2014 Deer Hunt

I did my usual "scouting" (and I use that term loosely) a few weeks ago.  Deer sign was typical for the property I have access to.  A few rubs and scrapes, with enough leaves having recently fallen to obliterate most deer trails.  There were the few good spots that I have never figured out how to hunt effectively and my usual two trees, separated by about 75 yards.  I chose my tree on the ridge again for opening day.  This is near an often used route for deer and while sign down in the ravine may be a bit better, it is harder to see much being so low and there are less windows for shooting for the same reason.

The weather forecast for opening day was unfriendly.  Lows this time of year are typically around freezing with highs in the 50s.  A cold front has pushed unseasonably cold weather into the area with temperatures around 15-20 degrees below normal.  When I lived in Michigan, I hunted in very cold temperatures a lot more; a look back at historic records did show a few days that were exceptionally cold.  The difference here is that the cold spell is supposed to last for quite some time, possibly through the season.

Opening morning came clear and cold.  A look at my Davis Weather Station was harsher than I anticipated, showing 12 degrees. Luckily there was little wind as was to be the case for most of the day.
I bundled up in thermal underclothes, wool pants with BDU camo over that.  I wore a heavy sweatshirt, fleece and wool coat with a 10x camo coat over that.  For my extremities, I wore wicking socks, very heavy warm socks and thermal boots.  I had my cold weather gloves and a back-up fleece pair.  Add in climbing harness vest and my blaze vest, heavy knit hat and I was decked out as good as I could be.
I was out the door and at the hunting ground about an hour before shooting light.  This gave me time to walk all the way back to my tree, get my climber set up and scoot up the tree.  Once comfortably sitting, I noticed my stand wasn't quite pointed where I liked it, but left it where it was.  I settled in, shut my eyes to wait for light.  From the walk to my stand and climb up the tree, I was actually quite warm.

As it started to get light, I heard a few very early shots far in the distance.  A short time later, I heard the very heavy steps of a deer far behind me.  I carefully peered in that direction to see a buck walking cross-ways behind me.  With not much to loose, I grunted loudly on my grunt tube and he shortly changed course, but was really traveling.  He went by me at a good clip and made his way into the ravine.  Since it wasn't too light yet and he was speeding past, all I can say was he was a respectable deer for the area, but I'm not a fan at shooting at animals that are moving at more than a saunter so no shot.  I'm pretty sure the neighbors shot at him as I heard shooting a short time later.  Subsequent sounds suggest they missed - unlike a couple years ago when they shot a whopper that I let pass for the same reason.

There was quite a bit of shooting at first light, but it was probably earlier than usual and stopped earlier than usual.  Perhaps lots of people were not enjoying the insanely cold temperatures as much as I was.  My assumption was that I'd be near frostbitten very early, but was able to stay very comfortable due to the low wind, low humidity and nearly cloudless skies.  It did warm quickly, although it never got much above the typical low for mid-November.  I was surprised I was able to stay comfortable while sitting all day.

The neighbor to the East shot around 9:00.  I suspect he was trailing his deer and kicked out two more I saw scurrying away in the South ravine.  They were far to far away to shoot, but their white butts were unmistakable.  The neighbor waited quite some time before crashing down through the woods in his 4-wheeler, retrieving his deer.  Thankfully, he usually just grabs it with a chain and drags it out quickly.

Around 11:00, I heard scrunching to my right.  Looking slightly behind me to my right, I saw one doe, then a second.  They were a bit wary, but not in a panic; the first one knew something wasn't right, but she never looked directly at me.  They were pretty close, and I was trying to figure out how to get my gun pointed in that direction.  Being right handed, that is a tough shot to take without much movement while nestled in my Summit treestand.  After several minutes, the first deer decided it was too risky and retreated to the East, taking her companion with her shortly after.  I was glad they left in a lackadaisical manner, as I know it is likely they'll be back by later.
A few hours later, I saw two more deer on the ravine to the south.  This may have been the same two or it may not.  If nothing else, I was really enjoying the day.  With the cold, there was very little other shooting.  I was seeing enough deer to be entertained as well.  Not that this was one of those quiet rural days of deer hunting.  With lots of hammering and wood being thrown around, it was obvious that some kind of construction was going on to the west.  The combine to the Southeast was also noisy, but corn coming down can sometimes send the deer that hide in it back into the woods and into the crosshairs.
With as still as the day was, anything that moved nearby could be heard through the noisy dry leaves.  This contributed to the amount of deer I saw, I'm sure.

Another half an hour later, I heard more noise behind me.  This wasn't a crazy noisy squirrel, but really didn't sound like a deer.  Craning around, I finally saw a coyote walking by a good ways to the south.  No doubt the coyote is either full on offal from deer already shot, or looking to fill up shortly.  I've hunted coyotes on this property before, but have only seen them while deer hunting and haven't ever shot one.  Maybe I'll stop back in January and try again.

Around 3:00 I had three more deer come out of the ravine to my right (East) and head west.  It appeared to be two does and a yearling.  They were too far south to shoot, but I was very tempted.  For a brief instance, I did have a clear shooting lane on one of the does, but it just didn't feel like the right shot to take.  They casually walked to the west.  I didn't hear any commotion to the west, so the people who sometimes hunt there must have gone inside to be warm and waste time in front of the TV.  I was enjoying myself too much to think about that.

Around 5:00, I had two more deer come out of the ravine to the East.  I've always thought that ravine should be a travel route for deer, but this is the first year that I've seen deer use it as such, and lots of them.  They headed South out of my life, casually again - they'll be back by and the season has lots of time yet.  I'd seen 12 deer on opening day so far, which makes it a pretty good day for the area I'm hunting - even with most of them being does!

As it started to get dark, three more deer came behind me to the east.  They were too far to shoot in the dimming light, but the first doe that came out was a horse.  It may have been the biggest doe I've ever seen.  Behind her was a smaller deer and an average-sized doe.  I watched them head west, knowing my opening day was about over due to the dark when suddenly, one of the deer ran like crazy straight down toward me and started jumping up and down.  It was odd...  Even in the dim light, I had a clear shot.  I checked my watch and put the crosshairs on her.  I tried to tell myself it was the middle-sized doe, but I knew it was the smaller deer (there was no chance it was the monster-doe).
After asking myself if this was a good shot in the fading light, I said yes and pulled the trigger.  The muzzle flash from my shotgun was unbelievably bright.  I've shot in low light, but never remember seeing so much blast.  Maybe it was from the Hornady slugs or maybe it was just really dark from the clouds rolling in; probably some of both.  I heard the deer run and ball up, but not exactly where.  After waiting for a few minutes, I started to climb out of the tree, hearing one of the other deer wheeze and run away.
I was able to quickly find my deer.  He was a button buck.  Definitely not the biggest deer in the woods, but a lot bigger than a few deer I've seen shot before (the smallest being this deer a guy named Tony shot - which could almost have been put inside the average-sized deer I shot that year).

