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2026 Leepin’ Across America
  • Mike and Kimberly
  • Mike and Kimberly

2026 Leepin’ Across America

Päättymätön seikkailu — Mike and Lue lisää
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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    These ones look like toasted marshmallowsThis part looks like a cave1These terrorist ponds were so neatView of the terrorist ponds from above1

    Mammoth Hot Springs

    10. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 43 °F

    After an eventful and beautiful drive, we made it to Mammoth Hot Springs. This is a much different part of the park.

    This area reminds me of being inside a cave except your outside. The hot springs have a lot of minerals in them so there’s a lot of buildup of the minerals in various colors. Some of them looked like giant toasted marshmallows, while others looked like stalactites , and stalagmites. There also were several terrace pools where the minerals built up a little ledge in a pool would form.

    We walked around on the boardwalk for a little bit and then headed over to our hike    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Yellow wildflowersThe wildflowers were everywhereGrouseMale grouseSnow on the mountainsHawkView at the top of the hill of 360Dear1Mike got a good zoom in on the deerThe Beaver PondThe Beaver den or damIt's getting dark out

    Beaver pond hike

    10. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F

    We are going on this hike to the Beaver Pond. It’s considered a backcountry hike. Which means we’re going to be in a bear frequented area. Unfortunately Mike accidentally left his hiking bag back at the rig so no water for him to drink. No bear spray for him to carry and no bear bell for us. That’s fine. I don’t mind sharing my water, but only having one bear spray and no bear bell made us a little bit nervous.

    The hike was super beautiful. There were tons of wildflowers. Especially these yellow ones they were everywhere. It was a sea of yellow flowers. we came across a grouse pretty quickly in the hike. He was just sitting there about 3 feet off the trail. Sitting so still and he blended in so well with the ground you could hardly see him. A little later in the hike we walked up on a male grouse that was sitting in tall grass so we didn’t see him. But we scared him. And then he scared us. We both had a good laugh about it. Mike about hit the deck and grabbed his bear spray ready to take action.

    The weather was pretty nice during our hike, but then the clouds started to build. We got a couple sprinkles here and there, but it wasn’t a big of a deal. Once we made it to the top of the hill, we had outstanding views of the valley below and the mountains across from us covered in snow. We also saw several pica which are not as big as a marmot but bigger than a squirrel. I didn’t get any good pictures cause they moved too fast.

    We saw a hawk and then we saw two deer a doe, and a buck. We finally made it to the Beaver pond. We didn’t see any beaver, but we did see his little damn or den.

    On the way back, the clouds started to get darker and darker, and the wind started to pick up. We were about a half a mile from the end of the hike when it started to sprinkle. By the time we made it to the truck, it was trying to snow.

    We were going to do some more sightseeing. We did make a stop at the sheep eater cliffs, but it was starting to snow so we decided to call it a day. That’s OK because the ride home was just as adventurous.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Bear on the side of the road
    2The snow is starting to stickBisonMore bisonSnowplowBear number three1

    Drive home from Mammoth

    10. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ❄️ 34 °F

    As we drove home the snow got heavier and heavier. That’s OK because it made spotting the wildlife easier and easier. We already saw one bear this morning, but on the way home we saw a second bear. And he was right on the edge of the road so we were able to get some good pictures. But because he was right on the edge of the road it wasn’t a good idea to stop and get out so the pictures are from in the truck as we drove by. This one was another black bear. And he was soaking wet from standing out in the rain.

    It was an hour and a half drive back and about halfway through the snow really started to stick. It started piling up on the ground. We even saw a plow, actually plowing.

    We passed several more bison who didn’t really seem to care about the snow and we saw one more bear. He was pretty far away so we didn’t get great pictures. But that makes it three bears in one day. A bear trifecta.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Tetons
    TetonsMama mooseBaby mooseMama and baby moose butsMamaBabyHidden fallsJenny lakeTetonsView from inspiration pointInspiration pointMoose # 3Moose 3Cascade canyonCascade canyonCascade canyonMarmotThe bearCascade canyon

    Grand Teton national Park Jenny Lake hike

    11. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F

    Today we headed down to grand Teton national Park, which sits just south of Yellowstone National Park. The two parks do not actually connect, but are very very close to each other.

    Since it just snowed yesterday, there’s a lot of fresh snow on the Tetons and it doesn’t matter where you are and Grand Teton National Park the view of the Tetons is always stunning. I’m not sure what it is about these mountains that makes them so unique compared to all other mountains. But I sure do love them.

