Graber's Gone Wild: 2015

***

Heading to Red Lodge

Twenty Seven years ago Timmy and I spent one month traveling some of the western states for our honeymoon and Red Lodge, Montana was one of our favorite stops.

I made it a point to go back on this trip and revisit this great little town, and we were fortunate to get a great space right on the river outside of Red Lodge.

For those of you traveling "Jetson Mobile Style", this is a must if you are in the Red Lodge area.

The Fork River (Creek) is not necessarily a big river,

but is sure is fast.

It is very loud and it sounds like a raging river.

We didn't listen to music for 3 days,

and the site did not have direct T.V. hook up,

but as far as I was concerned,

we had the best water sounds that made you feel like you were inside a movie theater with dolby sound.

We really enjoyed it.

I was especially happy that the Jetson Mobile arrived safely and it looked like things were going our way.

I took Bandit for a quick little walk and he was concerned with the teepees at the RV park.

I could just imagine him saying...

"What in the world is that... I'm outta here..."

We got settled in and looked forward to revisiting the area the next day.

When Timmy and I got married, little did I know that a month later we would be taking a month off and joining his family in Red Lodge for the Antique Motorcycle ride
up Bear Tooth Pass. I thought, sounds fun...
and it will be great to meet the rest of the family.

This ride is not your average ride,
nor is it for sissy's.

This ride also has a restriction.

The motorcycles have to be pre 1916 motorcycles.

Timmy said it has something to do with
the year that they stopped making brass.

To me it basically means,

if your bike is newer than a 1916,

has a normal start switch instead of a pedal start,

and if you have standard brakes

instead of bike/pedal breaks,

than you are not allowed to ride in this event.

(Why,... because that would be too easy and too safe?)

I think these guys just love these old machines

and will always push them to the limits.

Timmy gave me a few lessons on the 1913 Harley,

and I practiced a bit up and down the street before we headed up Bear Tooth Pass. My 1913 Harley had pedal brakes, just like pedal brakes on a bicycle.

The handlebars were long and wrapped around,

and if not careful, turning sharp corners

would involve a contortionist act with your knees.

It did not have standard gears

or a shifter to shift gears,

but rather a slider clutch on the side tank

that you could move back and forth instead

of shifting gears.

What I am trying to say here,...

is this thing is crazy,...

and I had no business riding it,...

let alone, up Bear Tooth Pass.

Young love makes you do crazy things,

and that is all I can say at this point.

27 years ago...

and I lived to talk about it....

The best way to show you what this actual ride
up Bear Tooth Pass was like,
is to simply show you.

Riding a 1913 Harley is a bit different
than riding in a jeep but the views
remained the same.

Simply breathtaking!

Really?

I rode my 1913 Harley up those winding roads?

I remember how cold it was.. and it had started to snow a bit,.. any sense of fear was overcome by the fact that I was freezing and seriously could not feel my fingers.

I am surprised I was able to function,
but maybe the cold was a distraction to the reality
of what I was actually doing.

I remember I had not known my father in law very long,
and he told me later he watched me from the top,

as I ascended the mountain.

With every turn and switchback,
I could hear the old words from the childrens book....
I think I can, I think I can....

I was instructed by my husband to just follow him
and do everything that he does.

I tagged close behind him and mimicked everything he did.

(just for the record, I don't do that anymore)

We were passing cars on the corners...

and we had no brakes so to speak.......

We had no choice... if we slowed down too much
we could stall the engine and
we would never get it started again,
with the pedal start.

Cars were enjoying the scenery,

and taking their time around the corners, as they should...

and here come the 2 knuckleheads on the antique bikes barreling up the pass...

We made it to the top, in what felt like record time...

I got off the bike, and if there weren't
so many gawkers,

I would have kissed the ground.

Poppo said,..."Good Job" and that was it.

What?

Don't I get an award or something...

maybe a medal or trophy for courage or bravery.....

(probably one for stupidity)

Both Timmy and I cringed

when we thought of our ride not so very long ago.

How,... and more importantly why,...
did we do that?

a few of my favorite corners

These switchbacks go on forever..

We stopped at one of the lookouts

near the top of the pass,...

which is the same exact spot Poppo watched us

climb the mountain.

Goodness gracious Bandit...

can't you at least pretend you're having a good time....