I packed my stand and gun out to my truck and returned with my knives.  Using my headlight for light, I field dressed him.  I completely removed the breast bone this time, a technique I haven't used before, but it sure makes short work of cleanly removing the heart and lungs.

Then the real work begins.  Even with the smaller-than-average deer, it is a lot of work to drag it all the way back to my truck and the last hill is very high and painful.  Eventually I made it up and was able to check in my deer from right there using Indiana's online deer checking tool. Thank you Indiana, online check-in is awesome!

Back at home, I hung up my deer and cleaned out the rest of my stuff form my truck.  Last year I shot my deer on Thanksgiving evening, and the previous two years I did not get a deer.  It has been a few years at least since I got one on opening day.

The next day I woke up a bit sore from sitting all opening day, dragging the deer and because my feet were in a somewhat frigid state all day.  I processed my deer, skinning it and butchering it in my pole barn.  I actually have a bit of last year's deer left, so I packed the backstraps and tenderloins as steaks and ground up the rest for burger.  I may still go out and try for another.  But, with the freezer quite full from a very large bear, plus a bit of wild boar and 2013 deer, I'm probably better off being happy with what I have.

And, I am.

2014 Bear Hunt

(note:  published later due to a lack of internet access while bear hunting - which is refreshing)

Monday Sept. 2
Headed out early to a misty morning.  We packed up and breezed through the border.  We were asked just a few questions before being asked inside the border building where my gun paperwork was checked.  Within about 5 minutes, we were into Canada, headed west.

It rained and misted on and off for the first half of the day.  Traffic was absolutely non-existent for the entire day.  I decided to stop in Kenora on the way.  I had brought clothes, but hadn't brought a coat with water resistance for the morning fishing.  Walmart had some decent camouflage jackets, but I was able to find a fleece lined jacket that was waterproof and had a hood.
It was surprising that they also had a good supply of .22 ammo.  I really wanted to purchase some since it is so hard to come by right now, but apparently in Canada - or at least in Ontario - a license is needed in order to purchase ammo.  Crazy gun-shy Canadians and all.

Back on the road it was a few more hours of travel to get to camp.  We got in around 11:00 and quickly got fishing licenses which allowed us to pass the afternoon casting for pike.  Neither of us was able to seal the deal with a fish, but we both had a couple followers.
Dinner that night was turkey with all the fixings and we met Rick, John and Cheryl, and Chris and Julie who had been hunting in the camp for well over 10-years.

We all chatted for a while before everyone separated to our cabins, anxious but looking forward to the next day of fishing and bear hunting - at least I know I was.



Tuesday Sept. 3
Woke up to a wonderful Manitoba morning.  After an almost too-hardy breakfast, we headed out for fishing with the guide Bob and his golden retriever Sage.  The first spot we went to in blind bay was not too productive.  Dennis pulled in one small pike, but nothing else took the bait.
After a while we headed upriver to a little ways north of Lamprey Rapids.  We had a few tugs on the line, but it wasn't until Bob threw a line in and caught a fish on his first cast that we got the hang of the right technique.  Then Dennis and I pulled in quite a few walleye, one perch and Dennis caught two really nice smallmouth bass.  None of the fish were too huge, but most were pretty respectable and within the keeper slot size.

We headed back to the lodge in early afternoon and had a lunch.  After a shower to wash all the fish smell off and a quick nap, I was out with Rick and Stan to hunt bear.  We headed way out past Lamprey Rapids.
On the way up, I saw a small bear in a tree right on the shore line eating acorns in a Burr Oak tree.  We turned the boat around to get a look at it, but when we did it climbed down and took off into the bush.  It was neat to see the bear on the way out.
I was originaly going to be fishing at "Greer lake," but when we walked in there, the bait had not been touched since the previous day.  We walked back to the boat and Stan dropped Rick off at Gas Can.  As we were leaving gas can, it was impossible not to notice heavy clouds forming to the west.  Previous forecasts suggested very little chance of rain, but without access to any online forecasts it can be hard to keep up on these things.  I went up to Ranger Station.  The stand was about 20 yards from the 35 gallon bait barrel.  The brush was so thick that it was nearly impossible to see anything more than a few feet away except the shooting lane.

After being on the stand for a while there were rumbles of thunder and the sky started to darken considerably.  I could hear the water behind me begin to make much more noise so I knew something was likely coming.  It started to sprinkle followed by light to moderate rain for around a half an hour.  The rain wasn't really that bad, but more of an annoyance.  I sat hunched over the action of my Ruger since I'm a bit paranoid about keeping the action dry.  As the rain was letting up, one of the many squirrells that was running around ran back and forth across my back and neck.  When it originally jumped on me, it was a bit disconcerting.

As it got dark, I continued to watch the bait area but nothing showed.  It was a bit of a let-down that the first day didn't produce any bear sightings.  Stan picked me up after dark and we went and got Rick.  He had seen three bears, getting pictures of the first.  All three were pretty decent size.
Back at the lodge, John and Cheryl had not seen any bears.  Julie had heard one, but it never materialized.  Chris had seen several and shot one right at dark that he said was very large.  With the darkness and several other bears in the area, including some woofing at him he did not get it at night, but felt it was a quality shot.

After a late dinner, we turned in to get ready for the next day.



Wednesday Sept. 3
Dennis, Rick and I went out fishing with Stan after a breakfast of pancakes and sausage.  We started out in blind bay and did OK on the walleye with a pike thrown in.  The fish seemed to be hitting best on jigs with worms.  I lost one jig on a very large pike that took the jig and instantly snapped the line as well.  Dennis had one very large pike by the boat chasing a lure, but it never committed.

Later in the morning, we went up to 5 islands and fished there, doing quite a number on the walleye.  Both Rick and I also brought in a mooneye.  I had never seen these before and they looked more like large shad than anything else.

We had a shore lunch at the cabin before heading out for bears.  I was dropped off first in Petrushney (and I have no idea if that is spelled right) bay.  The stand was a small single ladder that was a bit bent so it sat at a bit of an angle.  It took a little bit to get settled since it was small and I had to hang my bag off the back of the stand.  Once settled, the area was so calm and quiet it was hard to even breath without making any noise.  The mosquitoes weren't too bad, but were definitely in the annoying category.  Rather than risk needing to make noise as it got dark, I fired up the Thermacell to drive them away.  It is amazing how well those things work.  I may have done it too late since I had several large mosquitoe welts on my hands; thankfully, none on my head and ears.

Wind was almost non-existant all night and I could smell the candy in the bait at times.  When Bob and I walked into the bait, the barrell was on the other side of the clearing and it was completely cleaned out.  I knew I was going to see bears here.  Rain was predicted, but it never materialized.  Given the temperature and the clouds, it felt like a nearly perfect evening.
It wasn't too be.  I was in the stand a little after 3:00 and five and a half hours is a long time to sit without seeing any animals.  At least the stand was relatively comfortable given that it was a smaller one.  Sitting two nights in a row without seeing any bears is pretty rare.

