[Kiley]

Hey all.
I haven't posted much on here.
I've moved to Delaware for work.
The ridding here is pretty shitty so there really hasn't been much to post about.
I recently returned from a trip out west.
I normally do trips by myself but this time there were 5 of us.
I did all the planning...picked the routes...organized the accommodations.
I even picked the rest stops.
We decided to trailer the bikes to Loveland CO.
The idea was to do a big loop covering The Rockies...The Grand Tetons...Yellowstone...Baretooth Pass...and Sturgis
https://goo.gl/1VfT6e
The trailer arrived in Loveland on Sunday so 3 of us flew out to meet the other 2 that pulled the trailer with our trip starting Monday morning.
We road over to Estes Park and stopped in Walden for lunch.
We then spent the night in Rawlins WY.
Some breathtaking scenery along the way.
It's was pretty windy by the time we arrived in Rawlins.
The boys really loved the ride over the Rockies and the weather was perfect.
Here is what we did Monday
http://goo.gl/maps/YAFX5

 

[Kiley]

Day 2
Travel day
http://goo.gl/maps/F03Lg
We made our way from Rawlins WY up to the Grand Tetons National Park
We spent the night at Jackson Lake Lodge.
Jackson is a pretty expensive area but the views are stunning.
I had never seen the Grand Tetons before and it was worth the extra few miles to see them.
We blazed from Rawlins to Jackson Lake then had a late lunch and then went for a ride along the Tetons.
The entry fee to the park is $40 but that also gets you entry into Yellowstone.

 

[connector]

Some cool pics and looking like a great feast to finish off the day of riding. Keep um coming

 

[Ernster500]

Very cool post and pics!

I did the same thing myself but from the left coast. We didn't trailer any of it, though. Road about 3500 miles in all with a different route there and back. I'd taken a few weekend trips before but this was my first extended trip of 15 days. Saw some amazing sights. I am not much of a shutter bug these days but managed to get some shots of some key places. Probably passed you along the road somewhere out there.

The 75th Anniversary Sturgis Rally was definitely a spectacle, but, this trip was definitely more about the ride...

E

 

[Kiley]

Wednesday

http://goo.gl/maps/p99od

We woke up and 32f and frost all over the bikes
Had breakfast then packed up to make our way to Yellowstone then onto Red Lodge.
It’s a beautiful ride from one park to the next.
We stopped in Cooke City for lunch then headed to Red Lodge where we stayed at the Alpine.
This is one of my favorite mom and pops to stay at.

 

[Kiley]

more

 

[Kiley]

Thursday.
http://goo.gl/maps/Yknkh
Thursday was travel day and we got up early to make our way to Sturgis.
We would be staying in Custer for the next 3 nights at Rock Crest Lodge.
This place is perfect as it has everything you needed close by.
I was so glad we were able to spend 3 nights here.
Over the next 3 days we made trips to The Buffalo Chip / Sturgis / Rapid City / Nemo / Hill City / Stone House Bar / Full Throttle / Deadwood.

 

[Kiley]

more

 

[Kiley]

and a few more

 

[Kiley]

We spent the 3 nights in Custer and then 2 nights in Custer State Park…Sylvan Lake and Blue Belle.
2 great places to stay at.
In total we spent 5 nights and really enjoyed ourselves.
Then we headed back to Loveland CO to load the bikes back on the trailer.
Sturgis….wow is all I can say.
I will prolly never see that many bikes again.
There was a ridiculous amount of people that attended this event.
They estimated 1 million bikes and 1.7 million people….don’t know how accurate that is.
The Ride….amazing
The Tetons and Yellowstone are stunning.
I love Beartooth Pass and Red Lodge.
We were so lucky in and around Sturgis that we didn’t get stuck much in “parade mode”…we always managed to get out of it.
The food….again amazing…I had one of the best roast beef diners in downtown Deadwood.
Very cool bar in Ten Sleep were we had lunch.
Accommodations….top notch
Grand Tetons was expensive but we really lucked out in Custer.
People staying in Sturgis and Deadwood paid a ridiculous amount of money.
My favorite place is the Alpine in Red Lodge but the Rock Crest in Custer is a close second.
Gas station across the street so you can get beer and coffee or whatever.
And The Purple Pie Place is right next door.
And it’s a short walk to the downtown.
Trip…fantastic
A little expensive but still a great trip.
The boys loved it and we are already talking about next year.
Trailer…..oh how I love this idea.
I have done the Ontario to South Dakota way too many times.
(At least 8 times)
This was a greatest…..having my bike trailered out there really made a difference.

My guess is I wouldn’t drive back out there again if I can have my bike trailered.
Changes….looking back on it now I guess the only thing I would change is maybe a shorter ride on the last day to the trailer.
I wouldn’t mind making this shorter…maybe like 80 miles or whatever.
The half day that it took grew tiresome quite fast.
I’ll look to better that next year 
Also Jackson Hole….i wish we could of gone into Jackson.
I saw a drone video of the city and it really looks like it would be a great place to explore more.
Here are some more random pics

 

[Kiley]

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