Campsite: McPhee Recreation Complex

Arrived about 7:15 PM.  Very cool and woodsy.  My site appears to be a deer hangout.  Several bedding spots and droppings everywhere.  Host says that black bears come through sometimes, so I put my food in one of my metal side cases, and suspended it in a tree. 

It rained most of the night, and was still raining in the morning, so breaking camp took much longer than usual.  Eventually hit the road around 11:15AM.  

Colorado!

7/27/13 6:30 PM.  40006 miles.

Campsite: Yuba State Park.

Eagle View campground is about 7 miles down a dirt road,  and some of the drives are deep, soft sand.  Got bike stuck, had to get help from neighbors to pull it out.  Very strong winds rattled tent most of the night.  When I got ready to leave, bike lights would not come on.  Arrrgh!!  I used my backup phone to call Jason at Freedom PowerSports in Lawrenceville, GA, and he figured out that my start button was not returning completely.  Thanks, Jason! (6-pack of Bud Light is yours!)

From Yuba, rode through some awesome scenery in Utah, and I had to keep stopping for pics.

San Raphael Reef, UT

Wilson Arch - South of Moab, UT

Utah! Bonneville! Moab! What a beautiful state!

7/26/13. 11:20 AM.  91 degrees. 

Just after entering Utah, I stopped off to see the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats!   This is the site where virtually EVERY land speed record has been set for 100 years.  No action today, but I was still there, and it was cool!

Nevada!

8:55 AM.  39335 miles.  75 degrees.  Jackpot.

Back on the road

Situation with family changed due in part to poor timing, so I left Twin Falls Friday 7/26/13 @ 7:00 AM.  39278 miles.  59 degrees.

The day quickly heated up, and for most of the day, the temperature ranged from 96 to 99.8 degrees.  I kept watching for it to go over 100, especially near the Bonneville salt flats, but it stopped stubbornly at 99.8.  I wore full gear, and apparently I chose wisely.  My First Gear mesh jacket, and my Bilt Blaze mesh pants, along with my Bilt Air Pro mesh gloves (From Cycle Gear) all breathe very well and as long as I am moving, I'm pretty comfortable.  

Family time and First Ink!

Arrived safely at the Randy and Tish's house after riding through a typhoon outside Pocatello.  Arrived about 10:30pm.  39221 miles.   Will not post much during this part of the trip.

Unfortunately, visit was poorly timed and I ended up having to cut short my visit with my brother. Spent a few days with my sister Susie and her family.  Took this opportunity to get my first Tattoo.  Niece Wendy recommended Ascension Tattoo in Twin Falls.  Josh did a great job of guiding me through the process, and I'm very pleased with the results.  This trip was made possible by my wonderful wife, Sandi, so the tattoo is for her.

Moving on to Randy's

Time to move on to my brother Randy's house in Twin Falls, ID.  Started on Wyoming, passed through Montana in about ten minutes and on into Idaho.
Hit one heckuva thunderstorm outside of Pocatello. 

Yellowstone Park - Day 2

Second day in the park was pretty damp and rainy.  That didn't stop me from enjoying Old Faithful and plenty of Elk.  I also saw a Bald Eagle, but couldn't get a picture. 

There's a WHAT behind me?

Old Faithful just warming up

Female Elk feeding.

Yellowstone Park! - day 1

Took a day off from hunting Zombies to take a tour of America's oldest national park.  Man there's a lot to take in.  Being on a bike leaves you feeling a bit exposed when a huge Bison walks right past you.  Did the north loop today, will hit south loop, including Old Faithful, tomorrow.

Petrified Zombie - My first sighting!

7/16/13.  Heading into Yellowstone east entrance about 9:30 AM,  I saw my first Zombie signs.  As you can plainly see in the photo, this Zombie had somehow been turned to stone!  At least I know I'm close!

Wapiti Campground!

20 miles from Yellowstone east gate.  Check out the bear box.  7/14 7:45pm 38505 miles.

This doe walked right through my camp.  

Wyoming!