John was the only person who saw any bears.  He took a shot at a good one around 7:30 as it was running away but believed it a clean miss.  Apparently he didn't get back into the stand after the shot.  Rick and Julie did not see any bears either.  There are definitely bears in the area, but it wasn't the day for the bears to be running around early.

Dinner that night was an excellent pot roast as we all talked about the day's events.  George had taken Cheryl and Dennis fishing and they did all right on the pike.  For the second time in the day, Dennis had a very large pike right by the boat, but it got off before it was landed.

Heavy rain is the prediction for Thursday.  Hopefully timing works out for a good evening bear hunt.



Thursday Sept. 4
I was expecting to wake up to the pitter patter of rain, but the rain held off for the morning.  It was actually a pretty nice morning and I took a quick walk down to the paved road and back.  At home, I walk a few miles almost every day so I end up feeling a little slow in bear camp.

At breakfast Chris suggested we all change seats to change the bear luck for the day.  After egg bake, Bob took Dennis and I fishing up near Haliday Rapids.  I caught a very nice small mouth bass and a couple walleye so it was a pretty slow morning.  The clear morning started to cloud up to some very pretty, if ominous looking clouds.  We headed into a bay to cast for pike for a while, and had a few bites, but the pike action was a little slow too.

It started to rain as lunch time approached but only lightly.  As we headed back to camp, the sky to the north looked frightening with dark clouds.  Thunder and lightning could also be seen.  I was hoping that most of the heavy weather would stay to the north.

It spit rain a few times as we ate lunch and got ready for bear hunting.  Rain gear was definitely needed on this day.  Immediately before we headed out, a brief deluge soaked the area.  I was glad we weren't in the boat headed to the stands even with the rain gear.
George dropped me off at blind bay which has a double ladder stand.  I had a hard time getting comfortable and wasn't sure sitting on the stand was the best idea since it was the same stand where Chris shot his bear, but we knew other decent bears were in the area so there were positives and negatives.
Weather that evening was a little bit of everything.  It spit rain for a while, the was cloudy and windy.  For a time, it got really sunny and started to cool down; I was hoping the bulk of the front passed, but there was about 45 minutes of fairly heavy rain.  The rain gear mostly did its job and the remainder of the evening passed with spitting sprinkles.  Unfortunately no bears were seen.

Back at camp, that was the scene all around.  Nobody saw bears and everyone was thankful for rain gear.  Both Julie and I are zero for three which in my limited experience and her much more is pretty rare.

There are bears out there.  The weather was supposed to slowly improve for the second half of bear hunting.



Friday Sept. 5
What a day.  It started out normal.  Or as normally awsome as a day starts while bear hunting.  After a breakfast of french toast with cinnamon, Dennis and I went out fishing again with Bob.  The original plan was to go upriver a ways, but rather than spend half the morning in the boat, we fished a few bays south of Lamprey Rapids.  Pike action was steady enough to be very interesting.  We would get into a hot section and bring in several pike, followed by stretches of slow action where it was hard to keep throwing the lure.  None of the pike were very large, but a few could easily have been keepers.  However, everything was returned to swim another day.
At nearly the time to head back to camp for lunch, we entered a weed shallow bay.  Dennis brought in a decent pike immediately.  I threw a spinner bait twice past a small patch of lilly pads.  On the second retrieve, a fish hit it hard.  The music of drag being pulled out played as I tried to keep the rod up and reel in a fish which was intent on staying in the water.  After several minutes with the lightweight rod, the fish tired and I told Bob, "Get the net, this is the fish I came up here for."
Bob grabbed the net and pulled in a very large pike.  Probably not as large as my 2011 pike, but still a very respectable fish.  We took a few pictures and quickly returned it to the water.  Only after, did I realize I hadn't measured its length.  It was probably in the 36-inch range.  More impressively, it was starting to put on the winter fat.  Given how little fishing I do, it was very exciting bringing in that fish.

After soup and sandwich for lunch, everyone split up to go bear hunting.  I went down river with Vance to the stand at Slave Falls.  These are newer stands that Vance has been hunting between the two dams.  We drove down to a friend's house and got in a boat he keeps down there and headed down the river a little further and to the other side.  Between the two power stations, there was a constant din of water falling.
Vance threw four buckets of bait in the barrel which was licked clean and knocked 10 yards away from where it was.  He made sure I was set, then headed off.  The afternoon started out perfect.  Blue sky.  Warm temperatures.  Sun at my back.  Little wind.

Around 4:00, while struggling to stay awake, a bear burst out of the brush to the barrell.  It came in and whomped its big feet on the barrrell and started licking the top.  I forgot how intimidating it can be to be so close to such a large animal.  When it got back down on all fours, I could see that it was a really good bear.  It moved around the barrell a few times, one time getting up on its hind legs; standing up like that, it was surprising how large it looked - a true giant in a black coat.  But, I knew it wasn't a brute.  The bear's head was still kind of pointy, I later thought it was a sow by the shape of the head.
After a few minutes she crouched down in front of the barrell, looked behind herself and bolted off almost underneath me.

A few minutes after, a second bear came in.  This one was was slightly smaller, but only slightly.  He had a much blockier head.  He knocked the wood out of the barrel and ate for a few minutes before grabbing a big chunk of chocolate and meandering off the way he came.
It was quiet again.  Lots of time to rethink the decision not to shoot.

There was a brief rain shower about 30 minutes later followed by more sunshine and some pretty significant winds.

More time to rethink not shooting.

Thunder and clouds began to build to the west again.  More time to rethink not shooting.

Around 7:00 another bear walked in.  When he dropped me off, vance told me that with a couple bears under my belt, he wanted me to shoot a "corker."  I wasn't exactly sure what a "corker" was, but I'm pretty sure this bruin qualified.  His back was over the top of bait barrel. The problem was, he was looking right through me.  I knew I was busted.
He dropped his head slightly behind the barrel; maybe food was more interesting than the lump in the tree.  This gave me a chance to get my gun up.  He turned and stared at me again - expletives filled my mind.  He put his head back down a bit and took a step forward, allowing me to get my gun on target.  His front leg was pretty far back, so I put the cross hairs almost on his front shoulder, double checked my sight picture and pulled the trigger.

At the shot, the bear bolted forward, ran past the clearing and knocked down a tree in the process.  I heard a few moans, each one getting quieter.  Was that the death moan?  Was that a gut shot bear?  Was the shot good?  The thunder had moved in and it was torrentially raining.  I had visions of every drop of blood being washed away.

