Big Brother's Big Tour

[BigBrother-84]

Hi Gentlemen!

30 hours before our crazy "once in a life road trip" beginning!

Here is Big Brother's Big Tour map.
Red pointers = Motels, hotels or campgrounds where we'll stop for the night.

Going counterclockwise from Mont-Tremblant QC, to Mount Rushmore, Devil's tower, Glacier Ntl Park, Yellowstone, Canyonlands Ntl Park, Famous Skiatook 2023 Truck Show, Great Smoky Mountains Ntl Park, to name but a few.

I plan to post here our progress, comments and scenic pictures.

Stay tuned!

[Gary Lewis]

Can't wait, Jeff!

Email me your mobile # as well as you and your wife's shirt sizes as I hope to have tee shirts made for the show again this year.  And we need to discuss, perhaps in the background, when you'll get in.

[BigBrother-84]

2023/08/30
First day (big one) completed!
1227km / 762 miles (Yellow).


Two pictures:

1- Crossing the US/CAN border, at Sault Ste.Marie ON, approaching the US customs (can see USA flag away).
The border is located between the two bridges, so you begin crossing the bridges with a 50 speed limit which instantly changes to 30 between the two bridges.
😉


2- Later, Big Bro beside Michigan Lake.



EDIT: Everything went well, Big Bro is a champ.  Just the drunk fuel gauge which cannot be trusted.  But it is safe, since it always indicates less than remaining in the tank.

[Gary Lewis]

Good report!  Glad things are going so well.

Last time I crossed at that border Janey and I were on a Yamaha XS11.  Loooooong time ago.

[grumpin]

Very cool! Neat picture!

[BigBrother-84]

Gary Lewis wrote

Last time I crossed at that border Janey and I were on a Yamaha XS11.  Loooooong time ago.

Gary, thank you for clarifying that, long time ago Janey and you crossed these bridges on an old bike.

Cause Christine and I did the same in an old truck, but it happened yesterday.

[Gary Lewis]

This would have been in 1978 or 9.  Before we wised up and got out of bikes.

[grumpin]

That was a nice bike!

I still be riding if I could.

[Rembrant]

This is great. I've done this trip on a motorcycle as well;).

Subscribed!

[BigBrother-84]

Ok, Gentlemen, Big Tour progress report.

Mechanic A1, no issue.

2023/08/31
Day 2, another big ride.
1297km / 806 miles (Blue).


We discovered that the Missouri is more than a river:  It is a climate border!  The vegetation changes drastically from one shore to the other, East is green, West is much more dry.

Heading West, we saw a tourists Coach Bus:


And a committee of Locals welcoming them:


Since the country is relatively flat, the Locals patented a kind of mysterious "landmarks":


This second day ended with a wonderful sunset:


2023/09/01
Day 3, tourism.
662km / 411 miles (Purple).


First stop, The Badlands:



Second stop, Mount Rushmore:


Third stop, Two Tones Ol'Truck Close Encounters Five Tones Tune (doo-di-da-doo-daaaaa):



2023/09/02
Day 4, last long shot to West.
935km / 580 miles (Orange).


Kind of "Void Crossing".  Infinite skies.  Infinite flat prairies.  A full lightyear between each farm.
We crossed a police car, on some radar spot-check.  I just cannot figure how much hundred miles this officer made to go there, from his Police Station.

Guys living there and your families, if you read this, you have my complete and respectful admiration.  I am serious, really.  We all need you to feed us, thanks.


This picture shows Big Bro somewhere...  The exact place doesn't matter, this could be anywhere in East Montana.


Tomorrow, we'll enter the Rockies, beginning by the Glacier Park.
Stay tuned!

[Gary Lewis]

Wow!  Such pictures!

Yes, there are significant climate changes in various spots in North America.  Some are well defined, and others are subtle.  For instance, there's something between where Scott/kramttocs lives and where I live that causes him to get more storms & more moisture than here - in spite of him only being 200 miles NE of me.

And I think that Five Tones Tune pic is of Devil's Tower.  Right?  You were in a very interesting part of the country.

But the Rockies are special.  They are one of my favourite places to go, and I'm glad the map shows you making several stops while there to enjoy them.