    We are headed over to Jenny Lake for a hike. Our intention was to arrive and take the boat taxi across the lake and then start our hike there. This would shave off a total of 4 miles from our hike. The hike we wanted to do was only 2 1/2 miles and we would take the boat back across the lake. It would have been a great combination of a little boat ride and a hike. Unfortunately, when we arrived at 9 AM the line to get on the boat was already over an hour wait.

    We stood in line for about 5 to 10 minutes before we decided we will just hike the extra 4 miles. 2 miles there 2 miles back and skip the boat. I’m really glad that we made that decision because once we got onto the hiking trail we came upon a cow moose and her baby. It was awesome to see them both together. The baby is so tiny compared to the mother.

    Once we made it to the other side of the lake, we are planning to hike hidden Falls, inspiration point and a little bit of cascade Canyon.

    The water at hidden Falls was rushing. The falls look beautiful, and the sound was a constant roar. Next, we headed up to inspiration point. It was a bit of a climb and a little bit of a ledge so I was scared, but Mike held my hand and we made it across. The view from inspiration point was so inspiring. You could see all of Jenny Lake and into the valley.

    Next, we made our way over to Cascade Canyon. We actually ended up on this trail on accident. We thought we were just going to skip it and head back to the parking lot but we missed the sign and that’s OK because it turned out to be a really cool hike. Cascade Canyon is as it’s named in a canyon with the sheer mountain right next to you. It was just gorgeous. A little bit into the hike we heard some people say there was a moose a little further down the trail. We made it over to the moose, so that is moose number three of the day. Some people were saying she had a baby, but we didn’t see one. The views in the canyon were gorgeous so we kept on hiking.

    A little bit further into the hike someone mentioned seeing a bear a little bit further down, so of course we had to continue. We did see the bear, but he was hidden in very thick brush so not too good of a picture. We actually hiked past the bear and didn’t see him the first time until we came up upon some other hikers that asked if we saw the bear and we missed it. It’s kind of scary because he was only about 30 feet off the trail and we had no idea he was there. After that, we are already 5 miles into our hike and we still needed to hike all the way back so we turned around and headed back.

    We didn’t run into anything exciting on the way back, except that the three moose that we saw were all still in the same area. So we got to see them again. It ended up being just over 9 miles of a hike. And after yesterday‘s 6 mile hike were beat so we just headed home.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Bear number three today
    Beautiful viewsElkRafting on the riverRoosevelt archMammoth Hot SpringsWaterfallIt's so green and still a little snow on the mountainsBison

    Ride to Gardiner, MT

    12. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Today’s the warmest day this week so we decided it was ride day. The temperatures have been in the 50s and low 60s and today’s high was a high of 65. We usually leave for our motorcycle rides around 10 AM and at that time it was a balmy 45° out. So we bundled up in extra layers and hit the road.

    Since it was so cold, I was wearing my winter gloves, which are not easy to take on and off so no pictures at the beginning part of the ride. But we did see two bear.

    We are headed to Gardiner Montana going out the north west entrance of the park. After making a pitstop halfway through the park, it was a little bit warmer so I could switch to my summer gloves and get some pictures. Good thing because we saw a bear number three. We also saw several elk this time while we were out. of course we saw bison because you always do here. We also saw some pronghorns some swans and a pelican.

    We stopped in Gardiner for lunch where Mike and I split a bison burger. It taste just like a hamburger. We didn’t notice any difference. We sat along the river and saw a couple of rafters go by. I bet that water was really cold.

    On the way back into the national park, we rode under the Roosevelt arch. We also rode past Mammoth, Hot Springs, and a few waterfalls.

    It was a beautiful ride day

    Bear 3. Elk pronghorn swans pelican bison

    Lunch bison Berger    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Upper Falls viewpoint
    Upper Falls viewpointArtist pointThis looks like a painting, doesn't it not a photo?Artist pointArtist point.Artist pointArtist pointArtist pointUpper FallsDearBrink of the upper FallsBrink of the upper FallsBrink of the upper FallsUpper files. Lots of mist

    Waterfall day part 1

    13. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 39 °F

    Today is one of my favorite days, waterfall day! We headed over to the canyon area, which they call the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. There are two major waterfalls here the upper and lower files. There’s also several overlooks on both sides of the river.

    The water was definitely running fast. And we got to go to some overlooks right at the brink of the Falls.

    One of the neatest viewpoints is called artist point. Every time I see a photo of this area from this viewpoint it always looks like a painting to me. I think it’s the way the rocks are in the coloring in the rocks. It just looks so neat. And it definitely does not look like a photo. It looks like a painting.