Crossed over into Wyoming 11:00 AM.  64 degrees and dry for now.  38118 miles.   On my way to my campground, I passed an open pot coal mine. I took a picture because I've never seen one before.

Left Kemp's Kamp

After breakfast, (coffee, eggs, hash), I got a visit from Liam, a boy from the next site.  He is considering a Vstrom, and wanted to sit on mine and see how it felt.  Looks like a perfect fit to me.  l left camp at 9:05 (mountain).  Headed for Yellowstone.  Rainy and 60 degrees.

An honest mistake - Really!

Okay, so maybe it was a bit early in the morning, and maybe I was not wearing my glasses, I'll give you that.  Walking through this tightly packed little tent community around 5:45 this morning, I was certain I saw a number of Zombies!   The first on this hunt!  The stumbling walk, the groaning, wordless sounds, the empty eyes staring into nothingness, it was all there.   But then, one bye one, they began to drink from their own version of some magic potion, and gradually, but unmistakeably, one by one, they turned into normal human beings!  What a disappointment!  I approached one to ask about this potion, the cure for the coming apocolypse.  He looked at me strangely and told me, "fresh, hot coffee".  Who knew it could be so easy to avoid the disaster?  I quickly brewed a cup for myself, and now I too feel almost human.  It's a miracle!
So, can Kemp's Kamp be considered as a hotbed of Zombie Outbreaks?  Well, yes and no.  If you hunt before 6:00 AM, you will surely catch a glimpse of the zombie world, however, by 7:30 it's pretty much all human again. 

Change of plan - Sturgis & Mt Rushmore

Originally planned to go west in I-84 to Montana, but I was having trouble with finding a site.  Also, I didn't want to deal with the Sturgis traffic on the return trip.  So I turned south to Sturgis and Mt. Rushmore.  Great weather and a nice ride.  Found a little campground called Kemp's Kamp.  Having set up, I went on up and checked out the monument

Rest day

Decided to stay an extra day at Beaver Creek.  Rode up to Bismarck for some supplies, including beer!  Spent some time making a map which I am posting here.  It will show the first 3 days riding.

Beaver Creek campground

Another beautiful spot by the lake!  I'm about it 16 miles from booming Linden, ND.  It's always windy here.  No mosquitoes yet, but biting flies aplenty.  I'm writing this over my morning coffee.  I am the only camper in this section and it was pretty spooky last night. The only sound was the wind.  No crickets, no bullfrogs, no birds, nothing.  I could swear the zombies were sneaking up on me! 

North Dakota!

Again, no sign.  But looking back you can see the South Dakota sign.  Also, you can see that the road turns to crap at the state line.
7:30. 37470 miles.  92 degrees

South Dakota!

Never saw a sign, but I crossed into S. Dakota at 10:35 (central).  37052 miles.  75 degrees.  Got to watch the gas pumps here.  They put as much as 30% ethanol in the gas!

Day three - heading to N. Dakota

Left camp at 7:45.  Beautiful day, not yet 70 degrees. 36937 miles. Heading north into S. Dakota, then west I'm I-90, then north some more.  Destination is Beaver Creek rec area in N. Dakota. 

Lake Manawa state park, Iowa

Got here just before dusk:  36937 miles; about 8:30.  78 degrees!  This will be the first night on my new air mattress.  Check out the view from my camp!

Iowa!

Been a long and grueling day; only about 1 hour to camp:  84.2 degrees.  36883 miles.  7:25 (central)

Missouri and CABELAS!

Crossed the Mississippi into St. Louis at 10:05 (central).  Could not stop for a picture because it was storming and the traffic was heavy.   Stopped at Cabelas and bought myself a twin size air mattress.  So long, tiny self-inflating pad!  Made turn sandwiches in the parking lot. Heading out about 11:45.

First morning on the road...

Up at 5.  Not my most restful night, but I slept.  Breakfast is hash; eggs and COFFEE.

Arrived at Gun Creek campground.

Not a flat place anywhere!  6:10 pm (eastern). 36345 miles.  91 degrees:

Update: They graciously allowed me to move to a much nicer site.  Very flat and smooth.  Tenters, I don't recommend #58 at Gun Creek.