Day 7.
August 27th, 2021.
So with the excitement of 2 little kids waking up in the morning and wanting nothing else but to ride their bicycles we were both up before our alarm clocks “went off”.
Fresh brewed coffee and we set about loading up our essentials for the riding ahead of us.
Priorty of which was Emmett - Rocky’s pet Schitzu.
He had a custom-built perch on the luggage rack for himself.
Emmett had traveled all over the continental US and South America with Rocky and his “late” wife.
So this was not new territory for him.
In this case, he on his Kawasaki Concours 1400 and me - yeah, on my one and only Honda ST1300.
Rocky’s stable was comprised of 3 other bikes.
A Kawasaki Ninja 1400, A huge dirt bike that did not register with me and a cherished Honda ST1100.
That’s not counting another Kawasaki Concours 1400 at his other property in Arizona where he spends his winters every year.
Rain had been forecast for the day by the weatherman and as we loaded up for the morning rain clouds began to form and not more than 20 minutes into our ride, the rain started to fall.
Fall like there was no tomorrow!
It is times like this you begin to realize and experience how many bad and dangerous drivers exist and ply the highways and roads with us.
Some young girl probably in her mother’s SUV, cut me off so dangerously in the pouring rain and poor visibility conditions as the section of the road we were on narrowed from 2 lanes into 1!
I kept my cool.
Wanting desperately to address her with some bad language, I decided to keep my cool and concentration on the road and my safety, as well as remind myself that you should never take a small weapon to a big fight! (Obviously, her car was way bigger and heavier than my bike).
Our first stop for the morning was at the Five Valley Honda dealership between Missoula and Lolo, for me to buy a much needed headlamp bulb for my Honda, which had burned out the day before.
Incidentally on the same side that had also burned out during my 2015 Tour through the Appalachians. (Hmm, coincidence?)
I’ll have to dig into this and do some troubleshooting and rectify it. I’ll have to make time for that).
The folks there were very nice, pleasant and helpful.
Luckily for me, they had the part in stock.
A positive shopping experience for me.
My plan was to hold on to it until I absolutely needed to replace it along my journey.
Rocky’s chosen route took us due south into Lolo where we stopped and fueled up before getting onto Highway 12.
For you motorcyclists reading this, if you enjoy twisties and are in constant search for them, Idaho Highway 12 - a.k.a. The Lolo Pass Highway, a.k.a. Measure Road - is a “must ride” gem of a twisty road.
Beautiful scenery, great road surface and some history along the way.
This road closely follows the original route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Don’t miss it!
I highly recommend the experience.
You will not be disappointed!
…… it was turn after turn after turn after turn.
All the way into and through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest and on into Kooskia.
I can’t say enough for the scenery.
You’ve just got to see it for yourself!
Photo ops were few.
The riding was just so much fun.
Too much to interrupt with frequent stops.
But rest assured that the images have been seared into my memory for life!
The mountain range crested at the Montana/Idaho stateline where we stopped for a break at the Visitor Center.
Whilst Rocky took Emmett for a short stroll/walk and potty break, I made time to memorialize the time and place for myself with this opportunity.
Highway 12 “took” us all the way into Kooskia.
We made another fuel stop as the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds which had now dumped what moisture they were laden with.
Although my Honda did not require much fuel at this time I filled her up just the same.
In relation, I could see that the Concours is a way thirstier machine.
It NEEDED the fuel at this time …… or else!
So with that accomplished Rocky put us onto Highway 13 due south and on towards Grangeville, ID where we decided to stop and have lunch.
We lounged for an hour.
Good country cooking and sizable portions were the lay of the day!
We chatted about our similar hobbies and engineering professions of the past, and in general just plain ‘ol good times.
The sun was now out and shining with full intensity.
All I needed now was a nice tree with lots of shade where I could stretch out underneath and take a good afternoon’s siesta ….. but we had miles to go, places to see and roads to ride.
Meals paid for and pleasantries exchanged with the proprietors, we made our way outside, suited up as dictated by the weather and headed out in search of motorcycle-riding nirvana.
Catching ID Highway 95, we journeyed on following the rise in elevation through breathtaking scenery.
The views presented were very unique.
Very gentle mountaintops (not jagged peaks as one might imagine) but high in elevation.
We “cut through” The Nez Perce National Park and made our way towards White Bird, ID, where we exited Highway 95 to access a much anticipated ride to and through White Bird Pass.
Whitebird Pass is above the tree line in this area, somewhere around 1350m (4430 ft.) in elevation and so presents clear, unobstructed magnificent views of the expansive landscape.
It is an old road with many switchbacks that hugs the mountainside tightly.
At the summit, the road marks the divide between the
Salmon River and the Camas Prairie.
Rocky had been excited to “put me onto” this road for a very long time.
He had mentioned it quite a few years ago and always promised that one day we would make it happen.
Today was that day and here we were!
“Talk about keeping your dreams alive”!