    Check out the captions I added to each of the photos    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    3/8 of a mile trail, descending 600 feetUpper FallsBrink of the lower fallsBring the lower FallBrink of the lower fallsWe wanted to go down to this viewpoint, but it was closedLove all the mistUpper FallsLookout pointLookout pointLookout pointLookout pointInspiration pointInspiration pointInspiration pointInspiration pointTower FallsTower FallsTower Falls

    Waterfall day part two

    13. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    Next, we headed over to the brink of the lower falls. We clearly remember doing this little hike to the viewpoint when we were here 10 years ago. On that day 10 years ago, it was snowing and we had to walk down the 600 feet on a icy paved path. When we got to the bottom. The snow was snowing upwards instead of downwards due to the draft from the waterfall. It was something to see that day. It was much more enjoyable today. It was less scary, walking down and much warmer standing by the waterfall.

    After that, we stopped at a few more viewpoints along the river, but the views were not as good as they were closer to the falls.

    We also stopped at Tower Falls, which is at the north end of the park. You couldn’t get very close to the falls, but it was still neat to see.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Trout Lake
    Trout LakeTrout LakeTrout LakeTrout LakeBeautiful with the reflection of the mountainsGround squirrelGround squirrelIt was so peaceful hereCutthroat trout spawningThe fish are kinda reddish pinkPronghornYellowstone LakeEast entranceMama bear and one cubMarmot

    Trout lake and Yellowstone lake

    14. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F

    Today we took a short hike around Trout Lake. There were reports of moose in the area, but unfortunately, we did not see any. The view of the mountains reflecting off the water was just gorgeous. And there were lots of wildflowers around the path. We saw several ground squirrels scampering around. They were really cute to watch. When we got to the portion where the little river runs into the lake, we saw lots of cutthroat trout spawning. That was pretty interesting to watch.

    After that short hike, we took a drive to the east entrance of Yellowstone. Along the way we passed a couple of pronghorns. And we drove up to the overlook of Yellowstone Lake. Man that lake is huge. It is the largest high elevation Lake at 7,773 feet. We also saw a mama bear and 2 cubs and got a picture of a cute marmot sunning himself on the rock.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    The river we walked along
    More of the river we walked alongLonestarIt starts with a slow percolationThen bam this is the minor eruptionMinor eruptionMinor eruptionMinor eruptionMinor eruptionThe start of the major eruptionStart of the major eruptionMajor eruptionThis went on for 25 minutesUp close bison picture1Notice how close the bison is to the road

    Hike to Lonestar geyser

    15. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Today we went on a short hike to Lonestar geyser. This geyser is kinda off by itself. It’s not in the geyser basin. It was a nice walk because it had a lot less people. The hike was more along a forest service road instead of an actual hiking trail, which was OK. We followed along the little river most of the way. It was 2 1/2 miles when we made it to the geyser.

    There is no actual prediction for this geyser, but from reports that we could find on the Internet, it interrupts about every three hours. There is a logbook where the National Park Service asks you to document the eruptions that you see, if you see them. We also saw lots of feedback on the eruptions in the AllTrails app.

    Since we weren’t sure exactly how long we would need to wait for this eruption, we decided to take our little collapsible stools with us so at least we could sit down if we were tired of standing around. That worked out well because we ended up sitting there for about an hour before the first minor eruption took place. That minor eruption only went off for about four minutes. Then about 45 minutes later a major eruption went off. That major eruption lasted for 25 minutes. It was pretty awesome to watch.

    We were both really glad we stuck around to see the second interruption. On the way back Mike and I were chitchatting and all of a sudden I looked over to the right and not even 10 feet away from us in the thick trees is a giant bison. Mike was standing between me and the bison and he didn’t even see it. I grabbed him and we moved to the other side of the road so we could put some distance between us. We took a few pictures and then we wanted to get out of there because that bison was giving us the side eye.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Yellowstone Lake
    Waterfall coming out of the side of the rocksShoshone RiverInteresting rocksThe landscape is much different at a lower elevationWild Bill ReservoirWe got to go through three tunnelsReservoir2A random Bob's big boy and someone's ranch yardStill a lot of snow on the mountains inside YellowstoneWaterfalls coming out of the rockAnother waterfall that just stopsYellowstone Lake

    Ride to Cody, Wyoming

    16. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Today we had a nice little ride to Cody, Wyoming. Along the way we saw several little waterfalls coming out of the rocks inside the national park. Once we get outside the national park, we rode alongside the Shoshone river.

