Helena, MT - Buffalo, WY Motorcycling

On I-90 Highway, between Bozeman, MT and Big Timber, MT.

7. Continuing our Calgary-Helena trip, on Monday June 20 we rode from Helena, MT (Montana) to Buffalo, WY (Wyoming). Total distance this time is 650 km and the gasoline cost is US$20. We left Helena at 10:30 and arrived in Buffalo at 18:30.

8. The relatively low gasoline cost has to do with the F700GS's 800 cc engine and also a cheaper gasoline cost in the US than Canada. It's a fuel-efficient engine although on the road I had wished that the engine were larger for a higher torque at lower rpm. The F700GS has a precise handling on the road to handle twisty sections. Its narrower tires afford a lower steering torque for countersteering.

9. I took Route 287 connecting Helena to the I-90 junction. The 100 km stretch is picturesque along Hauser Lake. Closer to the junction I saw the distant snow-capped mountain range, signaling the Yellowstone National Park area. The route follows Missouri River, which in fact starts at Three Forks, not far from the junction. This is the Missouri River that winds its way through the Midwest to St. Louis, Missouri, where the river merges with Mississippi River.

10. The I-90 highway is pleasant between Three Forks, MT and Bozeman, MT. It has alternating small town and front-range mountain landscapes. It's much less windy as the wind is predominantly eastbound, the same direction as ours. The divided highway gives a welcome change for me.

11. We stopped quickly at a turnout area between Bozeman and Livingston, MT. I had been carrying a Camelbak on my back for 2 days. I asked my wife to carry it since it became a pressure point on my back for our two-up seating and reduced blood flow to my legs. What a big change after I didn't have the Camelbak: I felt much more comfortable and was able to concentrate more on riding.

12. Services between Bozeman and Billings, MT are sparse. A good stop for gasoline and lunch is in Big Timber, about 100 km from Bozeman. I don't remember if there was another stop after Big Timber, until we reached Billings, MT, about 120 km from Big Timber. Billings is an oil city right on the Bakken formation.

13. The landscape changes quickly to a desolate big prairie (steppe) landscape after Billings. The 80-km stretch between Billings and Hardin, MT reminded me of a Nevada landscape, although the latter is mostly desert. The temperature rose to 34 degree C, and we had to soon remove some of our layers to prevent overheating. We stopped for DQ smoothie and ice cream to cool our bodies and remove the layers. My Alberta-riding gloves proved too warm for the 30+ degree C and I had to wear my wife's lighter pair. The glove change improved my riding handling so much.

14. A high plain big prairie landscape between Hardin and Buffalo is magnificent to look at from a motorcycle seat. It is filled with rolling hills that end far away with soaring mountains after a huge flat prairie. I was so relieved to have finally reached Wyoming, after spending 900 km in Montana.

High plain big prairie landscape at the Montana-Wyoming border on the I-90 eastbound.