Black Hills, Yellowstone, Washington State

[1998chinook]

Just completed a 4,600 mile loop that included the Black Hills, Yellowstone, Washington State.

I was very happy with the motorcycle carrier, however I did learn the hard way, in Cody, WY, that you have to be careful entering/exiting parking lots and the steep angle some have as the extra length may cause you to drag the ground. I turned into a parking lot and grounded out pretty hard. Fortunately the only damage was to the hitch lock bolts, and a quick trip to the hardware store and I was back in business.

[1998chinook]

The trip started with a visit to the Black Hills National Park.

For $24, I was able to stay right on Horse Thief Lake about three miles from Mt. Rushmore. Here is a picture of the Chinook from across the lake.


One thing I didn't anticipate was problems starting the Suzuki DRZ 400 in higher altitudes. I unloaded the cycle at the campground and it wouldn't start. I ended up pushing up a slight hill and bump started it to get it going. With the bike finally running, I was off enjoying the winding mountain roads and many of the dirt and gravel roads of the Black Hills.



Of course I had to visit the popular spots as well

Mt. Rushmore


Crazy Horse

[1998chinook]

It was less than 100 miles from the Back Hills to Devils Tower National Monument.

Devils Tower in the distance.


A closer look.


There are paved and unpaved hiking trails that you can enjoy that take you all the way around the tower.

There is a small campground at the base of the tower where I stayed. The cost was $12. Here is a photo of the camping area from the vantage of the tower.



That night I rewarded myself with a perfectly grilled ribeye and a cold beer to wash it down.

[1998chinook]

From Devil's Tower I headed toward Yellowstone. I traveled 313 miles to Cody, WY (the east entrance to Yellowstone). On the way to Cody, I took the scenic route through Big Horn National Park.

The decent out of Big Horn was amazing. Here is a short video link:

https://youtu.be/ygS8tJ1Rqvk

I ended up Boon-docking at the Wal-mart in Cody for a couple days. My previous issues starting the motorcycle in the Black Hills had me concerned so I dropped the bike off at a local Suzuki dealer for a check up. I wanted the motorcycle to be working for the next leg of the trip which was Yellowstone.

The mechanic inspected the top end of the motor and cleaned the carb. He suspected bad gas and also confirmed what I had thought which was the carb was not jetted properly for the higher altitude. After asking my travel plans, he suggested leaving the carb settings, and putting in a "hot" spark plug.

I couldn't complain getting "stuck" in Cody for a couple days. My view from my Wal-mart spot wasn't horrible

[1998chinook]

As luck would have it, bad weather was moving into the area just as I was heading into Yellowstone. Couple that with poor planning, and my Yellowstone visit was a little disappointing. I didn't realize, after September 15th, several of the camping options at Yellowstone close for the season. I ended up at Grant Villiage next to Yellowstone lake. My drive into Yellowstone was fantastic, but once I got to my campsite the weather was a chilly 35 degrees. Determined not to let the weather slow me down, I suited up, unloaded the cycle and headed to visit Old Faithful. From Grant Village, Old Faithful is about 20 miles. About 5 miles in, it started raining. About 8 miles in, freezing rain. At 10 miles in, snow... I could handle the cold, and rain, but the poor road conditions caused me to turn tail and head back to camp. By the time I had reached the Chinook, it was 32 degrees and dropping. Thank goodness for a full propane tank and the Chinooks furnace, we were in for a cold couple of days.

The following day, I loaded up the cycle and decided to drive the Chinook to explore some of Yellowstone.

[Blue~Go]

Loving the trip report! Looks like you had some great campsites, and of course it's fun to see the Chinook in a bunch of neat spots. Having the motorcycle to cruise around on must have been great.

One tip, which you may already have been doing (and it's not always possible anyway) is to go out of those steeper exit/entrances on a sort of diagonal angle. Helps to keep from scraping.

Only thing to add is... more, more!

[Skillet]

How crowded was Yellowstone at this time of year?

[Xatlatc]

Wow. Maybe someday I'll get out that way. Beautiful. Did you hear 'Close Encounter of the Third Kind' music at Devils Tower? Ha.

[Skillet]

Quick hijack: Xatlatc hope you're surviving all the rain and flooding down there!

[Xatlatc]

I had my water wings on the past week. Seven inches here..so not too bad. Columbia is under water.