I texted Vance's wife as he told me to.  She got back to me that the guides were coming.  I cleaned up my stand and walked back to the shore.  The rain was letting up a short time later and I looked at my watch.  Screw this, daylight is burning and I wanted to find my bear.
I walked back to the bait area and started into the thick Manitoba bush.  A few yards in I turned around, it was nearly impenetrable.  I walked back to the shore.
After a few minutes I looked at my watch and wondered where the boat was.  Screw this, I'm going to look for my bear.  I walked back to the bait and went in a bit further, using the knocked down tree as a starting point.  I heard three gutteral woofs in the brush.  Shit, was that my bear, another bear?  Back to the shore to wait for the cavalry.

After being at shore for another five minutes, the sky was clearing as the sun was setting.  Screw this, I'm going to find my bear.  I walked into the bush.  Every dark thing in the bush looked like a bear.  Carefully moving in, only one thing had fur.  I snapped the safety off went through the heavy drenched trees.  I touched the barrel of my gun to his head and rocked it back and forth.  He was dead.  He was a brute.

Back at the shore, Vance and Tyler showed up a few minutes later.  I told them that was the longest half hour of my life.  We got the bear into the sled and took some pictures near the bait area before lugging the beast into the boat to head back to the truck.  The trip up the rock bank to the truck wasn't fun, but we got the bear loaded along with all the gear.

I was soaked in thunderstorm and sweat.  I was happy.

Back at camp, we dropped the bear into the skinning shed.  He was a solid 6'9" and estimate near 400 pounds.  Vance, George and Bob skinned him out and froze the meat, head and hide.  A small crowd of campers amassed in the area, including some really small kids.  I wasn't comfortable with the attention, but there were many congratulations.  Several people took pictures of the bear as it was on the skinning table and even of the butchering process.  The amount of meat was impressive, especially compared to my first two smaller bears.

I told the story a few times at dinner.  It was hard to get to sleep that night after all the excitement, but there were a few payers of thanks and a replaying of an amazing day as I went to sleep.


Saturday Sept. 6
After another great morning breakfast, Dennis and I headed up river with Bob for the day.
The ride up was cool, but started sunny.  Things didn't stay that way as things clouded up quikly and rain spitted several times.  We went up river to the fly-in area and tried for walleye.  There was no activity at the first spot.  We hit on a few at a second spot, just (barely) enough for a salsa walleye shore lunch.

After lunch we tried again for walleye for only a short amount of time before abandoning walleye altogether and going to Bass Island for pike.  Action was steady enough to be interesting, with a few good size ones breaking up the hammer handles.  Dennis switched lures a few times through the afternoon, at one point choosing a gosh-aweful bright yellow spinner bait.  After a few casts, a huge fish hit the lure near the shore, making a commotion at the surface.  Dennis struggled to bring it in while Bob readied the net.  The bucket net wasn't enough, switching to a cradle net and helping Dennis bring in a huge 39-inch pike.

A few minutes later, I had a better than average hit and brought in a 30-inch pike.  It took a bit to get into the boat since I was using a light rod.  Once in the boat, it was very lively and smelled oddly terrible.

Pike action continued for a while longer until it was time to head back to camp.

There was action that night on the bear stands.  Rick had shot a nice black bear.  Julie had shot a big boar, but needed to wait until the morning to find it.  John had seen a small bear and a mom with three cubs.  I was surprised that it was the fifth night of hunting before anyone saw a sow with cubs.

Dinner that night was steak, with one day left in bear camp - now fish camp.



Sunday Sept. 7
After another great breakfast, everyone in camp split up for different objectives.  Chris and Julie looked for her bear from the previous night (it wasn't recovered and there was absolutely no indication of a hit - subsequent Range firing check showed poor and varied accuracy suggesting something was no longer true).  Dennis, Rick and I went with Stan for a day of fishing.

We headed north and spent most of the day for pike and small mouth bass.  We all caught an assorted size of pike.  Action before lunch was a little slow, but we hit some good smallies.  Rick caught an 18 inch small mouth (Manitoba Master Angler).

We had a shore lunch at Kendall Point.  It was interesting to see the potential in the cabins being renovated.

After lunch we tried various spots for pike and more smallies and had varying success.  Dennis and I brought in a good number of eater pike, including several in the 28 - 30 inch size range.  As should be expected, there were a lots of hammer handles in there as well.

My last fish in was a 29-inch pike caught off the point near Haliday Rapids.  After bringing the fish in the boat, I decided to stop on a high note and end my fishing.  Dennis and Rick did a few more casts before calling it a day and heading back to camp.

Back at camp, neither Julie nor John had seen bears in the stand.  I felt bad for them, but they both did have opportunities on good bears.

Dinner that night was outstanding ribs, before talking and joking for quite some time into the evening.



Monday Sept. 8 (Drive Day)
Dennis and I got up early for the drive home.  We finished packing and met Vance at the skinning building to get the fish, bear meat and hide.  The bear meat and hide were so big, we had trouble getting them into my coolers.  In the end, we were able to get the meet in the coolers and the hide was in a cooler with the lid removed; it was not likely to be hurt by thawing from a complete freeze during the drive.

We were on the road by about 6:15.

We headed south and east and talked about the trip a lot.  We also listened to the book Red Sky at Night by Tami Ashcroft.  It is a book about a woman who ends up stranded in the South Pacific for 41 days in a badly disabled sailing yacht after her boyfriend is blown overboard in a hurricane.  For perhaps obvious reasons, we didn't listen to it on the way up with all the boats in our future.

The border had about a 15 minute wait.  There were questions about the bear and the border guard lady asked for my export permit.  I handed her my hunting license and said it was the permit.  She was fairly new and had to ask several people for help.  Within a few minutes we were on our way again.  This was much better than my 2011 hunt when there were several phone calls for the US Border Security to Canada Conservation in both Ontario and Manitoba.  In 2011 the border guard was exasperated as I was and eventually pushed my paperwork back to me saying, "You can go.  This really isn't our schtick anyway.  They (Canada) don't even know their own laws."

We continued on and decided to drive straight through.  As it got later and later, we kept ourselves alert (or at least awake) on caffeine and telling stupid stories to each other, discussing movies, etc.
We were both very tired when we got home a little after 3:00 AM, but this gave us time to get stuff done before returning to work on Wednesday.


This was my third bear hunting trip.  I met some great people on this trip, experiences some amazing fishing and took a very large bear.  It really doesn't get any better than that.

Canada, I will be back!

2014 Bear Hunt Day 1 (Drive Day)

This will be my third bear hunt.
My first was in 2009.  The older I get, there are less firsts to experience and my first bear hunt was very exciting.  The weather was supposed to be in the 70s, but a cold front came through that was much more powerful than expected and the weather turned very cold.  This slowed down bear movement some, but those of us in camp (I think there were eight of us) still saw a decent number of bears.  Seven out of eight of us got bears and the one that didn't shoot one did have opportunities.  The fishing for walleye and pike was phenomenal.
My second bear hunt was in 2011.  There were only three of us in camp.  This was after I had bought a new house and moved, but before the old house sold.  The trip was scheduled before the move was in the works and the stress of the unsold house was lurking in the background.  All three of us took decent bears and the fishing was great again.

