WeSTOC 28 draft

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Announcing WeSTOC 28

                                                            Billings

Big Horns

                                                           Beartooth

"Billings, Big Horns and Beartooths"

The WeSTOC Emeritus Council is pleased to invite you to the 28th edition of the ST Owners Club premier event, the western Gathering and Reunion of former owners, friends and new friends.

This year, WeSTOC travels to "The Magic City" Billings, Montana. 

The downtown core and much of the rest of Billings is in the Yellowstone Valley. A canyon carved out by the Yellowstone River. Our motorcycling home will be the Billings Hotel and Convention Center. Completely remodeled in 2020 it is a wonderful location for your launch toward some of the best motorcycling roads in America. The Beartooth Highway was called the most scenic road in America by Charles Kuralt. And the Big Horn Mountains in Northern Wyoming are well with striking distance for day rides. Sweepers, Twisties and Scenery plus Yellowstone National Park as well as several historic locations along the Lewis and Clark Trail are are available.

Adventure Riders will be pleased to know there will be more than a few routes recommended for you in the Pryor Mountains south of Billings as well as the Acton area.  Locally famous for dirt riders. Check out the Ice Cave in the Pryors.

If you are on 2 wheels or 4 wheels this time there are plenty of historic and Scenic destinations. The "Shamrock" Ride includes Pompeys Pillar, The Big Horn Battleground about 65 miles away, The Pictograph Cave State Park just south of Billings, and Yellowstone Canyon Rim overlooking the City of Billings. A curvy road alongside the Yellowstone River southwest of Billings and north on the Buffalo Trail Road to the Molt Road and back to Billings completes the Shamrock or Figure 8 if you prefer. Slightly more than 200 miles total.

- The town of Red Lodge is a bit more than an hour from Billings and is a favorite of our longtime Emcee Bill Pratt.  Travel Hwy 78 through Absorkee and Roscoe is adjacent to the Beartooth Mountains. Go to the Grizziy Bar in Roscoe and get a Buffalo Burger and a "Where in the Hell is Roscoe" Tee shirt.

- The North entrance to Yellowstone Park is only 135 miles away and a short drive though Lamar Valley to Tower falls is a great introduction to the park.  Don't forget your "Geezer" Pass if you qualify! Lunch in Cooke City, Montana is a popular Ride to Eat destination from Billings. It's on the way on the west side of the pass just before the park entrance.

- Cody, WY is less than two hours from Billings.  Check out the Wonderful Buffalo Bill Museum there. Lewis and Clark are featured. For those interested in historic firearms, that part of the museum may be the best in the Country. Rodeo every night!

- Just North of Lovell, WY. Big Horn Canyon and the Wild Pryor Mountain Horses are fantastic.  One of those local secrets! Continue south and west to Burgess Jct, WY on the steepest longest road in the USA.  10% for over 14 miles.  It's recommended you ride east uphill to Burgess Jct on US14A then continue toward Dayton Wyoming to the red pavement then reverse direction west on US14 to Greybull, WY.

- Check out the small Aircraft and Slurry Bomber Museum at Greybull, WY airport. 

- To earn the Big Horn Ram Route (all 3 routes over the Big Horns in one day) turn south at Greybull and make your way to Manderson and Ten Sleep to join US16. Ride to Buffalo, WY over US16 then book home to Billings on what locals call the old highway that parallels I-90. A detailed route will be available.

- Several other route options will be available in the map room with the Adventure Routes as well.

                                                                  Red Lodge

                                                                   Beartooth

                                                                     Beartooth

                                                                      Burgess Jct

                                                         Red Pavement near Dayton

                                                       Chief Joseph Scenic Highway

                                                                  Beartooth Hwy

                                                          Entrance to Shell Canyon

                                                           Big Horn Canyon Road

                                                                    Big Horn River

                                                                    Big Horn Canyon

                                                                        Beartooth Pass

                                                US14A Steepest longest road in America

                                                                Big horn Canyon road

                                                        Pryor Mountains Wild Horses

                                                14A and the Wyoming Basin 3500ft below

                                                Dead Indian Pass road (Chief Joseph)

                                                Between Bearcreek MT and Bridger Mt

                                                    Sunlight Basin Bridge (Chief Joseph)

Bear Lodge Burgess JCT, WY

A Beartooth west side video that can be seen on a phone

BearSTOC - this is that (not)

You know how those companies offer Tours in the Alps and Such?

