Brigham City, UT - Great Falls, MT Motorcycling

There are some big downhills on I-15 northbound between Butte and Helena.

80. Today's ride (Tuesday, July 5) is the farthest we've done so far in one day. We covered 840 km in one day on I-15 northbound from Brigham City to Great Falls. To do it two-up and cover such distance require good planning. First, we have to start riding at 8 am, even though the weather is cool 18 degree C in Brigham City. The main reason is to cover 1/2 of the distance before our lunch. Second, the average speed needs to be about 70 miles/hour (112 km/hour), so that we can achieve the distance in less than 12 hours including stops and lunch. This requires travel in a highway not too crowded with vehicles, in a day not too windy nor rainy. My motorcycle doesn't have a 1000+ cc engine to reach a higher average speed, so I have to rely on favorable riding conditions. We check the temperature, rain forecast, and wind speed forecast in the morning before we ride. This prior check gives me a way to predict if the distance target is too much or not.

81. Having a ride partner helps me carry my riding days. My wife and I divide tasks. She takes care of the luggage: 2 side bags and 1 top rear bag. Organization is important. She keeps the riding-day necessities in the top bag: extra clothing and gloves, instant noodles, a thermos with steamed rice, motorcycle tools, tire pump, tire brush cleaner, laptop bag, toilettries. The 2 side bags are for stainless steel bowls, eating utensils, a small pot, clothing, which we don't carry a lot of, a tent, a stove, and a 2-liter jerry can filled with gasoline. She carries essential body care and cosmetics. We rely on layered clothing to accomodate temperature range of 5 to 40 degree C: light vest, light wool long sleeve sweaters, sleeveless shirts (tank tops), light thermal jackets; all of these clothing, if worn, have to go underneath our weatherproof riding jackets. I organize the ride planning and route.

82. We plan for 3 refueling stops: Idaho Falls, Dillon, and Helena. The distance between Brigham City and Idaho Falls, ID is 260 km, and I have to cover it in under 3 hours. By starting at 8:15 am, we were riding on a quiet highway; there were few cars so I can ride with a 70 miles/hour average. The wind is calm and there was no rain although it was cloudy. We arrived in Idaho Falls before 11 am. I saw a travel advisory notice just before Idaho Falls, and we were expecting a high wind status. The second stage to Dillon ride was rather numbing. Highway was so quiet; we were often alone for many miles. Scenery doesn't change as often and is similar to Wyoming. My wife was having a period so we had to stop earlier in Lima, MT, an almost-alpine small hamlet, where an I-15 rest area is located. Our motorcycle almost tipped over when she got on the motorcycle after our bathroom breaks. A second close call when the motorcycle is not in motion. We decided not to stop in Dillon to save time and finally stopped in Butte, MT, about 180 km north of Lima. We experienced high wind gusts between these two stops. I was hungry too and still perturbed from our close call, so the lunch stop in Butte was quite welcoming.

83. Motorcycling requires an adapt-and-adjust attitude. It's much easier to travel in a car. We both enjoy motorcycling because in this modern world it's probably one of the last real adventure options we can have. Bicycling is more grueling and more adventurous as a result; I have tried it before, but it's much too slow. I can cover 600 - 800 km in a motorcycle but can only cover 100 km in a bicycle per day. I cannot take my wife as well if I pedal my way to New Orleans; it will take me 2 months to complete our Calgary - New Orleans trip.

84. After a good lunch, I got sleepy as we rode to Helena from Butte even though it was only 100 km. Our Plan A is to stop in Helena and continue the ride the next day. After having a coffee in McDonalds, I felt better. I decided to continue riding for 150 km to Great Falls. My wife felt okay too. So away we went. The scenery between Helena and Great Falls is rewarding, and I didn't feel tired nor sleepy along the way. It was quite windy when we left Helena, but it went quieter further toward Great Falls.

85. We arrived in Great Falls at 6:30 pm. We managed to cover 840 km in 10 hours including stops. It was a great riding day since it shows us that we can cover more than 800 km in one day. I was happy especially for this since any preconceived notion of set 600 km daily target can be bad for my mind. When I'm afraid of breaking my own comfort zone, then my mind becomes paralyzed. It is a good day for us precisely because we were able to change our comfort zone and let it remain flexible.

Along the construction zone on I-15 between Helena and Wolf Creek, we spotted beautiful corners of Missouri River.