Most of my hunting adventures are alone, but Dennis is coming with me on this one.  He isn't hunting, but the fishing alone is worth it.

Dennis came over a few days before and dropped off a lot of his stuff.  He brought his kayak, but decided not to bring it.  I spent much of Saturday packing and getting ready for the trip.  There was much excitement for the trip.
Dennis came over Sunday morning at around 4:30.  We finished packing and were on the road by about 5:00.  We hit a bit of rain through the morning until we were through Indiana.  Then there was intermittent clouds until Wisconsin when it got fairly sunny.  We missed most of the rain through Minnesota until right near International Falls when about a half mile before the hotel it started to torrentially pour out.  Also as we got near International Falls, the book we were listening to, Bill Geist's Way Off the Road started discussing International Falls and other areas of the frozen north.  It was surprisingly coincidental.  We got unpacked and ate at the restaurant across the street, which was owned by the same people.
The gas station next door to that had ice cream which ended the day.
We were both ready for the next day's cross into Canada for the adventure to really start.

Motorcycle Trip Out West 10 Years Later, Day 13

Total Mileage 4399.8 (297.0 for the day)

We are home.

We woke up to a cool perfect Midwest morning and headed out. We had I-70 almost to ourselves for quite some time before traffic began to pick up.

As we headed east, it began to look like we might actually be able to pick up the dogs before the kennel closed at 1:00. Seeing this was possible, I kicked myself for not getting going earlier and it caused the throttle hand to twist a little more than usual. We needed fuel as we were getting near Indianapolis, and got off the interstate at a stop with several gas stations, including a truck stop. Unfortunately, there was a pretty bad accident at the top of the off-ramp which left us sitting, not moving. Keeping it in perspective, this was much, much worse for the people in the accident than for us.
Eventually, I took the shoulder of the off-ramp past the two trucks in front of me and the kind woman directing traffic let me loop around and get right back on the freeway. A few more exits up and I got off again, successful in getting gas.

SO's phone wasn't working well so I gave her mine and she called the kennel. With the delay it was going to be close, but getting the dogs should still be doable. While talking with the kennel, we found out that they now offer 5:00 pickup on Wednesdays. They used to be closed on Wednesdays all day, but this is a very welcome change. This makes the decision to use our vet/kennel much easier when we might get home near a Wednesday.

After getting gas and making sure we had arrangements to get the dogs, we were off on the last leg. We got around Indianapolis and headed straight home. Once at home, everything was as we left it and since it was the middle of the day, it was almost scary quiet.

I started this trip thinking about how it is 10 years since the first trip out west. In retrospect, I think more is different than the same, and trying to recreate in my mind that first trip is wrong. This trip should have been called Texas by way of Idaho but when we left I really wasn't sure what the destination after Salt Lake City was going to be. Confirming the circular nature of life, our last night on the road was within a few miles of our first night on the road in 2004.

And, I guess that also marks a really big difference. Last year we completed the goal of riding through the 49th state and our riding trips can change now. While this might bring us more freedom, one of the things I really liked about this trip was that we had a plan daily and (mostly) stuck to it. We slowed down in places where there was something interesting we wanted to see and made sure to do them. We remained flexible to go where we wanted after visits with family that needed to be choreographed.

Sometime recently, possibly during this trip I likely surpassed 200,000 miles on a motorcycle in my lifetime. I don't see that as an accomplishment as much as a stepping stone to the next 100,000.

What a great Adventure!

Motorcycle Trip Out West 10 Years Later, Day 12

Total Mileage 4102.8 (638.7 for the day)

The plan was to get on the road early to start towards home, but we got a little later start than anticipated. The Quality Inn did have a great breakfast including Waffles! so it all worked out.

Once ready to go, we stopped down at the gas station. With the significant change in altitude on the trip so far, the tire pressure on the bike was now low. The gas station had the worst chuck imaginable on the compressed air system and I could see the humidity in the air hissing out, but I was able to get enough air into the tires to get them back where they should be.

And, we were off towards home.

The day was fairly mundane. We headed north through Oklahoma and got on the Toll-Interstate where we remained for the rest of the day. Thankfully, we only had tolls in Oklahoma. Early in the morning, we were right on the edge of rain, but once we got a bit north we were in sunshine.

Later in the day there was some clouds, but they were just fair weather cumulus clouds. Temperatures were moderate, within 5 degrees of 80 all day and the air dried out considerably. It was a great day to pile on the miles on the Goldwing.

We crossed the Mississippi near Saint Louis, and I still don't know how many crossings that makes on two-wheels. Once across, we started to look for the right combination of hotel and restaurant for the night.

We ended up in the Powhatan Motel in Pocohantos, IL. We had stayed at very few independent motels so it was a welcome change. The motel was very nice and a restaurant right next to it. The motel had a big parking area in front of the rooms that was level and concrete. Perfect for motorcycle parking! The restaurant had a coupon in the local paper as well so it was a real bargain. Ribs, chicken and pie to go rounded out the day.

Ready for the trip home.

Motorcycle Trip Out West 10 Years Later, Day 11

Total Mileage 3464.1 (399.3 for the day)

We woke up to lightening in the distance. After a shower, I ran down to the gas station and got some adequate convenience store coffee. On my way back to the hotel it was barely spitting rain. Checking the radar, it looked like most of the rain was to the north without much movement to the south. The one exception was a finger of rain that might impede our way.

We decided against any rain gear since it was warm and the rain didn't appear to significantly affect US-287. This, of course, was a mistake. I'm not sure how many times we have learned the lesson to put on rain gear when rain is in the area, or how many more times we have to relearn this.

Because of the heavy cloud cover, it was still quite dark as we left. The rain spit a bit more at us for the first half hour and then we had full on rain for another half hour. We sort-of dried out after that, but at the first gas stop things were again looking very ominous, as judged by the sky and the radar on our phones. Since we had mostly dried out, we put on our rain gear. This was the right thing to do since for the next several hours we were in and out of rain. Sometimes it was light, but many times it was very heavy. The temperatures fluctuated too, from muggy humid gross to cool clammy. For a few brief times, it rained so hard it was difficult to see. Luckily, traffic was never an issue except around Wichita Falls (and it was raining moderately hard for our entire time through that city).

Eventually we made it down to the wealthy suburbs/exurbs north of Dallas. There was a town there we wanted to drive through for some arbitrary and slightly sophomoric reasons and we did; we also took several pictures in the area for posterity. We had driven hundreds of extra miles for this, without it we would not have had many of the past few days adventures so perhaps the destination or reason are not really all that important.

