I got the itch to do the Beartooth pass, as I’ve not ridden it before, so I planned a little trip from East Nebraska to Montana.
My son was able to join me, he took his Shadow 750.
After a pre ride check, we left on a Saturday and returned the next Saturday. Camped every night, some nights we had reservations, some we just showed up and inquired if there are any tent sites available.
We had great weather the whole way, and no close calls with cagers.
We hit many of the usual spots in the area: Needles Hwy, Iron Mountain Road, Sturgis, Devil’s Tower, Beartooth Pass (3 times), Yellowstone and Tetons.
The nicest ride was probably Sylvan Pass, on the east exit of Yellowstone. We hit it in the late afternoon, after all the traffic, and just zoomed down it, following Shoshone river.
We even saw a moose in Yellowstone.
We grilled burgers in South Dakota, but Wyoming and Montana had fire bans in effect, so we stuck to oatmeal and coffe for breakfast (Starbucks has excellent dehydrated coffee varieties), eating on the road for lunch and beans and weenies for dinner. (Or a food truck on a couple of nights.) Lots of bananas to stay regular, and they don’t need washing.
I think next bit of equipment I get will be some proper riding pants. Sweaty denim becomes painful towards the end of a day’s ride. (Last 2 days were about 480 miles each.)
We had Senas for communication and occasional music, and I will admit, they made traveling a lot easier.
Navigation was done via Siri/Apple maps and regular paper maps when I got annoyed with Siri.
Great trip, incredibly grateful all went well and that I got a chance to do it with my son.





My son was able to join me, he took his Shadow 750.
After a pre ride check, we left on a Saturday and returned the next Saturday. Camped every night, some nights we had reservations, some we just showed up and inquired if there are any tent sites available.
We had great weather the whole way, and no close calls with cagers.
We hit many of the usual spots in the area: Needles Hwy, Iron Mountain Road, Sturgis, Devil’s Tower, Beartooth Pass (3 times), Yellowstone and Tetons.
The nicest ride was probably Sylvan Pass, on the east exit of Yellowstone. We hit it in the late afternoon, after all the traffic, and just zoomed down it, following Shoshone river.
We even saw a moose in Yellowstone.
We grilled burgers in South Dakota, but Wyoming and Montana had fire bans in effect, so we stuck to oatmeal and coffe for breakfast (Starbucks has excellent dehydrated coffee varieties), eating on the road for lunch and beans and weenies for dinner. (Or a food truck on a couple of nights.) Lots of bananas to stay regular, and they don’t need washing.
I think next bit of equipment I get will be some proper riding pants. Sweaty denim becomes painful towards the end of a day’s ride. (Last 2 days were about 480 miles each.)
We had Senas for communication and occasional music, and I will admit, they made traveling a lot easier.
Navigation was done via Siri/Apple maps and regular paper maps when I got annoyed with Siri.
Great trip, incredibly grateful all went well and that I got a chance to do it with my son.




