The End

We decided at the last minute to spend the last night of our trip at a glorious hot springs resort in southern Wyoming. They had a special deal for registering online and we took advantage of it. We stayed in a lovely room right by the pools, but spend most of the time there, in the hot springs water. It was quite lovely. They had private tubs with natural rocks inside the teepees.

And inside the lobby was one of our old friends, mister buffalo.

The next day we arrived in Colorado, sad but excited to be back!

And we traveled through Rocky Mtn National Park on the way home. It was the highest elevation we reached during the entire trip.

Home sweet home. A few hours later we were unloading our luggage and the reality of being back in regular life was starting to set in...until next time...EAST COAST HERE WE COME!!!

Jackson Lake

After our amazing adventure in Yellowstone, we headed to the Grand Tetons and stayed the night at Jackson Lake. Despite it raining on us that evening, we enjoyed the most wonderful views and even took a long swim in the lake.

And the sunset seemed to last for hours, so we sat and watched the glorious setting sun all evening long.

Yellowstone National Park

Ran into some cows (not literally!) on the back roads of Montana.

All the while, Mim is yelling back at me, "You know they're just cows, right?" Well, we may have cows at home but these cows...these are Montana cows. These are cows we found chillin' in the road just beyond a 15mph curve on a windy country road during the first motorcycling trip we ever took together! So I had to take a picture.I think it's fun when wildlife crosses the road (at least when you get to see it in time) and you have to stop and yell at them to move. During this trip, we also encountered on the road (without photo's unfortunately) a flock of turkeys, a few deer, buffalo, and elk. No one got hurt and we got to say hello pretty close up. The turkeys were especially funny.

SO, here we are still making our way south to Yellowstone. After riding for hours, we needed a short break so we hung out with statue guy for a few.

Pioneer man of the Louis and Clark days. Good job mr. pioneer! Once we entered Yellowstone National Park, we were told there were only a select few campgrounds that still had openings, so off we went to bare the cold as we rode another hour into dusk. We stopped to see some of the awesome boiling pools.

And here is a buffalo chillin' near the highway and giving people dirty looks.

We finally made it to the campground! It was about 15 till 9pm and there was a line at the registration booth. After we received our campsite and turned around to get the bikes, the line had grown into a large mob of people. (they looked upset to me..) Anyway, it wasn't our fault the lady who helped us was so thorough and that the booth was closing at 9! So we made it over to our campsite and started setting up camp. We made Mim's amazing Dal that night so it took us a few hours. Sometime around 11pm we were still playing cards and waiting for the food to finally be done. Suddenly, two large buffalo strolled past our campsite into the darkness beyond the bathrooms (which were next door to us)

This was our view from the picnic table. We thought it was pretty cool that we just had a few buffalo roam right past us in the middle of the night! We went back to our cards, but just then I hear a loud grunt (or whatever you would call the mean noise a buffalo makes). We turned toward the spot near the bathrooms were we saw the buffalo a minute before. There was one lone buffalo staring right at us and grunting and puffing and scraping the ground with his foot. He looked like he was going to charge us! I asked Mim, "what should we do? Should we flash a light or something?!" No, that might MAKE him charge. Ok, so here we were wondering what on earth we could've done to piss this buffalo off when out from beyond the bathroom, something like 10 or 15 buffalo come galloping towards us! As they get closer, they begin to stampede at full speed, and 15 or 20 more buffalo show up running behind them. I had stood half way up off the picnic table bench and was frozen solid until Mim walked around and grabbed my hand and pulled me to the backside of the table, so that the table was between us and the buffalo coming at us. The buffalo ran at what must've been 30mph straight at us, only merging to the right or left to dodge the tent and picnic table in front of us. The wild animals just flowed around us like a river might flow around a large rock. We could have reached out our arms and touched them as they ran past! After the last buffalo had disappeared, we stood, still holding each others hand and looking wide eyed into the darkness where the buffalo had gone. Then we laughed. And felt a little bit crazy. And realized what a RUSH of adrenaline that experience had produced! What a night! We never would have guessed something such as a buffalo stampede would happen to us! We are so glad it did, because that was the most wonderful experience of them all. A short while later (we stayed up pretty late after that) we heard and saw the same buffalo stampede on the other side of the campground and we hoped that they would come back around so that we could have another chance to experience that close-up adventure without the frozen shock we had the first time. But alas! They didn't. The next morning we tried to take some shots to portray the event.

