Father and Son US Road Trip- 9 States, 12 National Parks, 2 Months, 6500 Miles!

[TonyBKK]

From Mammoth Hot Springs we motor south on the Grand Loop Road in the direction of Old Faithful.

Still not sure what this sign was supposed to indicate...

We have friends from Minnesota who are on their way to Glacier National Park and are going to spend tonight in Yellowstone at the Grant Village Campground. We make plans to meet them for dinner at their campground. After the experience at Bridge Bay I'm not keen to spend another night in a Xanterra corporate camp, so we're aiming for Lewis Lake which is only ~15 minutes south of Grant Village.

It's only ~75 miles from Mammoth Hot Springs to Lewis Lake, but it's slow going on the Grand Loop Road, with a few wildlife induced traffic jams, slow RV's struggling up steep grades and other nonsense. These roads would be awesome in the off season, but today we just potter along in traffic. That's ok- the views are awesome!

I think this is Gibbon Falls-

Despite the traffic it's a pleasant ride, perfect weather, and we pass some great scenery.

While there is so much to see we don't stop as Lewis Lake is first come first serve and I worry about us finding a spot to camp if we arrive late in the day.

Damn RV blockin my line

We reach Madison Junction in good time-

The road follows the beautiful Firehole River-

We pass the Midway Geyser Basin and Grand Prismatic Spring- one could easily spend a month in Yellowstone and still not see everything. Still I like to think that we hit most of the top spots.

Caught a glimpse of the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake as we approached Grant Village-

Yellowstone National Park connects to Grand Teton National Park to the south and Jackson Hole isn't very far away-

We're almost at Lewis Lake when we encounter another wildlife induced traffic jam, this one caused by a big bull elk who is not shy in the least-

The traffic slowly moves past, everyone stopping to take pictures of the mighty elk- not even the noise of these Harleys phased this critter-

So close we could have reached over and petted him!

Kristhawee was mighty impressed by this beautiful animal-

Movin again!

We made it to Lewis Lake!

The Walk-In campsites were all taken, but we found a pretty decent spot in the C loop-

While Lewis Lake didn't have the amazing views of Tower Falls campground and the sites were closer together, it had a size restriction on RV's, no hook-ups and no generators allowed- perfect!

Little guy wants to fish!

Let's go!

 

[TonyBKK]

Not for lack of trying, but still no fish

Lewis Lake Ranger Station-

I think I mentioned earlier that Yellowstone has some pretty strict rules for would be anglers- no live bait and no barbed hooks make it tough for even the most seasoned fishermen. I was tempted to break the rules but there's no place in the park that even sells live bait... Ah well, once again, if you can't catch em, swim with em!

Good god that was one incredibly cold lake!!!

We got out and found a nice place in the sun to warm up and have a picnic lunch-

Angry squirrel

It was late afternoon and time to go find our friends who were camping at the Grant Village campground about 10 miles north of us. Lewis Lake is lovely in the late afternoon sun-

By this time of the afternoon / early evening there's much less traffic and it was a fun little blast to Grant Village-

This road crosses the Continental Divide several times-

Just after the turn off to Grant Village there were a bunch of cars pulled over as there was a herd of elk just off the road-

We jumped off the bike and had a look at these beautiful animals-

Caught up with our friends and Kristhawee was happy to hang out with their son who is only a few months older and his little sister who is just a sweetie. I took my friend Jeremy to the General Store on the back of the Land Yacht- he'd never been on a motorcycle before. His wife wasn't too happy about it, but at least I brought him back in one piece

They cooked up a fantastic dinner and we hung out pretty late. Kristhawee wanted to "sleep over" and there were some tears when I finally dragged him out of their tent for the short ride back to our campground. But we'd be seeing them again soon in Glacier National Park, so he had that to look forward to.

We made plants to meet at Old Faithful bright and early the next morning in hopes of beating the crowds. Got back to our campground pretty late, brushed our teeth and I think we were asleep before our heads hit the pillows!

 

[TonyBKK]

We woke up at the crack of dawn and it was flippin COLD! Kristhawee did NOT want to get out of his warm sleeping bag!

The temp gauge on the Land Yacht was showing 46 degrees! (about 8 degrees C!)