So in pursuit of Rocky, we twisted and turned and twisted and turned, following the White Bird creek for all of 22 miles till it “dumped” us back onto Highway 95.
A very thrilling ride indeed, in more ways than one.
I would go as far as to say that it’s an “attention-getting” road.
Concentration and riding skills to match are the order of the day for this one!
We pushed on still heading southwards.
Just ahead of Riggins, ID we crossed the Time Zone Bridge which gained us another hour of daylight and hence a longer riding day.
We stayed on Highway 95 till we arrived in Cambridge, ID.
It was now late afternoon.
We were so far south.
This was to be our “turn-around” point.
The challenge we faced now was to cross into Oregon, make it all the way back northwards, cross into Washington state and try to make it back to Polson, MT with enough time for me to continue my onward journey in order to meet up with my long-time riding buddies from Texas - Buster and Marilyn who were currently working in Yellowstone National Park.
Day after tomorrow, the 29th of August, would be their last working day there and they’d be moving on back home to Texas.
They had “been on the road” for about 6 months.
This was part of their grand retirement dream/life they were living - and loving every minute of it, I must add.
The plan was to rendezvous with them and spend their last night there together.
So it was imperative that Rocky and I kept moving, in the hope of covering enough miles in order to get back and stay on schedule.
Because we were so far south, it meant we might have to spend an extra night out on the road which would deprive me of the chance to meet up with my fine folks in Yellowstone, or we would have to do an all-night trip to make it into Washington state, then an early departure from there back to Polson, MT for a quick departure towards Yellowstone in order to keep my rendezvous.
It would mean riding all night tonight through the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and several mountain passes in the dead of night all the way to Joseph, OR where we plotted our next destination.
A destination of a little around 673 km (421 mi). Up over and down the mountains between here and there.
So with the resolve of 2 hardened, seasoned and experienced “Long Riders”, we opted to do an “all-nighter”.
Fueling up the bikes and loading up with coffee in Cambridge, ID we hustled off for what would become an epic experience for us, with what little daylight we had left for the day.
This became our turnaround point since we had begun our return journey northwards in the direction of his home.
We plied highway 71, a.k.a. Hells Canyon Road and crossed the Snake River into Oregon close to sundown
At the Brownlee Dam power generating station site. Another gem of a road which wrapped around the mountains, descended into the canyon below, wound and mimicked its way along the Snake River at this area.
At the base of the dam we took the opportunity to take my obligatory state line crossing photo.
The sun had already started to dip behind the ranges of mountains in the area, creating bright vivid streaks of light in the sky, but casting great dark shadows on the leeward (eastern) side where we found ourselves.
All I could think about now was why I did not replace my burned out light bulb.
Now is the time I would really need it for the conditions we would be facing ahead!
Motoring on, up into the mountains we went.
We kept a spirited pace, wanting to utilize what diminishing daylight hours as best as we could, before long day turned to night.
It’s amazing how dark nights get when there are no other lights around.
The moon came out and hung in the sky like a guiding beacon.
But it was a weird feeling because although we were gong through hairpin turn after hairpin turn, it seemed to always be in the same position/spot.
It was dark.
Visibility was not the greatest, to say the least.
Rocky led the way and being a more experienced and accomplished rider than I, his spirited pace made me “step up to the plate” inevitably making me raise my riding skills a notch higher.
I occasionally fell behind a bit as a result of the very poor visibility, losing sight of his taillight only to be able to close the gap between us in the twists and hairpins of the road.
Then I would need to turn on my high beams (which brought on both my headlights to improve my visibility) to keep him in view, only to blind him through his rear view mirrors.
The high beams on the Honda ST 1300 are a marked improvement from those of the ST 1100 models.
These ones light up the road ahead and have a very well engineered design allowing for a good spread. (Thanks Honda)
After enduring this kind of punishment for several miles he suggested I ride in front.
So headlights on high beam now, I tentatively took the lead.
Gradually my confidence level continued to rise due to the now familiar dance and tango of the night between my senses and the physical conditions of the road and darkness and we motored on.
After what seemed like an eternity, we came upon a solitary light and pole outside a presently closed food and drink establishment that Rocky had frequented and had come to know the proprietor over the past few years.
We pulled under the light to “wake up” from the monotony of the ride which was beginning to hypnotize us.
According to Rocky, we had just traversed 200 twists and turns in this leg of the journey - with 221 more to go!
Oh gosh!
We’ve go to do it all over again?
Yup! We’re only halfway there!
So after the few minutes of “wake up” rest we headed out again, this time knowing full well what I was up against.
So I psyched myself up and was ready.
Actually, I had no choice.
It was one of those “Must-do” situations in life!
We crossed into Washington state somewhere around 2 in the morning - I guess!
I was too tired to know where we were, let alone be aware of my surroundings.
I did not even see the state welcome sign.
From times gone by, Rocky knew of a Motel 6 in Clarkston, WA and he led the way directly there where we were lucky to find accommodation for what was left of the day.
Exhausted but safe and after a hot shower, sleep came effortlessly for the next 4 hours.