Here's the final report Jim sent to me.
"Hi Bob,
Leaving Butte, Montana, decided to head down through Yellowstone National Park. I called ahead to Dubois,WY, KOA and reserved a tent site for the night after asking if Grizzly bears are a concern. The lady told me not in the summer. We jumped on 90 for a few miles then took 287 to 191 into the park on the west side. Again nice roads and great temps. Saw some farmers raking and baling hay. What a nice valley to work in with the rocky mountains in the distance. Cathy took a picture of the town of Ennis with the fly fisherman statue as we came in. That would be a good place to spend a few days. Neat Little town. We stopped at a lake as we were coming into Yellowstone called Earthquake Lake. It sounds like it was not the place to be in 1959. Stopped for lunch at West Yellowstone then headed into the park. Didn't get very far and ran into road work. Took over an hour to go the next 7 miles and we got to drive on loose gravel, always fun! Finally got headed south and to Old Faithful. Cathy did get a picture of the one buffalo we saw. Turns out Old Faithful isn't so punctual any more. It erupts between 35 and 120 minutes. One thing we noticed everywhere that no one is speaking English. I wish I had been recording when Old Faithful went, lots of Chinese and it was pretty funny to listen to. Ask Cathy to reenact it for you when you see her! Headed out on 26 through Tetons National Park on our way to Dubois. I've seen the Tetons before but they are the prettiest mountains I think of any I have seen. Made our way to Dubois for the night. Really like that little town. Very western and up kept. The KOA was right in town. Set up our tent and settled in for the night. Woke up and it was 40 degrees in the AM. Had people next to us that flew in and packed light because they had to fly it all. Didn't have warm sleeping bags so they were froze. Would have been a long night.
Left Dubois for Gillette, WY, to stay at Cathy's brothers place. Scott and Connie Heimer. Took 26 to 20, then 16 through the Bighorn mountains. On the way to Thermopolis, WY, we went through Wind River Canyon. We stopped at the hot springs in Thermopolis. They are high in minerals and they have a bathhouse that some of the springs fed into where you can go in and soak. Supposed to help with all the aches, pains, and pretty much cure every ailment known to man. Pretty interesting to see how the land builds up from minerals coming out of the water as it flows. Continued on to Ten Sleep and over the Bighorn mountains. Made it to Gillette and got together with the whole Heimer clan. While talking to Scott's boy, Mitch, it came up that we stayed at Dubois, and he informed me that they had trouble with a couple of Grizzlys coming into town the week before! Wouldn't have stayed there had I known! The lady at the KOA wasn't real honest on that one.
I was able to change oil on the Wing in Scott's shop which worked out well since I was at 5000 miles and it had been working hard pulling the trailer through all the mountains.
Took off Saturday about noonb and stopped at Spearfish, SD, to see Cathy's friend, Deanne Runge/Whalen. She and her husband have a beautiful place up in the hills there. While we were visiting her husband Greg's cell alerted that there was a tornado warning. Checked radar and thought we could get ahead of the storm so we took off to 90. Well they had roadwork and detoured us several miles to get on 90. By the time we finally got on, the storm wasa close. We made it just past Sturgis then exited and sat under an overpass for an hour while it passed. We had a room lined up in Pierre, SD, and the storm was moving pretty fast, so we went back to Sturgis for supper then set out to follow the storm. We had to pull off in Wall Drug to let the storm get ahead again. I was watching radar and a red cell sat over Pierre for a long time. We ended up getting into Pierre about 11:30 PM but the light show we got to see was incredible. We pulled our bags out of the trailer and instead of taking our helmets and jackets into the room with us, locked them in the trailer. Got to the room and looked for my keys....jacket pocket! Want to thank Bob for suggesting hiding a spare key on the bike. Saved us a lot of trouble! Talked to a guy the next morning that came in by car while it was raining. Said he had a foot of water on the street he was driving on.
Sunday
Headed out for home. Stopped at the State Capitol and checked out the war memorial. Jumped on 34 which follows the Missouri River and also the Lewis and Clark trail, to 45, and 90 the rest of the way.
Didn't have to avoid any animals until we were on the last mile to our place and then the deer started to pop out. Pulled into the driveway with 6050 miles on the trip meter.
See you Wednesday!"
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