Ah, those heated grips and heated seats certainly helped take the edge off

Lewis Lake was mirror smooth and beautiful in the dawn sun-

We had the road all to ourselves at this hour and made good time-

In the 30 miles from Lewis Lake to Old Faithful we cross the continental divide three times-

Fantastic road at this time of the morning- some great curves around Craigs Pass-

Arriving at Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park!

 

[Fishenough]

TonyBKK;282600 wrote: Thanks Kevin! Wow are you guys are riding the Alaskan Highway in September? How's it going? That's something I very much want to do with my son when he's a bit older. Congratulations to your son on his license! :happy1:

We are living on the Alaskan Highway now, well at least for the last 2 weeks, and are suffering being bike-less currently. Otherwise it is going great thank you! Weathers very similar all the way up here, warm days with cold nights.

Looking forward to the upcoming updates of your ride. Did you ride the 'going to the sun' road, following behind all those RV's but enjoying the views that road offers?

:happy1:

 

[TonyBKK]

Fishenough;282643 wrote: We are living on the Alaskan Highway now, well at least for the last 2 weeks, and are suffering being bike-less currently. Otherwise it is going great thank you! Weathers very similar all the way up here, warm days with cold nights.

Looking forward to the upcoming updates of your ride. Did you ride the 'going to the sun' road, following behind all those RV's but enjoying the views that road offers?

:happy1:

Living on the highway?! Sounds interesting- will you be spending the winter up there?

I very much enjoy reading the Alaska ride reports on advrider and a ride to Alaska is definitely on my bucket list, but probably NOT on the Land Yacht

Oh yes absolutely we hit the Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park.

Amazing! But I'm getting ahead of myself

 

[TonyBKK]

Hitting Old Faithful bright and early was a good plan! Nice and cool and no crowds!

It was wonderfully deserted at this early hour-

About to blow!

Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers, although it is not the largest or most regular geyser in the park. Its average interval between eruptions varies from 60 - 110 minutes. An eruption lasts 1 1/2 to 5 minutes, expels 3,700 - 8,400 gallons (14,000 - 32,000 liters) of boiling water, and reaches heights of 106 - 184 feet (30 - 55m).

After watching Old Faithful erupt we wandered over to the rustic old lodge to warm up and grab some breakfast-

Kristhawee was diggin the rocking chair

Father and son at the Old Faithful Lodge, Yellowstone National Park-

We grabbed a table with a view-

This is the closest we got to a Grizzly Bear in Yellowstone

Old faithful is just one of many active hydrothermal wonders in the Upper Geyser Basin- let's go for a hike!

View from the far side of Old Faithful with the Old Faithful Inn in the background-

Infant Geyser-

Vault Geyser-

It's warming up quickly and off come the coats. Here is Kristhawee in front of the Teakettle Spring-

Teakettle Spring-

Pump Geyser was pretty cool-

A short vid of Pump Geyser bubbling away-

Sponge Geyser-

Some amazing colors created by thermophilic bacteria living in the hit acidic waters-

Doublet Pool-

A better look at the complex series of ledges, elaborate border ornamentation, and deep blue waters of Doublet Pool-

Amazing that grass can grow in these conditions-

Aurum Geyser-

This is a pretty long walk- Kristhawee is getting tired, but he wants to keep going. Good boy!

 

[madjbs]

Great trip report Tony, I'm really enjoying it!

 

[TonyBKK]

We continue exploring the Upper Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park.

I'm glad we got up so early- It's wonderful to beat the crowds and have the place more or less to ourselves in July!

Ear spring-

Off in the distance Old Faithful erupts again-

So many hotsprings I lose track of their names-

Liberty Pool-

Kristhawee admiring Liberty Pool, Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park-

We had the good fortune of seeing Grand Geyser erupt in spectacular fashion-

Grand Geyser is the tallest predictable geyser in the world but eruptions only occur once every 7 - 15 hours so we were quite lucky to see it blow! It is a classic fountain geyser and erupts from a large pool with powerful bursts rather than a steady column like Old Faithful. We hustled over for a closer look-

Kristhawee at Grand Geyser, Yellowstone National Park.