And it appears that Big Brother is trucking right along!  2599 miles so far.  Well done!

Be careful and we'll see you in a few days!  

[BigBrother-84]

2023/09/03
Day 5, cool tourism, Glacier Ntl Park.
210km / 130 miles (Green).

Today was a real tourism day.  Molo.
We took our time, drove across Glacier Ntl Park, and camped at Glacier Campground.

Glacier Park:


The exit road is under work, and we hit a big rain...  Big Brother was brown when arriving at the campground.


Hopefully, the campground is equipped with a big water hose, so Big Bro got a shower before dressing his tent for the night:

[Gary Lewis]

Glacier is supposed to be a stunning area.  I've not been, but have always wanted to go.  Glad you are getting to do so.  And I hope to see more pics of the place, although that first one is wonderful.  The lighting is intriguing.  

But that 2nd one is yukky!  Yes, I've been there, done that with Big Blue, and you then drive along wondering how you are ever going to get it clean again.  And the truth is, you won't.  But it'll come "clean enough" and you had a wonderful time, which makes it worth it.

The tent is neat!  I didn't realize that you are camping that way at times.  Basically you are overlanding, although you aren't getting off the highways.  

[Nothing Special]

I biked over Going-to-the-Sun road in Glacier after my sophomore year of college.  And by "biked" I mean a bicycle (I was on a 750 mile "overlanding" trip with a friend, ah to be young again).  A year or so later I went there again on a family vacation.  My mom was very glad she didn't know how narrow the roads were when I was on them!

And yes, Glacier is a phenomenal place!  I'm enjoying reading about your trip!

[BigBrother-84]

Nothing Special wrote

I biked over Going-to-the-Sun road in Glacier after my sophomore year of college.

We crossed such courage hero, climbing the road!  Bob, you have all my respect.

Gary, here are some supplemental picts of the park.  Weather was mostly cloudy, so light isn't good.





Zoom on the road:









Zoom on the fall:



2CV!

[Nothing Special]

Those pictures bring back memories!  I had to dig mine up.  Here's a picture from the top of Going-to-the-Sun road in 1982 (I'm in the blue shorts)


(And it's not that I'm stronger or anything, my friend had to run in and pick up his bike after starting the timer on his camera.  With film you didn't retake a picture for something as little as the bike tipping on him as he lifted it.)

[Gary Lewis]

Jeff - Wonderful pics!  And I saw the deux chevaux before I noticed your comment.  I was zooming in on the pic and then realized you'd told me it is a 2CV.

When we lived in London I was convinced we needed a 2nd car and had it down to a Mini, one of the originals, or a 2CV.  I drove both and then come to the conclusion we really didn't need another car.  But boy, I sure wanted one of those.  However, the 2CV's are strange little cars.  

Bob - You are a better man than I.  No way I'd take a bicycle up those passes, even when I was young and in shape.  

[grumpin]

What a trip! Excellent pictures.

Beautiful area.

[BigBrother-84]

Gentlemen, Big Brother reporting.

Sory for the delay, we had network (sometimes) while driving, and campgrounds had very leak antenna.
But tonight, we have wifi, so let's go.

2023/09/04
Day 6, rainy, nothing special.
520km / 323 miles (Red).


Today was rainy.  Sometimes heavy rainy.
Strangely, Big Brothers  fuel gauge looked to feel better and showing accurate level.  No more “sloshing” effect.  There is probably a ground issue, but cannot figure where…
Anyway, a day without anything special, just riding south.

We slept at Bozeman MT (a fast and still growing city, for what I can see, lot of new constructions).

Some pictures of the road:

[BigBrother-84]

2023/09/05
Day 7, some tourism.
451km / 280 miles (Blue).


Started by visiting the Clark & Lewis Caverns:











They call this column "North Pole", 'cause Santa sits on it:


Then, we rode the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway.
Interesting, but lot of forest.  For Laurentians as us, we’re accustomed to trees and trees and trees… We were more interested by some views to the mountains.







We do not have this kind of "open range" in Quebec.  So we were bit surprised to find cows on the road.


We crossed Ennis, an historic city.
Big Bro at the Far West:


We slept at a campground near Ennis.  Arriving at the campground site, a moose was welcoming us: