2026 PNW Trip 1 - Day 1

May 20, 2026

It was departure day and the weather looked OK.  It was cloudy with rain showers predicted for sometime later.  I figure that I’ll be riding into them later today.

I did most of my packing yesterday and just had to do my clothes bag and get stuff loaded on the bike.  I always try to downsize what I am going to bring in the clothes bag but it’s difficult because I’ll be spending 3 days in Sequim so I need non-riding clothes and my running stuff.  I have a bit of an overflow so I am bringing my blue backpack.  Stuff I might need during the day goes in that: lighter gloves, rain pants, and lunch.  In it I am also stowing my air mattress there.

We said our goodbyes and I pulled out at 8:40.  One year ago I was making the same trip, leaving on May 20 and pulled out about 8:40.

The route was the usual, off to Broadview and Lavina on Hwy 3 and then heading west on Hwy 12.  That took me to Harlowton where I made a rest stop.  It was no surprise that about 20 miles before Harlowton I ran into a heavy heady wind.  My MPG dropped to 35 at one point and the bike indicated the resistance by drifting in and out of “eco” mode.

After the rest stop it was then on to White Sulphur Springs.  Along the way I passed by Checkerboard, MT, an unusual little place, before riding past a big lake.  Somewhere along there I stopped for a few photos.

Since I was going through gas a bit more than usual, I stopped in White Sulphur to fill up.  Gas prices are up, about $4.69 everywhere I went by.

There is another route that bypasses White Sulphur by going past the Bair Museum and it shaves about 5 miles off but I really don’t like that road for some reason so I just stayed on Hwy 12.  It turned south and I had a good cross wind before heading into the mountains to Townsend.

That’s a nice ride with lots of curves and the new tires on the bike feel great.  I passed through Townsend and headed north toward Helena.  The sky looked threatening so a few miles out of town I pulled over and got my rain pants on and put the rain cover on my tank bag.  

The wind picked up and I hit some pretty heavy rain for 5 miles or so.  It let up and I rode through Helena without making a stop.

Now it was decision time.  Do I stay on 12 which will take me to the freeway for a 30+ plus ride into Missoula or do I take the alternate route?  I looked ahead and the freeway route looked like rain so in Avon I turned north and road Hwy 141 (I think) north to the intersection with Hwy 200.

The scenery is great.  I stopped along the way and took a break for lunch.   I had a fig bar and some banana bread along with some water.  Some photos of this area.

I’m glad I took this route as there are few cars and there is none of that competitive passing that takes place in the freeway.

I got the occasional spattering rain but rode into Missoula without incident.  The first order was to gas up.  Again, gas was $4.69 or so.  Then I did the ride through Missoula, lots of stop and goes along Higgins and  Brooks, until I cleared town and headed for Lolo.  It had rained heavily earlier and I dealt with lots of spray from passing vehicles who wanted to go 15-20 mph over the limit.  I just did the speed limit, not looking for any “performance awards.”

I made my usual stop in Lolo to pick up a refreshment to go with my dinner and then stopped for a photo of this sign.

From there the ride was pure joy.  These tires are just the best and make me highly confident pushing the bike in the many sweeping curves.  I stopped at Lolo Pass for a photo as I entered Idaho.

I picked up a light shower along the way but nothing of consequence.  I really enjoyed the twists and curves.

The day’s destination is the Jerry Johnson Campground, a place I usually stay on this route but when I got there a sign on the gate indicated that it is closed the 18th through the 23rd so the Conservation Corps can remove “hazardous trees.”  I looped through the campground and no one was there except the tree extractors. 

So, it’s another 28 miles to the Wilderness Gateway campground and that’s what I did.  The Lochsa River is running high and fast and what I learned last year is that this campground will be almost full with people here with their kayaks.  I arrived and when I toured the place, most of the sites were already taken.  

I did see a few that were still open so I grabbed site #6 in the C loop.  It’s a bit of a walk-in type and that’s fine.  From where I left bike, it’s a short walk to where the fire ring and picnic table are.

Then another short walk to a place to set up the tent.

The river runs nearby and the sound of it will promote good sleep tonight.

I got things set up and the first order of business is to write this blog entry.  There is no cell service here so I’m just writing it in Notes on the iPad and will post it to the blog tomorrow, probably in Kamiah as I have done before.

I tried out my new method of saving video clips from the bikes cameras and that worked just fine.  I have an auxiliary power cable connected to the head unit (the thing the cameras record to) so I can turn it on without turning the bike’s ignition on.  This cable plugs in to the bike’s battery tender connection.  I then connect the iPad to the unit over WiFi (the head unit acts a server) and download the video clips that I want.  

I only want a select few videos and I have the time stamps saved in Notes on my phone.  When I see something I want to save, I say “Hey Siri.”  The microphone in my helmet picks that up and the Cardo unit on the helmet connects to my phone.  Then I say “Take a note.”  The phone answers back “What do you want it to say?”  The I read the time.  It saves that as a note that I can look up later.

