September 11, 2022
The Preparation
This trip morphed into different things as the summer progressed and I didn’t know if it was ever going to take place. One thing after another kept interfering with the planning.
The first concept was a tour of the greater Pacific Northwest, heading south of Butte, MT and checking out the roads from Salmon, ID to the Boise area. From there it would be a ride west to the Pacific Coast and follow that north to Astoria, OR. My proposal called for 2 nights there, perhaps staying in a motel, and checking out all there is to do in the great city: the breweries, the Column, the museum, the breweries, the food, the breweries. From there, head up the Washington coast as far as one can before veering northeast and picking up Port Angeles, Sequim, Port Townsend, and then a ferry to the Seattle side of things. From there, it’s a short ride north to Blaine, WA. Blaine is the northwest corner of the lower-48 and I wanted to check that box since I visited Madawaska, Maine last summer, the northeast corner.
There were 4 or 5 interested people in going and the tentative departure date was around the 4th of July.
Well, things happened.
After my trips to Italy in May and then California in June, I needed to see a doctor about an inguinal hernia that had become something I could no longer ignore. I had an appointment on June 23rd to chat with a surgeon and makes plans. The way things are backed up in healthcare, I figured that I wouldn't get this fixed until the fall but he had an opening the following day and I took it. All went well but I had a 15 pound lifting restriction on me for 6-weeks that included no running and no motorcycling. I put the bike away where I keep it for winter storage and the only outing it got was when my younger son and girlfriend visited from Pennsylvania and they took it out for a day.
This puts us into the first week of August but my wife is traveling to Texas to take care of an ailing sibling so things are on hold still as I have to take care of the household which includes Bart the Dog. Plus, she is awaiting a date for a procedure she will be having and we don’t know when that will be. Oh, and I volunteered to do “TIP” training which allows me legally serve alcohol at an event I volunteered for on September 9. Ah, and then the 5K race the morning of September 10 in Red Lodge. Busy, busy, busy.
When my wife go her procedure scheduled for September 22, I looked at the calendar and, wow, and 10-11 day window. I’m taking it.
The others who were interested in the July date were no longer available so I just redesigned the route and planned to go alone, leaving today, September 11, which I did.
I spent a few days getting ready. I changed the oil and filter as well as giving the bike the once over and a cleaning. I went to REI for food and bear spray. I rounded up all my travel stuff and got it out in the garage. I made a list and made sure I had everything on it. I also looked at my notes from last year’s ride as a reminder of what I didn’t need to bring. While I am bringing lots of stuff, I am lighter than last year. One side case has tools and cooking/camping stuff. The other has miscellaneous items like my sketchbooks, iPad, and water bottles. The satchel has my clothes, hygiene items, and some of the food. I have my sleeping bag and tent in their separate stuff bags. A smaller stuff bag has my rain gear, sweatshirt, and extra gloves. My tank bag carries a water bottle, wallet, phone, and charging ports.
I got everything packed on Saturday and loaded on the bike Sunday morning. I love RokStraps. They are a big improvement over bungee cords or any other kind of tie-downs. I got things tightened down and got ready for the good-byes. It seems that the one who was really out of sorts was Bart but his mom promised him daily adventures in my absence.
The Going
I hit the road at 7:39. It was cool out, somewhere in the 40s, and I wore my riding pants over my Levis and had on two t-shirts, a sweatshirt, and my mesh jacket that had the rain liner in. I wore a buff around my neck and, overall, I was pretty comfortable. The grip heaters help.
I decided that, while I wasn’t going to be as strict as I was last year regarding avoiding freeways, I was going to do 2-lane roads as much as possible. I charted a course for LoLo, MT and the distance was the same whether I took the freeway or not so, backroads it was. I road north to Broadview.
Then north to Lavina, MT where I picked up Hwy 12 which would take me, most of the way to the campgrounds I wanted in Idaho. I’ve headed this way several times on the bike but only as far as Harlowton so new roads awaited me. I stopped in Harlowton for a photo in front of the county courthouse.
I forgot to look for the courthouse in Meagher county but remembered in Broadwater county and found it in the heart of Townsend. I like to collect photos of my bike in front of county courthouses.
I got gas at the Sinclair station in Townsend and had a near accident. I’d finished fueling and was back on the bike and started pulling away from the island when an SUV came flying off the highway through the station right in front of me. I was quick on the brakes and, no kidding, she passed about 4-feet in front of me. I recomposed myself (no road rage for me) and headed on to Helena. Hwy 12 took me right through town, a route familiar to me since I’ve been there so many times when I was coaching high school cross country.
Helena to Missoula is a great ride. While there are long stretches of straight highway, there are quite a few mountainous roads providing great entertainment. I pulled over at a rest stop near Bonner, MT to shed some layers as it was getting pretty warm.
I exited in Missoula and rode through town looking for gas. I stopped at a station on Russell and was able to look at the tires. I was concerned after hitting that board but everything appears fine. I was getting hungry so stopped at a Taco Bell for a quick bite and then on to Lolo.
Hwy 12 from Lolo to Orofino is one of my favorite rides. I did it the first time in 1979 on a cross country trip that I took on my ‘76 Honda CB750. And then again on the 750 in ‘82 on a trip to Canada with my sister who was riding a Honda 550. I’ve done this route by car a few times since then and it never disappoints. Beautiful views along a river and one sweeping curve after another.
I stopped for photos when I crossed into Idaho. Note the smoky skies.
I had checked out the campsites in that area online and had 3-4 that I’d pick from. I’ve stayed in a few of them before and they are all great. It’s first come, first served but at this time of year there really isn’t much of a demand. I’d been on the road about 8 hours and had covered 419 miles and I was ready to call it a day. When the Wendover campground showed up I turned in to check it out.
I rode through the loops and only saw two other campers. One was in a van conversion and had a generator sitting next to it. I decided to get as far away as possible from that noise-maker. At the other end of the campground I found a site that looked pretty good and decided to take it. I had ridden just past the pull-in and rather that ride around the loop again, I decided to do a U-turn. This is a maneuver I have really mastered BUT, I’m tired and, well, it happened. I dropped the bike. Well, at least there weren’t witnesses except all of you reading this after-the-fact.
I wasn’t embarrassed, mad at myself, or anything like that. It’s just a problem to be solved. The bike landed on the crash bars and I quickly saw that there was no damage. Since the bike is pretty heavy, 650 pounds, I off-loaded all my stuff to make the task at hand a bit easier. I backed myself up to the bike and grabbed the rear frame with my left hand and the left handgrip with my right. I slightly squatted and put my butt against the bike and executed not so much a lift but a walk backwards. The bike actually started coming up and I slowly kept going and didn’t feel like I was straining anything as all the work was being done with the legs. Once it was almost upright, I turned around, shifted it into neutral, and pushed it into my site. I checked it out and the only evidence is a small bit of asphalt stuck to the underside of the front left crash bar. I did leave a couple dents in the street though. Those T-Rex bars are worth every cent.
I got myself registered for the site ($14), set my tent up, organized my gear, and sat down to write this. This is what I do at the the end of every riding day, that is, make the write-up for the blog, while the day is fresh in my mind.
Dinner:
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