This ain't That

Just notify me you are headed toward Northern Wyoming and I will give you free guidance
rrengr@gmail.com 4ohsix-six 98 8718
I will accompany you or not, your choice

Scroll down to older posts when this was an actual event for contact info and maps and videos

Retirement is Rigorous

I'll be headed out on FRI the 22nd to the Black Hills to Ride the 1880 train and then on to Denver to catch the Forney Transportation Museum. A friend from the Netherlands wants to go so I put my trip off for a few days to accomodate his schedule. I will not be attending WeSTOC this year

Hans is HtB, I am MDT
Watch us converge at Link

Follow my progress at: Link

Post WeSTOC 9/13/12 - Colorado Monument

Grand Junction.. Colorado Monument... Flaming Gorge

Rode right by the Grand Junction Depot... stopped to take a picture just before Amtrak pulled in. The Depot is the old Rio Grande depot. The Grand Junction Depot is undergoing restoration. Talked to the Engineer a bit... poor guy still works way too many hours.

Made camp at the Firefighters Memorial Campground at Flaming Gorge

Post WeSTOC 9/10/12 - It was bound to happen

I tipped Rick's bike over today... it hiccuped just as I was coming to a stop... it stopped suddenly and the pavement was sloped away. No where to put my foot. Very little if any damage. Water from the cooler and fuel from the very full tanks added to the yard sale scene.

Garmin telemetry here

This has turned into the Ultimate Colorado Tour
Click the map to find me right now

Post WeSTOC - 9/9/12

The Tags and I left Leadville this morning about 11am... I ate at the joint next door last night and they could not fix me the eggs Benedict with salmon last night so I ate that this morning. It was a mistake. Went through me without passing go... but made me go and now the part I sit on is sore.Not a good thing when doing 500 mile days on a motorbike. It was cool at 36F this morning anyway so I let thing settle and subside a bit before headed out onto Tennessee and Independence Pass.

Garmin telemetry click here - includes the hike I took at the Black Canyon.

The pictures have not been uploaded to Smugmug yet

Post WeSTOC 9/8/12

Highlands Ranch to Leadville via High Grade Road and Deer Creek Canyon.

Look for the video here

I left brother Tim's in Highlands Ranch making a stop at Progressive Motorcycles to see if I could get a new helmet. My old one is threadbare inside to the point of tearing my ears off when I take it off. Stroke of luck! 20% off. I have been using the Shoei brand for about 20 years but could not resishttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gift the trick Scorpion brand this time. It has a inner visor that can be used as a sunshade and deflects rain to. The face shield as a gizmo that allows it to lock tighter for running in the rain.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Photos starting at 9/8 are here at Smugmug

and

the Garmin telemetry is here 97.79 miles before the break... there was some data lost

and another 68.8 miles of Garmin telemetry here

Post WeSTOC 9/7/12

Loaded the girls into the Super Shuttle Van and left the Denver West Marriott about an hour later riding to to Highlands Ranch

a short ride via Deer Creek 78 miles total

Garmin telemetry here

and the photos startinghttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif with today are at Smugmug

WeSTOC 9/6/12 - I have the Tags

I got a direct handoff of the tags at WeSTOC in Golden and have taken them on my ride around Colorado. Today they did Vail Pass, Tennessee Pass and Independence Pass and Black Canyon of the Gunnison both directions. Doing Grand Mesa and Delores Canyon then Telluride to Cortez and over to Pagosa Springs tomorrow. Not sure where I'm going as you can see. Original plan was ambitious but may be shortened a bit.

The Tags remember our members who have left us. It's an honor to carry them wherever I ride for a bit. I'll Geocache them at some point for the next guy.

This is Banquet Day...

I led Kevin and Cathee along with Mark up to Estes Park and back. Another great weather day. Cathee takes lots of pictures and we managed to get seperated for awile even though we were using the radios. Seems a pair of ST13's were already headed southbound dressed just like Mark and I. Kevin could not raise them but I could just hear his mic crack. Too funny... we were riding different directions but he figured it out and we hooked back up. We made it back with time to spare as it turned out there was no group photo much less a helicopter.

Lots of the Photos at Smugmug for 9/6 linked here are Cathee's... she has a camera just like the one I left at home... only newer. She is very good.

The Garmin route telemetry is here

Adam gave me the Memorial tags... I'll carry them with me until nearing completion of my ride at which point I'll Geocach them for the next guy

WeSTOC 9/5/12 - Old cycling routes

with 7 ducklings. Bruce and his wife and Kevin and Cathee and Tim and Diana and Norman.

Garmin telemetry and the 226 miles route map link is here

Photos are at Smugmug starting here

WeSTOC 9/4/12 riding with Betty and Dave

Labor Day Monday...


Retraced my old stomping ground except many of the old roads like Stanly Parks home Rd is paved now.

