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July 21, 2014
Day 3 - Diamondville, WY to Wapiti, WY (Mon 7/21/14)
7/21/14
Update: i am alive and well and resting peacefully in the riverside town of Wapiti, WY.
Starting Odometer: 15,295
Ending Odometer 15,720
Miles Driven Today 425.0
Miles Driven This Trip: 1,068.7
This is roughly the route I have planned out for today.
So, yesterday morning, I started out with my iPhone completely bricking on me at the gas station in Diamondville. You don't realize how dependent you are on that silly thing until it quits working, but when it shut down, it meant that I couldn't navigate, so I left town heading the wrong way and depending on my useless Garmin Montana for navigation. I got about 16 miles outside of town heading due east when I realized I was going the wrong way.
Turned around, drove back to town, and stopped at the first gas station and asked for a paper map. Lady was friendly and handed me a paper map. Old school. It works.
"To get to the Star Valley, you follow US 89 and US 30..." she explains. Now, I have a map.
So, i drove 32 miles for no reason. Not a great way to start the day.
Now, rolling north through the Star Valley. Slowly, the desert becomes these lush green irrigated fields on both sides of the highway. The sprinklers lower the temperature and the green makes you feel like you want to live again.
Farmers mowing hay and baling it into great fields of hay bales.
Now, I decided to learn how to use the Garmin GPS. I go though every single setting that the silly thing has. (While I'm driving, no less) I figure out how to change it from Metric to US. Figure out how to tell it to follow roads, not just go in a straight line through the mountains. It actually becomes fairly useful. now, the only problem is that the orientation keeps shifting from horizontal to vertical nonstop as I'm driving.
Now, up and over some pass. Signs indicate this is some sort of a continental divide. South, the water flows into the Great Salt Lake. North, and it flows into the Snake river and out to the Pacific North West. This was a cutoff to the oregon trail.
Very cool to be following the Oregon trail. Hard to believe that it was real.
Now, down into the Star Valley, and up to Alpine, and the Nordic Inn. This is where cousin Lisa used to work. I stop in for lunch, but they're closed and only open for dinner.
Now, turning at Alpine to follow the Snake River up the canyon. Beautiful canyon with lots of rafters. Steep cliffs. Tight turns. Pop out at the top of the canyon and you're in Jackson, Wyoming. Stop to gas up in Wyoming. It seems like my fuel tank is working now, but my gas mileage is not as good as it once was, with all the extra weight, I assume.
At Jackson, huge storm is blowing in. Pull over to a gas station and put on all of the rain gear. The rain isn't so bad once you have your gear on.
At Jackson, a quick shot of the elk antler arches around the park in the center of town. Now, north out of Jackson.
Now, rolling north before the fabled Teton mountain range. It's raining, but somehow I'm surfing the front of the storm. So that, if I stop to shoot, I get wet. The storm is chasing me north. So, I'm rolling north. Snap a few pics of the tetons, and they disappear into a massive rainstorm.
Now, some road construction. Replacing a guard rail so we have to stop. I drove to the front of the line, and stop. The man has a stop sign. The wind is blowing so hard he can't hold it up. It's raining so hard we can hardly talk. Now, the hail comes. Great waves of hail and rain.
Finally, he lets me go. I roll north, it rains. It stops. It rains more. Get into Yellowstone National Park. Now, I stop to shoot this creek/river. Beautiful shot. But when I get back on my bike, the bike starts, but dies when I put it in gear. It's done this to me once before. I don't know what to make of it. The bike starts and runs fine, but when I put it in gear, even with the clutch still in, it immediately dies. Oh...and my iPhone isn't working.
So, basicaly, I'm stranded. And the storm is catching up to me. Not a good feeling. Why do I put myself out here. What made me want to do this trip?
I decide to let the bike sit and cool for a bit. Not sure why, but it's not like I have any other choice/course of action.
Leave the bike sitting,a nd in a few minutes, I'm up and running and off to the races. Something is wrong to cause this to happen, but I'm not clear what that is.
Now, rolling north through Yellowstone. I have a reservation at the East entrance to Yellowstone, primarily because I've never been to that entrance, and I'd lake to see it.
Rolling through Yellowstone, shooting like mad. Ignoring the elk, deer, and buffalo. I have those at my house.
Now, along the north shore of Lake Yellowstone. The lake is massive. Insanely large. Indescribable. Unique, in this area, obviously.
Stop to shoot in fading light and light rain. On the drive through Yellowstone, it rained on me on and off the whole time. But the advantages is that no one else was in the park hardly. Plus it's monday, I think.
Now, rolling east out of Yellowstone. But I'm not sure where I'm staying. I made a reservation on the internet this morning, but I now have no internet access. I'm cut off from the world. So, I'm not sure where I'll spend the night. My plan is to get into town of Cody, Wyoming...find electricity and internet...connect to my home servers..and hope there's an email there with my reservation info. Because my phone had a test message, but it's dead. Useless.
So, roll east out of Yellowstone. Another 50 miles east to Cody. Slight oversight on my part there. And I find a hotel. Pull in...set up my laptop...get connected to internet...RDP into my home servers to check my emails...and there it is....The Green Creek Inn in Wapiti, WY. I need to go back up the canyon for about 18 miles...then I'm home for the night.
Except that checkin time is by 10:00 p.m. And it's already 10:10 pm. And they don't answer. On a wing and a prayer...race back up the canyon west into Wapiti...the envelope is taped to the door. "KISER". And I have a room for the night.
Photos in the Extended Entry.
Posted by Rob Kiser on July 21, 2014 at 11:15 AM
Comments
maybe you have a fuel line running close to something very hot causing a vapor lock when the bike is switched off and still hot. Then when it cools down the gas returns to a liquid state and allows fuel back into the carb. Worth looking into.
Posted by: mark herbert on July 22, 2014 at 5:05 PM
You may be right, Mark. Thanks for the feedback. I'll check it out. Sorry I didn't see this sooner. Life has been pretty crazy on the road. Not getting much sleep these days. zzzzzzz
Rob K.
Posted by: Rob Kiser 
on July 29, 2014 at 2:29 AM