Our last night on the road.

This is our last night on the road. It was a great day all around though. We changed our plans of going to Thermopolis, WY, and went through the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone National Park instead. We made a brief stop in Cody, Wy, to pick up a few things for future trips, and Melanie did a very brief stint at clothes shopping. If you know Melanie at all, brief stints is all she ever does. At times I will force her to do more, but she didn't look like she was in the mood for more today.

We are in Greybull, WY right now, and will have a short ride home tomorrow. I have always wanted to try long distance touring, and at 3,300 miles so far, I think this qualifies. I didn't know how Melanie would handle it, but she has loved it. Her bike definitely needs seat work, and if she decides to keep it, it will get done. The days we have battled wind has her thinking about a bigger bike. The 500 has been incredible, but actually gets worse mileage than my 'Nad in the wind.

I took pictures today since I have really been bad about that. I apologize for not taking any at the rally, but there were cameras everywhere, so I don't think I would have taken any that someone else didn't. As we crossed the border into Wyoming, Melanie commented that the most beautiful parts of this country are closest to home. That is why we live where we do. Remember, the pictures get bigger if you click on them.

This is the Swan Valley in Idaho, and the Snake river. We are just about to climb into the Tetons from the west here.

I love these kind of pictures. The beginning of the Tetons in front of me, and you can see Melanie and Purple500 in the mirror.

On the way up the Tetons, I wanted to pull over and let traffic pass. Little did I know, it was a weigh station pull off, and the scale was on. This was Purple500 fully loaded for 12 days on the road. The Nomad and I weighed in at an even 1100 pounds. I was shocked it was that high. It gets good mileage, and the power isn't bad for that kind of weight.

Here we are climbing higher into the Tetons. This was over 7600 feet.

At the summit, Melanie wanted a picture of this sign, and yes that is Jackson Hole, and the town of Jackson, WY in the background.


Here the bikes windshields are cleaned, and they are tucked away for the last night. It was sad doing this chore, as we have enjoyed this trip more than we can put in words. We will wash the road grime off them tomorrow afternoon when we get home. They won't need to be covered, and will sleep in the garage.
It has been a great trip, and all the many months of planning has been worth it. The only problem is, we don't have another one to plan for now. It will be back to real life, and reading the blogs of people who can do this as their real life.

Today was 321 miles, the shortest day of the ride home so far. But, we did deal with the parks traffic, and if you have never been to Yellowstone, you don't know how slow traffic can be at times. Tomorrow will be shorter, and we will get home. It will be bittersweet.