Nasty Weather-Again

I am not a big fan of either being cold or wet, especially when riding a motorcycle. Last night the wet part happened less than five kilometres from the end of a 560 kilometre ride. This morning began with the temperature around eight degrees C and it never warmed up. We left Idaho Falls under threatening skies heading north to what the Weather Channel promised would be partly sunny skies and warmer temperatures to the north of the small town of Dillon, MT, about 125 miles north of  Idaho Falls.  The way it turned out this was more like a working day.

 

 

Kerry riding north to Butte, MT



By that I mean that we rode to get from Point A to Point B, with Point B being anyplace that was warmer than the weather we have had for the past two days. And we decided to do it in the most workmanlike manner possible. We hit I-15 and pointed our motorcycles north toward Butte, MT, 325 kilometres distant. The speed limit in I-15 in Idaho is 80 mph but we kept it to a more manageable 70 mph. With that speed and a temperature of around ten degrees C, the wind chill factor was considerable and it wasn't long before my hands, despite wearing leather gloves, began to get cold. And even a beard doesn't keep a face very warm at 70 mph.

 

It was as cold as it looks.

I wonder if it ever gets warm here.

Rest stop



 

As we rode north we gained altitude from the 4700 feet of Idaho Falls to the summit of Monida Pass which tops out at just under 7000 feet. Kerry's motorcycle has temperature read out on its screen and at the summit the temperature was 5C (40F) and it rose to 6C as we descended to Lima, MT where we stopped at Jan's Cafe which advertised 'Home-Cooked Grub'. At 6200 feet it was still quite cold so, after a round of coffee, we ordered breakfast. Kerry as is his habit, ordered deluxe oatmeal which came with peaches on the side. The rest of us had more palatable fare.

 

Jan's Café, Lima, MT

Jan's Café, Lima, MT

On a book display I notice a very apropos book entitled, 'Geezerhood: What to expect from life now that you're older than dirt'. I didn't read much of it but with a title like that I didn't need to. It sort of made my day just to see something like that. Although, I have begun to spread the word that instead of 'geezers' we should use the words 'vintage gentlemen'. I've done that in several places this trip, the most memorable being the Starbucks in Boise.

 

Greatest book title -Ever!

Why you need this book



Our next stop was a Safeway Starbucks in Dillon, MT where we were able to sit and get warmed up in the guise of having coffee. Now, I'm not one for stereotypes, but in this store I saw what surely must have been a real cowboy. He was about five feet eight inches tall, and he was wearing a beige cowboy hat, black vest and checked shirt, blue jeans and a beat up pair of plain black cowboy boots. He was a bit stooped, but he was what I imagine that an old cowboy should look like. And if he wasn't, he gave me the chance to imagine that it was so.

On the way into Dillon we passed a large plant with a railway siding. A Union Pacific locomotive was shunting railway cars in front of the plant so it looked like a very busy operation. While we were at Starbucks I asked the barista about the plant. A woman who was behind me told me that it was a talc plant that was owned by Barrett Minerals and that they used the talc as a substrate in catalytic converters (I have no idea what a substrate is) and that the talc is used for baby powder, industrial paints, and even in Tums. When I asked her if their talc was in the Tums I occasionally have for an acid stomach, she told me that it was. Cool! She also went on to tell me that there are two kinds of talc: fibrous and plateous? and that that plateous is suitable for human consumption but fibrous is not. And, talc is the softest mineral being 1 on the Mohs scale where diamond  at 10 is the hardest mineral. That was more than I had ever imagined that I would know about talc but the lady was obviously interested and knowledgeable about the subject.

The ride to Butte was under still threatening skies and as we pulled in to Copper Canyon Harley-Davidson it was still cold. One of the guys at the dealership told us that this morning the temperature had dropped to 33F and that it was going to be close to that tonight. We spent some time checking out the dealership and made some purchases. Even with the difference between the Canadian and US dollars, not having to pay twelve percent tax takes some of the sting out of the prices. Tom bought an H-D hat while Jim, Garry, and purchased warmer gloves. We have had enough of cold hands on this trip. Garry and I also bought T-shirts with Garry scoring his prized griffin design.

