July 9: Provo, UT to Grand Tetons National Park, WY

355 miles

Well, today is the day that has made up for all the others! Instead of 25% scenery and 75% “other,” it was just the opposite today. Two more new states on a motorcycle and even one (Idaho) that I’d never been in at all before.

Having spent the night in my own room, I woke up late. Ran into Clif in the hotel lobby and they were about to leave. I wasn’t going to be ready quickly and also wanted to hang around Provo for awhile and upload yesterday’s pictures. Found a Kinko’s where my T-Mobile wireless Internet plan would work. Finished everything there about 10:30am and decided that I’d better get started. I didn’t really see much of Provo although it looked like a nice college (BYU) town.

The first two hours were spent heading up I-15 through Salt Lake City. I had been to SLC once on business so I didn’t need to go downtown again. The road is littered with high tech companies like Novell, Franklin Covey, and Lindows. The on ly "fun" in 100 miles of interstate was doing 75 MPH through Salt Lake City in the HOV lane. After exiting the interstate, I took Rt. 89 to Logan, UT. From there, Rt. 89 starts into the mountains and on towards Bear Lake.

The ride was outstanding. The road is in excellent shape in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming and construction was (finally) unobtrusive. The road twists and turns along the Logan River and reaches several passes (see photos) on the way to Bear Lake. The air went from hot on the interstate to just about perfect. There were long stretches of very little traffic and the solitude was wonderful. It’s what motorcycling is all about. Heck, my back even seemed better. I just can’t say enough good things about the ride.

I arrived in Jackson, WY and headed up towards Grand Tetons National Park. I finally got to use my National Parks Pass. At about 6:30pm I pulled up to our tent cabin at Colter Bay. The guys were already there having had a head start and taken a different and, from what I can tell, less interesting route.

These tent cabins are basically primitive shelters with 4 bunk beds and limited storage space. They have sleeping pads and you use your sleeping bag. Everyone is tired so it should be an early night. We’re anxious to start exploring the park along with Yellowstone tomorrow.

On the motorcycle front, the ST1100 continues to perform flawlessly. I haven’t had to add any oil. I'm getting 45-55 MPG depending on the speed. The bike has a reputation for being difficult in a cross-wind but I have not had any unusual problems. We’ve had many stiff winds and of course an 18-wheeler will buffet you no matter what you are riding. On the down side, the engine throws a lot of heat on hot days and doesn't add much warmth on cold days.


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