    Because Yellowstone is at 7700 feet elevation and Cody is only at 5000 feet elevation, Once we left the national park the terrain changed. The rocks were kind of interesting. It reminds me of the formations of the hoodoo’s and Bryce Canyon, except the color was dark brown.

    We also passed alongside the Buffalo Bill Reservoir just outside of Cody. The water was a pretty teal color. The high today was 78 and it was beautiful.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Deer at the visitor center
    Signal MountainView from signal MountainView of the Tetons from signal MountainJackson hole Valley view from signal Mountain1Can you see the black strip of granite vertically from the top?Can't get enough pictures of these mountains just love them2Jenny LakeTeton glacierThe barnSnake RiverSnake RiverHeaded Yellowstone and grand TetonAdded the state of Wyoming232 states and 27 national parks

    Exploring Grand Tetons

    17. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    Today we headed to Grand Teton National Park to do some more exploring. We are using the gypsy guide which is an auto tour for Yellowstone and grand Tetons and we wanted to check out any recommendations they gave.
    Our first stop was at the visitor center where we were greeted with a deer who was chowing down on the bush right outside the front door. That’s a welcoming visitor center for sure.
    Next, we headed up to signal Mountain to take a look at the Jackson point overlook. Signal Mountain is not part of the Teton range but more of a pretty big hill that is in front of the Tetons and gives you a great view of the Tetons and the Jackson hole valley.

    Then we headed over to a viewpoint of Mount Moran. What’s unique about this point is there is a large vertical strip of granite that runs from the very top of the mountain down. If you look closely, you can see it. It almost looks like someone drew a thick black line with a marker vertically from the top of the mountain about a quarter of the way down. Kind of cool.

    After that, we headed to another viewpoint which pointed out the glacier that’s on the Tetons. I didn’t even know there was a glacier here. I thought that the only glaciers in the lower 48 were at glacier national Park and the one we saw in Nevada. I was surprised to learn this.
    Then we headed over to Mormon Row, where we were able to get a couple of pictures of the barn. The T.A. Moulton Barn is considered the most photographed barn in the Grand Tetons, located in the Mormon Row Historic District. It is famous for its picturesque views with the Teton Range in the background.

    Our last stop was a couple of viewpoints along the snake river where we had great reflections of the mountains in the river where it was still. So beautiful.

    Yellowstone National Park is the 26th national Park we have visited in the motorhome and grand Tetons is number 27 of the 63. Wyoming is the second new state we visited this year. In total we have been to 32 states.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Tetons
    BisonElkMore elkJackson hole ski resortCute Roadside statues in JacksonRoute 191 headed to Pinedale from JacksonI thought this moose was real for a minuteGreat windy Road gonna have to take this on the bikePronghornI'll set upTiny tornado funnel cloud

    Yellowstone trail RV-Pinedale,Wy(6/19-6/24)

    19. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Our two weeks in Yellowstone are up. It’s time to hit the road and move on to the next place. Our time went by so fast and I could totally spend the whole summer there. There’s so much to do and we were so busy.

    Our next stop is Yellowstone Trail RV park in Pinedale Wyoming. This isn’t really a destination town, but just a place to go to catch up and relax from our two weeks in Yellowstone.

    Along the way we had to drive through Teton national Park. That makes it such a beautiful drive day. I just can’t get enough of these mountains. Just like every day, we of course, saw some more bison. And I love all the roadside signs for all the animals you’ll run across while driving through the area. We also saw a few elk along the way.

    We drove through Jackson and got a great view of the ski resort which you can clearly see in the mountain. We love this cute little mountain town although it’s pretty touristy. I’m sure we’ll be back here again soon to get Mike some more huckleberry jam.

    After Jackson, we took route 191. Which actually runs from Mexico all the way to Canada. We’ve driven on that road down in Arizona. It’s a windy road in the valley of two mountains. And the views were stunning. We even passed a moose on the side of the road. Well, it actually was not a real moose, but for a minute, I thought it was.

    Since it rained recently, the rivers were running kind of brown, so they weren’t as pretty, but it was still really neat to see them

    Once we arrived and got all settled in a little storm ran through. Boy it’s windy here with no trees to block the wind. We even saw a little tiny tornado funnel down from the clouds. It only lasted about a minute, but oh my gosh, it was pretty cool.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Nice little stream to crossGreat view of the snow capped mountainsWildflowersCheck out the waterfall at the endView from the lookoutView from the lookout2This was taken from the road that we drove up to the hiking trailHang gliders?

