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| *deceased 20 year old whisperlite backpacking stove* |
After chucking it in the dumpster I climbed on the packed up bike and headed for Mickey D's. Figured I could have an egg McMuffin' while I used their WiFi... except... took me twenty minutes to even get their WiFi to let me on... and when it did Blogger wouldn't let me log in to build the post!
Things are By God Lookin' Up! :)
So, all I could do was choke down that McDonalds Breakfast and roll by Walmart to see if they'd have some sort of an acceptable, if temporary alternative to my broken stove. Got one... Named Sterno... but that's sort of a story for a lil' later. ;)
Word was that there were Health Warnings out in Missoula and the area for all the smoke up that way. I finally found a map on my phone that showed locations of active fires...
... and yup... right through where all those dots look like a pin cushion is where I'd wanted to roll... So... I opted to change course and cut straight west across Yellowstone National Park. My hope was to slip 'tween number eleven and twelve... as that was the only remaining good road without having to detour too far south going west...
It was cool early but with light traffic making only one Buffalo Jam it made for a pretty easy transit of the park. Only saw that one buffalo who was takin' a stroll down the middle of the lane with twenty pilgrims dutifully followin' along behind...
... until some GUY :) on a Red Yamaha leaned over onto the center stripe and passed up the whole mess.
I guess that remembered some folks what that round thing in front of the driver is for... when I looked back in my mirror they'd all started passing the Buffalo Stroller.
The haze from all the fires was pretty heavy which kinda got in the way of photography... but it was still, as always an awful pretty place to roll through.
Stopped in West Yellowstone for gas, coffee and chocolate to fuel another hundred miles or so. By then it was into the afternoon and I was dodgin' not only fires but now storms as well...
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| *Storm chasing me west of West Yellowstone* |
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| *A Good Omen or a Warning? West of Yellowstone" |
Well, I thought I had another fifty miles or so to get to a camp when up came a county park in Madison county Idaho. Didn't get the scoop on it but with the name of Beaver Dick... I'm guessing it was named for some old mountain man.
It sits on highway 33 just west a ways from Rexburg, Idaho.
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| *Beaver Dick County park in Madison County Idaho* |
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| *Sterno Stove* |
Looks like a likely setup don't it? A fold up stove box with a can of sterno and some fine vittles for a Not-so-picky hungry Biker Cowboy...
... and discovered some of the short comings of tryin' to Cook... with sterno. It just ain't got enough btu's in it I'm guessin' to overcome the design flaws of the system... AND... the wind. more on that in a later post. ;)
So, though I started the cookin' on the table...
T'was dead calm right until I lit the fire, and then up came the wind. Whipping mu supper the whole time it was heating.
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| *trying to beat the wind with a sterno stove* |
I ended up... Sittin' on a big rock with that sterno stove cradled 'twixt my feet... with me huddled over it with my fleece spread like a 160 lb. bat trying to ward off the wind so I could have a hot supper!
I really ended up... squatting behind that big rock... eating forkfull by forkfull out of the can as it heated. Ah sweet adventure, eh? :)
Guess what happened as I shoveled the last forkful of stew 'tween my teeth? ... uh huh... dead calm!!!
Now Ara the Beemer Chef might can make you some Five Star camp cuisine... but it takes a cowboy biker to eat this fine! :)
... and I'm sorta awesome at doin' the dishes after supper as well!
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| *Slurp Slurp! Ah... Dishes all done! :) * |
I've had more visiting on this trip than is normal for me. hmmm... maybe I'm finally growin' up! ... Say it ain't so!
The only difficulty I had all day was... um... other people "On the road"... I sure wish "Folks" would pay attention to what they're doin' and its affect on the other people they share the roads with... and it AIN'T just cagers!
They run along, in a long string... fluctuating their speed 10-15 miles an hour, and tailgating so close it's a misery to get past their rolling road block safely. It's just plain rude... and that includes that string of 8 ... um... bikes that shall remain nameless...that were spaced so close you couldn't pass one at a time in the short passing zones... and them goin' waaaay under the limit... and not being able to even hold that speed consistent... arrrrrrggggghhhhhh.... there's still a part of me that can get grumpy! ;)
They tailgate along so close you just can't pass one at a time... and the road is generally such that you seldom have space to take the whole bunch in a Gang Pass, so you waddle along waiting patiently for a safe place...
That's one nice thing about this Yamaha Raider... when confronted by rude "drivers" who disregard ever'body else on the road... it don't take nearly as much passing zone to get clear. :)
Just twist the throttle on Red Sonja and let 'er flap in the breeze. HooYa!
There's a few more days of updates comin' along... but windy as I am I'll put 'em up one day at a time!
Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian
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2 comments:
Sounds like one of my "adventures"! Best part about it, in reflection, makes a great story. Funny too cause most folks just look at you in amazement with some goofy comment about it not sounding like much fun. What they dont know or wont experience just leaves more for those of us that will and do. Enjoy the wind in your 'stache!
Happy Trails!
Bill Strong
I know what you're sayin' about them tailgaters. I figure most drivers here in WA must be part houndog as they sure like to have their nose stuck up the other guys rearend.
Glad ya had a good ride.
Howiet
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