The Grand Geyser eruption finally ran out of steam

Not sure where Grand Geyser ends and Turban Geyser begins-

Nearby Belgian Pool-

Continuing towards the north section of the Upper Geyser Basin-

Economic Geyser-

Wave Spring-

Beauty Pool-

Chromatic Pool-

Where do these amazing colors come from?

Onwards!!

 

[TonyBKK]

We cross the Firehole River to reach Oblong Geyser-

Giant Geyser-

Father and son at the Giant Geyser, Yellowstone National Park-

Kristhawee at Mastiff and Giant Geysers-

Grotto Geyser-

Catfish Geyser was bubbling away-

Approaching Castle Geyser-

Shield Spring-

A bit of a slog back to the Old Faithful Inn-

We pass the Old Faithful General Store-

We cross a little stream and Kristhawee wants to know if it's hot... I tell him to stick his finger in and find out

The "Old House" section of the Old Faithful Inn was completed back in 1904 and is a National Historic Landmark.

Truth be told I find the Old Faithful Inn a bit creepy. Is this where they filmed The Shining??

Kristhawee in front of one of the giant stone fireplaces in the Old Faithful Inn-

Quite interesting architecture-

We spent about 5 hours exploring the Old Faithful Geyser Basin! So much to see! I'm really glad we went early and beat the heat and crowds.

Bye bye Old Faithful! See you again!

 

[TonyBKK]

I was pretty beat from getting up at the crack of dawn and exploring the Old Faithful Upper Geyser Basin, but Kristhawee wanted to play-

I eventually set him up with a movie on the iPad so that I could take a much needed nap. You can really see the "chemical peel" that started after our stay in Thermopolis in this pic-

Once the rain passed, the temperature really dropped. We bundled up and went fishing!

Lewis Lake looked stormy-

Think we'll catch anything this time??

 

[TonyBKK]

We hiked along Lewis Lake for a while-

Not a real trail- we had to cross a few obstacles -

We reached the outlet of Lewis Lake where it empties into the Lewis River- you can see the steam from a hot spring on the far shore-

Are we there yet dad??

Hiking along the shore, the water is crystal clear and very very cold-

The Lewis River-

I waded out to find a good spot to cast- little guy followed but wasn't too happy about the cold water-

Fishing on the Lewis River, Yellowstone National Park-

Kristhawee wants to give it a try-

Kristhawee fishing on the Lewis River, Yellowstone National Park-

He fished for a while but we weren't having any luck, so he headed back to shore-

I wandered around and discovered a hot spring on our side of the river-

It was nice and warm here- I told Kristhawee to come check it out-

It was warm, but it was also really muddy, or as Kristhawee likes to say SQUISHY!!

We mucked around in there for a while and the warm water felt great as it was still cold out-

Some cute little wood ducks paddled by-

It was getting late- time to head back to camp. No fish, but what a smile. Now this is what I call Quality Time!

 

[TonyBKK]

Back at camp I flexed my culinary muscles and whipped up a gourmet meal of macaroni and cheese with hotdog- Kristhawee loved it

There were some really nice kids camping with their father in the site next to us and Kristhawee hit it off with them. He wanted to show them the Land Yacht-

Man that little girl was funny- no front teeth and covered in soot and ash, and she really wanted my son to sleep over in her tent

Her big brother was a really nice kid-

Three up on the Land Yacht

Had to take turns "driving"

She got a turn too-

We ended up hanging around the fire making smores together.

Their dad shared some beers with me

The kids played well together and I enjoyed talking to their dad, a divorced father, who, like me, had his kids for the summer and was taking them on a big road trip.

Tomorrow we're going to Grand Teton National Park!!

 

[TonyBKK]

Monday, July 23rd

Good morning from Lewis Lake Campground, Yellowstone National Park!

Kristhawee helped me make breakfast

Bonne appetit!

We packed up and hit the road, following the Lewis River south towards Grand Teton National Park-

Another beautiful day!

Leaving Yellowstone National Park-

Entering Grand Teton National Park

I was hoping to get a spot in either Colter Bay or Signal Mountain campgrounds but by the time we reached them they were full...

The John D Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway was a great ride!

