My Yellowstone Odyessy

Chapter 2

2 Looking for Adventure

August 21

I got to the Pilot Travel center around 7am, it looked like a perfect day to start my trip to Yellowstone, I topped off, and grabbed some coffee while I waited for Terry, about 7:25 I saw him pull in the entrance. He slowly cruised up beside me, and shut off his bike. "Hey baby, just let me top off, take a leak and I'll be ready." I nodded while he rolled over to the pump; I made a last minute check of my bike and myself.

I had on black leather chaps borrowed from my mom, my Pink label leather jacket, my half-helmet and Wayfarer sunglasses. Mom did a last minute braid of my hair, so it wouldn't be blowing all over. Terry came out of the store and climbed on his bike ready to go, he motored over to me and began to say something, "Krin, when I was in the store, the radio said something a guy from Evanston being killed on his motorcycle." I was starting my bike at the same time, and couldn't hear him very well, I put my hand to my ear, and shouted, "Tell me later, I can't hear you, let's ride!'

We took it easy going through town, picking up a road I knew well, good old 189, an asphalt conduit taking me to Yellowstone. I'm glad I installed a windshield on this thing, keeps the bugs and bees out of my face, and the constant pressing of cool (and hopefully) rain, off my chest. The sun was getting higher the ridges and buttes rising up on both sides of us. My I-pod earphones helped keep the steady roar of the bike in check, both of us had now settled in for the long ride. I figured we would get to Pinedale around 11, since we had 9 days, I felt no reason to rush, we would camp at Fremont Lake today, and then the Tetons tomorrow.

As we neared Diamondville, I spotted a single headlight in the other lane, as the rider passed, I swung out my arm as did Terry, it was a kid on a Suzuki, Damn! That was Steve Don't' know if he recognized us or not, heading down to Pam's no doubt, he's out early. We stopped in LaBarge to gas up, I was pretty sure I was running on fumes, while we were fueling, Terry said "Ya doing OK baby?" "Fine Terry, don't forget, I made this ride a couple weeks ago," "I don't know if you heard me back at the Pilot, but the radio said something about an Evanston man being killed on a motorcycle around 1am this morning." "Did they say who?" "No, I don't think so; at least I didn't hear any name." We finished filling our tanks, paid, and soon were rolling down the highway.

I started wondering who it was that got killed, I hoped it wasn't anyone I knew, at the time I was mulling this information over, it never even occurred to me that it could have been Ted. To alleviate the boredom, we would frequently change positions, if there wasn't any traffic coming, Terry would sometimes weave back and forth ahead of me, sometimes we would ride close together looking at each other as much as the road, smiling and pretending to kiss each other. By now Fontenelle reservoir was on our right, that's what they called a dammed up part of the Green River, already there were a lot of vehicles pulling boats on the road. Late morning found us approaching Pinedale, the ever present abandoned corrals and stock pens on either side of the road.

We stopped at the same convenience store I stopped at the last time I was here and filled up, and bought some canned fruit, canned chili and beef stew, along with a couple bottles of Mountain Dew and stuffed them in our bag. I knew the way out to the lake so Terry followed me this time. There were a lot of occupied sites but we found one fairly close to the lake and pulled in. Both of us headed for the privy right away, Gaaa! I hate these pit toilets, stinky damn things, but that's all they seem to have in these National Forest campgrounds.

Back at camp, we got out of our chaps and leather jackets and started unpacking the bikes, I tried to find the smoothest spot for my tent but it wasn't easy, I fussed around finally getting the tent up and bedding situated while Terry did the same. Finally we sat down on the picnic table and surveyed our work.