A row of awesome at Copper Canyon H-D, Butte, MT

More bikes on display at Copper Canyon H-D, Butte, MT

Great background for great bikes



This dealership has a tremendous inventory of new and used motorcycles and the background of snow-capped mountains does the bikes justice. The new bikes have some pretty spectacular colours, in contrast to some of the nasty colours that Harley has put on some of their bikes in the past.

We finally checked in at a motel on the east side of Butte. The room is quite good but their internet service is extremely poor. It is fortunate that I have been able to post this entry. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to change and we will try to ride to Kalispell, MT tomorrow. The temperature there is projected to be about 75F tomorrow, although it is expected to be 3-4C here tomorrow morning. But, NO rain! Things are definitely set to improve on the weather front tomorrow.

A Dark Cloud(s) Over Our Heads

When we arrived at the BirchGlen Motel last night rain was threatening and the lady who runs the place made sure that we had a place to shelter our motorcycles from the rain. When we moved them this morning each of us found a washing and drying rag on our bike seats. This lady really made an effort to help us out, much more than the usual motel manager usually does. I asked her if there had been a motorcycle in her past. She didn't but she has made a connection with veterans from Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. She hosts an even for about three hundred veterans at the motel on Veteran's Day, so she will have a group coming in next weekend.

 

Our bikes, ready to roll. Lonnie & Sharon in the background



 

Sharon Bixler and her partner Lonnie Chiles have some pretty strong opinions on how their government is only too willing to send their soldiers off to war but when they return damaged in mind and body help seems to be hard to find. There is money for weapons but not for the people who are damaged using them. These are two average Americans with limited means who are doing what they can to help those whom they feel need it. It was a real pleasure to meet them.

 

 

Sharon & Lonnie at the BirchGlen Motel, Cascade, ID



 

We left the motel under cloudy skies and headed toward Boise and the highway which runs along the North Payette River. On the opposite side of the river the Thunder Mountain Railroad runs scenic tours on the well maintained track between Cascade and Boise. The highway snakes its way south toward Boise passing through small towns along the way. For a motorcyclist, this is a fantastic road to ride. There are very few straight stretches for much of the way.

 

Riding along the Payette River, south of Cascade, ID



 

We began our ride at about 5000 feet and lost altitude until we arrived in Boise. Earlier in the run we had pulled over but Jim continued on to Boise. We pulled in to the first gas station but he wasn't there. As we arrived in Boise we saw Jim by the side of the road with a police car just pulling out with flashers on. We figured that there had been a problem but Jim said the police officer had stopped to see if everything was OK and they had had quite a good chat before he left.

 

We regrouped at Starbucks and this was one of the more eventful stops of the trip. First, Tom who has been going to Starbucks with us but never having a coffee, decided to have one. Since he was a Starbucks 'virgin' I offered to buy his first one, thereby bringing him over to 'the dark side'. This conversation was taking place in front of a middle aged woman who suggested that, because it his first time, I should buy him a 'fou-fou' drink. She explained that a 'fou-fou' drink was one of the fancy drinks like frapuccinos or macchiatos.

 

She then explained that she was a bicycle rider and when someone asked her describe the size of a dog she said it was a 'thump[thump' size. That was the sound  a dog a certain size would make when she ran over it with her bike. This lady was hilarious. She livened up our visit to Starbucks. And, as a bonus, Tom actually liked the coffee so I have made another convert.

 

As we were sitting and chatting a sixties aged woman stopped and asked us if we owned the bikes outside. When we told her that we owned them she struck up a conversation and suggested that we should go to Las Vegas and take her with us since she liked Harleys. She said she was a 'Jack' Mormon which I take to be  Mormon who doesn't follow the beliefs any more. She told us that we had made her day and she provided a few laughs for us as well. She also told us that she was the only Linda Jackson in the Boise phone book and we could call her if we decided to head to Las Vegas.  Kerry noted that the women who stopped to talk to us seemed to be a lot older than they used to be. 

 

Meanwhile, Jim whose favourite type of Starbucks coffee is their Blonde roast, went to order a large coffee to put in his thermos.  When he told the young lady at the counter that he wanted a 'big blonde', she laughed and said, "A woman?"  As I said, it was an amusing visit.

