Yesterday, September 1, the weather didn't change. In fact it actually got worse than Sunday. I saw, when I woke up, the rain was coming down in sheets and it was 39 degrees, and I went for it. I was almost instantly soaked and freezing and my fingers were nearly frostbit just 30 miles down the highway. I was thinking I could outrun the weather but then it started snowing/raining 20 miles later and the rain was freezing on my facemask. Fuck it, I'm cold and shivering and my fingers are numb and turning colors so I pulled over to the next motel I saw - in Neihart, Montana which is situated in the mountains. Everything I had on was soaked including my pants and shirt. No hair-drier to do my clothes this time.
Once I got freshened up the best I could I went to the bar at the motel and I met other bikers from Minnesota doing Montana on dirt bikes. One guy, I swear to god, was George Bush's brother - he looked and sounded just like him, only this guy was smart. They were both airline mechanics so I hung with them drinking at the bar and in the evening went to the hot tub out back (that I hadn't a clue about). I told them about my adventures and I think they thought I was bullshitting them the entire time (I wasn't of course) but I got a kick out of it.
In the morning the weather cleared up and the temperature was warmer - in the high forties. It was a gorgeous drive south and I stopped in Livingston to get a bite to eat and I met a couple other bikers - one guy from California and another from the Netherlands. They were full of good information about motorcycle gear and suggested I buy a heated vest. The Netherlander started in northern Alaska and is traveling south for a year to Ushuaia, Argentina - so I gave him a few tips of where to stop along the way. California only had 10 days to travel around Montana.
On my way south again I soon reached Yellowstone, which was not at all what I expected. The drive was beautiful and scenic but the trees were uber small - it made me feel like a giant (if only I was on mushroom) - and there were sulfur hot springs everywhere making it smell like a rotten fart. Up in Glacier people knew how to drive, but not here - 20 miles per fucking hour (MPFH) the whole way. I thought about stopping off at Old Faithfull until I saw how many tourists were there.
I pulled over south of Yellowstone in the Tetons and found a posh resort lodge with an AMAZING view of the Grand Tetons - $129 a night, totally worth it. Right now I'm just writing and drinking a local beer and eating calamari and checking out the beautiful Teton Mountains on the back deck. Sunny and great - light jacket weather. Only staying here one night and taking pictures for sunset/sunrise and heading out early!
The above was copied directly out of my hand-written journal.
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