Riding 500cc Two Strokes to Canada in 1972: Three young friends ride their 500cc motorcycles from Arizona to Canada and back in 1972. Enjoy this fun description of their adventures on those two-lane highways.

Riding 500cc Two Strokes to Canada in 1972: Nonfiction Action/Adventure

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BLURB Riding 500cc Two Strokes to Canada in 1972

Our 1972 motorcycle ride took us on a four-thousand-mile trip from Arizona to Canada and back. Some nights we camped out along the highway; other nights we found a motel.  Some days the rain was fierce and debilitating… but every day was fun and filled with great experiences and amazing landscapes. Each of us rode a 500cc two-stroke motorcycle on the journey. We had no cell phones, roadside assistance coverage, custom ear plugs, or sound systems. The attractions of the open road, Canada, and Yellowstone Park  were very powerful. None of us worried about breaking down or the costs of the trip. We were filled with youthful confidence in ourselves and our machines.  The three of us had places to go and places to see. And we made it!

EXCERPT Riding 500cc Two Strokes to Canada in 1972

Larry was the chief navigator for our trip. He had a notebook and all kinds of maps stuffed into the canvas box on his bike. Larry was really good with road atlases and directions. Maybe this was because his family moved all over the country working on pipelines when he was growing up. Jeff and I just kind of followed along. The two of us were very comfortable with Larry’s trip leadership. Larry knew where we were going, knew the best route, and we trusted him completely. (If you wish, you can check out Appendix A below, at the end of this Canada trip story, which describes the highways we took and the places we stayed during our trip.)

After we left Billings that afternoon, with a brand-new camera, chain oil, and a fresh loaf of bread, we headed down the Beartooth Highway, or Highway 212, toward Red Lodge on the northeast corner of Yellowstone. The scenery on 212 is magnificent: lots of water, canyons, and trees.

What I remember best is going through Beartooth Pass at about 11,000 feet elevation. We were travelling in the middle of June by now, but snow was still piled everywhere. And it was cold. Way cold. That highway was like a black ribbon through a snow canyon where plows had cleaned the highway.

We made it into Yellowstone late in the afternoon, but the days were very long at that time of year and plenty of sunlight remained. I am sure we exceeded the speed limit as we motored through the National Park. We did see Yellowstone Lake and Old Faithful and all kinds of elk and bear and tourists milling around alongside the road. Quickly. We finally stopped to camp near a stream. I guess it might have been the Yellowstone River. We were near a sign that said plainly— “No Camping Allowed-Bear Danger!” Not long after we started unloading our gear, Larry pointed down the river about a hundred yards and said, “Look. There’s a bear standing in the water. See him?” Jeff squinted in the direction Larry had pointed but didn’t say anything. I took a look and gave my assessment. “Looks like an old stump to me, Larry.” I sure didn’t see any bear. We kept working away at setting up our camp. A minute or two later, Larry turned to me and said, “Hey Jim, your stump just got up and walked away!”

We ate a sack of four-hour-old hamburgers we had picked up somewhere along the road and maybe heated up some soup or chili. But it was really cold that night. We didn’t notice anybody or any animals until morning. Fortunately, we didn’t see any Forest Rangers. Larry was up early making coffee, and we stoked up the campfire for warmth. I did observe a bear or two ambling around in the distance while we were packing up our blankets and sleeping bags.

As soon as it was warm enough, we hauled out of there in a cloud of blue smoke and headed down Highway 191 toward the Grand Tetons. Soon, the Tetons stood, a giant sawtooth mountain wall, off to the west. This was another really picturesque area which we pretty much zoomed though, stopping only a couple of times to take pictures or get gas.

KEYWORDS motorcycle, travel, two-stroke motorcycles, Suzuki Titan, Kawasaki Mach III

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