We took a day trip drive though Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, along US-14 though the forest, then around to US-20, -31, and -16, passing through the forest again.
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Drive through Bighorn National Forest
We took a day trip drive though Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming.
We started by going to Sheridan to get our second COVID boosters, then went west along US-14 though the forest (zoom in on the map; some fun twisties there). Then looped anticlockwise around to US-20, -31, and -16, passing through the forest again. Here’s an interactive route map:
Bighorn National Forest sign:
Viewpoint:
There were geologic signs for the rock formations:
Nice views:
We stopped at the Cabin Creek Picnic Area to use the vault toilet there; there is a nice rest area a little further on, but I suspected (based on research) that it would be closed, and it was, so good thing we stopped here:
More views:
Greybull:
We got a real Utah vibe from this area west of the forest:
Ten Sleep, population 246:
Brake check turnout:
Sharp curves ahead:
7% downgrade:
Did we mention sharp curives?
We wanted to travel this route in part because we may be driving our coach this way next year, heading from Yellowstone to Devils Tower. It’s rather steep, with about 5,000 feet of elevation gain then loss, but I think we can handle it; we’ve driven much worse.
An interesting runaway truck ramp:
Back in Buffalo, some sculptures:
We went to Southside Grill for dinner:
Buffalo mural:
Buffalo museum:
Video: Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park timelapse
A timelapse of driving our truck along Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana.
Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park
We did a day-trip around the south of Glacier National Park, then along the iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road through the park.
Here’s an interactive route map with some of our stops marked, going counter-clockwise:
Highway 2 south of Glacier:
A stop at Silver Staircase Waterfall (probably more impressive at another time of year):
Glacier from US-2:
East Glacier Park:
Whistle Stop Restaurant for lunch:
Two Medicine Road:
Glacier National Park sign:
Two Medicine Road:
Two Medicine Lake:
US-89 heading north towards the St Mary Visitor Center:
Roadworks:
US-89:
St Mary Visitor Center:
Views from Going-to-the-Sun Road, through the park:
An interesting van:
A closed underground restroom:
A little close:
An iconic red bus:
Waterfall:
Lake McDonald:
Roadworks:
Heading out the west entrance:
Ride around Brookhollow RV Park
While staying at Brookhollow, I did a quick ride along the dike that wraps around the park.
The entrance:
Views from the dike path:
A video of the route:
I rearranged the contents of the bed of our truck. I previously had the bikes side-by-side, with the hammock and canopy tent on top:
Instead, I rearranged things so the bikes are front-to-back, with other stuff beside them:
This seems to be a better layout, as I can get the bikes out without having to remove other items, and vice versa.
Washingtonians
We have been Oregonians since moving from New Zealand to the US in 2001, but now that we’re traveling the country, we have fewer ties to Oregon. We decided to move our domicile (i.e. where we vote and have as a home base) to Washington state, since we have family there, so more of a connection.
The first step in officially changing our domicile was to get new driver licenses, and re-register our truck and coach. Here’s the old Oregon truck license plate:
And the new Washington truck license plate:
The old Oregon coach license plate:
The new (and very expensive!) Washington coach license plate:
I guess we’ll need to remove that “heart in Oregon” sticker now; Washington is now our home base.
We have a new mailbox service in Washington, to forward mail to us as we travel. We’re working on changing bank accounts and my Dejal company registration. We’ll change doctors and dentists when due for our next checkups. And more. There are lots of things to update, so it’s certainly not something we do lightly.
Lectric XP 2.0 ebikes
For several months, we had been thinking about getting bikes to aid in our RV travels. Another option to get around large campgrounds, and to explore surrounding areas.
We wanted ebikes, i.e. with a pedal assist and/or throttle motor, to make it easier to cope with hills and such.
And we didn’t want to have to deal with a bike rack, if possible, both due to being extra hassle, and more of a security risk if we’re parked somewhere with bikes on the back of our truck.
We (mainly Jenn) spent quite some time researching the options, including a spreadsheet comparing the specs for several candidate models.
Fortunately, we found the perfect bikes for us: the Lectric XP 2.0 ebikes. They are affordable folding bikes, certainly not high-end, but with enough features for our needs and experience levels. They are very popular, perhaps especially with RVers, so you may have seen them riding around.
And importantly, they fold up small enough to fit in the bed of our truck under the tonneau cover. So we can travel around with them securely out-of-sight.
