The morning ride leaving Glacier underscored the need to always carry your winter gear. It was damned chilly. For a California boy, the weather was one of the most surprising things on the trip. I'm not used to freezing my ass off in June. I left wearing a sweatshirt under my leather coat along with a wool neck warmer and winter gloves, and didn't start removing items until after 11:00.
Since "Going to the Sun Road" is the only way across Glacier National Park, I was forced to circle the Park to continue eastward. The Park is bordered by both the Lewis & Clark and the Flathead National Forest, so it's a lovely ride. The northwest corner of Montana is almost exclusively National Forests or Indian reservations, which guarantees you're going to be surrounded by picturesque scenery anywhere you ride.
Highway 2 continues westward for the remainder of Montana, across Idaho, then down into Washington. I made gas stops at Kalispell & Libby in Montana, and LaClede in Idaho (36.7MPG). Not a lot stands out about this stretch. Most of the towns are fairly common small Pacific Northwest towns, with logging based economies. Probably great to live there if you're into the outdoor lifestyle, AND you enjoy the snow. Personally, I would find it frustrating to have to stick the bike in the garage for 5 or 6 months out of the year. Besides, I discovered years ago that I'm not a snow person. Once you get past the initial thrill of a snowman or two, a couple of sled rides, and a few snowball fights, you realize that it's cold and wet. I'll pass, thanks.
One of my annoying shortcomings is an amazing ability to miss a turnoff. If there is a fork in the road, I will invariably take the wrong one. My plan was to join Highway 95 in Sandpoint, then taking that to connect with I-90 in Coure d' Alene, Idaho, but -- I missed the Y, and ended up staying on Highway 2. There wasn't any particular reason for wanting to take 95 except to experience a bit more of Idaho, so I didn't back-track, and remained on Highway 2. That little error cost me at least an hour. The majority of that stretch of Highway 2 was undergoing repairs, and the traffic was bad most of the way. The other problem with Highway 2 is that it forces you to drive through the entire city of Spokane to get to I-90. I have nothing against Spokane, but I'm sure that even the residents will agree -- that drive sucks. Mucho traffic, and nothing to see except miles of business district.
After gassing up in Ritzville (33.1 MPG) I fearlessly downed a couple of convenience store burritos. During that banquet, my itinerary changed once more. I scrapped "circling" the Olympic Penninsula, since I'd been there before a few years back in my Ford Explorer. A more southerly route would give me the opportunity to see Mt. Rainier before it blew up (you never know), and a chance to revisit Mount St. Helens on my bike.
There was one additional motive for the change. Earlier while rolling through Utah, I decided that if I was going to be a Bike tourer, any souvenirs I collected would need to be small. You can't fit a lot of coffee cups or paintings on a CB750. My other requirement was that whatever I decided to collect would have to be cheap (College tuition is expensive you know!). Thus began my collection of those tacky tourist window stickers, and patches also. Each National Park or Monument visited would be an additional opportunity to add to the collection. Judging from the sizes available, the sticker manufacturers had cars in mind, not bikes. I'll need a new windshield after one more trip. (Sure, it looks tacky, BUT-IT'S MY BIKE!)
Well, after days and days of visual overload, I finally received a bit of nasal stimulation! I-90 through Washington turned out to be the most fragrant stretch of road I've ever been on. It was mile after mile of farms, and every field had it's own unique smell (they were all good, no fertilizer odors). Quite an experience. Many of the farms on that stretch of Interstate also post signs informing you of which crop they are producing. That's a nice touch! My daily commute has it's odors too, but most of them are bad. On the freeway I get your basic diesel fumes, gasoline, and the fumes from those folks burning oil, then near home an occasional skunk, cow manure, and on rare occasions a fragrant tree or shrub. By far the worst is the smell getting off the eastern side of the Dumbarton Bridge in the summertime. Only those who have been there can appreciate that stench.
Just after turning south on I-82 the bike went on reserve. Refueling in Yakima would be cutting it close, so I backtracked to Ellensburg. I gassed up (29.9 MPG) and downed a cup of coffee (standing up, of course). Since it was getting late, I asked the clerk if there was a decent place to camp in the area. She wasn't sure, but thought there was a county campground or two on state road 821, which parallels I-82. Although she wasn't a biker, she said if she was she would ride that road every day! That sounded like a good recommendation, so I took it. Folks, don't miss that ride! Except for the occasional fallen rock or two, it is the perfect ride, one you won't forget. Mile after mile of twisty canyon roads paralleling the Yakima River. There was also two small campsites. I stopped at the second one, and set up for the night. It was tough getting my little tent pegs in. The campsites were just a layer of sand on top of a layer of rocks. I eventually managed it, had a bit to eat, then just sat there enjoying the Yakima River (it was all of 15 feet from my tent).
After dinner, a Suzuki GSX1100 pulled in. The rider was from Ellensburg, and said that the canyon was his favorite spot, and he rode it as often as possible. Not hard to understand why!
Shortly after drifting off to sleep, I was rudely awakened at around 11:30 by 3 cars pulling in with stereos blaring! Turns out that the local high school had just graduated, and some of the kids came out to down some suds and build a bonfire. I lost a couple hours of sleep, but what the hell. We were all young once. I sure hope they made it back O.K. I shudder to think of 3 carloads of tipsy teens negotiating those roads.
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Tomorrow: Washington and Oregon |
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