A Heavenly Ride (With a Touch of Hell)

After yesterday's ride to Glacier National Park, the next stage was the ride from Missoula, MT, to Lewiston, ID by way of the Lolo Pass. 

If we thought it was hot when we arrived in Missoula, yesterday, it was even hotter this morning. When  we left the hotel it was already in the 80sF. The traffic highway to Lolo, MT was relatively light so we made it to Highway 12 quickly.

At the beginning the highway is like any other with gentle curves, straights, and some elevation gain. Approaching the Lolo Summit, at an elevation of 5233 feet (1595 metres) the highway becomes more of what one would imagine to be a mountain road with sharper curves. Passing from Montana to Idaho we stopped at the visitor centre for a break. Unfortunately, when we arrived the pumper truck was emptying the septic tank at the centre, so we had to endure the resultant odor. Not pleasant, to say the least.

Down the highway we came across this sign which explains the main purpose for taking this route. Of the 200+ miles to Lewiston, this is what we had to look forward to. This is a fantastic road however you wish to ride it. Some choose to ride it aggressively, but I tend to get more enjoyment out of riding the speed limit and establishing a flow through the curves. However you wish to ride it, it it a fantastic experience and a destination for many riders.

Things to come.

The Clearwater River, which runs into the Snake River in Idaho, is aptly named with crystal clear waters. It is easy to see the bottom of the river for its length and the river itself has, for the most part, not been developed which was a great choice by the state of Idaho. The highway is close enough for riders to get sweeping views of the river for most of its length. 

Clear water in the Clearwater

Beautiful water

On one of my stops to see the river, I came across a fly fisherman from Oregon. Although he hadn't caught any fish, sometimes the experience of solitude and calm in running water is the whole point. Many times fly fishermen are in it for the sport and they often do catch and release. The challenge is in catching the fish, not killing and eating it.

Fly fisherman in the Clearwater River

Heading east I stopped several times to take photos. At this time of day the sun was almost directly overhead and the light was so intense it partly washed out the natural colours. Following are more photos of the river. It was hard to choose just one or two because each is special.

Riding Along the Clearwater River

Clearwater River

At several points the Parks Service has built suspension bridges across the Clearwater so that hikers can access trails across the river. They also provide a great viewpoint to see the river.

Clearwater River from a suspension bridge

Suspension bridge across the Clearwater

Garry had gone ahead because I had stopped several times to take photos so I was riding alone. Rounding a curve, I was stopped, along with many other vehicles as one lane was closed because road crews were redoing the highway shoulders. Again I found myself sitting in the hot sun on top of a hot engine wearing black chaps and a black jacket. After 20 minutes traffic was allowed to resume. Some drivers must have been very impatient with the delay and I saw several making what I would consider foolish and dangerous passing. One woman who was towing a kayak did a pass like that, then turned of the highway about ten miles further on, having gained one position in the line of traffic. Since there were about ten vehicles in front of me, and we were doing the speed limit, it rode with the flow of the traffic enjoying being there. 

Highway 12 crosses the river at a small town called, Kamiah. We refueled there and took a break from the heat for lunch at a small Indian casino. (American natives refer to themselves as Indians as far as I know so this is not a perjorative comment.) There, I had the best burger I have ever had. It was stuffed with cheese and other items that I can't remember. It was so hot that Garry's bike which had just been refueled began venting gas as it expanded in the heat. A guy came in to let us know. He had been stopped behind me at the flag stop that we had been caught in. He had been behind me in the lineup and when my bike wouldn't start I pushed it to the side of the highway then restarted it. I followed him into Kamiah. He had some comments about the drive into Kamiah, and he was amazed at the dumb things he had seen after the stop.

Is we pushed closer to Lewiston, the land flatted out and the highway was still curvy, but less so. The temperature was at the point where the hot air felt like it was burning my hands. Imagine, putting a hand about 30 centimentres from a hair dryer and you will get the idea.

We made it into Lewiston after 5:00 p.m. hot and somewhat exhausted after 360 kilometres. (225 miles). Tomorrow, we head to Boise, ID, where Garry wants to top at High Desert H-D in Meridian, ID, to get a new pair of sparkplug leads. And tomorrow the projected temperature in Boise will be 44C (111F!!!)