I wrapped up the conversion part of my time here in Bozeman around 3:00 this afternoon and now have three days all to myself stretching out ahead of me. That plan about renting a Harley and checking out Big Sky country from the open-air point of view is looking pretty solid. There’s a Road King with my name on it reserved for me Sunday and Monday; now all I have to do is figure out where to go on it.

At this point I’m thinking I might go check out Yellowstone on Sunday, spend the night in Cody, WY, take my time riding Beartooth Highway Monday morning, and then make my way back to Bozeman by nightfall. Total mileage: about 450 miles. Elapsed time: who knows? I’ll be stopping to take pictures from time to time, so there’s no saying how long. This will be a classic biker touring trip: it’s about the journey, not the destination.

There are a few fuzzy points in the plan. For example, what am I going to wear? I didn’t pack my leather motorcycle jacket, I didn’t even pack a windbreaker. A helmet comes with the rental, but aside from that all I have is jeans and T-shirts. I’m thinking I may need to pick up a cheap lined flannel shirt or something tomorrow so I don’t freeze going over Beartooth Highway. Oh yeah, and leather gloves at Home Depot. Then I don’t know where I’ll sleep Sunday night. I’m thinking I might stay in Cody, WY, but that really depends on A) where I decide to exit Yellowstone and B) whether or not I’ll be able to find a room. Reservations might be hard to come by on Labor Day Weekend. Flexibility will be key.

I think this sounds pretty cool and doable. I may need to take Tuesday off to recover. It’s going to be fun.