 

We rode the six miles to I-84 and headed east when I missed a turn and had to exit I-184 and try to get back to the right road. Near the exit I found myself in the wrong turn lane but Garry bailed me out so we finally made our way to the right highway and rolled east to Mountain Home, ID.

 

Occasionally I like to wind my Harley up. Not often but it helps to keep it running smoothly, I think. However, today is the first time I have ridden my Harley at 80 mph - legally! The speed limit on I-84 outside of Boise is 80 mph so I took advantage of it for a mile or two. It was fun but not a speed that I'd like to run at for too long.

 

At Mountain Home, which has a large US Air Force base nearby, we left the main highway and rode east on Highway 20. Outside of Mountain Home the road makes several climbs to reach 5500 feet and the high prairie.  There are some spectacular vistas along the way and we stopped at one of them to look back on the road we had ridden far below. The highway was built on an old wagon road that was built in the 1860s to avoid conflict with the Shoshone as settlers moved into the Boise area. I can imagine what it must have been like to climb and descend these hills in ox drawn wagons on a narrow, steep dirt road. It is amazing what the early settlers to the western US endured to make better lives for themselves.

 

The oad we had just ridden far below

Our first viewpoint stop

Another view of the valley we had just traversed



Kerry, Garry & Tom at the viewpoint

 

Our bikes under threatening skies

Tom points the way

 

There isn't a lot to see on the high prairie except miles and miles of miles and miles. Occasionally the ride was punctuated by small villages one of which is named Hill City. We stopped and I took some pictures of Kerry at the saloon in his namesake city. Unfortunately the saloon, like so many other places in this part of Idaho was closed. I think that when the five of us stopped to take these photos we immediately doubled to population of Hill City, ID. 

 

Kerry at the saloon in the city that bears his name.

Close up of the saloon sign

'YOU ARE NOW ENTERING HILL CITY TIME'



 

To the north a range of low mountains parallels the highway for many miles. This land is beautiful in a stark kind of way, but I can't figure out how the people who live here make a living. This is one of the most sparsely populated areas of the United States and the people who live here are a very long way from any sizeable city. I suspect that for most of them this is just the way they like it.

 

For much of the day were travelling with a dark cloud hanging over our heads. Despite the fact that this part of the world is experiencing a drought, we have been bedeviled by rain, threatening clouds, and strong winds. Despite some breaks today the skies to the east were threatening and we were riding right into them. Somehow we managed to avoid getting wet.

 

Further on we passed through the Craters of the Moon National Monument. As we were trying to make it to Idaho Falls today unfortunately we were unable to stop. The landscape is striking and quite barren in places although the most recent large eruptions happened about 15 000 years ago. These features are connected to the large hot spot that underlies Yellowstone Park, but I don't know enough about it to explain it, other than the continent is moving southwest over the hot spot and the features we see are the remnants of the activity that happened during that time.

 

Craters of the Moon National Monument, near Arco, ID



 

Threatening clouds over the mountains

Ancient cinder cone on the way to Idaho Falls, ID

Scenery on the way to Idaho Falls, ID



 

As we approached Idaho Falls the skies to the east became darker and darker and rain was evident across the horizon. Our hope was to reach Idaho Falls before being rained on. I watched my GPS closely and as the miles ticked down I was hoping as I saw the numbers 9.2, 7.6, 5.9, 4.5, 3.1 indicating the miles to the motel that we escape being rained upon.

 

Alas, it was not to be. After almost 350 miles we were hit by a steady rain only 2.7 miles from our destination. The weather forecast seems to be deteriorating and we are hoping to catch a window tomorrow morning during which we can scramble north to Butte, MT, where the weather forecast promises us some better and dry weather. We seem to be racing to escape the worst of the weather that seems to be coming our way and this is limiting our choices quite a lot. Where is the drought when we need it?

 

Today was our longest ride so far, but all of our motorcycles are running strong as are the five 'vintage gentlemen' who are riding them. We hope that will continue for a long time to come.

