Moseying Through Yellowstone

 

On the east side of Butte the rain was just about over, and I was starting to dry off a bit.

Ohm’s GPS knew exactly where the motor company outpost is, and we rolled in under a cloudy sky.

Years ago I had been to this dealer for a much-needed oil change, on a holiday weekend, they took good care of me then, so I had a good feeling about getting the grips hot again.

The service manager came right out, when I arrived, and we talked about the grips not working. The owners of the outpost came out and we talked about the grips not working. They both offered me coffee brewed in a Bunn and flavored with powdered drywall mud. The service manager road Ohms right into the shop and told me the fellow that actually works on bikes went to lunch but would be back soon and he would know what to do.

About the time Ohms got rode into the shop is when the rain that was traveling east along with me, released a downpour with hail, that quickly covered the parking lot. I was really bummed, that I was watching this from inside as hail is my most favorite of inclement weather to ride in. Oh well next hailstorm I guess.

Exploring the outpost I discovered that they even had the obligatory gnarly old guy who told me all about riding his panhead around in his youth, and how he would like to ride to Alaska, but just is not comfortable riding through Canada without his piece.  I was just about to ask him how he felt about driving over to the outpost on socialist roads, or how Medicare is treating him, and just how does he feel about the Biden administration being the most racially, sexually, and culturally diverse administration in the history of the nation, but I just smiled and thanked dog that, knuckleheads like this pathetic ammosexual have not completely destroyed democracy.

The fellow that actually knows about motorbikes came back from lunch, and probed, prodded, and connected Ohms up to powerful computers, and determined that the switch that adjusts the voltage to the grips is probably malfunctioning, and they would replace this switch under warranty, except that because of covid killing all of the child slaves that make parts in faraway factories for the motor company, they did not have this switch, and neither did the 4 other outposts we called.

Powerful Computers At Work

As I rode away I was thinking considering the coffee, missing the hailstorm, chatting up white supremacists, that this was a better than average motor company service experience. Of course my heated grips were not working, but the GPS is.

Next morning the sky was clear, and I headed south to the north entrance of the first national park Yellowstone. Where my senior pass got me in the park, a map, and information about which roads were open and which ones were not.

Right outside the gate a large herd of elk was relaxing and like me enjoying the morning sunshine.

Just inside the park along a stream an Osprey was hovering getting ready to dive for a fish.

At Mammoth hot springs I stopped to check out all the people hiking up the boardwalk to get a closer view of the steaming sulfurous mountain.

Geothermal Vent

I also checked the map, as I forgot which road was open and which way I had to go.

Reading the park information on  the map I also discovered that Yellowstone unlike Sol Duc that is heated by dragon tears, Yellowstone’s geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, and mud pots are the result of actual volcanic eruptions, and because the park is a collapsed caldera the entire thing could erupt again at any time. This knowledge made me feel a lot better about not having working heated grips on Ohms.

I was hoping to see some wildlife in the park and at my next stop I encountered a begging Raven, that I shared some of my kind bar with, another person shared some crackers with it.

Yogi Bears Replacement

There were a lot of other birds to see and hear. Goose, Sandhill Crane’s, a lone Loon, and a solo Swan on Swan lake.

A gang of sheep were poising at one stop. Big Horns I suppose.

And of course The obligatory buffalo or bison if you prefer, were grazing along the road.

Park Buffalo

Outside the park and on the way to Cody there were 2 large flocks of deer, and another large herd of Elk, and I was glad they were staying in the fields eating whatever had been planted there and not playing chicken on the road.

 

Thanks for reading.