Picnic table where I was sitting/ and buffalo print

Buffalo prints / view from bathrooms

When we saw Old Faithful the next day, it just wasn't as exciting as we wanted it to be...

But it was pretty cool. And one things for sure: we will never forget this trip to Yellowstone!

Swan Lake, MT

When we left Glacier National Park, we were quite sad. We finally were starting to fell like our adventure was coming to a close...and very soon. Our next destination was Yellowstone national park. However, we didn't make it there in one days ride from Glacier. No, it rained on us as we headed that way and we were eager to be off the bikes and not suffer through the tiny stabbing pains all over our bodies that were the dropplets falling from the sky. Rain is great and all, but riding a motorcycle in it...well it's not the best. We also had encountered three different strangers along the way that day who warned us of the deer. Yep, the highway we were taking to Yellowstone was also named "the deer highway". I was extra nervous at this point. But we hadn't come terribly far and wanted to make it to our campsite. We stopped on the way, at a small trading post in a deserted looking town called Swan Lake. The folks inside we very friendly and we chatted as we purchased a few groceries for dinner that night. Once outside, we started preparing our bikes for take off. Then the wind came.
That wind must've been 60 mph because I could barely walk and across the road a loud snap jerked our heads toward a falling tree. And then it wasn't just raining anymore, it was pouring. We had a grade A Montana storm meet us there at that trading post and no sooner than we could think what to do, little lady in the store poked her head out: "You know, we have cabins in the back for $30 a night! Free hot showers and you can get out o' this storm!" I was sold. And happily, Mim was too! So thirty dollars later we were sitting on our front porch drinkin' wine and playin' cards and thanking the lord we stopped when we did.

That cabin was the best deal we ever got on this trip! $30 for a warm, clean bead AND a front porch covered from the rain?! We were in heaven. And it only got better as the night went on. The showers WERE clean and hot! And the trading post offered us specially cooked frozen pizza on the grill, with a full service blow horn to let us know when it was ready. It was cute how excited they were to finally use their pizza boxes.

Next morning before we headed out, we thanked the trading post friends and promised to come back one day for a fishing trip at Swan Lake.

Glacier National Park

Rain, rain, rain and more rain. That's all we got on our only day to explore the park. But we had fun taking refuge under the trees and planning our escape. We decided to take a short ride on my bike in the rain to the shuttle bus station. We rode the bus all the way up and around the pass and took in the wonderful views there.

The meadows were the sweetest meadows I've ever seen.

And on our way back down in the shuttle bus, we got to see some black bears!

Before we left the next morning, we had to take advantage of the Old West photo studio in town.

Montana Wilderness

We were so excited to cross back into our native country, we changed our route and entered Idaho via highway 95.

Being that the state of Idaho is so skinny toward the north, we were in Montana pretty quick. We did stop in Idaho for gas and a snack and the local folk out there were...quite unique. We were told about the amazing huckleberries to be had around those parts. And as for me, I really wanted to stay awhile and find us some berries, but alas, we had to head out. For our first night back, we wanted to stay the night somewhere in the Montana wilderness, away from any hustle and bustle. We found a few remote campgrounds off a back road through the Kootenai National Forest. On the way, we stopped to view the gorgeous waterfalls along the road.

 Our campground included a hilarious host, a random straggler, and a huntin' hillbilly in an old, beat-up RV. We stayed in one of the spots right next to the river.

During the night, our host graced us with his company and we heard all sorts of stories, including his motorcycle accident in which he wore no gear and how he recovered. Also, he apparently wrote a book that had been self published (we can't remember the title), and was currently working on his second. The man was very friendly and we both should have asked him to sit for awhile, but it was late and we were tired. So he strolled off back to his host site and we went to bed. For some reason, packing up the next morning was more strenuous of a task than usual. maybe party because our surroundings were so beautiful. Oh wait! I remember why! Horseflies! Big, hairy, noisy, pesky HORSEFLIES! They were buzzing around us and landing on us the whole time during our stay at that particular campground. Oh man, I wont miss those buggers. But the sunrise was gorgeous there, it lit the trees like a heavenly forest of green.

Bye bye horseflies...it's on to our next destination - Glacier!!!!!!!!