    Hike Sacred Rim Trail

    21. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

    Today we went on a hike on the sacred rim trail. To get to the trailhead, we had to drive up to the top of the mountain to the high elevation of 9600 feet. From there, we hiked up just a little bit higher to a awesome lookout. Along the way we passed a little stream, but we didn’t stay hiking along the stream for very long. It was just a quick stream crossing. We saw lots of wildflowers.. Surprisingly we did not see any wildlife at all on the hike.

    Once we got to the lookout, we had a panoramic view of the valley down below. There were several lakes at the bottom of the valley, and we could hear this huge waterfall gushing down below. It’s too bad there wasn’t a hike out to the waterfall because I bet that would’ve been amazing.

    We also passed a sign that said no hang gliding on the hiking trail. We both thought that was kind of odd because we were in the middle of the forest who would be hanging gliding there. But once we got to the lookout, we knew why it would be the perfect jumping off point.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    I took this picture
    Riding along the river.Horse and buggy at the town Square in JacksonMillion dollar cowboy barWe were sitting on the second story, balcony, eating outsideWildlife BridgeEagle nest1The selfie that Mike took while riding1The picture he took from his phone while riding

    Ride to Jackson

    22. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Since we weren’t that far from Jackson, we had to take another ride over there. Mike wanted to stock up on Huckleberry jam since this is the only place we can get it.

    It was a nice ride on that windy route 191 into Jackson. Once we got there, we went over to roadhouse brewery to grab a bite to eat. We were lucky enough to get a table out on the second story deck. And we were able to watch everyone walking around the town Square. Love people watching sometimes you see some crazy stuff.

    We also passed a sign warning about avalanche area. The valley we rode through does have some pretty steep hills. And I guess if they were covered in snow, it could be an avalanche. I guess I didn’t notice that sign when we were driving through in the motorhome. Kind of crazy.

    We also passed underneath two huge animal bridges. So they made these bridges just so the animals could get across the road. I believe this is a huge migration area since there’s so many signs about deer crossing and elk Crossing.

    We also passed several eagle nests. The one I took a picture of was pretty cool. You can’t see it too good in the picture, but he had a lot of pink and blue strings or streamers hanging down from the nest. I thought it was kind of funny that he’s blinging out his nest. And in pink and blue of all colors.

    Mike also figured out how to take a selfie of his phone while he was on the motorcycle. And took a picture of us driving at nearly 100 miles an hour. While I was sitting on the back of the bike, I was wondering what he was doing because we were all of a sudden going super fast. I guess the road wasn’t twisty enough to keep him focused on the road.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Sagebrush
    1This landscape looks just like Arizona2Three short tunnels to drive-throughEven the red rocks look like Sedona

    Absaroka Bay RV- Cody,WY (6/24-7/1)

    24. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Our time in Pinedale is over and we’re off to Cody Wyoming. Cody is just an hour drive outside the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Cody is also known as the rodeo capital of the US.

    While we were in Yellowstone, we were at 7000 feet of elevation. Pinedale was also at 7000 feet of elevation. But we’re going downhill on our way to Cody which is only at 5000 feet. We passed a lot of Sagebrush and hardly any trees on the drive. The whole landscape actually reminds me of Arizona.

    We got to drive through three really small short tunnels with the RV on our way to Cody. It was a nice easy drive.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Map of the switchbacks in MontanaAerial shot of the switchbacks in MontanaYay, the pass is openStarting the switchbacksThis is the part of the road they got washed awayNoticed the big drop offsView of the switchbacks from the lookSwitchbacks from the LookoutThis is the road we came upContinuing the ascent. Starting to see snow.Alpine Meadows, and wildflowers

    Ride Beartooth Highway MT side

    26. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    The whole reason we came to Cody Wyoming is to ride the bear to highway. This road runs from red Lodge, Montana over the Beartooth pass and into Cooke city wyoming. Cook city is the north east entrance into Yellowstone National Park.

    Beartooth highway is a scenic drive that’s designated as “an all American Road“. That designation is the highest designation a scenic by way can receive. Who knew that there were different levels of scenic by ways. All I know is this is in the top 10 motorcycle rides from any list you pull. Besides all that time we spent in Yellowstone this is the other big highlight of our trip.

