Premium gasoline in West Yellowstone, Montana, sells for $2.39. We just thought our friends in Humboldt County might find that interesting. Especially since West Yellowstone is accessible for only a few months in the year. After filling up we journeyed back into Yellowstone Park, working our way east. It was a beautiful morning as we followed the Gibbon River to Canyon Village, then the Yellowstone River to Yellowstone Lake. There were spectacular falls on each river, the highest on the Yellowstone. It was interesting seeing clear, cool, fresh water on one side of the road, and steaming hot, sulfur smelling water on the other.

As we headed toward the East Entrance to the park, we were able to see many bison. It was almost like going back in time to see herds of buffalo peacefully grazing. By the way, we have had many opportunities to eat buffalo burgers, and they are great!

There was road construction on the Sylvan Pass. This was one of Shirlene's worst nightmares coming true... having to stop the bike on a hill, keep it upright, then start the bike again, only to drive downhill through gravel, rough packed dirt, and worse... with vehicles in front and back, and lots of disgruntled motorists watching from the other direction. This went on for miles. It wasn't bad waiting, although it took a long time, because we got to see a lot of very pretty bikes with bikers of all sizes and shapes.

The ride from the park to Cody was great! We followed the Shoshone river through Grizzly Country. No grizzlies, but lots of fly fishermen. We stopped at a campground for a stretch and rest. Then on to Cody to check out the museum and the Harley dealer. We had lunch at Irma's with a heck of a lot of other bikers. We are still hundreds of miles from Sturgis, but the roar of thunder is growing louder and louder.

From Cody we went through Graybull to Sheridan through the Big Horn Mountains. The country was a mixture of Bryce and Zions Canyons. We basically flew from Sheridan to Gillette on Interstate 90. The posted speed limit is 75 and we didn't want to hold anyone up. We dodged a huge thunderstorm which loomed threatening just before us, hitting only the wet roads it left behind. We were rewarded with a huge rainbow which arched over the valley.

The Clarion in Gillette is proving to be a great host! They have boxes of towels marked "Scooter Wipes" in the lobby. They made certain our room had parking right out front of our room, and the room has a bed and warm bath (at this point in our trip, those two points are all that matter) There was a sweet Buick in the lobby. Tomorrow we head to Sturgis and surrounding territory. We look forward to the adventure, and the really good part is we don't have to pack again for another day. This is our home for two nights.