Wells, NV to Montpelier, ID: 335 miles
Well there was another hot day in the forecast so we hit the road a little before 6am. Made it to the Utah state line by 7am. This picture is actually the welcome to Utah sign we saw as we exited Utah and entered Idaho. We couldn't get a picture of the sign this morning...busy road, lots of traffic etc.
Once we crossed into Utah, the first major thing one hits are the Bonneville Salt Flats. The entire ground is nothing but salt. It looks like it just snowed:
Bonneville is the sight of the land speed record. Doug was out here earlier this year on his bike and ran the mile. Luckily the new plaque was in place commemorating his record run:
After the salt flats we headed towards Salt Lake City. Before we made it to Salt Lake City we got to ride past the Great Salt Lake. For those of you who don't ride motorcycles we need to tell you something. One thing that a motorcycle has to offer over a ride in a car is that on a bike you get to smell everything (that can be good...i.e. the smell of pine trees or bad...i.e. rotting deer carcass along side of the road). Before we hit the shores of the Great Salt Lake, it smelled just like you were at the ocean. The smell of salt water was very strong. We had to pinch ourselves to remind us that we weren't at the beach, but in the middle of Utah!
We made a quick pit stop at BMW Motorcycles of Salt Lake. The staff was very friendly and had an amazing dealership. Doug picked up an oil filter and 3 quarts of oil. Upon entering the dealership, an employee came right up and handed us two bottles of ice cold spring water.
Once we had left the dealership we headed north towards Idaho. While running route 89 we had the opportunity to ride through Logan Canyon. The road was amazing and running the bottom of a steep sided canyon was a great experience. After we climbed out of the canyon we plateaued over Bear Lake. Here is a pic of Bear Lake from the vista:
Our final destination today was the small town of Montpelier, Idaho. Montpelier is a small town located at the foot of the Rockies. The town is famous for two things. One, Butch Cassidy robbed the town bank in 1896. The robbery was famous because he and his gang made off with over $16,000 worth of gold, silver and currency. You can still see the bank that he robbed. The building is currently for sale....asking price $130,000.
The second claim to fame is that the largest grizzly bear ever shot in the lower 48 states was killed here. He was nicknamed Old Ephraim and was over 9 feet tall. There is a replica of Ephraim as you come into town. Gumby wanted his pic taken with the great bear:
Tomorrow is a big day. We plan on heading north into Wyoming stopping in Grand Teton National Park and then onto Yellowstone National Park. Should be awesome scenery tomorrow!
I will have to update my grandmother on your trip status. She will be very excited to hear that you are close to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Doug, at the end of your trip, make sure that you take a picture of your beard for your dad. :)
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