    The Beartooth Highway crosses Beartooth pass at 10,947 feet. The crews work really hard to get all the snow cleared by Memorial Day weekend. Even though the road is open starting memorial day weekend any little storm that comes through tends to drop feet of snow up on the mountain. We knew we were going to need to ride in cold weather and possibly rain but we picked the best two days to try to go ride this route. We wanted to ride going east to West, and then turn around and on a separate day ride it from west to east. The views are always so different in each direction.

    As soon as we had a great weather day, we hit the road. I added two photos. One is an aerial view of the switchbacks on the Montana side. I also took a screenshot of the switchbacks on the road. This is one squirrel Road.

    For this drive, we went all the way up into Montana and went from east to West so, Montana, over the pass and then down into Wyoming. The road was in great shape and the views were spectacular. So many twisted and turns. Then everything changed about halfway up the switchbacks. We got to a section of the road that got washed out many years ago. When they did the repair, they did a really bad job. Or I guess they did as best as they could. But boy that road was rough.

    At the top of the switchbacks we were able park the bike for a minute and check out a great lookout where you’re able to look down at the switchbacks. It doesn’t look the same as the aerial photo of course, because we’re not right on top of the switchbacks but still pretty neat to see. We continued our ascent and started seeing lots of patches of snow on the side of the road. We’re getting closer to the top of the Beartooth pass. We’re also seeing lots of Alpine Meadows and tons of wildflowers. We are about to cross into the Wyoming side of Beartooth. But I need to continue that in the next post.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Aerial photo of the switchbacks on the Wyoming side
    Map showing the switchbacks on the Wyoming sideMountain goats with babiesThe start of the wall of snowThe ski resortAnother wall of snowMade it to the peak360 view from the peakStarting the switchbacks down

    Beartooth Highway – Wyoming side

    26. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    Continuing our drive on Beartooth Highway. I added another aerial shot of the switchbacks on the Wyoming side. On this side of the highway there are a lot more lakes which were super pretty. I also took a screenshot of the road so you can see all the switchbacks coming down the mountain.

    Just before we made it to the peak of the mountain, we were lucky to see a bunch of mountain goats with their babies. It was close to a dozen of them. I wish we could’ve stopped to watch them for a little bit. But there just wasn’t any place to park.

    Then around the next bend, we got to the wall of snow. They have a snow machine to clear the road and it’s essentially a giant pick up truck with a auger, think of a snowblower in the front of it and they just snow blow with the pick up truck right through the snow to clear it which leaves this cool wall that you get to drive by. I’ve seen pictures where the wall is well over 12 feet high. But when we went by today I would say it was a high of at least 5 feet.

    Right after that, we passed the ski resort. It’s not what you think of a typical ski resort. It’s just an area where people come up here to go downhill skiing or cross country skiing but there’s no actual building or lodge or anything like that.

    We passed another huge wall of snow and we finally made it to the top 10,947 feet elevation. We stopped to take a few photos and then we were ready to hit the switchbacks on the way down. The views were incredible with the mountains in the background, Alpine Meadows, and lots of little lakes.

    This was such an amazing ride. We can’t wait to do it again.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Switchback on Beartooth
    The snow machine with the augerChief JosephYay, more switchbacksPretty view, but reminds me too much of ArizonaView from the lookout of the switchbacks belowView from the lookoutMore switchbacks belowAnother storm is coming inTop hash line is Beartooth bottom hash line is chief Joseph

    Bear tooth and Chief Joseph scenic byway

    26. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    We keep continued down the very curvy switchbacks of Beartooth, on the Wyoming side, enjoying the Alpine Meadows and lakes along the way. As we got closer to Cook city Wyoming, which is just outside Yellowstone National Park. We started to see a few waterfalls.

    We stopped in Cook city to grab a bite to eat and of course it started to downpour rain. Lucky for us we brought all of our rain gear. After we were done eating, we had to gear up and get back on the bike. The further away from Cook city we got the less rain we had.

    We took chief Joseph scenic by way home, which is also supposed to be another nice motorcycle ride. These two roads make the perfect loop.

    Chief Joseph had a lot of switchbacks also but scenery wasn’t quite as beautiful as bear tooth. At the top, we got off and checked out the scenic overlook. The top of this mountain was at 8000 feet. We also had a pretty good view of the switchbacks down below.

    It stopped raining, but we could see some dark clouds coming in so we booked at home.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Firearms museumThe largest gun I ever saw1The silver thing is the smallest gun I ever sawMap of the firearms museumProduction area when they first started to make firearmsFirearms library1Buffalo Bill MuseumThis is taken from the second story. It's a tile mosaic on the floor.Getting ready for the Fourth of July parade

    Buffalo Bills center of the West Museum

    27. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    We’re not huge museum fans, but we wanted to check out the Buffalo Bill museum in Cody Wyoming. We’ve heard that it is a pretty big museum at a Smithsonian level type museum and that it takes days to get through it. It’s also made up of five museums all in one.

