I have not visited any more cheese factories since my trip to Kugel's, but it has been an eventful two months. In June I rode out to the BMW National Motorcycle Rally. Normally these rides are all about the good times, but one of my riding partners bounced off of a car and that changed the narrative and the emotional reaction to the trip.
On 22 June I rode west with two other riders to attend the BMW rally in Great Falls, Montana. Before we had cleared Minnesota one of my riding partners had an unfortunate collision with a Toyota Venza. The rider and his bike were damaged but serviceable and we continued west. On the second day we visited the grave of Sioux Chief Sitting Bull on the west side of the Missouri River in Mobridge, South Dakota. Later in the day, the rider who had run into the Toyota experienced battery problems and left him, and us, in effect, stranded on the side of US 12 in eastern Montana. The situation was resolved in a most fortuitous manner and we made it to Great Falls on 24 June.
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Sitting Bull grave in Mobridge, SD
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The rally was as expected and we enjoyed our time volunteering at the pin and patch booth. It's a good way to meet a lot of rally goers and exchange information about our rides into Great Falls. My riding partner was feeling the effects of the mishap in Minnnesota, so we did not walk around the exhibits any more than was necessary. They were all pretty much as they are each year anyway. On the second day I took the opportunity to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls. Many of the cities and towns along the upper Missouri River have Lewis and Clark monuments, museums, or memorials, so it was nice to have the time to visit this one. The center's main focus was on the portages the expedition had to manage in the Great Falls area.
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| Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls, MT |
After two nights of recuperation, we left Great Falls on a Sunday morning. We rode south on US 87 through the Lewis and Clark National Forest and then rode east on US 12. One unexpected delight was being stopped behind a cattle drive down the middle of US 12. After following the herd at a respectful distance for fifteen minutes, we followed a pickup truck through the herd and were on our way again. We rode east as far as Billings, Montana, before getting on the interstate toward Crow Agency.
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Cattle drive on US 12 in Montana
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We arrived that day, 26 June, at the Little Bighorn National Battlefield. Like most National Parks and National Monuments, the Little Bighorn Battlefield was busy. My riding partner could not walk too well, so I took a walk up to the hill that is the site of General Custer's famous last stand. I have visited the site more than once, but it is always and emotional experience for me.
We continued on our way east to Broadus, Montana, to our accommodations for the night.
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| Little Bighorn National Battlefield Monument |
We checked in at the office and were a bit surprised to learn that our rooms were a couple of blocks away. But we found them to be clean and comfortable and soon were on our way to the pizza shop, which was the only place to eat within walking distance. Seabeck Pizza offered an excellent pizza with service to match. There are no accommodations or restaurants within 100 miles east or west of Broadus, so it is commendable that the hotel and pizza shop are as good as they are.
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Our accommodations in Broadus, MT
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The ride home took us through South Dakota and Minnesota on US 212 without any additional drama. The only issue was the thunderstorm we rode through in central Wisconsin that has caused me to install the Pinlock in my Shoei Hornet X2. We rode 2700 miles over the seven days and were glad to be home after the unfortunate things that had occurred during the week.
