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Ron and Deb are an another adventure. We decided to head out to the Sturgis area to see the Black Hills before all the motorcycles got there. We have been there several times and it is always beautiful. My favorite things are the wildlife! Like this guy.


The scenery is beautiful too.




One of the roads that we took was under construction but it was still awesome scenery along the way.

More scenery from the Black Hills.






More wildlife.




More awesome sights.





Mt. Rushmore.


A "Pigtail" bridge. The pictures just don't do it justice. It really is an engineering marvel.

There are several really neat small towns that you ride through. I love the buildings.





The tunnels are always neat.

After riding around the Black Hills we headed over to Yellowstone National Park. We came in through Cody, WY and it was a beautiful ride.







It always makes me laugh when people take pictures of my trike when we are surrounded by amazing sights.


The buffalo in Yellowstone appear to feel like they own the place.




We even saw a bear! We have never seen one before so I was really excited!!


Some of the scenery from Yellowstone.



We went out through Gardiner, MT. This is the Gateway Arch to Yellowstone.



Gardiner is a really neat little town on the north side of Yellowstone. We had supper here.


I thought this house was really neat.


More scenery from Yellowstone.

Great pics as always! Looking forward to the days when I can grab the wife and go on trips like that.

More scenery from Yellowstone. If you are thinking of going you really need to allow at least 2 full days. There is so much to see!

Of course any time there is wildlife near the roadway there will be a traffic jam. So you have to allow for some slow paced travel but boy is it worth it.

As usual, great pics, Deb. Glad to see that you and Ron are both feeling well and enjoying more time on the road and in the saddle!

Cheers,
Mike

After spending a couple of days in Yellowstone we headed up to Butte, MT. Now this is an interesting place. They are a mining town with an incredible, well preserved Historic Downtown and a ton of amazing Victorian style houses. My favorite things!

We also rode around the surrounding country side. It was a beautiful day and the landscape out there was really cool.










We stopped here for a drink. Folks were really friendly and the bartender gave us some suggestions for scenic rides.





This is a 90 foot statue of the Virgin Mary that overlooks the city of Butte.

Many thanks for sharing,

Lovely pics and a great country you've got there, so much beauty to see. My next road trip will take in some of your suggestions, I really enjoyed them.

And what better way to enjoy than with a V8 rumblin' along.

Beautiful trip and pictures. We took almost the same pictures two years ago before we met in the Rockies. The buffalo Bills Museum in Cody is spectacular

After spending a couple of days around the Butte, MT area we decided to head to Arizona and check on our house in Apache Junction and visit with friends. The first opportunity we got we jumped in the 4 wheeler for a ride out in the desert. We got up at 5:30 am to beat the heat and it was worth it! We usually see ground squirrels, rabbits and small lizards when we ride in the desert but this time we saw.....



Along with the usual cactus and such.



This is Teddy Bear Cholla. It looks soft and cuddly but believe me it's not!


We have ridden in this area a bunch of times and have never seen water. So it was a surprise to see several large puddles.


Next we took a trip up to Arizona's high country to get away from the 104 degree heat and, of course, to see the beautiful scenery. This is the Salt River Canyon area.

Heading up toward Show Low, AZ it is more wide open and green.


We took Hwy 60 to Hwy 191 where we entered the White Mountains and temps in the low 80's.








Hwy 191 going South out of Springerville, AZ is a very twisty road with spectacular views.





We came to the town of Clifton where there is the biggest mining operation I have ever seen.




This tunnel was right in the middle of the mining operation.

From Clifton we took Hwy 78 over into New Mexico where we joined Hwy 180 to head north. We had gorgeous weather the whole time and the ride was fantastic.


We even saw a lot of deer and elk. Luckily, they were all in fields next to the road and not On the road.




I even got video of the largest herd of elk we have ever seen!
http://vid366.photobucket.com/albums/oo ... d49888.mp4



We rode to Reserve, NM where we had supper.




We found a really nice road to head us back toward AZ.




We took Hwy 260 west toward Show Low. It is pretty open and high elevation there. They have a lot of big snow fence up along this route. I definitely wouldn't want to take it in the winter!




But it is really pretty up there.

What a trip, thanks Deb

Retirement can't come fast enough ....

Thanks Deb - pics and narration are awesome - keep them coming

After getting back to our place in Apache Junction from the trip up north, we got up nice and early to head out for a ride on the 4 wheeler in the desert.




This is what a lot of the trails look like that we ride on. So much fun!!


We left Apache Junction on Sunday because it is freakin HOT there right now. We decided to wander our way back toward Iowa by way of Colorado. First up, we stopped at in Gallup, NM to check out that area. We travel through there and always think it looks neat from the interstate. We found out it is a really interesting place on the "back" roads.




These are Swallow nests.


We took a road that looked interesting and stumbled into this Prehistoric Cave Dwelling.

Here are some other photos from the Gallup, NM area.




The gal working the front desk at our hotel told us we should check out El Morro National Monument so we did that also. Definitely worth the trip!! It is a very large limestone outcropping that has a natural spring at the base. Travelers spread the word that there was water at the site and anyone who stopped by would carve their name and date in the limestone. The earliest inscription is from 1709.

More from the Gallup, NM area.



















We saw this mansion (?) in a little town south of Gallup. The roof is tile and I just thought it looked really cool. I would love to know the story behind it.

After wandering around Gallup, NM for a day we headed north to Durango, CO. Another pretty drive.






Hwy 550 going north out of Durango up to Silverton is beautiful.




This is a view of Silverton, CO as you come in from the south.


After having lunch in Silverton we continued north to Ouray. If you have never been to this area definitely put it on your list. It is amazing!




We saw this little guy right next to the road as we wound our way to Ouray. He didn't seem to be afraid of us at all.

The day was overcast with some sprinkles from time to time but we still had a great day. Ouray, CO is really neat. They have a lot of old buildings there so it is always fun to drive through there.





After Ouray we rode up to Ridgeway then took the highway over to Telluride. We had not been on this highway or to Telluride before so it was fun even though it sprinkled on us for a while.



This is steam coming off the mountain after the rain.

Great pictures and ideas for trips!
Keep it comming.

Deb,

You guys are doing what many envy. In the last few years, you've had your trike all over this country. When I grow up, I want to be like you.

Question, In your pictures, sometimes there's a car or truck, and sometimes your trike is on a trailer. What's your normal mode of operation? Do you trailer the trike to a certain location, and do day-rides from there?

Just wondering... and planning... How about the detail on how you plan these trips? Thanks in advance. Pat

Thanks again guys,

Great pics, I just love your country, especially the West - the landscape is just awesome.

Lots of great trip ideas.

Gordon (pining for the States)