MaxMetal Custom Motorcycles

December 28, 1972, G.T. and I were young and very much in love. 

Here we are now 35 years later - still young and very much in love. 

It’s been quite a ride. 

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We arrived in Sandpoint after 2700 miles of riding.  That is a lot of time in the saddle and we were a little butt-sore.  In Nebraska, we had made some adjustments to our seat cushions - the gel pads we started with were not doing the job.  The result of those adjustments was that we were only a little butt-sore, not incapacitated.  (I have to note again that we were on a Honda Shadow with factory seats - What that meant for me, riding on the back, was that the seat is 9″ wide.)  We plan to offer a version of this upgraded seat for sale sometime in 2008.  Literally - it saved our rear ends!!

On through Wyoming, on to Montana, heading north to Idaho.  We were riding an open road.  I-90 goes directly from Sturgis to Cour d’Alene, Idaho.  Along the way are some are some of America’s great attractions.  We passed the signs directing travelers to Mt. Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park and a few other sites, but we were pressed for time and just had to make a mental note “Someday… I want to stop and visit these places.”  This is the area Lewis and Clarke explored nearly 200 years ago.  To imagine this country before it was settled…WOW! 

Here is an interesting thought.  If early explorers had decided that the Mississippi River originated in the Northwest part of our country at the mouth of what is  now the Missouri River instead of originating in Minnesota and being joined by the Missouri to flow on down to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico - then that elongated Missouri/Mississippi River would be the longest river in the world.

Tuesday afternoon, riding out of Sturgis, the road was wide open.  It seemed like the adventure was really beginning now.  We were covering territory where we had never been and our destination was still 1300 miles away.  We had to move right on along to get to Sandpoint, ID by Thursday. 

The scenery became more rugged, the Rocky Mountains were on the far horizon - how many miles away were they?  “Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountains majesty above the fruited plain - America, America, God shed His grace on thee.”  This was what we were experiencing.  This great country is awe inspiring in it’s multitude forms of beauty.

Our family is very extended - in all directions.  On this trip, in Cairo, NE, we visited with my mother, two sisters, and an aunt and uncle.  We went on the Rapid City, SD to spend the night with another sister, then on to Idaho to visit our daughter.  We could have made a few more kinfolk stops along the way but had to ride on past since there was so little time - but maybe next year.  In every direction we can possibly travel we have relatives and I like visiting family and friends.  The food is good, the late-night “catch-up on the family” conversation is fun and the cost is within the budget.  (This goes both ways - I like having family and friends visit us, too.)

Other accomodations on this trip included a nice Best Western in Billings, Montana.  It had a mountain retreat feel with carved bears clinging to the deck railings.  Cute. 

Motel 6 did not rate very high in my opinion.    For an extra $10 somewhere else, we could have had a comfortable bed and a free continental breakfast. 

My favorite stay was at the “Historic Elk Mountain Hotel” in Elk Mountain, Wyoming.  For us, it was a shelter from the storm, literally. The hotel was built in 1905 and has 12 guest rooms.  It has a rich and interesting history.  I’ll fill in some details in a later post.  http://www.elkmountainhotel.com/