December 2011

Been a long spell since I've posted anything new here. After my long summer 56 county ride, I've been tethered close to home, plus bought a drift boat to distract my attention. Such a long wet , flooding spring, I was able to launch the boat in mid-July. I've thought about selling the bike off and on for the past two years. Every time I get close, I take a ride and convince myself not to sell, just yet. One more adventure lurking I'm sure. Posting a few photos, and have discovered I have forgotten my password, so a new one and we are on the way.

Photo taken on a ride on Christmas Eve Day, 2011


Best wishes to you all 2012.

Springtime in the Rockies

Weather in Montana.

Sure it starts of to be a nice day.. then on the way home?

Good to have the gear. But just wait an hour and it will either be worse or better!

The best part is that you still get to live in Montana!

Great Falls Car and Bike Show

May 1st was Cruising the Drag day in Great Falls. Cool weather could not dampen the enthusiasm for folks to show and see classic cars and Motorcycles. Here a couple of my fav's.

May 1st 2010

Crusin' the Drag day in Great Falls! Weather was 'iffy" in the morning, and spring in the afternoon. Enjoyed, a couple of classics. HD an Indian and the Corvette I covet.

If April Showers bring May flowers. What do Mayflowers bring?

April 13, 2010 snow

Much needed moisture has finally arrived. Good for all growing things, not so hot for a ride. Next to the chair is an idea to help recycle the annual tree tree trimmings. I call it a TreePee.

While shooting a commercial at Ace Hardware, I asked the guy who always rides his Harley with side car to work, if he rode in the weather today. He said he did not have the bike anymore. When asked if he was getting a newer one, he said he wasn't sure, as he had hit a deer at 70MPH and totalled the bike. I will get his story facts and post in on line one of these days. Ride to stay alive. Full armour for Montana.

Blue Day

Just heard from the owners of the Blue Anchor Cafe in Twin Bridges that they have closed the restaurant until economic times improve. OK, everyone, head to Twin and start spending money!

Thanks for the input

Thanks to all of you reading this blog and giving me feed back about my insane summer motorcycle ride. It's been hit and miss weather for riding this month. Ocaccional trip to the hardware store helps to keep the gas circulating. Waiting to hear from someone who wants to take a ride to some point in MT with the alone rider. The bike is still for sale. Karma will determine how long it is ment to be. Spring brings the year of the yard. I'm making improvements on the greenhouse, and have trimmed the snot out of my shurbs and trees. Now we'll see how mother nature decides who will grow.

Sunday, March 14th

Sunshine, 48 degrees, no wind! Best kind of day for a quick 65 mile round trip ride. Motored the side road to Cascade. Got the dust blown off the bike bike time! Bunch of riders out enjoying the sunshine.

March 13 2010

First Peoples Buffalo Jump
Ulm, MT
Photo of my scooter pal Bobby and I jumping at the Buffalo Jump.

If you are a rider or thinking about the two wheel motorized adventure, it would serve you well to book mark and visit this site. http://motorcycle-intelligence.com

There's no business like snow business!

Sure, two days after I get a little excitement with a short ride, we get snow two days in a row.

March 8, 2010

Gorgeous day in Great Falls. 56 Degrees, no wind. I was in the garage doing some minor dinking around and the Iron Horse called out to me. He had been sitting idle since late October. I turned the key and saw it had battery life, so full choke hit the starter button and he roared to life. I just had to throw on the jacket and go blow the dust off both of us. Nothing like the first ride of a new year. Have to watch out for the islands of sand and gravel on all the street and road corners. The pot holes have been busy over this seemingly longer than usual winter. What a thrill! Now the struggle to balance yard and house work with the urge to play begins. Spring fever? Yeah

Say Hi To Dave

Be sure to visit my friend Dave over at GreaterFalls.com!

The Alone Ranger finale?

It's Spring of 2010 at this posting. I've been thinking of selling the Iron Horse.

Found another, bigger, more accessoried bike.. interested? 22 thousand miles on

a 2005 Yamaha 1100 V-Star. $5,500 if you act now!

POWDER RIVER LAST OF THE 56

Powder River County Courthouse - Broadus, MT

Population: 1,858 in 2000 Established 1919

The last county! The 56th to be checked off the list. We celebrated by having lunch, reading the Sunday Billings Gazette, fueling up and getting back on the road. Craig and I are heading back on Hiway 212 which will take us through Lame Deer, Crow Agency and Little Bighorn Battlefield. A pretty ride through the meadows and valleys. 2.5 hours later we pulled into Hardin, a mere 315 mile run since breakfast. I thought about pushing back to Great Falls that evening, but another 300 miles in the dark was not as tempting as home cooked meal and a visit with Craig's other half Carla and their sons, David and Jonathan. I got home about 3PM. Rode in heavy rain from Hardin to almost Eddy's Corner. Particularly challenging was getting through the muddy road construction near Judith Gap. It was good to be home, and done with this summer of riding.

Friends ask if I would do it again. Yes, I would, but next time I will take the time it should take to appreciate the scenic beauty Montana has to offer, and to visit with the people who make a living and grow where they are planted. I been thinking of combining a ride with the goal of shooting photos of the vanishing cabins, homesteads, ranches, and elevators. I will some day buy a camera that will help capture this wonderful state of Montana.

Dynamic Duo Road Photos

Crossing the Powder River on Hiway 12 heading to Miles City. Going to Broadus for lunch and the last County to check off the list of 56.

Dynamic Duo "On the Road"

Leaving Party Town

After breakfast we headed back towards Baker.

Dynamic Duo in Ekalaka

Carter Co with the partying Dynamic Duo

Carter County Courthouse

Ekalaka, MT

Pop: 1,360 Established 1917

We cruised in to Ekalaka about 7:30. Hot and tired, we found the courthouse in record time. (tallest building in town) as we clicking the photo, a tractor with hay trailer pulled up along side our motorcycles. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a sign that said;"The Church of..." There were a number of people on the haywagon, but I was busy putting the camera away. They shouted out, come down to the church for a pot luck party and dance! Now, I had been suckered into a church before with the promise of a good time. Turned into a night of trying to get back to the ship I was on with out getting converted to some wierd religion. So, I said. "No thanks, we're going to find a camping spot, get dinner and call it a night". Then I noticed the people in the wagon were drinking beer, in fact they were holding out their hands with ice cold beer in them. I looked again at the sign on the wagon, and it read: The Church of Hank Williams.

We again begged off the invitation, and they told us where the only campground was. We motored over and set up camp. Craig was in the shower when the group came back to offer us a ride to the big event, which was a fund raiser for a young married couple. The husband had been injured in an accident and medical bills were making life difficult. We again turned down the offer of a ride, but I contributed some money to the cause in exchange for two cold beers. It was sunset when we walked downtown and found a great little restaurant that had a bar up front. We enjoyed a good steak, and decided to walk to the Church of Hank Williams to see what was going on. We heard the celebration before finding the location. I would almost bet 3/4 of the town was kicking up their heels at a machine shop that had a sing that boasted it was the Church of Hank Williams. The hay wagon pulled in with another load of folks, and they had a guitar player, accordion, and a fiddle player. I knew we were in for a fun and long night. Here are a few photos of what I remember of our evening. In one of the hard to see photos, there are women's bras and swimsuit tops hanging in the rafters. Don't ask.. I'm not telling.