From there, we headed up US-75 and head a great lunch at Abby's in Howe, Texas. We originally saw a sign for Don's Butcher Shop which was also a restaurant and promised more smoked meats, but it was very closed. Luckily, Abby's was right across the street and the food was great.

We headed up US-75 a bit more to Sherman, stopping at the Quality Inn. It is interesting how different locations will have different default conditions for hotels. I would only be able to recommend our hotel in Amarillo to precisely the right kind of person. The Quality Inn in Sherman was great. Compared to the previous night it was outstanding! The room was huge and everything worked. It was clean without smelling overly perfumed. The super awesome staff suggested I could park my motorcycle right outside the double doors of the hotel so it would be covered, lighted, and in view of people all night. I happily took advantage of this.

Restaurants were a bit thin in the area so we went around the corner to a small place called Camino Viejo which sits in an old truck stop. We ordered and I surfed the restaurant on my phone (always dangerous while sitting in the booth). It had a number of reviews that said something to the effect of: Don't let the exterior fool you, the food is great. The reviews were right as the food was really good - fresh guac and great tacos. What was funny is the guy sitting behind me was loud-talking on his cell phone and sounded exactly like the dude at 1-minute in this video clip.

We grabbed some ice cream at the gas station to eat in the hotel room before turning in, knowing it is time to head home.

Motorcycle Trip Out West 10 Years Later, Day 10

Total Mileage 3064.6 (481.2 for the day)

As with the previous day, the plan was to get on the road to put miles away before it got too hot.

As we got ready to leave Farmington, New Mexico it already felt warm. Thankfully, once we started to move it cooled off a little more.

We jumped on US-550 right outside of Farmington to head south and east. I won't go so far as to say US-550 is a great motorcycle road since it is mostly flat and what turns there are tend to be sweepers, but it was probably a highlight of the trip so far. US-550 is four lanes and at least on Sunday morning is devoid of traffic. This made it very pleasant to really enjoy the scenery. And, the scenery on US-550 is unbelievable. In 2009 when I went through Northern New Mexico, I thought it was one of the nicest areas I had ever been through and this was reinforced on this gorgeous Sunday morning. The scenery was enhanced by the shadows and broken light from the partly to mostly cloudy skies.

The scenery changed, but never got worse.

Continuing on in the day, the clouds gave way to mostly sunny skies, but New Mexico was still gorgeous.

All good things must come to and end and eventually we came to the end of US-550 and got on the interstate. Most of the rest of the day was spent on I-40. Once east of Albuquerque, I-40 is mostly scrub brush ranch land and is very flat. Traffic wasn't too bad on I-40 (all things considered). I actually really enjoy the Big Empty areas of the United States, but I missed US-550.

We stopped for lunch in Santa Rosa and had a very, very disappointing lunch that took forever to get. Oh well, the lunch stops like this make places like the Hy-Vee Market Grill a week ago much, much better.

It started to get very hot after lunch, but we soldiered on, crossing into Texas later in the afternoon. About 60 miles into Texas and just outside of Amarillo we had to stop at the definition of American kitsch. Cadillac Ranch is probably more performance art than anything else. It was created in the mid-1970's by some artists on land owned by millionaire Stanley Marsh III. It is on private property, but visiting it is encouraged and spraypainting the Cadillacs "planted" in the ground is not discouraged, although spray painting outside the private land is, as signs warn.

We parked the bike and walked up to the cars. I'm not sure it would be worth a special trip, and it is not nearly as interesting as Car Henge, but being this close we had to stop and see it. It was MUCH better than the time and money spent at the Four Corners.

It was funny to see the ecclectic group of people who stopped to see it. Equally as interesting was the many, many layers of paint on the cars. Former creases and sharp lines are now rounded in paint. According to Wikipedia, the site of the Cadillac Ranch was moved in 1997 since Amarillo was growing too close to the original site.


After the kitsch, we continued east to our hotel in Amarillo. We had seen signs for The Big Texan. This is part restaurant and part tourist attraction as it has been featured in several TV shows I've seen with "eating challenges." The challenge is a full meal including a 72-ounce steak; finish it and it is free.

We opted to walk there from the hotel which was probably a mistake since it ended up being farther than we thought. We just decided that we earned our meal with the walk, although we opted for a ribeye over a gigantic gut-buster. The steak was really good and the prices surprisingly reasonable given that The Big Texan was geared toward tourists. The service left a little to be desired, but I guess that is sometimes to be expected in places like that.

We took some fudge back to the hotel to eat while winding down for the day.

Motorcycle Trip Out West 10 Years Later, Day 9

Total Mileage 2583.4 (480.4 for the day)

The plan today was to get up early and hit the road so we could minimize the amount of time we spend riding in the very high heat in the Southwest. After quickly getting ready, we were out the door a little after 6:00, which was good for us and allowed D to get a morning bike ride in.

We headed south on the interstate which had very light traffic considering it was Saturday morning and got off on US-6, headed to Southeast Utah. After leaving the interstate, we were in an area full of canyons with lots of elevation changes. The temperatures dropped considerably in the canyons to the point that it actually got somewhat cold. Riding and being part of the scenery in the area with the rising sun was spectacular.

We were generally headed toward Moab, Canyonlands and Arches which was exciting since I had always wanted to ride through this area of Utah. As we headed south and east, some areas were hilly, almost mountainous

There were also several areas which were flat and straight. These areas plus ample passing lanes kept traffic moving very well.

Finally we made it to Moab. The actual town of Moab was messy with other tourists so I was glad we weren't actually stopping. What I found interesting about the Moab area, including the National Parks, was the changes in geography as we were riding through. Some of the areas were sharp cliffs and very jaggedy.

While other areas that were the same color of rock and in areas that weren't terribly far away were very smooth, suggesting much more history to round and erode the rocks.

Overall, the varying geography of Southeast Utah was pretty and amazing.

We had a very good quick lunch at Deb's Diner in Dove Creek, Colorado. The bacon cheeseburger was very tasty. Then, we continued south on US-491. This road used to be US-666, but the name was changed sometime around 10 years ago due to satanic connotations with the number 666 and the fact that the road signs were continually being stolen.

In 2009, we had been in this same general area, but had bypassed the four corners. We were piling on the miles that day and I had recently read a story that the actual point marked by the four corners is off significantly from the monument. How much the monument is off is debatable. The National Geodetic Survey says it is "in exactly the right space," but then goes on to say it is only about a third of a mile off. This document is government bureaucracy covering its ass in a big way. But, we were not in a hurry so decided to stop this time. This was a mistake. The four corners was a significant disappointment. We pulled into the lot, which is organized by the ultimate chaos theory of parking with anybody parking anywhere in any direction in a rough gravel lot. It cost $5/person to get in. Money NOT well spent.

Once in, if one wants to stand in exactly the right spot which is about a third of a mile from where four states meet, one must stand in line for quite some time and wait for every snot-nosed kid scream and get her picture taken.

