We start in Salt Lake City, Utah and soon we’re heading east through Park City, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and then up the road to Kamas. The route twist and turns as we climb to nearly 11,000 feet near Mirror Lake. Soon we’re entering Wyoming and a scenic ride through foothills and small western towns. We'll follow the Snake River into Jackson, where the mighty Tetons loom in the distance. Jackson is one of those “unexpected” kind of towns. It’s fairly small (population about 8,000) but it seems as cosmopolitan as Beverly Hills. There are dozens of unique shops and restaurants, and if you want to visit a real estate office, I understand the $5 million “cabins” have come down in price considerably. Be prepared for an incredible dinner.

The “official distance” on our second day is short, but we’ll be entering another world! Leaving Jackson, we enter Grand Teton National Park almost immediately. If anyone wants to get a REAL early start the sight of the rising sun hitting those peaks is breathtaking! There’s much to see and do along the way, including short hikes, side roads to explore, and even boat rides on Jenny and Jackson Lakes. The lodge at Jackson Lake is worth a stop just to see the lobby.

Continuing north, one national park flows seamlessly into another. On the border between Yellowstone and Grand Teton is Flagg Ranch - land donated to the US government by John D. Rockefeller. It is now a resort property. As we enter Yellowstone at the south gate, signs of the 1988 fires that burned about 30% of the park are evident all around us. Some areas have recovered significantly, but other regions look as if the fire had been much more recent.

The roads in Yellowstone form a stylized “figure 8” and the next two days are yours to explore either with the group or on your own. Wildlife is everywhere, and it’s possible we will see deer, elk, buffalo, coyote, wolves, moose, and bear, as well as the usual small stuff. Keep in mind these animals are wild, so keep a safe distance.

The landscape of the park regions varies tremendously, from a desert like moonscape to thick forests and lush pastures. Yellowstone is also BIG! From Silver Gate (the northeast entrance) to the South entrance is over 100 miles. It’s truly a place like nowhere else.

Leaving Yellowstone from the East gate, it’s about 50 scenic miles to Cody, WY. There’s lots to see and do in Cody. It was the home of Buffalo Bill. The world famous museum that bears his name can easily take a day or more to see. Take some time in Cody to look around and visit some of the attractions if you like.

You won’t want to miss the next leg of our route. Just outside of Cody, Chief Joseph Highway winds its way up and down toward Montana, and what some say is the grandaddy of Great American motorcycle roads – US 212 over Beartooth Pass to Red Lodge.

We climb from 7,000 feet to 11,000 feet, then back down to 7,000, all within about 45 miles. Temperature can be about 40 degrees cooler at the top – so have some extra layers handy! There is an alternate route to Red Lodge - more flat, but still quite scenic.

We’ll leave Red Lodge and head northwest through the northern slopes of the Absaroka and Gallatin ranges. From time to time we’ll have to use the Interstate, because they just never got around to paving many of the “main roads” in this part of Montana. Still, I-90 in these parts is one of the prettiest super slabs you’ll find anywhere.

Bozeman is one of the larger cities in Montana, and was in it's heyday in the 20’s when the railroad added a line to take visitors to Yellowstone. A short ride south of Bozeman is the ski areas of Big Sky, and beyond them the Western gate to Yellowstone.

Earlier in the week we saw the morning sun on the eastern face of the Tetons. Today we see the afternoon light on the Western side. Our route takes us through the Targhee and Gallatin National Forests. We will pass many picturesque lakes and streams, Idaho State Parks, and do a few mountain passes for good measure - including a spectacular crossing back to the East side of the Tetons as our day draws to a close. Our adventure concludes with a fairly long (but not demanding) ride south. As we enter the Salt Lake City, we smell the brine of the Great Salt Lake instead of mountain air and pines, but it really doesn’t seem so bad after all. It’s been a great week!