Day 8.
August 28th, 2021.
We pulled out directly at 7:00 a.m. heading straight for “home” in Polson, MT.
Our backroads route took us through the Coeur d’Alene Reservation - beautiful, beautiful is all I can say.
Great asphalt and views that I had never seen the likes of.
More views that are so engrained in my memories for life!
We arrived back in Polson a little before 5:00 p.m.
After a quick shower I loaded my luggage back onto the bike and was ready to head out - direction Yellowstone.
Time was of the essence.
I was mentally prepared for another “all-nighter” in order to try and make up for time.
All this while, I had not even stopped to put thought to the fact that having crossed into Washington state in the wee hours of the morning, I now had just one more state to put myself and bike into to garner the last of 48 states that would complete the first stage of my riding dreams and wishes.
Bidding Rocky farewell, I pulled out of his driveway, taking another look at Flathead Lake and rode off into the early evening.
It had been a glorious 2 days of riding with a lot of experience garnered on the road.
Rocky really “delivered” on his promise to “put me onto” some great riding roads, the types of which I had asked for.
I had absolutely no complaints.
My bonus was sharing all of the 2-day ride with him.
2 years ago when we began to prepare for this time to come, the plan was to ride the Going To The Sun Road - easily high on the list of one of America’s most scenic drives, that runs through the heart of Glacier National Park.
The entrance gate is exactly 35 miles from his driveway.
Then I would leave the following day to continue my journey westwards through Idaho, Washington and Oregon, my turn around point-to-be for this trip.
His plans were to begin preparing for a trip to his other home in Arizona for the winter season as he did every year.
The lure of joining me for a couple of days was too much for him to resist, so we mapped out the new plan that took precedence.
And we both thoroughly enjoyed it!
So back on ID Highway 93, this time traveling southwards, I dialed the Honda in to a comfortable and below-legal speed limit of 96 km/h (60 m.p.h.) in order to ward off the onset of fatigue and road hypnosis.
After a couple of hours I decided to exit the highway, take a coffee and high-energy snack break and a physical rest.
Besides, the bike needed fuel and I had to wipe all the bugs off my visor and windshield.
No way was I going to maintain a low fuel level in the tank on an all-night ride.
Not smart.
Been there, experienced it!
Not fun!
Too nerve wracking!
I was still in Montana, Drummond to be specific.
All I could think about was: “Gotta stay awake. Gotta keep going”!
………
WAKE UP CALL !
I stayed on Interstate 90.
Just before 1:00 a.m. the night temperatures plummeted and I knew for sure that I would have to get off the road for the day.
Still in Montana, I was at the outskirts of Three Forks, MT. With another couple of hundred miles behind me.
I pulled into a service station for another coffee and fuel break.
I scanned the area in the hopes of seeing a sign advertising a hotel or motel, but every one I saw had a casino attached to it.
Seemed like there was nothing but gambling halls in this area.
Not my choice of area to be in.
Too “seedy” for my liking.
Feeling very tired, I was in no rush to get back on the road.
For a short while there, I contemplated just staying put and spending the night out here in the parking lot of this gas station, which could easily pass as a truck stop, due to the high number of 18-wheelers.
A driver came up and struck up conversation with me for a short while and informed me that I’d find a decent place to stay in the town of Three Forks itself.
So after downing my Sourdough Sandwich and hot coffee, I was charged up and in better physical condition to motor onwards.
I had not quite entered the ramp for access to Interstate 90 when I got into a traffic jam.
For crying out loud, it was almost 2:00 a.m.
I needed to keep moving.
An 18-wheeler had crossed the median out of control and went into the oncoming lanes of traffic and tore a gash in a privately-owned Camper Trailer moving in the opposite direction, just aft of the driver in the pickup truck that was pulling it.
OMG.
That woke me up instantly.
I knew I had to really stay awake now.
State Troopers and Emergency Services were already on the scene so traffic began flowing not too long after I came upon the scene.
All hotels in Three Forks were fully booked.
I know, I visited them all, except one whose proprietor I had to noisily wake up with strong and consistent knocking on his front door.
He had only one room available.
Through his interrupted sleep, he checked me in.
I couldn’t thank him enough.
The almost full hotel literally had no parking space to even grant me a place.
Carefully, I squeezed the bike in between others, as close as I could to the wooden staircase leading to my room for the night situated at the top of the stairs.
By the time I unloaded the bike and prepared to bed down it was just past 2:45 a.m. local time.
It had been a long day!
860 km (537 mi) traveled, crossed back into a later time zone causing a loss of 1 hrs’ time on barely 4 hours of sleep from the night before, no wonder I felt at the end of my ropes!
Too tired to shower.
I can do that in the a.m.
I was just too glad to have a comfortable room and bed to sleep in.
Goodnight.