Redding CA to Fallon NV - 258 miles
Day One was an interesting ride through the mountains to Susanville. It seems that I timed it with the migration of the Monarch Butterfly. Sort of like riding through a snow storm except when the flakes (butterflies) hit they turned yellow and or red. A few hit my hands with a sting like a rock. I really felt sorry for the poor bastard I saw on the side of the road, without a windshield, wiping the butterflies off his face I know he was cursing the gods. Rufus and I stopped just outside of Susanville for a break then the rest of the day was rather uneventful.
Fallon NV to Ely NV - 257 miles
Wide open space was the order of the day, Hwy 50 from Fallon to the Nevada Utah state line is a scenic byway, The Loneliest Road in America. There are some ghost towns and old cemeteries along the road with some panoramic vistas that take ones breath away. I always find it amazing how open and untouched Nevada is...
Ely NV to Panguitch UT - 223 miles
Starting our day in Ely put Rufus and I about an hour from Great Basin NP but we, or should I say I, decided to pass on that in order to spend the extra time up at Cedar Breaks where it was a lot cooler. As we were riding through the park I saw Mark, my friend from Yucca Valley CA whom we were supposed to meet in Panguitch later that day. The people he was talking to snapped the picture you see of me rolling into the parking lot. 
After the hello, how are you, how was the ride, conversation we headed down the hill towards Panguitch lake where I wanted to let Rufus have a swim. We found a boat ramp which gave us easy access and I cut Rufus loose. Soon it was time to head to Panguitch and our room for the night.
Panguitch UT to Hanksville UT - 177 miles
The days ride began on the journey through time, scenic byway. Our first stop was Bryce Canyon NP.
Where we took in the sights and had a leisurely morning. From there we pushed on to Escalante for some fuel. If we only had gotten there a few minutes earlier we could have gotten gas. The problem was the power was out and the fuel pumps don't work without power. So we had a drumstick ice cream and relaxed while we waited for the power to come back on. We did not have to wait too long perhaps half an hour. Then we pushed on towards Capitol Reef NP. On the way there Rufus had a swim in the creek at then from there it is a short ride to a hotel in Hanksville.
Interactive map of A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway
Hanksville UT to Montrose CO - 308 miles
This day was a rather long one as we had some miles to cover. Nevertheless it was be a scenic day. The first half of the day was wide open space as we crossed the Colorado River by Hite UT. Hite was a tiny community at the northeast end of Lake Powell. Sadly since they dropped the lake level the marina is defunct now. The nearby bridge
provides the only road crossing of the Colorado for 300 miles between the Glen Canyon Dam and Green River. The surrounding scenery was stunning uninterrupted red rock formations with minimal vegetation. Our route took us through Blanding and Monticello before we rode into Colorado. Then the scenery changed to farm land and very quickly the foothills begin at Doloras where we stopped for lunch. While we were waiting for our lunch I moved my bike to some available shade and in the process my Ray-Bans fell off the bike and seem to have disappeared into someone's pocket. Needless to say I was bummed... After lunch we begin the climb up the San Juan Skyway and stopped for gas at Telluride. At the gas station I bought a cheap pair of glassed to get me by until I could find another pair of Ray-Bans. From there it was a nice scenic easy ride to Montrose for the night.
Montrose CO to Granby CO - 279 miles
We were going to stop and take a look at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP. But for some reason we just rode past it. The ride was very nice and senic very easy riding, not much to say for the ride except that I enjoyed it.
Granby CO to Scottsbluff NE - 273 miles
The day began on the Colorado River Headwaters scenic byway which took us all the way to Rocky Mountain NP.
Last year with my wife we ran into rain, low visibility and road construction. This year I got to actually see the park. Took a few pictures to show my wife what we missed last year then we pushed on through Estes Park and over to Loveland. Then the day got real boring and hot... We took 14 West to Hwy 71 North...Straight roads and for the most part flat land all the way to Scottsbluff where we spent the night. But I must tell you all about the great dinner and service we had in Scottsbluff... WHISKEY CREEK WOOD FIRE GRILL, had the absolutely best prime rib I've ever eaten... The service was top notch... If you are ever in Scottsbluff NE stop by and see Tony and his staff for a great meal... 1802 East 20th Place... (308)-632-4900
Scottsbluff NE to Sturgis SD - 258 miles
The ride into Sturgis from Scottsbluff was great. We ran up through Custer State Park and Cathedral Spires for a pleasant and slow paced ride until we hit Hwy 385 where the pace picked up a bit. Along the road Roadpics.com was setup. In the process of writing this up I checked out their website and found my photo and yes I did buy a copy (on right).
Coming in through Deadwood we stopped and topped off the fuel tanks just as we got into Sturgis. I took Mark down Main Street on our way to No Name City where we set up camp. Then we just relaxed the rest of the day.
Our first day in Sturgis we just hung around camp sleeping and relaxing. Rufus enjoyed the day off...
Our second day we went rode Vanacker Canyon road to Nemo then down to Rapid City for the "free HOG run pin" then we went to the Rapid City dealership to get Mark's bike fixed. We split up and met back at camp later in the day. That night we went downtown to take in the sights and cruise Main Street once or twice. As I was coming up to a stop sign one of the local cops put up his hand signaling me to stop for some unknown reason. I was thinking this guy must know of some obscure law that makes it illegal to haul a dog in a trailer or something else that was going to spoil my day. He walks up, I'm thinking OH Shit here it comes... He whips out his cell phone and takes a picture of Rufus in his trailer... Then waves us through... Whew just a picture...
If my memory serves me correctly Mark took the next day off and Rufus and I went up Vanacker Canyon once again this time up to Hwy 385 were Rufus and I stopped and Rufus did some exploring in the National forest for a couple of hours. I think he enjoyed that very much.