There was more of Bear Tooth Pass to see,
so we jumped in the jeep
and enjoyed the rest of the day
on the mountain.

Bear Tooth Road is almost 70 miles and
runs through Montana,
and the Gallatin National Forest,
and the other half of the road
runs through Wyoming,
and the Shoshone National Forest.

It is 70 miles but with all the switchbacks and driving at slower speeds, it takes about 2 hours to make the trip.

It got cold and started to sleet.

We drove a few more miles around the bend

and we came upon some sunshine

Looks like what I imagine in Austria.

I started singing

"The hills are alive,... with the sound of music..."

and this is the time Timmy usually turns on the radio.

A crazy polka song was playing....

and we just laughed.

It was perfect timing.

Sirius FM has everything in it's repertoire.

We headed back home to tuck in.

It was a wonderful day.

The following day we decided to drive into town
and get a lay of the land.

We always like to take one night for ourselves
and have a nice dinner out.

I saw what looked like an old hotel
called "The Pollard"
and said

"That one!"

This was the first brick structure
to be built in Red Lodge in 1893.
The Pollard Hotel was famous and
served all walks of life.
Calamity Jane would frequently interrupt
the quietness of the lodging establishment,
as well as the famous Buffalo Bill.

The place reeked of nostalgia.

The Pollard was known for it's fine cuisine
and fine china plates

Hmmm.... I wonder if someone famous ate off this plate.

We enjoyed the backdrop of the mountains
as the sun was setting and walked the downtown.

Another wonderful day.

We always like to explore the surrounding areas
in the jeep and this allows us to take

Cat,.. I mean Bandit with us.

nothing but wide open spaces for this country girl

Bandit photo bomb

We found out that just a few miles out,

Bear Creek was the site of the
worst mining accident in Montana history.
In 1943 the Smith Mine snuffed out the lives
of 74 coal miners in an underground explosion.

We drove a bit further and found the

cemetery for these miners.

Timmy in the background

as we walked amongst the miners.

74 men lost their lives.

Some were fathers, sons, brothers,
uncles, husbands.

It was a thriving mining town and

the women, and families who were left behind,

moved out of area.
They left Bear Creek,

and now all that remains
is the Mine, rubbles
and its cemetery.

A somber thought.

Could you imagine losing generations

of family and friends in one day?

The sky turned dark very quickly

and we decided to head back to civilization before we got caught in a storm.

We drove around the town of Red Lodge and found some beautiful turn of of century homes.

just look at that gingerbread trimming

Is that a face in the attic window????

I had been asking every RV Park when we would check in, about the "bear" situation.

It seemed every park we stayed in from Montana,

Wyoming and Colorado,
they all had the same signs
warning people about the bears.

Not to leave food out, not to venture out after dark,...

this kind of thing.

I kept having this feeling that Bandit and I
were going to encounter a bear episode.

Should this occur,

I wanted to make sure I did the right thing...

Do you run? Do you walk?

Do you turn around? Do you make eye contact?

And what about Bandit?

What if he starts barking

and aggravates the situation more?

All anyone would tell me was that

as long as it is a Black Bear

you can usually shoo them away.

But if it is a Grizzly,... you're in trouble.

I would always ask....

"But what if it is a Grizzly?"

"What do I do?"

Same reply.

"Don't worry about it... it won't happen."

So I would walk off thinking...

But what if it did happen?

It didn't help that Timmy and I watched an hour documentary a few nights earlier

about a bear attack in Glacier National Park,

which was one of the first places we stayed in Montana.

A father and her daughter came upon a Bear with her cubs, and attacked both of them.

I wish I had never seen that documentary.

I kept telling Timmy that we were going

to have a bear encounter.

I just knew it.

Guess who sauntered past our motorhome later than day?

Mr. Bear

Timmy was able to find his camera and take a picture.

I was glad that Bandit and I were not out walking.

I was more afraid of our 3 rowdy neighbors

that took it upon themselves to save us all,

as they all walked after him with long pointed revolvers.

I wish I would have gotten a picture of them instead.

For heavens sake.

We headed south toward Wyoming and wanted to spend some time in Yellowstone.

We got a place to stay in Cody, Wyoming

about an hour east of Yellowstone,

and I knew we were meant to be there

when I saw this sign welcome us.

