50 States Day 35

DAY 35, YELLOWSTONE TO LAVA HOT SPRINGS, ID

"Every artist was first an amateur."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The cabin became a good decision as the rain poured down in W. Yellowstone. We decided to wait it out and hopefully it would clear. Wonder of wonders, we nailed it! Rolling out at 11, the clouds overhead seemed daunting, but they broke up and by Idaho we were in good weather. Got up to 88.

Idaho once again sports farmland; somehow Wyoming just stuck with rangeland. I thought today would be a letdown after Yogi Bear country, but the ride blessed us with another side view of the Teton Mountains. Did you know the French named the three large peaks The Three Tetons, meaning the three breasts? So the Grand Tetons are...

well, grand.

Arriving at the Lava Hot Springs KOA not only were we not disappointed, but what a great campsite! Right along the river, at a waterfall, twenty feet from the tent door. Awesome! 

We spun into town to fetch some vittles (that's Idaho talk for 'groceries). This town bustles with kids. Every other store rents tubes and floaty devices. 

Time for a bonus. Before our Weekly Wrap Up and Numbers, I give you a Product Review. A high tech product. No, not the iPad. Maybe someday when I've slammed my finger in a door or something.

PRODUCT REVIEW

The product is Cardo Systems' Scala Rider G4. First, what stupid names. Cardo Systems?Sounds like cardio. And Scala Rider? What the heck is that? Who's the marketing genius on this one?

Anyway our Chatterboxes croaked after three years (too short if you ask me) so we bought what the dealership had in stock. It was either the Scala Rider G4 for $475 (a ridiculous price) or the factory system that plugs into the bike. Wouldn't that be nice? Yeah, a thousand bucks. Forget that!

We bought, charged and installed the intercoms, a simple task. The boom mike worked much better than the Chatterbox, just fit it inside the full coverage mouthpiece and adjust it to your mouth. Word to the wise: Get it perfect. Even an inch low and it doesn't pick up the voice well or at all.

Speaking of that, it dowsn't pick up the first couple of syllables. Very distracting! And Quilter Girl's voice must be a not good pitch- fit, because it doesn't pick her up enough.

The earpieces fit fine and don't inpinge at all.

This is just me, but we want intercoms. That's it. Turn it on and talk. Hear. And talk. Simple. But these things work with MP3's, FM radio, Bluetooth for phones, the works. I don't care! And because they do all that junk, when we turn them on, we must punch buttons... 'Can you hear me now? How about now?' Every time.

I rate the Scala Rider G4 at a 2. I prefer the Chatterbox, but give them only a 3. Is there a 5 intercom out there??? Hello? Can you hear me now?

WEEKLY UPDATE:

Wyoming was a wonderful state, but if it wasn't for the Tetons and Yellowstone, not much excitement in the rangeland department. Wonderful cities and towns, though.

If I was God (scary thought!) I would spread out the geysers and hot springs. Stick a few in Nevada (although they have some!) It works great for tourists, however.

STUPID DRIVER OF THE WEEK

Not again! Polite, intelligent people drive in Wyoming. But I figured it out. They are on the tour busses! Example:

Quilter Girl is reading a sign at Yellowstone Falls. A busser comes up behind her.

"Are you done reading that sign? Because I want to take a picture of it."

Obviously, she's not done reading the sign, because she's reading it! 

QG graciously steps aside.

They pour out of the busses like a stampeding herd and descend on a viewpoint, snapping and crowding. Finished, they stand twenty deep at the restrooms, then back on the bus. 

A rant: If you're taking a picture of something off the right side of the boardwalk, then stand on the right side. Why would you stand on the left side and take the photo across it and everyone must wait for you? Oh, that's right. Because you're rude.

TOURISTS

The Brits are awesome. Strike up a conversation and they will be friendly. Germans take second place. Asians never speak to you. They take more photos of people, I noticed. The French? forget it. Cold as ice. Americans, oops. Probably the friendliest. Some races have language barriers, too...

MUTTERINGS, MUSINGS.

The commercial on the radio sang, "You meet the nicest people on a Honda." You sure do. And not just Hondas, but motorcycles. Friendly people like Steve, touring 50 states in 4-1/2 years. Brett and Anna, from Utah, on their Harley with a tent like ours. 

And today, 'ding ding ding!' Bonus! Fueling in Pocatello, I noticed a man and older woman fueling their quads. First, isn't that cool? They take off from home, go off roading and fuel up on the way BACK. We struck up a conversation, and he was Clark Collins, founder of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, and an AMA Hall of Fame inductee. Wow! If you don't know, the Blue Ribbon Coalition preserves our natural resources FOR the public instead of FROM the public. Check it out. 

Double bonus!! He's riding with his mom. She's on her own quad and she's 89 years old. Is that about the coolest thing or what? Don't tell me you're too old.

NUMBERS

50     Really. MPG. In the Park going no more than

48     MPH.

10     Million. A number these 'scientists' give to the formation of the Earth, for my reading, a record. We've been here for a few thousand years and these people really believe they can come up with numbers like that? When they hit one million they lost all credibility with me. Ten million years ago this volcano erupted. Really? On a Tuesday afternoon, perhaps?

5,300 Miles so far.

6     States. Actually we ran 20 mi. through Arizona and W. Yellowstone is in MT, but they don't count yet.

14,391   Miles on the Gold Wing total. Bought it used with 5k miles on it.

0      Dollars spent on repairs to it.

10    Percent discount being a KOA value member or something or other. It helps.

Thanks for following. Church Surch tomorrow.