THE MAKING OF A BIKER CHICK-Yellowstone National Park

Two years ago this summer, My Harley Stud and I along with our good friends, The Saint and the Biker Nazi took a two week bike trip out west. Prior to this ride, I had never been farther than one hour in any direction on our Harley. I was a reluctant biker chick to say the least. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to handle the road all day, everyday. No one was more surprised than I was to find that I loved it. Oh sure, I begged for frequent butt breaks, tinkle breaks, snack breaks and any other break that might get me off the darn thing for more than five minutes at a time but the overall experience was one of the best in my lifetime. If you’ve never ridden a motorcycle and you’re able and have the opportunity, I highly recommend it. I guarantee you will see things on a bike that you would never notice in a car.

For more of my “Making of a Biker Chick” series, check out my sidebar.

We weren’t inside Yellowstone long before we pulled over for our first scenic wonder. Taking in this view and all that came after made every single ache and pain worth the trip.

Back on the bike again, we came upon several cars pulled over to the side of the road. As we approached, we saw that everyone was out of their cars and standing at the guardrail with their cameras pointing down. We followed suit and were rewarded with our first bear sighting.

A big brown bear! He was apparently shy and not willing to pose for a Smart Mouth Broad to get a good shot.

And then there were buffalo and more buffalo and more buffalo.

The traffic is two lane and comes to a complete stop any time there are wild life nearby. That’s great when you’re in a car and protected on all four sides. But on a bike……..?

The video is short. Be sure to turn the volume all the way up. You can hear him snorting, growling, mooing? Whatever…….you can hear him.

We came to a stop right beside this big guy who was happily grazing. The Saint turned to me looking a little nervous and said, “I sure hope he doesn’t know that I ate his cousin for lunch.”

Just to give you an idea of how close we were to these giants: The road was two lanes. You can see the white line. Lord.Have.Mercy!

It was right after this unscheduled stop that we saw flyers announcing to all visitors that you should NOT approach the buffalo. They reported that many guests were gouged the previous summer. What the……..?

Look out, Biker Nazi and The Saint! She’s about to blow!

I have a little confession to make. At first I was a little disappointed about this National Treasure. Oh sure, it blew and it blew big but somehow I was left feeling a little uh “meh”. Then I gave it a little more thought and realized that with all our technology and my frequent trips to Disney World, maybe I’ve become a little desensitized to natural wonders. I began to think about not just the size of the spout but the reliability of the thing. I mean this thing is on time give or take a few minutes every day, seven days a week, 365 days a year! I can hardly do that once a week.

Want to see it for yourself? Here’s the webcam. If you have a few minutes, check it out.

Another wildlife sighting! A Coyote’s butt!

I was so excited to see this sign. I know, I’m a dork. *sigh*

This is one of my favorite photographs. Two guys in awe of nature.

Do you see what they saw? An American Eagle!

See that little cord coming from the top of my jacket? That connects my ipod to the speakers in my helmet allowing me to entertain myself and dance when the scenery gets boring. That didn’t happen too often on this trip.

Scaaarrrry! It really roars like a dragon.

And then I turned around and saw this little guy. Isn’t he the cutest?

Buffalo always have the right-of-way in Yellowstone……or anywhere I suppose.

The oncoming traffic had to wait while this buffalo made his slow and determined way across the bridge.

Who are these hot mamas? Just beautiful!

As we headed north toward Montana and BearTooth Pass, Yellowstone gifted us with this gorgeous view to send us on our way. Don’t the mountains look like they are covered in velvet?

My “Making of a Biker Chick” series is coming to an end soon. I have one more adventure to share and then what will I do? I guess we’ll just have to go on another trip……*sigh*