When I was saving the videos, the gentleman from the campsite across the way stopped by for a chat.  He is also on two-wheels but his are human powered.  He is riding his bicycle from the Pacific Northwest to New Jersey.  Wow, that’s quite the ride. We had a nice talk about things before getting on with winding down our days.

It was a 454 mile day.

Akali Creek, Shorey, Molt Loop

May 1. 2026

With a mother beautiful spring day upon us, what great time to get out for a ride.  Yes, but chores came first.  I did the gym first and the worked at the other house, painting fascia.  It's hard to get to due to a patio cover so I laid down on the flat roof and reached over the edge.  I got two coats on over the primer I put on the day before and I think it's going to need some touch up.

With that a few other things out of the way, I rolled the bike out about 3pm.  No agenda, just ride, and I decided to do this loop counter clockwise.

I went up Zimmerman Trail and took Skyline Drive to Alkali Creek Road.  I turn west and road that past ranch land until I arrived at Hwy 3.  I crossed over and the road became Shorey Road.  About a mile along the way I stopped for some photos.  Here's the ride along Alkali Creek.

Here's some photos from that stop.

I continued on Shorey to Molt Road and headed west on that to the village of Molt.  It's also the end of the pavement.

Now it was back on Molt Road for a couple of miles where I turned south on Buffalo Trail.  That's a nice curvy path that takes me to the Canyon Creek Battlefield Memorial.  I turned the on Lipp Road and worked my way back home via Grand, 62nd, and Rimrock Road.

It was a 53 mile fun ride.

The Billings-Roundup-Lavina-Billings Triangle

April 20, 2025

It was a busy day but I still squeezed in time for a ride.  Early, 8am, we had to take the dog to the vet for his annual shots.  After that, and breakfast, I went over to our other house and took my saws-all and cut up the old patio furniture so it would fit in the trash can.  Then I swept up the patio and the driveway.

I'm in deep into a new art project, more cyanotypes, but experimenting with using paper negatives.  I take the original image and reverse it to negative using the computer, tweak the brightness and contrast, and then send it to the laser printer.  To make the paper semi-transparent I coat it with canola oil, wiping off the excess.  The it gets placed on a sheet of watercolor paper that I have previously coated with cyanotype sensitizer.  I cover that with a sheet of glass and then expose it to UV light using the lightbox I built.  Each exposure takes about 25 minutes.  Then the paper gets washed in an acid bath followed by a water wash.  The results are quite satisfying and I plan to continue in this direction, possibly trying to print from drafting vellum.

While that was going on I put together two loaves of raisin bread and left the dough to rise.

By the time I was free it was almost 3pm.  It was warm, upper 70s and off I went.  I rode Main Street through Billings Heights as I did on the previous ride, going north on Hwy 87.  When I got to the turnoff for Old Divide Road I took it, like I did the other day.  Once back to 87 I continued north to the intersection with Hwy 12 where I turned west.

My goal was to ride Hwy 381, AKA Goulding Creek Road.  I saw online that it was paved for a distance and it look interesting.  It was.  It's full of curves and hills until the pavement ended after 5 or 6 miles.  Here I am at the end of the paving.

I rode back and continued west on Hwy 12, looking for another road but never saw it.  I need to ride it again and put its location in the navigation software.  No problem, it was getting late and I turned south at Lavina and set the cruise to 72 MPH and rode back to Billings.  

While it was warm, there was very little wind so the ride was quite pleasant.

I pulled video from the dash cam but I learned a lesson: it's spring so stop occasionally and clean the lens on the camera.  Lots of bugs today.  I suppose I could use the camera viewer on the screen but I'm still trying to get the hand of this.  Here's what I have but not sure I'll go after the rest.

It was a 133 mile day.

Discovering Old Divide Road

April 15, 2026

With some colder weather on the way, today looked like a good time to get a ride in before things got wet and snowy.  It was in the low 60s in the early afternoon when I got started but with a bit of wind.

I headed out via the airport and Main Street through Billings Heights, always a risky route, and took Hwy 87 north toward Roundup.  Traffic wasn't back except to the moron in a new Audi R8 zooming and around cars.

Once on 87, it was pretty quiet.  The goal to the explore a road, Old Divide Road, that is a loop off the east side of 87 and is the route to the Signal Peak coal mine in the Bull Mountains.  I've passed it numerous time but had never ridden on it.

While the turnoff is marked with an extended right turn lane and sign indicating "Trucks Crossing," I almost missed it and had to brake quickly to make the turn.  The road is a smaller two-lane, paved country road and the curves presented themselves right from the beginning.

The road goes past a few farms and then a few developments but there is still a rural feel.  I rode past the turnoff for the mine as I want to feel the whole length of the road where it reconnects with 87.  When I got there, I turned around and went back the way I had come but turned east on Fattig Creek Road,

I knew from looking at a map that the road goes on a few miles to the main entrance to the mine and then the pavement ends a few miles past that.  I stopped at the entrance for a couple photos before heading back to Hwy 87.

