Sunday, June 27th, 2010: Day three started out quite nice. I woke up at about 8 AM, having slept in for an extra couple hours after sunrise. The morning was perfect, the cool crisp mountain air made it difficult to get out of bed. Before the trip I purchased a Coleman queen air mattress, and this trip was the first time I had used it, and boy what a difference it made! I finally succumbed to the sunshine though and climbed out of my tent into the outside world.

I packed up camp and loaded the bike up as quickly as I could. I really wanted to head back by the visitor center and the Colter Bay Marina so that I could take some morning photos of the Tetons. Once I got there, I climbed off the bike and wandered down by the water to take some pictures of these beautiful mountains. This was not my first time here, but it is hard to not be awe inspired by the site of these behemoth, jagged peaks protruding from the crystal clear water of the other side of Jackson Lake. I got a few pictures and wandered up to the visitor center to collect my pin and a souvenir for my girlfriend back home. Once I found what I was looking for, I hopped back on the bike and headed for the nearest gas station.

With the Road King gassed up and ready to go, I decided that I would head back north towards Yellowstone again. I really like Jackson, WY but this time around I was going to be crunched for time, so I opted to take the shortest route back home. Plus, I did not get to see Old Faithful the previous day, and that is something you can’t miss if you go to Yellowstone!

The John D. Rockefeller Highway that bridges Grand Teton and Yellowstone is really a nice road. They just finished repaving recently, as the road was perfectly smooth and black and had no bumps or potholes anywhere. This perfect road, where everything is fresh and new before being chip-sealed provides the best ride imaginable. It’s hard to beat the smooth, quiet ride while taking in such breathtaking scenery. Things would get a bit rougher, however, as I approached Yellowstone again.

I made it a point to stop at the entrance signs for both parks and get a picture of my bike beneath the signs. This is something that just has to be done, in my opinion. I waited in line as other visitors gathered around the signs to have their pictures taken. Once I got the shots, I was back on the road again heading back towards our first National Park.

The roads near the south entrance were beginning to show their wear, throwing potholes and other general road patches in my path. I got closer to Grants Village and the road began twist and climb through the Lewis River Canyon. I knew I was getting close to the junction. At this point I was still feeling good, and traffic between the parks had been light so I saw no need to stop at Grant’s Village, so I kept on going straight. The traffic started getting a little heavier with the early going park visitors now. It seemed a lot were coming from around the lake and Fishing Bridge, all heading to see the spectacle that the park is most famous for.

After winding over several miles of mountain road and crossing the Continental Divide twice, I finally arrived at Old Faithful. Since I did not have any breakfast before leaving Colter Bay, I was getting pretty hungry. As I was pulling into the parking lot, I noticed a couple pulling up on a red Honda ST1300. I really have a fondness for this bike (I used to have an ST1100), and had hoped to time it right to chat with them on the way inside, but they still had to take off gear, so I decided against it. I got inside and went to the cafeteria and ordered my food. As I sat down, the guy sitting next to me commented on how he liked my bike. I looked over and it turned out to be the couple on the Honda. We ate lunch and swapped stories about our trip and previous rides and vacations we had. They were really nice people, and I always like chatting about bikes and riding. We all sat there for about a half hour before finally parting ways. I went to browse the gift shop while waiting for the geyser to erupt again. Again, I didn’t find anything that I couldn’t live without, so I wandered back outside and to the viewing platform just in time to see the eruption.

Now if you have never seen a geyser erupt, I highly suggest you get to Yellowstone and watch this. The show is nothing like what you would expect. As a child I always had visions of this huge explosion of steam and water shooting into the air with tremendous force. I had always imagined that it would be an extremely noisy and violent affair. The first time I saw it I was surprised at how mellow and quite it all way. It really is no louder than a small wave splashing against a beach. There is no KA-BOOM! I was expecting an earth shattering KA-BOOM!!! In fact, it is pretty crazy how this geyser can shoot water over 130 feet in the air and do it so quietly. It’s something you really have to see if you haven’t had the opportunity!

The total eruption lasts for maybe about 5 minutes, but manages to draw thousands of people each time it goes off. Knowing how many people were there, I decided it would be best to beat the crowd and get back on my bike as quickly as possible. I made my way back to the Harley, geared up and was on my way in no time. I left the crowded village and got back on the road through the Firehole Valley. I was now riding along happily, heading towards West Yellowstone and eventually home. As I was cruising along, I noticed that traffic in front of me was stopping. In the back of my mind I figured there would be an elk or a buffalo or something along the side of the road that people were checking out. Well, I was partly right. It was a buffalo, and 50 of his friends and family. The part that I got wrong: They were walking down the middle of the highway!

I have lived in Montana all my life, so I was not new to bison sightings. They are huge creatures. Many of the bison in this herd stood as tall as a medium sized SUV, and probably weighed as much! Had I been in a car I probably wouldn’t have been quite so nervous. Unfortunately I was not. If any one of those bison decided they didn’t want me sitting where I was, they could easily, with the sweep of a massive horned head, move me aside. There was no place for me to go should one decide to charge. There were buffalo on either side of me, and a steep hill to my right. All I could do was slowly, quietly and patiently move through the herd at the guidance of the park rangers who were, fortunately about 20 feet in front of me. Moving quietly on a Harley Davidson can be a trick sometimes, and for a couple of times I wondered if I would actually make it, but I survived and was able to go on my merry way. Once I got through the crowd though, all I can say is WOW! What an amazing encounter!

I made my way to West Yellowstone for a quick gas stop before beginning my voyage home. As I finished the voyage through the Madison River Valley and eventually back to Missoula, I reflected on all that had happened and how incredible this ride really was. At one point I was thinking how I had managed to see almost every kind of wildlife I had expected except for a moose. Almost as if on cue I looked over to the side of the interstate, and low and behold, there was a moose grazing at the side of the road. My ride was now complete, and I could continue home feeling fulfilled.