Some stats: the bikes are class 2 ebikes, i.e. include pedal assist and throttle, limited to 20 MPH, though can be changed to class 1 (pedal assist only) or class 3 (up to 28 MPH) via preferences. They have a 500W (850W peak) motor, 5 levels of pedal assist, with a base range of 45 miles per charge. They have 20” wheels with 3” wide tires, front suspension, disc brakes, 7 gears, backlit LCD display, and weigh 64 lb. They are 67 x 25 x 47” when unfolded, and 37 x 18 x 28” when folded.
On with the pictures. The Lectric bikes are only sold online, so we had them shipped to our mailbox, and picked them up when in the Portland area. Here’s the carton for my bike, plus a couple of cargo packages, in the bed of our truck:
Unboxing:
The charger and manual:
Bike with packaging:
Folded bike:
Unfolded bike:
The display:
My bike by our coach. The battery is hidden inside the frame, and can be charged inside or out of the bike. Here it’s charging inside:
A closer view of the charging port:
I installed a Lectric-branded folding lock:
The bike folded, showing the battery in its compartment on the right; it is held in place by a bolt that requires a key to unlock, for security:
The battery:
Here’s the key in the bike, plus the bike lock key and an Apple AirTag:
The bike again:
My first ride on the bike:
My first mile of riding on the odometer:
The folded bike on the truck tailgate:
In the truck bed; on its side isn’t ideal, but I added a bunch of packaging materials from the box as padding to protect it:
It fits under the tonneau cover:
I added mirrors to the handlebars:
And a phone holder:
Also a cargo rack on the back:
It is mounted with thumb screws, so it can be easily removed when folding the bike in the back of the truck:
The cargo rack was useful for taking the trash out at a campground without nearby garbage bins:
To personalize the bike a bit, I added an Apple sticker on the rear fender:
And Dejal stickers on the sides:
Plus Sinclair Trails stickers:
I also added a tool bag:
We bought Sena smart helmets, that include Bluetooth audio and mesh communication, so Jenn and I can easily talk to each other while riding together, without interfering with hearing other noises around us. Very handy:
Jenn’s bike was delivered a couple of weeks after mine. While my bike is a step-over, hers is a step-through model. Here’s her bike’s box:
Unboxing her bike:
Partially folded bike (without the seat):
Her battery:
Like on mine, I taped an Apple AirTag to the end of the battery, so it’s hidden inside the frame and can’t be removed, which will let us locate the bike if it is ever stolen (or we just can’t remember where we parked it):
We got the comfort seats for both bikes (though mine has only just arrived, so not shown in the pics). Here’s the comfort one and the one that came with her bike, still wrapped:
Jenn’s bike:
As hoped (based on the measurements), both bikes do fit in the bed of our truck:
With some room for our screen tent, rug, and other stuff:
Another addition, a compact bell on my bike:
Both bikes at a campground:
Riding our bikes is lots of fun! We’re very happy with them.
Utah Alpine Loop scenic drive and Bridal Veil Falls
We did a day trip drive along the Utah Alpine Loop scenic drive, to the Timpanogos Cave National Monument visitor center, through the outskirts of Salt Lake City, and to Bridal Veil Falls.
Here’s an embedded map of the route, as an experiment (alternative link):
Alpine Loop scenic drive:
We stopped at the Timpanogos Cave National Monument visitor center, since it was on the way. We didn’t go to the actual cave, since (a) it requires reservations, (b) it requires a fairly long hike to reach it, and (c) it requires having never been in a cave before:
We stopped at The Holy Grill for lunch, a BBQ restaurant:
And a stop at Eddie Bauer to return some clothing:
Mountains:
Video: timelapse of truck driving up the Moki Dugway switchbacks
We drove our truck up the dirt switchback road carved into the face of the cliff edge of Cedar Mesa in Utah.
Moki Dugway switchbacks
On a road trip to Bears Ears and Natural Bridges National Monuments (a post about them tomorrow), we drove our truck up Utah State Route 261, which includes the Moki Dugway dirt switchback road carved into the cliff face of Cedar Mesa in Utah.
Here’s a map:
The mesa from the bottom:
A warning sign:
Heading up the road:
Twisty GPS route:
Monuments:
Don’t look down:
A road at the top and bottom:
Monuments again:
View from near the top:
Stay tuned for a timelapse video of this drive.