    Museums Included:
    Buffalo Bill Museum: Focuses on the life of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and his impact on the American West.

    Plains Indians Museum: Showcases the culture and history of Plains Indian tribes.

    Whitney Western Art Museum: Features Western art, including paintings and sculptures.

    Draper Natural History Museum: Explores the natural history of the region.

    Cody Firearms Museum: Houses an extensive collection of firearms, showcasing their historical significance.

    We started out in the firearms museum. Oh my gosh, I believe this is the largest collection of firearms in the US. It was room after room after room of different kinds of guns from all across different times. From the very beginning of time when guns first came about until current. Guns by made by every manufacturer. It was amazing. I took a photo of the largest gun I’ve ever seen and a photo of the smallest gun I’ve ever seen. Check them out. They even have a gun library where you can go and look up all different kinds of guns. I never knew that existed.

    Next, we went to the art museum and the planes Indian museum. We kinda just walk through those. They didn’t really peak our interest too much.

    Next, we went to the Buffalo Bill museum, which talks about all of the history with Buffalo Bill and his wild West show. It was pretty interesting.

    Lastly, we went through the natural history museum. Which was actually pretty big and had a lot of interesting information on the animals and the geology of the area.

    I guess if you wanted to read everything in the entire museum, you could spend two days doing it, but we only took one day.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    2

    Cody cattle company dinner show and rodeo

    28. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌬 55 °F

    While we were in Cody, we had another couple that are RV friends that came into town and are staying at the same campground we are. So all of us decided to go to the Cody cattle company dinner show and hit the rodeo afterwards.

    It was a cowboy buffet at the dinner show and the food was awesome. Everyone really liked everything they got. The show was pretty good. The guy playing guitar was very talented. Afterwards we hit the rodeo. Unfortunately it was 45 mile an hour winds so we didn’t stay through the entire rodeo, but we tough it out for at least an hour. Cody is the last place we will be traveling together with Barbara and Mark. From here, they head south and our friends that just came into town Pam and Todd are headed up to Montana.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Chief JosephA lot more snow on the mountainsThe barrier. Can't go any further.This picture is from Facebook of the little snow cave that collapsed

    Beartooth Highway in the opposite direction

    30. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F

    After all that wind at the rodeo, a storm blew in the town. We really wanted to ride Beartooth Highway again, but in the opposite direction. But that storm blew in snow. It snowed in Yellowstone and of course at the Beartooth pass. The road over the pass was closed. We went to the rodeo on Sunday and that night the road closed. We were gonna ride again on Monday, but that didn’t happen so since we leave on Wednesday, our only opportunity to ride was Tuesday cross your fingers that the road reopens.

    Tuesday morning we got up and the road was still closed. We figured we could at least ride out on chief Joseph and get as far as we can to Beartooth and see if hopefully maybe it opens just as we drive up.

    It was a much colder ride than it was last time so not as many photos. We drove through chief Joseph and went into Cook city to stop at the visitor center because the sign showed that beartooth was still closed. The lady at the visitor center said we could get part of the way up the road with no issues as long as we do not cross any barriers we won’t get into trouble. So we headed up Beartooth highway as far as we could go.

    We were able to stop at the of the world store which is not the very top of the mountain, but at the bottom of the switchbacks. You could tell that they had been snowed in, because of the storm because the lady that worked at the store was super chatty and was grateful to have somebody to talk to. We warmed up for a bit and then drove a little bit further up Beartooth before we got to the barrier where the road is officially closed.

    The lady at the store was telling us that they weren’t able to open the road because the snow machine won’t start so they can’t get the road cleared. She also said that the wall of snow we drove through, with all the wind they had and the rain and the snow they had turned it into a bit of an ice cave. But then the ice cave collapsed. I bet that would’ve been cool to see.

    We stopped at one of the waterfalls on the way back and then headed home. It was a cold ride.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Oil refinery1

    Mountain range RV-Columbus,MT(7/1-7/7)

    1. heinäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We headed to Billings MT a little bit early so that Mike could work a race.

    Along the drive we passed the road to take Bear Tooth highway and the road that goes to Chief Joseph. We didn’t take the road in the R.V., we just passed them along the way.