I knew that Cody was named after Buffalo Bill,
but I didnt't know the connection
until I read the back of a menu.
William Frederick Cody
earned his nickname Buffalo Bill,
because of his ability to supply railroad workers
with buffalo meat.

(makes sense to me)

*

We knew we had a fun day of exploring Yellowstone

and Bandit wanted to stop and check out the Teepee

before we left.

If I didn't know any better...

I would say Bandit is actually posing for this one...

I think he is getting the hang of it.

We had a great drive towards Yellowstone

and saw some great country.

I think I want this ranch.

In my previous post, I talked about the Elements,...

forces of nature to be reckoned with....

flooding with trees half under water

and the most recent fires in 1988
that raged out of control for months
and over 795,000 acres were lost.

During the peak effort,
over 9,000 firefighters
were assigned to the park.

always the elements....

And always new beauty to behold.

We drove the scenic highway

and I have no idea,
why I had no idea
that Yellowstone had a lake.
Timmy didn't either.

It was magnificent.

Awe... look at that poser....

Timmy too....

We knew we had another couple of hours to drive to our next destination, which was Jackson Hole,Wyoming.

We also knew the ride would bring us

even more spectacular views....

of the Gran Tetons.

Goodness..

next thing...

he'll want a selfie...

We had a little road block along the way...

And Papa Bull

leading the pack

This actually looks like 2 Papa Bulls
and their babies?

*
The 2 hour drive south from Yellowstone to Jackson Hole provided some of the most scenic views I have ever seen.

We were excited as Jackson Hole
was around the bend,...
and we would be staying here for 3 nights.

*
When we arrived in Jackson Hole,
Timmy once again insisted on
listening to the lady at GPS,
to direct us straight to the campground.
An hour later after traveling onto back country roads,...
we figured out she had made a mistake again,
and that we might be lost.
We came upon some construction workers
and asked them if the road we were on,
led back to some main streets.
One of the guys kinda laughed and said...
"Naw,.. I think it turns into a dead end."

What this means is that Timmy will have to
unhook the jeep, I will then need
to drive it out of the way as
he attempts the turn around.
Keep in mind both sides of the road
have ditches that are
are at least 5 feet deep.

(I know because I was going to pick some wild flowers
and almost fell into the crevass of grass
that was at least 4 feet tall)

We made the turn, with inches to spare.

Timmy hooked up the jeep,
and we went back the way we came.

I didn't say a word.

I was just thankful that we had driven a mile
past the construction workers to make our turn,
so we didn't have to deal
with an audience.

Although,
I'm sure they would have enjoyed the show.

*

We finally got to our destination, which was the
Fireside RV Resort.
This place was really nice and when you first drive in,
you see rows and rows of what looks like
mobile homes of some type.
I would say they had at least 20
of these cabins/homes to rent.
It looks like they took manufactured homes
and sided them with some great wood.
They certainly do fit in with the resort atmosphere.
Only in Jackson Hole.

Aren't these neat?

**

There was a quaint little restaurant next to the Resort,
and we walked over to catch happy hour and
some of the Tour de France.
We knew it was a good place
as there were bikes lined everywhere.

*

Bandit and I enjoyed our walk and
he thought this white stuff on the ground was odd.

It looks like snow,
but the Cottonwood trees grow rampant here.

He took a couple of good whiffs
and sneezed for about 10 minutes.

He just doesn't listen.

I thought these chairs
made out of skis and snowboards were fun
and thought of my son.

I wish I had a mountain home,...
just to have a home for these.

***

Our next leg of the journey would take us to
Dinosaur National Monument,
near Vernal, Utah.

The drive into Utah was incredible.

We got settled into camp in Vernal and
looked forward to visiting
Dinosaur National Monument the next day.

**

Dinosaur National Monument is known
for it fossils and prehistoric landmarks.

The entire city of Vernal has these
little guys planted all over.
This one is in front of the museum.
My grandkids would love this town.
I took these pics for you Wyatt.

*

This park is the only national park area
set up to protect a historic Dinosaur Quarry.
There is a tremendous diversity of
plant and animal fossils
and the park is well equipped to present them.

We were unable to visit the quarry,
as they would not allow pets
on the shuttle buses,
but the quarry has discovered fossils
from all four major Jurassic dinosaur groups.

Amazing!

American Indian rock art reflects the history
in this park as well.

It was amazing to see the petroglyphs
scattered around the park.

