After camping out in a luxury hotel in Missoula the night before, compliments of all of John’s traveling (thanks John), we hit the road by eight am for a bit of interstate riding. The interstate was not our first choice but it was a way for us to make up some time. We thought the early morning start would minimize traffic somewhat and low and behold we were pretty correct. We only passed a few semi’s and held on for dear life at 85 mph for just the right amount of time. We took highway 12 at Garrison, got back to a more comfortable and leisurely pace, and didn’t look back.
Wide open country, bee hives, and a whole lot of nothing flew by as we headed towards Forsyth, MT. I paint it as a pretty bleak picture, but I was really engaged by the scenery on Highway 12 and would recommend it to anybody wanting to get off the beaten path.
The Lariat Bar in Forsyth became the official “parting of the ways” spot. A photo op request to commemorate the moment was met by a nice couple that had been celebrating the warm day with drinks. They turned it into a competition on who could take the best photo. After some fun and photos, she declared hers was best and we followed them into the bar for a beer.
A well deserved cold one and some discussion about the trip with the locals, and Allen and I decided to hit the road. John and David were going to veer south towards Spearfish, SD and we were continuing East toward North Dakota and Northern South Dakota. After being invited to play pickle with our two photo friends and another local offering to buy us cocktails, we felt it best to get back on the road.
As Allen and I headed out, we were greeted by some more very friendly fellows who offered us some cold water bottles and direction advice and were regaled with stories of lost comrades that died motorcycling.
After heading on the freeway towards Miles City, Montana, Allen and I again took Highway 12 east. Our goal for the night was to make another border crossing, North Dakota.
We put a few more hours in of riding and we landed in Marmarth, ND for the evening. But that will need it’s own post.
Handsome Chaps Motorcycle 
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