We chose to quickly walk through four theoretical states which is nearly a third of a mile from where four actual states meet, yet still serves as a celebratory monument despite the fact that the hundreds of GPSs in the parking lot likely all showed the same thing mine did - that the point where four states meet is some ways away.

After our walk and glancing at some of the Native American crafts for sale, we jumped back on the bike and left. We probably spent about a dollar a minute to see the Four Corners Monument, which serves as a reminder of what a pain National Monuments and Parks can be.

Adding insult to injury, I left my metal kickstand plate in the rough parking lot since it sank into the soft sandy gravel. Granted, this was a self-induced insult, but it was irritating that I left it at the Four Corners. (as an aside, I bought a electrical blanking plate to replace it at home depot at the day's stop)

It started to rain briefly as we headed east in New Mexico. It was just a few very large raindrops, but with the days heat assaulting us, a brief downpour would have been nice. The bulk of the rain stayed to the south.

From the Four Corners, we headed into Farmington, New Mexico for the night. Dinner was at The Spare Rib BBQ. There has been a lot of smoked meats this trip, and that can only be a good thing.

Motorcycle Trip Out West 10 Years Later, Day 7, 8

Total Mileage 2103.0 (180.7 for the days)

July 24 is Pioneer Day in Utah which is a pretty big state holiday, especially in and around Salt Lake City so everyone had the day off.

Morning was spent around the house though, helping unpack remaining boxes and putting up mirrors, etc. in the bathrooms. After we had all accomplished things there, we packed up the car and bike to head up to the cabin for the day and night. The plan was to take both vehicles since J1's friend (I guess she would be J3?) was going along and fitting six people in a Prius is probably not prudent for a couple hour drive to the mountains.

We followed D up to the cabin and stopped at the lodge at the base of the mountain roads, hoping to park the bike there. The gravel roads to the cabin can be generously described as "rough" and the final driveway is very steep with gravel and loose dirt. When we talked to the people at the lodge, they weren't too excited about having an extra vehicle there with the busy weekend. The woman did eventually say we could park there, but I wasn't too comfortable about the situation at that point. I can't blame the lodge people given that it could be very possible to have lots of people wanting to park all manner of vehicles there.

I could also have left the bike at the forest service parking area which probably would have been fine, but that would have left it in a very uncontrolled environment. I decided to take it to the cabin. Ten years ago (the trip where the title of this adventure comes from), I took my Harley Davidson Electraglide up to the cabin on the inaugural christening of the cabin. It was just an harrowing then, but I didn't know the condition of the roads and driveway. Ignorance is bliss.

I carefully made my way down the dirt road on my plastic 800 pound bike, doing my best to avoid the largest rocks and potholes. Once at the driveway, I started up it but managed to stall about half way up. Whether I was on a steep section or not doesn't matter, since the entire driveway is pretty steep. I was able to roll back and rest the back tire on a rock to get the bike started and moving forward again, with some slippage of the rear wheel; none too comforting.

I successfully made it to the cabin, keeping the bike upright the entire time. A decade ago, I said I would never take my bike up to the cabin again, and I'll say it this time too. Maybe I should just buy a Suzuki V-Strom.

Once at the cabin, we changed out of motorcycle clothes we goofed around for a while, shooting pellet guns and hooting around. The cabin is a pretty amazing place and it was fun hanging around with J1 and J2.

After some time we had an amazing dinner of buffalo T-bone steaks which were some of the most tender buffalo I've ever had. The night ended with a rousing game of spoons until we all turned in after dark.

---

July 25

We woke up to a beautiful quiet mountain morning with very cool air. The cabin sits near 11,000 feet and the cool air was a welcome respite from the last few days heat. The morning mountain sunrise, as it has been during past visits was nothing short of stunning.

After a breakfast of yeast raised waffles and bacon, J2 and I took the four wheeler up Dead Man Mountain and hiked nearly to the top. I've done this same ride and hike several times before and it never ceases to amaze me how gorgeous and quiet it is up near the tree line. We sat at the highest point and the only sound was the wind in the trees. Even the usual din from ATV traffic was non-existent.

Back at the cabin we played a few games shot the pellet guns more before a quick lunch and heading back home. The trip down the steep gravel driveway is different, but just as uncomfortable as the trip up. But, I was able to crawl down and carefully ride the gravel roads out. Once at the exit, the police and/or forest service had set up a checkpoint. I wasn't sure if I needed a forest pass on the dirt roads, but what could I do. I asked the officer who stopped me if I could pull forward to the asphalt around 30 yards ahead and he kindly said that was fine. I was glad since he stopped me on very soft sand. All he did was checked my license and registration and thanked me for my time.

From there, we headed back to D's house and did some more unpacking and hanging of mirrors. This was interrupted by a great taco dinner before finishing the chores and calling it a day.

Motorcycle Trip Out West 10 Years Later, Day 6

Total Mileage 1922.3 (119.7 for the day)

Got a slightly slower start than usual since it wasn't clear what exactly we were going to do for the entire day.

Headed south on another dry and cool western morning. The area south of Preston was only intermittently rural, as the area began to feel more suburban quickly, especially once we got into Utah. The scenery along US 91 was still pretty though.

There were a few interesting things to see along the way.
Evel Cowneivel??? Or...why does a pig ride a motorcycle - because he can.

We continued south and got on the interstate, getting off near downtown Salt Lake City. We were headed to the Daughters of the Pioneers Museum in SLC. This was one of the first times I was really glad I had turn by turn directions on a GPS since we were able to quickly find it. Thankfully, rush hour was over by this time.

Surprisingly, we were able to easily find a parking space right next to the museum and it was free. Between the available free parking and the very clean downtown area, Salt Lake has to be one of the nicest big cities we've been to. Drivers are much more courteous than I was anticipating for as well.

The museum has many artifacts from the pioneer days of the Mormons entering what is now Salt Lake City and the general westward travel of pioneers in general. It is much more pioneer than Mormon, but both are there. There are later exhibits as well, showing the growing of the city. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed in the museum. Much of the museum is incredibly interesting, showing what daily life was like on the frontier in the mid 1800's through early 20th century. Many of the items can be tied directly back to their original owners including Brigham Young. I was surprised to see some of the things they hauled across the continent, including grand pianos. A couple pianos were buried in the plains and retrieved later as the travel was not always without troubles. Also interesting, the museum has a ~120 year old piece of bread from the inaugural of the Mormon Temple and a sheep with two heads. The museum has something for everyone.

The attendance was very lite which allowed a measured pace through the museum until a whole troop of kids showed up with scavenger homework on things in the museum to find. July 24 is Pioneer Day, celebrated in Utah as the day that Brigham Young declared "This is the place." and no doubt it will be much busier soon.

After the museum we headed down through Temple Square to a mall to eat at Kneaders, which is kind of like a Panera. The food was good, even if we were in a mall.