Back roads - Montana

British Columbia

Riding through BC was incredibly beautiful. We were so mezmerized by the high rolling mountains and luscious trees that we rarely snapped out of it to snap a photo. The scenery on highway 3 east will be forever etched in our memories. Canada is a beautiful country! Our first night away from our cozy bed in Vancouver we pulled into a campground off the highway about an hour before sunset. The campground was full, but we had three different people approach us and offer to share their site!

We pitched the tent behind a nice couples trailer and made some delicious dinner in the dark. Fried up veggies with rice and miso gravy on top. The next morning, we packed up and continued our journey east.
Christina Lake is supposedly the warmest lake in all of British Columbia. Unfortunately, we again made it to camp just before sunset and didn't get the chance to swim in that lake. But it was a gorgeous view driving to the campground and we had pretty much one of the best sites there was.

That night there was a terrible storm, it rained and wind blew hard and trees around the campground broke and fell. Lightening blazed the sky and thunder roared. We laid in the tent and relished the sounds and vibrations of mother nature. The next morning brought us bright, clear skies and sunny, warm air. And we rode on. Back to America.

Vancouver Island

We were invited to come spend time on the Island for a few days since it was Bronwyn's dads birthday. We got to meet a lot of her family and we camped out in Dennis' backyard, which was all forest! After the fun birthday party, we went out to see some awesome waterfalls.
First we hiked to the Upper falls. Do you see Jai in the picture??

And here is the lower falls, but you can't really see much of it, due to the giant rock in front of it.

After hanging out at the waterfalls for a while, Bronwyn and her dad picked us up and took us over to Coombs, a small town on the island where they have goats on the roof.

We checked out the country market and got some delicious ice cream from the local shop. Then we headed back to the house to go for a hike and a swim. Right behind Dennis' house were trails running along The Englishman River. Little did we know that we would find the BEST CLIFF JUMPING SPOT EVER!!! About forty feet high, this cliff had a perfect little step on the ledge for hurling yourself out, and the water below was so deep, you couldn't hold your breath long enough to get all the way to the bottom and back up.
Let's compare splashes, shall we? You might have to put on your glasses to see the mid-air jump shots in these.

Jai was first to jump

And here is his pathetic splash! hee hee

I was next up...

And I won the biggest splash prize!!! A sore butt!

The moral of this story is, always look for deep waters and high cliffs because this is REALLY fun. But make sure to straighten out those legs and feet, or else you WILL get slapped by mother nature. And it WILL hurt. A lot. I got slapped real hard in the butt by The Englishman River after landing the 40 foot fall. I could hardly walk at first, and a month later, I still can't sit directly on the tailbone...but I'm here to tell ya, it was worth it! But please, do learn from my mistakes.

Mountain, Me, Bronwyn, and Jai

After a long and painfully hilarious car ride to the ferry, we posed for a group photo. Thankfully, the ferry to and from the island is so big, it didn't make me sick. But unfortunately, I couldn't sit down the entire ride. I wouldn't be sitting down for quite a while.

So we hung out on the deck for awhile, not wanting to think about leaving Vancouver...
Before we headed back out to live life on the road, we had to make those guys some delicious dinner!

We feasted on the best tacos in the world and talked and played games. We had such a grand time in Vancouver. Jai and Bronwyn (aka, Mr and Mrs Bean) treated us like royalty and let us stay until I felt well enough to ride again. When that day came, it was so very sad. But look at how tiny I packed my panties!!

Now, that's nothing to be sad about!
So, the morning we left we had to get a good photo with Mim's younger brother. Jai made us a gift that was just the best thing I could've ever gotten. We never imagined this. He made us a trophy. It had two motorcycles ontop and reads, Mountain Smith, Danielle Keady, Motorbike Champs, 2013.

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Bean for the trophy, for your friendship, for sharing your home with us, for cooking tasty meals for us, and for being so wonderful and awesome. We love you guys.

Vancouver - The Seawall

While Jai and his lovely lady had to work all day, Mim and I took their bicycles out for a day of fun. The Seawall in Vancouver was fabulous, a perfect bike path runs along it for miles.

There were some blackberry bushes, but even though they smelled yummy, the taste was not quite right yet!
As the sun started to set, the buildings to the east were illuminated by the pink and orange glows, I couldn't take my eyes off the city.

