Ottcrew Alaska Trip - Day 1

Picture this, 3 men all with the same song running through their heads: Born to be Wild. They are living a dream—riding big motorcycles and having four gorgeous women chase them across country. We all left Orem, Utah at 9:30am (original start time was 8am—but the mantra of this trip is “so what, we’re on vacation!”
Some of the unwritten rules of the road are to taste of the local cuisine.
So, on our first stop for gas in Malad, ID we saw a homemade billboard saying: Spero’s BBQ, one block. We have yet to identify by any rating system the quality of the local fare because expectations are high since the culinary skills among this group are well known—thanks moms for the cooking classes. Get the sandwich or plate, but skip the side dishes and cookies. Pulled pork, BBQ pork, chicken, tips, etc.

The next stop along the route was Idaho Falls where we heard all about one guy’s purchase of a 4 Runner on Ebay as he was in route back home to Mexico (gave us great tips about a Sherriff’s sale in Great Falls, MT on Harley’s). The weather was starting to get a little chilly for the guys so they suited up with coats and gloves ready for the next part of the trip. We taught the guys the sign language for “stop, I have use the restroom.”
At
4:00pm we entered Montana. They guys made it all the way to Dillon (on fumes), but they were able to use their reserve tanks. In referring to the ride, one of the guys said, “This is so cool.” The scenery started to get more interesting after DuBois. At one point we thought Harold gave the sign language for “take a picture,” so we have this great shot of a hillside in Montana. Come to find out he only wanted us to turn on our headlights. So, some sign language is not universal. The sites along the way included old steel bridges, pipe organ rock formation, Clark reservoir, the Pioneer Mtns. on the left. Trees and towns mostly followed the rivers.

Dillon has a cool university building with a copper roof. The gas station has stores next door and across from it. Too bad we didn’t see the antique store across the street until we were ready to leave. This stop took us about an hour because the gas station had a store attached that sold souvenir t-shirts, hats, belt buckles, and cool Montana stump cook stoves.

We decided to take the scenic route going through Anaconda and arrived at 7:00pm. The local cuisine there was at the local Safeway store. It was getting chilly and so we bought soups and roasted chicken. After talking to some of the locals (who had on a Harley shirt from St. George, UT) we decided to camp up the road. As we drove along Silver Lake, there were a few campgrounds. We met the ranger at one of them and he and his wife scouted out some open spaces for us at Piney Campground. We camped on the shore of “Lake of Shining Waters” (from Anne of Green Gables) whose real name is Georgetown Lake.

So at the end of the day, picture this, three men all sitting around the campfire, telling stories, and dead tired. The air was crisp but enjoyed with a fire from downed wood around us. But the smiles on their faces told us this is all worth it. Sleep was welcome and we were quite comfy in the pop up. Thanks Donna Youngblut.