Our first glimpse of the Grand Tetons off in the distance-

 

[TonyBKK]

We ride south along the shore of Jackson Lake-

Traffic is light, the weather is perfect and the views are amazing!

Looking across Jackson Lake at the Grand Tetons-

We've just passed 2100 miles on our journey. Only ~4400 more miles to go!

The mighty Grand Tetons!

Approaching Jenny Lake-

I believe that is Mount Moran straight ahead!

Fantastic road!

I know we have "bike porn" pics; how about "pavement porn"?

A closer look at the spectacular Grand Teton range-

Approaching Jackson Hole-

Welcome to Jackson, Wyoming!

 

[TonyBKK]

Jackson Hole is a cool little tourist town-

Rolling in to town from the north you see the Snow King ski resort on the south side of town-

There's a really cool little park right in the center of town and on all four corners are these arches made of elk antlers-

We wandered around town, checking out the sites. Some pretty cool art galleries. Kristhawee was pretty impressed by these animal sculptures in front of the Mountain Trails Gallery-

That's one BIG Moose!

Hangin with the sheriff

Chillin with Abe

and Ben Franklin-

Tons of restaurants, and after suffering my cooking in recent days I reckoned it was time to get a properly cooked meal

Kristhawee chose the E.leaven Restaurant and Bakery. He had chicken fingers with fruit-

My funny funny boy, we had a running joke this summer- he's at that age, where whenever you put something on his plate that he hasn't had before, he just immediately says, "I don't like that".

The first instance was at Grandma's house in MN- the first morning we were there Grandma went out into her garden and picked a big bowl of fresh raspberries and offered them to him at breakfast. "I don't like that" he says, which prompted me to force feed him one, after which he came back with "I like that!!!"

I lost track of all the different times we repeated this little game over the course of the summer, but I recall that with the fruit salad he said he liked grapes but not honey dew or cantaloupe. "I don't like that" he says, which of course means he has to try it. And of course, once he does, "I like that!!" He sure discovered a lot of new foods during our travels!

I enjoyed a killer taco salad

After lunch we headed back to the park in the middle of town- looked like it was going to rain, but didn't-

The park was full of kids, so I let Kristhawee play while I made some phone calls. I knew that I'd need to tires for the Land Yacht sooner than later and decided I'd get them put on in Walla Walla, WA where we were planning to stop for a few days to visit one of my very best friends from college.

Big props to Motorcycle-Superstore.com for sorting me out with new Bridgestone Battlax BT-020 OEM Replacement tires at an awesome price, shipped direct to their recommended shop in Walla Walla. I'm on their mailing list and got an email announcing they were having a tire sale- good timing! I placed my order while sitting in in the grass in the park in Jackson, Wyoming. I wish I could remember the name of the guy who helped me- he was really knowledgeable and got my order processed and shipped in record time.

I ordered new brake pads too because the brakes on the Land Yacht were squealing like mad at slow speeds, especially the back brake, and try as I could, I just couldn't see the damn pads, so assumed they were squealing because they were about worn out. (Seriously though, is there a way to check the rear pads on a K1200LT without taking the caliper off? Cuz I sure couldn't figure out how to check the pads with the caliper on the bike...)

Well, turns out the pads were fine and I later learned that the K1200LT is just known for having really annoying squeaky brakes. Oh well, the EBC HH replacement pads I bought were pretty cheap and didn't take up much room. $107 for a full set. Thanks again Motorcycle-Superstore.com!

 

[TonyBKK]

Colter Bay, Signal Mountain, and Jenny Lake campgrounds were all full so we ended up staying at the Gros Ventre campground which is right on the edge of Grand Teton National Park and just across the Gros Ventre River from the National Elk Refuge.

The hosts there were really nice and gave us the cheap hiker/biker rate and a cool wildlife activity book for Kristhawee.

It was a nice warm day so we hit the Gros Ventre river to cool down-

Kristhawee was having fun finding the shed skins of some kind of bug that molted by the thousands in this area-

The water was very cold so he didn't swim much, but seeing as how the campground had no showers I jumped in for a quick scrub

Kristhawee was fascinated by those bugs-

It was a beautiful spot and we had it all to ourselves-

The thistles were in bloom and I got a good shot of one of the flowers-

Kristhawee showing off one of the bug skins that he found. Weird creepy looking bugs with big pincers or stingers on the tail, I'm glad they only left their skins- I wouldn't have wanted to go swimming with them.