While walking back through Temple Square, we ended up touring some of the Mormon Temple areas. Despite the fact that we had been through here several years ago, we had the time and for whatever reason it was more interesting this time. The Mormons put a happy face on their Religion turned tourist attraction as there is never a shortage of tour guides to help or explain.

One of the places we went was to the 26th floor of the church administration building which has two observation decks. These can't be accessed unescorted, but a friendly guide brought us up and she also pointed out some neat things in the area. The view of the capital is stunning.

From the other observation deck, the main Temple Square and Temple is visible in a way not easily seen from the ground.

The general view of the Salt Lake Valley is also gorgeous.

It is impossible to come to this desert city and not think about Sarah Vowell's description of Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, especially with the friendliness of the volunteers: "Even though one city is all about sin and the other is all about salvation, they are identical, one-dimensional company towns built up out of the desert by the sheer will of true believers." What I truly enjoyed about the unscheduled visit to Temple Square was how everyone is very accommodating without being pushy and treating every interaction as a proselytizing moment; I think that shows a level of respect from the Mormons and since we are visiting their most special area that should be reciprocated.

After leaving the Temple area, we had a somewhat painful walk up the steep hill back towards the bike in temperatures that had climbed to well over 100 degrees. Still, I wanted to see inside the state capital building. I wasn't sure if was supposed to be walking around by myself, but other than the security guard glowering from overhead, none of the very few people around seemed to care.

The capital building is also very impressive with marble everywhere and imposing staircases.

The main rotunda of the building has four status showing what I presume are tenets of state of Utah. These are tangential to the Mormon religion and a statue of Brigham Young is also just off the rotunda.

Back at the bike, we painfully put on our hot motorcycle coats and helmets and made our way to a public library for a little over an hour to borrow the wifi and relax before we headed to D's new house.

Once there, we caught up for a while and had dinner of home made burgers before talking and playing a few games.

Motorcycle Trip Out West 10 Years Later, Day 5

Total Mileage 1802.6 (337.0 for the day)

Woke up a little slower since there was no reason to be in a hurry, but still was on the road by around 7:30. We took I-80 west. Temperature was near perfect, in fact it was near perfect for most of the day, ranging from the low 60s to the low 70s until the last half hour or so of the day when the elevation dropped.

I-80 through Wyoming is generally lightly traveled and with decent scenery for an interstate. On this day, I set the cruise control as we were leaving Rawlins and didn't touch it or the throttle again for well over 100 miles - I had to turn it off due to some evil RVs, otherwise I probably could have left it on without any manipulation for the full 145 miles we were on I-80.

At the interchange before we were supposed to get off, I noticed a sign saying it was the last services for 28 miles so we got off for fuel at Little America. The station was absolutely overrun with Mormon children in pioneer dress headed off to some Mormon Pioneer Day celebration or reenactment. It was actually hard to walk through the very large gas station with all the kids. Surprisingly and thankfully, the bathrooms were still available.

We got off the interstate and took US30. US30 through Wyoming is mostly straight but with a few notably interesting parts in and around some of the hills. Traffic was non-existent and what traffic there was was mostly truck traffic. The scenery is typical of Western Wyoming with brush ranch and range land. There are also many gas and/or oil wells dotting the area.

I actually like riding on these less-challenging roads sometimes since it is great thinking time. Both I-80 and US30 were enjoyable for the morning.

We went past Fossil Butte National Monument, but didn't stop. I didn't know much about the national monument, but it looks like most of the activities are hiking and camping. Not surprisingly, digging/taking/buying fossils is prohibited, so there wasn't much point to stop anyway.

We continued on into Idaho, taking ID-36 just outside Montpelier (I didn't realize we had gone all the way to Vermont). ID-36 is restricted for truck traffic and goes through the Cache National Forest. This National Forest stretches all the way south to D's cabin where we might be going later in the week.

Idaho 36 was wonderful. Much like Wyoming 130, it has lots of great curves, including some very steep stretches, up to 7% grade and a few switchbacks. There are enough straight stretches to allow passing, but there was so little traffic that it didn't matter.

As we descended out of the mountains, it did start to get hot, but this was tolerable since we were nearly at our destination of Preston, Idaho. Preston was larger in both people and geography than I would have thought, having a population north of 5000.

Preston, Idaho is where the movie Napoleon Dynamite was filmed. This is a cult classic film. It is one of the films that Netflix "finds maddenly hard to predict who will like it." I first saw this movie several years ago while flipping through satellite when we had it. I watched part of it and thought it was terrible. But, I couldn't get it out of my mind and searched for a replay of it several times until I found it on again and watched the whole thing. My mind changed and I bought it and have watched it several more times since then. To be fair, in preparation for this trip I watched it again a few weeks ago and it was a little hard to watch.

Lots of people have come to Preston to do the Napoleon self-tour. We stopped and bought a small brochure with a map. I had previously mapped out most of what I wanted to see, but the printing on my map had rubbed off over the last couple thousand miles in the saddle bags. The store with the Napleon map had other Napoleon Dynamite stuff including "Vote for Pedro" shirts, but I was very able to ignore those.

Napoleon Dynamite's house is down a very gravel road. There is a paved road nearby, but I didn't know this initially. For the second time this trip, the Goldwing played off-road bike as we went about a mile down much more slippery gravel than the first gravel road a few days previous in Iowa.

The house itself is still a private residence and apparently none of the movie was filmed inside the house as the inside scenes were filmed elsewhere. I did not see anyone shoot a cow across the street. However, the brochure I bought did say that "Lyle" (or Dale Critchlow) will sign autographs if you find him at home. I didn't look to see where he lived.

The Pop 'n Pins bowling ally is right by the Plaza Hotel where we stayed. The hotel was very nice and comfortable and they were able to check us in early since it was a relatively short drive on the bike from Rawlins. The bowling alley is seasonally closed so if anyone wants to bowl with bumpers, it sounds like it must be a winter thing.

We ate at Big J's burgers. This is not the original Big J's from the movie as that was apparently torn down a few years ago. The original sign lasted longer than that, until the building that now stands was built. The food was really great for lunch. Without a bit of humor, they serve tater tots as a side and the girl who took our order really did call them just "tots" without any irony.

Preston High School looks just like it does in the movie. There was even a bike rack out front, but no Hispanic "cousins" out front with their "sweet hookups" protecting the bikes from bullies, nor was there an Uncle available to pick us up after missing the bus.

I'll end this little Napoleon Dynamite expose' the same way the movie ends with the tether ball court. This is not really at the high school, but a short ways away behind the elementary school. It looks different in person, or maybe just getting the perspective right was more difficult.

Dinner that night was at the New York Style Steak and Deli. The steak was surprisingly good for a place that also had take-out. It was better than many restaurants dedicated to steaks I've eaten at previously.

I'm not sure an entire stop revolving around a polarizing movie makes sense, but Preston was really a nice town to visit for a night.