Day Ten – Hailey ID to Laramie WY
Miles: 677
Elapsed Time: 13:51
We had breakfast at Wood River Inn, and it was quite good. We stopped at the Shell station to gas up before leaving and were on the road by ten after seven. It was going to be a long day and there were also many things to see along the way. There would not be one mile today that we hadn't previously covered but much of the route contains portions that are among our favorite rides. We didn't get very far before stopping at the Craters of the Moon National Park to have a quick view. It is certainly not a beautiful location but it is very interesting. We didn't stop at the same exact location as we did last time, but it all looks very similar to me. From Carey ID west of the Craters to Idaho Falls the landscape is mostly barren and wide open. We opened it up a little bit here and tried to make some good time. We were trying to make Atlantic City for lunch. Once we got east of Idaho Falls the Snake River Mountain Range comes into view and a welcome respite from the desolate landscape of Southeastern Idaho. We made a stop to view Fall Creek Falls, a really nice set of Falls on the Snake River. It's hard to do it justice with pics, so I included this video.
We continued on US26 along the Palisades Reservoir and some really great motorcycling roads. We stopped in Alpine for gas and jumped on US89 following the Snake River. This stretch of road has nice overlooking views of the river which at times is 200 feet below the road and other times the road is almost at river level. We spotted many rafters out on the river, but not as many as will be seen in the coming months. I would imagine the water even in late June is very cold, not that it ever gets all that warm. In Hoback Junction, which sits just south of Jackson we continue east switching to US191. All of this stretch is great riding and we have traveled it many times, but it never gets old. I have made the trip from Hoback Junction to Pinedale on at least three different street bikes, three different dual sport bikes, and even a few Pick-Up trucks. We cruised through Pinedale without stopping which seemed a little unnatural but we were on a mission. It was 1:00 when we reached Pinedale, so not early but we were still in decent shape. We blasted down to Farson and turned onto WY28 where after a few miles we stopped at the Parting Of The Ways monument on the Oregon and California Trails. The emigrants had to decide which fork to take; save 46 miles but without any water or the longer route with water. Fifty miles isn't what is used to be. So after that brief historical stop we were off WY28 and headed to Atlantic City. We were planning to eat at the Atlantic City Mercantile which typically serves up a pretty good lunch. For some reason they are no longer open during the week, so we went next door to Miner's Grubsteak for lunch. We'd seen this place before but never tried it. There were many locals there and very friendly and we enjoyed a nice burger and brew. Back on WY28 we travelled through the Red Canyon towards Lander where we stopped for gas and made it quick as a storm was blowing in. We made fast tracks down US287 stopping at Split Rock and another milestone on the Oregon Trail. This unique rock formation was used by the Pioneers to show them the proper direction and confirm they were on the right path. As we approached Laramie we began to run into weather. It started with severe winds, some of which were some of the strongest I have ever ridden in. My helmet's windshield would not even stay closed. Then the rain hit and we clumsily stopped on the side of the road to suit up. I pulled over too quickly and caused confusion all around me, but nothing major happened so we suited up and rode the last few miles in the rain with our gear on. By the time we reached the hotel it was after 8:00 so we decided to once again go for delivered food after stopping for some refreshments to cap off the great day of riding.
