Yellowstone 2012

Highlights of my latest motorcycle trip.   St. George to Yellowstone and back.  1867 miles.

This trip was especially great because Michelle rode her own motorcycle, a 2008 Kawasaki Vulcan 900.  After spending more than 100,000 miles looking at the back of my helmet, she decided to branch out and drive her own.  (Just a little side note here….she is a more critical passenger now that she has driven her own motorcycle.  She now knows how I am supposed to drive….and lets me know when I don’t.  Which is quite often..  J )     We had been on a road trip before, but this was her longest.  We were going to take Parker with us, but he was involved in baseball.  Parker made the all-star team and they had several games, and also the tournament during the week we were gone.  We will pick him up again on another trip.  We hated to waste an opportunity to take a grandchild with us, so Jackson was more than willing to step in and go along for the ride.

Highlights include:  Kim Wilson and Gail Miller wedding Breakfast in SLC;  Driving all the way from SLC to Rexburg, after leaving about 4:00.  Shelle just kept driving and driving.  Jack spent 4 days with his cousins as we toured Yellowstone; taking part in the ordination of Jason as a new Bishop;  taking Jaelynn and Ben with us again just like old times, and enjoying time with Jason; Staying one night in Gardiner, Mt…… neat town.  Watching Shelle negotiate the sharp curves of Yellowstone with cliffs on one side and cars on the other. (She did a great job, and got better and better as we went along); Driving in the rain from Alpine Junction to Afton, Wy.  Shelle did not want to do that, but when she realized there was really no choice, she did what she has always done….rolled up her sleeves and went to work.  She drove in the lead so she could go her own speed, and I could turn on my flasher to protect us from behind.  She did a super job and we made it to Afton with no problem. However, we had a dirt road to our cabin, which she drove with gritted teeth and white knuckles, but the cabin we stayed in made it all worthwhile;   driving 371 miles on our last day….not bad for a Grandpa and Grandma on motorcycles; having Jackson along the whole way…..he never complained, was supper funny, and applauded Mom on every hard maneuver, and he loves Jackson, Wy; however, the greatest highlight was spending time with Shelle, watching her enjoy driving her own motorcycle, joking back and forth on the C.B, and watching how she loves every little thing about the whole trip.…..every time I spend time with her, I remember why I fell in love with her in the first place.  How great it is to share what I have enjoyed doing my whole life……touring on a motorcycle. 

P.S.  While in Jackson, I went to the bathroom and he went into an art gallery.  There was a long line, and when I finally paired up with him again, he started telling me all about how the artist did all of the paintings and sculptures.  I said “how do you know all of this”, and he took me to the back room, and there was the artist in his work shop.  Jack said “I ask him”.  The artist said” he sure did…he was very interested in everything….I don’t see that often in one so young”.  Jack and the artist acted like they were the best of friends.