We sat and watched as the sun went down...

Took a few smooching breaks...

The kayakers are tiny from this view but rowed right by the sun strip as if we were in a dream or a painting come to life. The colors and views we saw during this sunset are indescribable with pictures or words.

Camping in Squamish

One of our birthday gifts for Jai was to take him camping for two nights in Squamish and hike up Shannon Falls. Unfortunately, he wasn't very surprised - he expected as much! Oh well. So, Mim and I drove our bikes up and Jai took the bus and we found a great spot at a campground directly across the street from the falls, right on the bay. We even had a creek, which ran from the falls, right next to our spot!

View of Shannon Falls from the campground

You can see the falls from most areas in the campground. You can also see The Chief, a looming cliff of a rock (a popular spot for climbers) to the north of the falls. When we went for a stroll in the evening, The Chief shone almost as bright as the falls in the night sky. The city lights seemed to illuminate both the majestic creations above. Another great aspect of the site was the insane amount of blackberry bushes! There were so many and they were so ripe, we picked those berries for what must've been hours. We picked so many berries my head was spinning! Look at them all! Just look!

And after having dinner on our first night out, we made some jam. Oh yeah...that's right. Yummy, delicious, and homemade right in our camp. During the prep for the jam, we realized there was not enough gas to have the fire on long enough...so Mim and Jai improvised...

Next morning, we didn't hesitate to make the best camping breakfast in all of history. Eggs Benny. Jai poached those babies real nice, then we added some cheese, toasty muffins, sausage and avocado, topped it all off with some hollandaise sauce...and we all devoured them with pleasure.

Mmmm...that's real nice

Once we finished the amazing breakfast and cleaned up, it was time for the ultimate hike up to the most incredible swimming hole ever. Here we are at the base of the Falls.

About two thirds of the way up, we meandered to a view point that was stunning...

We could see our campsite from here and had a wonderful view of the bay and mountains of Squamish. Jai and me got increasingly excited as we came closer to the falls...gaining speed while yelling giddily like little girls.

We came upon a magical moss encrusted mountainside than ascended up the hill and the sun bounced off the green, shining upon us in glorious splendor.

We hiked through some pretty awesome canyons on the way up as well...

And...WE FOUND IT!!! WE FOUND IT!!! HOLY MOSS HAIR!!! IT's AMAZING!!! Wait...nope, we can't swim here guys...or we'll be swept over that 80 foot waterfall. This isn't the right hole for sure, pretty sketchy.

I was certainly at a loss for words as we finally approached the swimming hole we had been searching for. The falls dropped into several pools before dropping all the way down 80 feet straight to the bottom. This pool that was our destination was surrounded by large mossy rocks and soft, moss covered ground, which was delightful to walk on barefoot as we prepared to jump in. The glowing, blueish green tint of the glacier water was so inviting after the hot and sweaty hike up. The mossy rocks around us on the walls were lined with yellow blooms, smiling at us from above. A giant boulder lay balancing atop smaller boulders on he opposite side of the pool, a lovely sight. To top it all off, we had a great view of the bay and mountains beyond. It was as if we stood on the top of the highest mountain and time stood still in our peaceful, serene little cove. Jai was first to strip down and jump in. Looks like it was cold, eh?

Oh it was...

...and it was magically refreshing. We had to jump in twice to get the perfect photo. But more so, we just couldn't resist! So cold, yet so amazingly pure and fresh glacier water. The afternoon hike was perfectly topped off with a nice dunk in the pool and some awesome sandwiches for lunch. Then we headed back down and made the most delicious dinner I have ever tasted: Mim's Dahl. Too bad you didn't get to try any...if you are nice and read all our blog posts maybe we will make some for you :)

That night we went for a walk around the campsite and wandered out to the docks. In the dark, the large parking lot and creepy shack near the dock were pretty menacing. As we pondered whether to stay or go we heard some odd bark/chirp/whine that was later determined by Mim to be a scary, poodle hybrid creature that only came out at night. Eeek. We settled for a spot near the train tracks (well away from the docks) and enjoyed the night sky and blazing lights of the shipping boats bouncing off the salty water in the bay.

Well, after a good nights sleep and a long day of chilling at the campsite, we packed up and out and left the awesome campsite by the creek behind. Back to Vancouver to reunite with Bronwyn!