I'll take Ural's for $200 please"
Left Helena in good time, although the UDF (Ural delay factor) was high, everytime they stop, it takes 20-30 minutes to answer questions and talk about the bike, the trip, and the parts. People are naturally curious, and the odd, the different, gets their attention.12 south from Helena, down to the junction with the 287, then south on 287 to cross I90. Montana, seems too have a lock on the roadkill first place of this trip. They've passed numerous deer, although only got the antlers from a couple, and a skull and some vertebrę from one.
Many skunks, but Mum refused to allow Chris to work on them, and one complete coyote skull, which needed no work, being quite old. Oh, and some porcupine quills, but little else was picked up.
Gas stop in Ennis, where they met Gary Bryant, of Portland Oregon, Chris gave me a URL for his site, but tripod says that www.cameltoe.tripod.com doesn't exist, so if you know the correct URL for his site, please let me know.
Mum wanted me to be sure and mention the nice folks at the Valley bank of Ennis, especially Judy, who helped Mum get some cash, and Chris appreciated the free coffee while he waited for Mum. Nice folks.
On down the 287, into Cameron, they stopped for gas (and the aforementioned coyote skull) at the Slide Inn where they met the nice folks who run it (Chris neglected to get their names.)
If you are in the area, check them out, Mum said it was a nice place, and if you need a cat, they have a couple of Kittens they are trying to get rid of, according to Chris.
Apparantly, the winds were pretty fierce at times, but the Ural is a stable beast and shrugged them off with only a modicum of complaint from the somewhat limited engine power.
Pulled into West Yellowstone, after about 200 miles of riding today, and Mum gives high praise to the hotel they are staying at, the Pony Express Inn in West Yellowstone.
The park ranger at the entrance to Yellowstone, was a bit taken aback at the collection that Chris had hangin off the rear of the bike, and he had to fill out a form, describing all the bits he was taking into the park tomorrow, and was severly enjoined from adding to the collection whilst in the park. Mum told the park ranger that she'd make sure he behaved in there.
The park ranger, was having trouble restraining her laughter as she filled out the form with Chris, finding no small amusement in the Roadkill salvage stuff.
Ate dinner at the Old Town Cafe on Madison Ave (phone number and address available on request.) Good food, great service, a family run establishment, the current owner, Heather, is the grand daughter of the original owner, who started it in (I hope I have this correct) 1924, one eal Swanson. Wilbur gives high praise here.
The UDF (see above) was in full force, they were delayed everywhere, and two of the people who they met, actually knew what an Ural was, one was an English gentleman who was riding his BMW around the world. (Chris forgot to get his name, figures) and the other, a fella by the name of Anthony J Dyson, who is some sort of oil biz guy, anyway, he's a Hayabusa rider (although wasn't riding it there) a bike about as far from an Ural as you can get.
Time for an early night, and an early departure, Chris swears they'll be up and going around 08:00.