Hiking back to our campsite we both carried some driftwood from the river for use in our campfire later in the evening-

That evening there was a ranger program about the Pronghorn, which it turns out, is a pretty interesting critter-

They are not related to deer, elk, goats or sheep. Their closest living relative is the giraffe! The pronghorn is the second-fastest land animal in the world, second only to the cheetah. But unlike a cheetah, Pronghorn can sustain high speeds for long distances. There is no predator in North America that can come even close to catching a Pronghorn. They're one of the only animals that can eat and digest sage. Pretty tough animals, but just like deer and elk, they get hit by traffic so I added the Pronghorn to the list of animals to watch out for when we were riding.

After the sun went down the temperature dropped quickly. Kristhawee bundled up for dinner. Spanish rice with hotdog

We snuggled up in our sleeping bags and read Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. Tonight's story: Rikki Tikki Tavi, the adventures of the valiant young mongoose who was taken in by an English family and subsequently saved them from a number of poisonous serpents. A timeless classic, I really enjoyed re-reading it and Kristhawee loved the story, but never lasted more than a few pages before he'd pass out. It took us a few nights to get through it. Now he REALLY wants a pet mongoose

 

[Chiang_Mai_Martin]

Awesome report..... I like your writing style. This is something the little feller will never ever forget...... what a wonderful holiday!

 

[feejer]

TonyBKK;282832 wrote: Well, turns out the pads were fine and I later learned that the K1200LT is just known for having really annoying squeaky brakes. Oh well, the EBC HH replacement pads I bought were pretty cheap and didn't take up much room. $107 for a full set.

My LT did this too. The EBC HH sintered are great pads but they did not completely solve the squeal for me. It started again after a few weeks of riding. The permanent fix was to replace OEM with the matching EBC rotor. http://www.beemerboneyard.com/34217673796.html

The OEM rivet design allows excessive float of the rotor so that it resonates at low speed.

 

[TonyBKK]

feejer;282858 wrote: My LT did this too. The EBC HH sintered are great pads but they did not completely solve the squeal for me. It started again after a few weeks of riding. The permanent fix was to replace OEM with the matching EBC rotor. http://www.beemerboneyard.com/34217673796.html

The OEM rivet design allows excessive float of the rotor so that it resonates at low speed.

Cheers for the link!

Yes, I guess that's what I'll need to do if I want to get rid of that annoying squealing and "cowbell" rattle. I understand BMW is aware of the problem and issued a service bulletin 34 003 08 (013) advising dealers to replace the rear brake rotor because over time it develops too much play. I think that my bike definitely suffers from this problem. When riding over bumps at low speed you can hear the rear brake disc rattling due to too much play. Not dangerous, but certainly annoying. A replacement oem rotor is over $700 and will eventually rattle just like the original one. I did read about a DIY fix. Copied from http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63585:

"I removed the rotor, cleaned it up really well. Set it on my shop table and aligned the rotor center on the hub and turned it clockwise so that the rotor was pressing against the rivets. This ensured that when the brake is applied the stopping force would be against the rivets. It is important that the rotor lays flat against the hub. You do not want any wobble (run out) when the rotor rotates or else it will rub against the brake pads. I then filled the gap around each rivet with a drop of GE Silicone. I let it set for 24 hrs. Reinstalled the rotor. 2500 miles later the rotor is still quiet and working great."

If that doesn't work, the EBC rotor isn't terribly expensive.

 

[TonyBKK]

Tuesday July 24th we woke up early to grey skies and the threat of rain. It had rained a bit during the night and it's never fun packing a wet tent, but fortunately we didn't have far to go today. Off in the distance we can see the Jackson Hole ski resort and a plane that's just taken off from the Jackson airport.

The Gros Ventre campground was ok, but nothing special and not close to anything. I was hoping that if we hit Jenny Lake early enough we might get lucky and score a spot there. The Jenny Lake campground is tent only and first come first serve. It only has 49 spots and fills up fast!