Our last day in Sturgis we spend downtown here and there. Then we began packing for our departure the next day.
No Name City (where we stayed, pictured on right)
The ride home
Sturgis SD to Billings MT - 297 miles
This proved to be a rather easy day. Nothing exciting happened. I guess the best part of the day was dinner at the Out Back Steak House... It threatened to rain but just got the streets wet...
Billings MT to Yellowstone NP - 233 miles
In the morning during my pre-ride inspection of the bike I found a minor problem. It seems that I wore out my rear tire. I checked it last in Sturgis, I knew it was getting thin but I did not know just how thin it had gotten... When I think back to the ride of the previous day I just thank God it held together. So I called the local Harley Shop and they say sorry, "we don't carry Metzler tires". Adding to that they say they don't have any Dunlops either, they are sold out. After a few phone calls I finally find my tire but that shops says they can't install it today as their tech is off. So I call the Harley shop again and check if they will install it and they say no problem. So I load up Rufus and go fetch the tire from across town and head for the Harley shop. 
Now I've never seen such a shop before, pool table, foosball table, coffee and cookies and a lunch wagon out in the parking lot with picnic tables and plenty of shade for Rufus. Redding should have it so good.
While we are waiting Mark and I decide to see if we can get a room somewhere like Red Lodge for the night as we are loosing so much time here we will never make it all the way to Yellowstone. After lots of phone calls it becomes obvious we won't be riding to Red Lodge as there ain't no rooms available. So, we take the room we have for another night and take the day off.
The next day we head out for the Beartooth Hwy scenic drive. I've heard nothing but good reports about the Beartooth Hwy. Let me tell you the ride this day was very nice and all the reports I've heard are true. A very pleasant ride indeed. The climb up the Beartooth is just unbelievable, up and up and up and it gets cooler and cooler and at the top, the day we rode, it was down right cold. Just awesome breathtaking scenery all the way up and over and then before we could get fully warm again we are in Cooke City and the entrance to Yellowstone. I had never been in the North East entrance before so it was all new to me. Again a very nice ride I will go again to that area of the park. We finally got to the Canyon campground and set up camp and called it a day.
Yellowstone NP is just too big to take in during one visit. The accumulated six weeks that I have spent there have been over eight visits. September has been my favorite time of year to visit and in the time that I have spent in the park, I've hiked well over 60 miles, driven over 500 miles inside the park, and finally this trip I've driven all the paved road in the park. I still think that I've only scratched the surface of the park as there is so much to see.
The next day we rode around to the geyser area and Old Faithful for lunch. Mark wanted a bit more for lunch than I so we split up and went our separate ways for the rest of the day. After lunch Rufus and I headed back towards Canyon taking our time, me enjoying the views and Rufus enjoying the cool air. Once we got back to camp Rufus took a dust bath and I headed off to the showers.
Yellowstone NP to Pinedale WY - 191 miles
The ride South out of Yellowstone is at the park speed limit of 45 mph so the going was a bit on the slow side. The 45 mph limit continues until we got past Grand Teton NP. It seems like it took all day to get to Jackson and our fuel stop. Pushing on we got to Pinedale and had to make a decision, it seems that with the road construction going on in the area ALL the hotel rooms in Pinedale are taken. It is getting short on daylight and Pinedale is where Mark and I are going to go our seperate way home. It is a good two hours to the interstate and a hotel room for Mark so we decide to pitch camp in the local campground. Not the best campground I've been in but it will do for the night. By the time we set up camp and have our dinner we were both beat and decide to call it a night. In the morning we decide to get breakfast at a rather ragged place which proved to be a good choice. Mark has ham and eggs and I have french toast. But let me tell you the ham Mark got could have chocked a cow... 
a full breakfast ham that just about covered the plate, Mark cut me a slab and we downed our food in short order. We took our coffee outside and had our morning smoke before heading off in different directions
Pinedale WY to Wendover NV - 359 miles
Mark went his way South to Rock Springs WY and I back tracked back to Daniel and then South to Evanston WY. I was going to ride Hwy 189 last year but bike problems then pushed me towards Rock Springs and the Harley shop there. It turned out I was able to fix my problem once I got mad enough to break out the tools and figure it out myself. But this year I was able to go the way I wanted to and I really enjoyed the ride through La Barge and Kemmerer.
Wendover NV to Lovelock NV - 306 miles
The hotel in Wendover failed me on the 6am wakeup. I actually woke up at 7:30 and needless to say I was a bit peeved. So Rufus and I got a bit of a late start, it takes me an hour and a half to get going in the morning, as I like to have my coffee. Around 1pm or so it was beginning to get a bit warm and by the time we made Lovelock it was downright hot. After riding through town I spotted a irrigation canal and decided to let Rufus have a swim. It was not the swim that was the problem, it was the dust bath he took after that did it. It seems water and dust turns to mud and he was covered in it. I coaxed him back into the water and then we headed out to find a room for the night...
Lovelock NV Redding CA - 288 miles
The last day went rather quick stopping for fuel in Reno and Susanville we made great time. Almost too good as Redding was having one of those 110 degree days. After running across the mountains to Old Station we stopped at Hat Creek for a swim for Rufus and a cold soda for me. Then we pushed on to the Rest area just above Shingletown and I let him have another swim before we hit the heat. The heat was almost unbearable and lucky for me Jackie had the house nice and cool when we got there... It was good to be home....
The numbers for those who are curious
Total miles traveled 4,224 with 47 fuel stops
Fuel cost $613.26 with an average of 30 miles to the gallon breaks down to 14.5 cents per mile.