    Once we got into Montana and on the interstate, we passed a huge oil refinery. It reminded me of all the oil refineries in Texas.

    Once we got settled, the next day, I took Mike to the Billings airport for a race. The race was at Tri-City Speedway in Pasco, Washington. While he was gone I enjoy some alone time. We are together 24/7. 365. We also live in a small space. Less than 300 square feet so a little alone time every now and then is pretty nice although I did miss him.

    After the race we got ready to move to the next stop.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    1

    Cummins Service-Billings,MT (7/7-7/8)

    7. heinäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    Next stop is Billings, Montana for our 5000 mile oil change on the rig. We have a small oil leak and we had a really good mechanic. He was able to diagnose exactly where it was coming from. The leak is from a wiring harness and we will get it fixed when we get to Michigan. It is not a major leak and the mechanic advised just fixing it when we get to our home base. Otherwise the oil change went well and the engine looks good.

    While we were waiting we headed over to Fuddruckers for lunch. We used to go here in Tucson often. It has been a long time since we had this and the burgers we just as good as we remembered.

    From here we are going to Cannonball it across tornado alley to Michigan. Mike has several more races to work. It’s a 1500 mile drive and a big heat dome is developing in the west, so we want to stay ahead of the heat.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    Lots of ranch and farmlandIt's getting greenEntrance into Sheridan WyomingDevil's tower way far away in the backgroundDevil's TowerAn airplane weathervane1Vore buffalo jumpConcerts at the Sturgis motorcycle rallySturgis South Dakota

    3 Flags RV-Black Hawk,SD(7/8-7/9)

    8. heinäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    For the first leg of our cannonball run, we are going to pass through Montana into Wyoming and then stop for the night just inside of South Dakota. 371 miles and 5.5 hours.

    Along the way, we had beautiful views of rolling hills. Although the grass started out kind of brown, it turned a nice green. We passed through Sheridan, Wyoming. Which is the setting for a popular TV show and book Longmire. I read all the books except the one that just came out. I really wanted to stay here so we could ride in the bighorn mountains, but that’s gonna have to wait till next time.

    As we were leaving Wyoming, we passed Devils Tower. We were here when we visited South Dakota back in 2023. It’s pretty cool how we could see it from so far away.

    We made it into South Dakota and passed through Sturgis, where we stayed in 2023. We would love to come back to this area and ride again in the Black Hills.

    We stopped for the night just west of Rapid City in Blackhawk, South Dakota. Tomorrow we get up early and hit the road again and it’s gonna be a long drive day.    Lue lisää

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  • Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaMatkaaja
    2Lots of billboards for wall drugBeautiful rolling Hills in South DakotaWall, South DakotaRoadside attractionThe Badlands of South Dakota in the distanceBadlands of South DakotaMore roadside attractionsFiretruce henge Lake Stonehedge, but with fire trucksMissouri riverChamberlain, Lewis and Clark welcome centerDignity of the Earth and sky statueMitchell, South Dakota home of the corn PalaceMore random Roadside attractionsMissouri riverPizza, wings, and cocktails for dinner

    WinnaVegas Casino-Sloan,IA(7/9-7/10)

    9. heinäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    We’re on to leg two of our cannonball run. Today’s drive is 460 miles and 8 hours. Plus we changed time zones we left mountain time and entered central time.

    The drive was beautiful again with lots of rolling hills in South Dakota along with a billboard for wall drug every few miles. We stopped at wall drug when we visited South Dakota back in 2023. You have to stop at least once in your life to check it out, but it’s not worth the return trip.

    After wall South Dakota, we passed the edge of the Badlands of South Dakota. While we loved that visit and wouldn’t mind stopping again. We just don’t have time.

    We drove past a lot of roadside attractions on the stretch of highway. About halfway across South Dakota, after crossing the Missouri river, we stopped at the Chamberlain Lewis and Clark welcome center. The Missouri river is actually the longest river in the US longer than the Mississippi, which most people think. While here we were able to see the dignity of earth and sky statue. This is a 50 foot tall, stainless steel statue, honoring the indigenous people.

    After that, we passed through Mitchell, South Dakota, which is home of the corn Palace. We stopped there in 2023 also. Again, it’s another one and done. Shortly after that, we headed south on I 29 into Iowa.

    We traveled parallel to the Missouri river and stopped for the night shortly into Iowa at winnaVegas casino. It’s nothing but a parking lot with a power hook up for 15 bucks a night. We also went into the casino and grabbed a pizza and some wings for dinner. Tomorrow is another early day and a long drive day.    Lue lisää

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