We drove out of the mountain state of West Virginia to visit the Rocky Mountains. After hundreds of miles across the Great Plains, we were ready for an elevation. (Photos by the author)
I see mountains! It’s Thursday, somewhere west of Anton, Colorado, and after four and a half days and 1,600 miles the snow-capped Rockies appear on the horizon. My riding buddy Jay and I left our home state of West Virginia on Sunday. Now at noon we see the jagged peaks that we have longed for. The Great Plains were beautiful and adventurous, but we’re excited to go up high.
In Aurora, Jay makes a pilgrimage to a Harley store and buys a T-shirt while I get a long overdue full-face helmet. Then we climb up, up, up. West Virginia, known as Mountain State, is great for horse riding, but its mountains are just hills compared to the Rockies. West of Denver, there is significant climb and a detour on US Route 6 to the 11,990 foot Loveland Pass on the Western Continental Divide. Additionally, the road meanders through quaint towns like Dillon and Frisco until we stop in Edwards for two nights.
If we had been on the sign, we might even have gotten 12,000 feet.
Our next two days of travel are unforgettable! The spectacular views we drove through the plateaus behind Steamboat Springs blew us away. We stopped in Maybell, Colorado for gas and ran into three doubles on their fourth day off-road – and they looked really good. Our lunch break was at the BedRock Depot in Dinosaur, where delicious sandwiches and milkshakes were spot on. Then on to Utah, on US Route 191 north of Vernal up to 300 meters high. In Wyoming, the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area made the country so dramatic that I could barely keep an eye on the road. When a cold, wet front was predicted and we could see clouds ahead, the flat, wide sweeping roads made for high speed fun. We weathered the storms, passed the 2,000 mile mark, and finished the day trip in Rock Springs.
Our tour route is available via the REVER app in the Rider Magazine community.
Link to the Rockies To Mount Rushmore tour route on REVER
The winds were a brutal distraction early the next day, leaning steadily in gusts of 30 mph until the wind eased near Cokeville, Wyoming, but the rain began shortly after lunch in Montpelier, Idaho. We climbed into the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and it started to snow heavily, stuck to trees, bushes and my windshield, but luckily not to the road. We were cold, but it was a memorable photo at Emigration Pass on Idaho Highway 36. As we fell below the snow line, we finished the day drive outside Preston, Idaho, at the Riverdale Resort. It has geothermally heated outdoor pools where we cooked for an hour. Uhh …
Brrrr! The freezing temperatures and snow made for an unforgettable drive over the Emigration Pass in Idaho. Fortunately, it didn’t stay on the road.
Two nights and farewell to friends later, we drove north through Soda Springs, where many of the streets are marked “Open Range”. Sure enough, we turned a bend and found a herd of cattle blocking the road. We honked the horn and they strolled gently aside. Idaho Highway 34 followed Tincup Creek on its way to the Wyoming border, and we ran parallel to the Snake River on US 89/191 through the Bridger-Teton National Forest, reminiscent of our own roads in West Virginia. When the valley opened, we finally entered Jackson.
We continued on US 191 north through the incomparable Grand Teton National Park and south into Yellowstone National Park. We crossed the watershed twice at over 8,000 feet before descending into the Firehole River Valley. We enjoyed lunch and a timely geyser eruption at Old Faithful Village before driving a long circle around the park. East of Yellowstone Lake, we cursed our helmets when the traffic stopped. A bison trotted down our alley in front of us. In awe and humility, we finally rolled past this massive creature.
Ed stands under one of the moose horn arches in Jackson, Wyoming while the backpack guy tries to count them all.
We got off at the east entrance of Yellowstone on US Route 14, drove over the 8,524 foot Sylvan Pass, and rolled 20 long, comfortable miles downhill. The environment changed from pine green to desert brown as we passed between giant sandstone guards along the Shoshone River. We reached Cody, a beautiful, prosperous western town. At dinner Jay smiled and ordered Rocky Mountain oysters. About half a bite was all I could do with fried bull balls.
Continuing east on US 14, we crossed a wide valley and began climbing again. The view behind us became breathtaking, the temperature dropped to 45 degrees and we crossed the Bighorn Mountains over the 9,033 foot granite pass. We picked up I-90 in Ranchester, but I foolishly ignored a refueling stop. My engine stalled and we had to scoop a liter out of Jay’s tank. He will never let me down.
We didn’t see any aliens in Devils Tower, only tourists.
The Devils Tower was impressive. No aliens, just busloads of tourists taking photos. Our destination was Keystone, South Dakota, 130 miles away. Signs for Spearfish, Deadwood, and Sturgis flashed, but it was getting dark and drizzling, so we kept shouting. We finally reached our hotel. We drove 510 miles for 12 hours and our backs were numb. What is half an iron flask – a wooden flask? An iron cheek?
We visited Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial which is much larger than Rushmore and was the highlight of our visit to the Black Hills. The only recognizable part under construction since 1948 is Crazy Horse’s face and it won’t be finished in my life.
The plaster statue shows visitors what the Crazy Horse Memorial will look like one day.
After 3,300 memorable miles, we became horses heading for the barn. Our trip meters were only 5,000 miles away when we got home in West Virginia four days later. My wife greeted me with the question: “So where to go next year?”
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