Here's a video of the ride on Old Divide Road.

The ride back to Billings was swift.  When I got to Wicks Lane I tuned and took it to Skyline Drive and then down Zimmerman Trail and to home.  

It was a nice ride of 88 miles.

A Ride to Huntley Project

April 10, 2026

I've been on a mission this week to visit each of the 4 country museums.  On Tuesday I spent some time at the Yellowstone County Museum which is up on the rims adjacent to the airport.  The artifacts are rich and the didactic panels provide plenty of context.

On Wednesday I visited the Western Heritage Center.  While they have a new exhibition on the hosiery of beer in Billings, I was really interested in the Ben Steele exhibition as I had just finished reading "Tears in the Darkness," the history of the Bataan Death march and Ben Steele experiences in it.  The display features lots of his original drawing and paintings.  After the war he pursued an art career and taught at Eastern Montana College, now MSU-Billings.

On Tuesday I went to the Yellowstone Art Museum to participate in the Write-Along session.  I think this was the 7th or 8th one I have gone to this year.  We write about some aspect of Kent Monkman's "Death of Adonis."  Afterwards I stuck around for the artist talk by Sean Chandler.

So, today I had one museum left to check out and it was a beautiful day to ride the 20 miles to the Huntley Project Museum.  The ride was glorious in that it was reasonably warm out, no wind, and light traffic.

I arrived at 1:45 pm and park the bike just outside the main gate.

I went through the main building which had all sorts of artifacts from the homesteading period and after, everything from ribbons awarded at fairs to a player piano to objects related to the train that traveled nearby.  The next room had information about sugar beets, local veterans, and more artifacts from the Homelife back then.

There are a half dozen or so out buildings, all moved to this site from Worden, Ballantine, or Pompey's Pillar.  All were open to inspect and I went into a homesteaders home, a bank, a doctor's office, a general store and several others.  At the other end of the property is a one room school house.  All are well-preserved and show the dedication that local residents have for their history.  Here are some random photos from my visit.

The ride home was uneventful and quite pleasant.  Before heading back I went up the road a bit and di a tour through Worden.

  I turned back onto Hwy 312 and went a bit faster than the train on the left.

It was a good day to be out.

It was a 59 mile day.

Another ride to Harlowton

March 20, 2026

With the temperature heading to 80 and nothing on the agenda, it was a good day to head back to Harlowton.  The trip I did last week got me wanting to return specifically to do a drawing of their movie theater.

I loaded up and got going about noon.  Just as I was going the wind picked up and I rode with a crosswind or a head wind for the entire 90 mile ride.  I turned south on their main street, Central Avenue South, and parked across the street from the theater.

I got out my stool and drawing gear and settled in for an hour and a half to do the sketch and ink it.  Here's what I was looking at.

To do the watercolor I wanted to get out of the wind so I went down a block and did that at Gally's Brewing.

Here's the completed drawing.

With the watercolor done it was time to head back to Billings.

Here is the main street of Harlowton.

With the wind behind me I just sailed.  When I got to Shawmut I decided to go up Hwy 287 for a few miles.

When I got to Cushman, I pulled over to the bridge that crosses the Musselshell River.

I cruised on back to Billings, gassed up, and put the bike away.

It was a 191 mile day.

A Ride to Harlowton

March 4, 2026

It's early March, nothing on the agenda, the weather is good, so why not go out for a ride?

I decided to take along my 35mm film camera and go shoot some photos in Harlowton.  The ride there is one I've done so many times I really lost count.  It 45 miles north east on Hwy 3 and then 45 miles west on Hwy 12.  I've hit some pretty strong winds on this route but today is calm.  The temperature is in the 50s.

About halfway along the music I was listening to stopped.  I thought I might be out of cell service range but the little screen on my dishpan device said that the battery in the phone was low.  I've had an issue with the charging port on that phone and I must not have had things positioned correctly last night.  No problem, I don't need the music or navigation aids on this ride and I will still have enough juice to take a few photos.

Enjoy the pary of the ride near Cushman where there are some short rimrocks on the north side of the road.

I arrived in Harlowton a rode slowly down the main street before turning around and pulling over to park.  I took off my helmet and jacket and got the camera out of my side case.  I strolled down the street for a ways and took some photos.

This last photo, above, is the old State Theater which has had two fires that have left it pretty much gutted.  I walked across the street to peer inside and a couple guys were just getting out of their truck and one told me that it was "druggies" who burned it down and now it was a lost cause.  Later, after I got home, I looked it up and saw a note that said it had been purchased by a company that intended to restore ir.  Here's some views inside.

The old sign in front...

I continued on my tour and took a few more photos.

I got back on my bike and road south, down the hill, to get to the rodeo grounds.  Along the way I saw thi sculpture.

I looped around the rodeo grounds, got back on Hwy 12, and then stopped at the rest area for a last photo.

The ride back was non-stop and quite pleasant.  I stopped to top off the tank before arriving back home.

It was a 186 mile day.