Garmin 208 mile route telemetry here

and

Photos start in smugmug here

One the way to WeSTOC - Vernal to Golden

9/2/12 Garmin route was 334 miles from Vernal to DIA

Smugmug

over to Golden for a little night ride

WeSTOC 9/1/12 Jackson Lake Campground to Vernal

It was wet... see pics here

It was 459 miles from Jackson Lake to Vernal, UT

Garmin route telemetry here

WeSTOC 8/31

Lunch in Cooke City see Smugmug

Garmin 289 miles... see route here

Possible STOC events I'll attend

I'll be touring the NE including Niagara Falls starting AUG 1

then
WeSTOC XVII Sep 4-6
Golden, CO

Planned route

BamaSTOC Sep 14-16
Vina, AL

ArkanSTOC IV Sep 21-23
Marble Falls, AR

DinkieSTOC II Oct 4-7
Defiance, MO

TexSTOC #17 Oct 5-7
Harrison, AR

Just about ready for NatSTOC in South Dakota

A friend posted his lament about his layoff from motorcycling... he had been having back trouble and his Mom was very sick. He rode to see her... she got better.

I get it... I used to visit my Grandma every year... can't do that anymore but I do go look at the cabin and have a little sniff. My favorite place in this world. I wish I had thought to be prepared to buy it myself.

Update: I had a great time a NatSTOC...

I got a new tent that was a big hit. It rained the first night and it was lovely. The tent was superb but I pitched it a bit close to the brideg over the creek. The rain had made the bridge slick so I ended up being the Troll. I had perticulary fun with little Kent and his Mama. The rest of the photos are here

Ready for NatSTOC 2012

Tent's ready

CreSTOC - May 27 to Jun 6, 2012

SUN May 27 - Billings to Three Forks, Montana - 176 miles 176 miles total
No pictures today...  it was too wet... I do have a new waterproof camera
176 miles in a drizzle and a bit of sleet on Bozeman Pass.
When the weather closed in at Three Forks I stopped for the night...
did not relish the idea of setting up the tent in the rain at the Airpot like I have in the past

MON May 28 - Three Forks to Clarkston, WA - 453 miles (Garmin player link) 629 total
I posted quite a few pics even though it continues to rain on me most of the day.  Chose to go over Pipestone Pass rather than fight the spray for the trucks on Homestake Pass.  The rain thinned a bit but never really quit. Rode Lolo pass to Orofino then the P1 road to Hendrick and the Old Spiral Highway into Lewistown. Try looking to see if their was camping at the Airpot park but ti was raining pretty hard again so Motel 6 in Clarkston, WA.  When I got settled I fired up the computer and found out the Bill Pratt had passed away while I was riding the "ST Mother Road" I was thing of him all day and made a video of the ride.  I'll post it but it may not be proccesed for a bit.

TUE May 29 - A sad day... Rest in Peace Bill Pratt.
 I'll need to decide where to go today...
I am disinclined to continue to CreSTOC but maybe hang around and ride to Oregon - Washington Coast instead. That way I can be around to attend the Memorial.

Photo at left - Bill and Marsh Pratt lead the way





As it turned out, we continued to CreSTOC... Bill would like that

WED May 30 - La Pine, OR to Rio Dell, CA 417 miles

THU May 31 - Rio Dell, CA to Tomales, CA 257 miles

Stealth Camping behind the Presbetarian Church

FRI Jun 1 - Tomales to Greenfield, CA via PCHighway 230 miles

SAT Jun 2- Greenfield to Crestline on a Walkabout 414 miles

SUN Jun 3 - Crestline to Carmel via Angeles Crest Highway

Mon Jun 4 - Carmel, CA to Stranded on the Pass with the Waggoneers

Tue Jun 5 - Adventure Campground west of Lake Tahoe to Wells, NV

Wed Jun 6 - Wells, NV to Home 630 miles

Sun Jun 10 - Ingrid's Wedding - I thought about Bill all days as this was the day of his Marq Party.

Post Moonshine - Ready to roll

I missed a few posts... I'll get back to them but there wasn't really much going on... I went out to the farm yesterday to make sure there wasn't any trash left.. Was stuck in Casey, IL waiting on a new rear tire. Managed to get two Moonburgers in the process and visited Terry Hammond's grave. I have been the only guest for two nights. Casey has great nice people. A local gave me a ride to the shop after my tire arrived. I pulled the wheel in the Comfort Inn parking lot just as the UPS truck pulled up. Lots of train traffic here but no sun so I didn't bother with photos. My little camera quit, it got wet. So did my old waterproof Magellan GPS... I think it will eventually dry out. (IT DIDN'T) 1600 miles I did in the rain... I don't think it was that waterproof. My bicycle GPS is still working so I won't get lost.

Headed for Bonne Terre, MO to do some family history stuff tomorrow, then Kansas City the next day.

SPOT will be on
Pictures are here

Moonshine Lunch Run - raining again

It rained last year too.  Helen told me it would be nice next year.  I don't trust her.