Moving On Along the Yellowstone River - June- July 2021

We have our pickup back from the Body Shop. It is "like new"  with the new bike rack with great utility for access to storage in the pick up bed. And most importantly, we have "mastered" loading and unloading bikes 101! 

Now you might laugh at the last sentence above. Let me explain. Lindy's new bike is 10 pounds less, but is configured differently than her Mountains to Sea bike. It did take a few times to figure out just how to handle the new bike so that it could be lifted up and down on and off the bike rack in tandem. We have mastered that finally! 

Looking pretty snazzy, right?

With the new bike rack 

Bike rack from the side

Mike has had a couple of opportunities to kayak the river.

We completed a couple of hikes. Our intent was to go on different trails. After a couple of starts on trails with signs warning of grizzly bears...we ended up going on the same trail twice...! We did have bear spray with us, but those signs, and the trail entering dense, forest areas, did a good job of discouraging us from going further on those initial trails. We loved the Passage Falls trail so much we took it twice!

Here are the links to those hikes from All Trails:

June 22, 2021

June 29, 2021

In July, with the pickup back, we were able to load the bikes up and go into Livingston for our bike rides. Here is a link to our basic route.

July 15, 2021

We park at Sacajawea Park, Then ride west to what is called "the island", an area accessed by a one way bridge to an where the Yellowstone River creates a couple of islands within the city limits of Livingston. (The link will take you to a YouTube video of a driving tour of the 9th Street and Siebeck Islands, Livingston).

It is a well-used area, with individuals walking and riding bikes. Under the I-90 freeway we saw this picture:

Then we go east, through a residential area with little traffic, by the county fair grounds to an off-leash dog park and launching area for boats. From there we continue east creeping along residential streets to street "O" where we go up to the sidewalk along the main street east out of Livingston, onto a paved bike trail. One must watch for deer throughout this experience, especially as we enter the wooded area east of town. We cross the Yellowstone River on the KPRK Bridge (called that by locals as the bridge is near the old, historic building housing the radio station) east to a 2 mile "loop trail" that weaves around a creek, coming out on the side of the river opposite the off-leash dog park/launch area. We then take the lower gravel road that circles behind the new hospital to its end, and return! Makes for an 18 mile ride, depending on when we turn around! 

Here are some pictures along the way.

Interesting home among the trees

From the "loop" trailhead

When weather permits we try to do variations of this ride three to four days a week. The other days we walk around the park for an hour. Mike gets her three miles, and Lindy is able to do two miles plus:  some days 0.8 to under 0.5....  It is "work in progress" for Lindy....ever working on improving!  One recent morning her average time per mile was just over 22 minutes/mile! 

We continue enjoying our e-bikes, especially since we have found good riding nearby! 

Roving Riders, SWIRVIN along the Yellowstone River in Montana!