Riding to Jenny Lake-

Looks pretty cold up in the mountains-

We got lucky and snagged a great spot!!

There was a really nice family from Wisconsin who was packing up. They had a couple girls close to Kristhawee's age so the kids played while the parents packed and I chatted with their grandpa. They even left us a bunch of firewood :thumbup:

No trailers, campers, or generators are allowed at Jenny Lake Campground and vehicles cannot be over 8-feet high or 14 feet long. Campsites are available on a first come basis and fill early in the day. Reservations are not accepted in advance for Jenny Lake Campground.

As we're setting up our tent a huge buck elk wandered through our site-

What a beautiful animal! I'm so happy that we got a spot at this wonderful campground in Grand Teton National Park

 

[TonyBKK]

The Jenny Lake Campground is just a hop skip and a jump away from the Ranger Station, Visitor Center and Boat Dock for the Jenny Lake shuttle boat.

I have very fond memories of hiking here with my mom when I was a kid. The weather was clearing up and Kristhawee was keen to go on a hike, so off we went. The view from Jenny Lake Campground-

It's a 5.2 mile hike to Hidden Falls, but if you take the shuttle boat that shaves off about 2.5 miles

Jenny Lake is so clean and clear, from the boat dock we could see many fish in the water, but we didn't bring the fishing pole and anyway, no fishing allowed on the dock.

I bought a one way ticket for us on the Jenny Lake Shuttle Boat. All aboard!

Kristhawee on Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park-

It's a short ride, but what a view!

On the far side on Jenny Lake Kristhawee posed for a picture with the "Jenny Leigh"-

Starting up the trail to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point-

Hiking with my son- it's a short but fairly steep trail. He did great!

Lots of very tame ground squirrels begging for food-

These ground squirrels are pretty darn cute. Kristhawee kept trying to catch them and I kept warning him that he'd get bit if he actually managed to grab one.

Onwards and upwards!

C'mon Kristhawee, you can do it!

Sunkist break

Cascade Creek!

Pretty please don't fall in!!!

Crossing Cascade Creek-

We made it!!

Kristhawee at Hidden Falls, Grand Teton National Park-

I'm proud of him for hiking all the way up here- I tell him he's a pretty tough five year old

Father and son at Hidden Falls, Grand Teton National Park-

 

[VietHorse]

Marvellous trip and awesome photos Tony!
Heading to US this weekend and also love to ride there.

 

[TonyBKK]

We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch under the shade of a huge tree at Hidden Falls. After lunch Kristhawee got a second wind and told me he wanted to continue on to Inspiration Point. Good on ya!

Playing at Cascade Creek-

He was getting annoyed by all the pictures I was taking

I told him he'd enjoy seeing these pictures in years to come-

What a view! But we're not at Inspiration Point yet!

The trail is pretty rough and challenging in spots-

Yeah! We made it! Inspiration Point, 7200 feet!

Father and son at Inspiration Point, Grand Teton National Park-

 

[TonyBKK]

There were a bunch of ground squirrels and chipmunks up at Inspiration Point

My son wasn't the only one that wanted to feed them-

Of course, feeding the wildlife is against the rules and a ranger came along and put a stop to it

Another pic of us at Inspiration Point-

Marmots!!

Kristhawee and his new friend were still trying to catch the critters-

Amazingly, Kristhawee wanted to keep going up the trail! I told him about Lake Solitude and he said he wanted to see it. But that's a BIG hike and if we wanted to attempt something like that we would have needed to have left much much earlier and carry a lot more food and water. I'm so impressed by his "can do" attitude. I never had to push him on our hikes and I was constantly surprised by his stamina and endurance.

We hiked a little further up the trail so that Kristhawee could get a better look at the snow in the higher elevations-

It was getting late and the clouds were building- we started down-

I mentioned earlier that I bought one way tickets for the Jenny Lake shuttle boat. Kristhawee really wanted to go back on the boat, but I convinced him that the hike around the lake would be fun. He doesn't look very convinced

It rained a bit, nothing heavy-

Back at the boat dock- we made it!!

 

[Billy Baht]

Really grreat report and best of all, a father spending time with his son