We took advantage of getting up close
to look at these petroglyphs..

Can you see the fossils all over this mountain?

I zoomed in to get a better view.

How did they ever get up there?

*

We continued the scenic drive
to the famous cabin that belonged to
Josie Bassett Morris.

She was a true pioneer,
a divorced woman who homesteaded
onto this land,
built her own log cabin,
and hunted and farmed up into her late eighties.

(she reminds me of my Grandma Juhl,
a strong, independent and
very determined woman)

For some strange reason,
Bandit did not want to leave her house.

   What a wonderful day exploring
the back roads of
Dinosaur National Monument!!

***

Over the Pass
to
Estes Park

We had a one night stop at a cute little park on the
Yampa River, just on the west side
of Steamboat Springs.

I noticed the distinct smell of burnt rubber while we were parking, and mentioned it to Timmy.
He was already aware of it and was probably hoping I wouldn't smell it.
We knew the next day to Estes Park
would be the biggest climb yet,..
and what goes up must come down....

Timmy informed me he had
already made an appointment to get the brakes checked/fixed the following morning.

There was no argument here!
By all means...
check the brakes!

A few hours later, and some last minute
grocery shopping in the meantime,
and our brakes were ready.
I asked what the problem was,
and from what I understand,
I guess the brakes were dry and needed to be lubed,
or something along those lines.
(makes sense to me)

*
The Jetson Mobile was once again back in business.
No stopping us now!

*

We drove over 2 passes that were both breathtaking.
The first was Rabbits Ears Pass.
It's elevation is 9,400 feet.
It is just a few miles east of Steamboat Springs.
When we began the ascent, a red light
on the dashboard came on and
suddenly we started to lose power.
Timmy assured me that we would make it to the top,
as the Jetson Mobile lumbered its way
around the curves in 2nd gear.
I chose to sit back on the sofa with Bandit,
and could have taken a long nap and
woke up later to find we probably still hadn't reached the summit... but I chose to be supportive...

I think we can, I think we can...
kept going through my head, ...

and I had a flashback of my thugging up Bear Tooth Pass
on my antique motorcycle and I snapped myself out of it.
I figured if we couldn't make it to the top,
we had fresh groceries for a nice salad
until AAA shows up,...
or whoever else shows up for these kinds of situations.

Luckily Timmy just happened to be on the phone
with a good friend, Smokey out of Long Beach,
who was an old time truck driver.
I am not sure what he said,...
but Timmy did what he was told,
and sure enough
the rig calmed down, the light went off
and we made it to the summit.

I wanted to break out the margaritas and celebrate
but then the realization hit me.

We still had another pass to climb.
And this one was the motherlode.

We had about an hour to pray before we hit the base and Timmy didn't seem fazed at all.
This pass is called Milner Pass
and part of the great
Rocky Mountain National Park.
The elevation of this summit is over 12,400 feet!

We started our climb and the Jetson Mobile
chugged right along.

Words nor pictures can describe any part of this ride.

I think we can
I think we can

As we approached "above timberline" status,
it felt as if we were on top of the world.

We pulled over at a few of the designated stops,
but my first blush was to not stop the momentum
that the Jetson Mobile had gathered.

I remembered we weren't on the motorcycle
and we didn't have to worry about rolling back
if we stalled the motorhome.

Motorhomes can't stall,
or roll backwards,...
Motorhomes are automatics
and don't have shift sticks!

Sounds silly, but these are the things
that run through my head
in extreme situations.

Timmy stopped and I suddenly felt a sense
of peace, calm and dejavu.
I looked around and knew I had been here before.

Years ago, my brother Bill was going to Law School
in Laramie Wyoming.
My Mom and Dad had taken Johnny and I
out to visit him one summer
I will never forget the name of the road,
because my mother couldn't even look
over the sides of the road...
"Trail Ridge Road"

We were on Trail Ridge Road!
I believe I was standing at the exact lookout
that I once stood with my Mom and Dad
over 40 years ago.

I remembered being told that Trail Ridge Road
is the highest continuous paved road
in the United States.
I also remembered the Continental Divide
sits on this road.
A part of the mountain that determines whether the water from a river or stream is destined for the Atlantic or Pacific.

It was an incredible experience years ago,
and a serene experience this time.
And for a brief moment I felt like
Mom and Dad were standing right beside me.