFElhTU
Current map: https://mapy.com/s/nebedecema