My Own Private Idaho

After last night's steady rain and heavy clouds, we found that the sun was out and while the motorcycles were still slightly wet, the sky held both sun and clouds, but nothing to worry about.  The day was getting off to a good start when we wandered over to the Old European Restaurant. Not being much of a breakfast person I went for coffee instead. For the first time ever I had the choice of a cup of coffee or a French press. I chose the latter and was presently surprised by how good it was. It was a nice way to begin the day.

Tom getting ready to leave Pullman, WA



Back at the motel we were loading our bikes as an extended family was saying their goodbyes. One of the gentlemen whose name was Jock Shumann, told me that his son had just graduated from the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID and after attending the ceremonies he was heading back to Spokane to fly home to Laramie, WY. He checked out our motorcycles and mentioned that he would be riding to Sturgis in August since he was only an eight hour ride from the town. And, he was going to be staying at the Buffalo Chip while he was there.  Since he was the only other long-haired guy there I asked him if he would let me take a few pictures with him.  We parted hoping that we would run into each other while we were at the 'Chip'.

Jock Schuman & me in Pullman, WA



Jock & me again



As we headed south to Lewiston, ID we passed through a little town called Grangeville. This was yet another small town that had had its railway tracks removed, severing its rail connection to the rest of the country. We were to see more than a few places like that this day.

The highway winds its way through rolling farmland. In mid-May the wheat and other crops are almost a foot high and they stretch across the rolling landscape all the to the horizon.  In places where the land hadn't been planted the soil was a dark black. I don't know much about agriculture but this looked like rich farmland and the rains last night made it look even richer.

We passed through small towns with names like Colton, Uniontown, and Grangeville. They are sleepy little places that exist only to serve the local agriculture industry and they look like they are in decline as fewer and fewer people work on farms and the farms become larger and larger.

Lewiston, is a mid-sized city which lies on the Clearwater River.  The city lies in a river valley and as the highway approaches the vista is astounding.  There are viewpoints on the way down into the valley and we pulled into one to have a look.  The viewpoint was about 1500 feet above the river so we could see the river valley for perhaps thirty kilometres.  The highway itself has a step grade because of the elevation drop and it switches back on itself as it runs into the valley. The curves are long and fun to take on a motorcycle.

Looking west above Lewiston, ID

Looking southeast over Lewiston, ID

Volcanic rock above Lewiston, ID

View to the east above Lewiston, ID



Here is where I made a goofy error. In Pullman I had programmed my GPS to get to Lewiston, but I entered a random address in the city. When we arrived at the junction od Highway 95 I ignored the highway signs and followed the GPS which was taking me to that address. Kerry and the other guys took the right exit so I was separated.  I stopped to think it out and decided to get back on the highway.  I took the exit and not too much further along the guys were pulled over waiting for me so we were able to continue on together. I experienced a bit of concern for a few moments though.

From Lewiston we rode along the Clearwater River through farmland until the landscape began to change and we entered a canyon and began to climb.  We had been paralleling a disused railway line which climbed the same pass. The terrain is rugged and to cross some of the gorges on the sides of the canyon the engineers had to build trestles. Some of these are quite high and it is hard to imagine trains crossing these structures which look quite flimsy from a distance. However, they did for the best part of one hundred years so the structures are obviously not as flimsy as they look.

We topped out of the pass at about 4200 feet and almost immediately the highway began its plunge down to the Salmon River Valley far below. I'm not certain of the distance, but it didn't seem to be too long before the highway had snaked through a series of sharp and sometimes sweeping curves as it dropped almost 2500 feet.

The highway followed the curves of the swiftly flowing river as it entered the Salmon River Canyon. The volcanic rocks that we saw in Washington State were evident in the cuts along the river as well. Several of the small towns along the river cater to the tourist trade by providing raft rides down the Salmon River. There are several rapids that look dangerous, but to experienced rafting guides it's probably all in a day's work to shoot these rapids.

Along the Salmon River



We stopped for lunch at Subway in Grangeville, ID.  Ian tells me that there is a Smokejumper base in Grangeville, but I didn't know that at the time. Grangeville is yet another small town that has lost its railway tracks. All that remains is the rail grade which is now overgrown with weeds and disappearing. Again, sad for those small towns.

A few leftover railway ties on the abandoned rail grade, Grangeville, ID

The feed mill which used to be served by the railway.



All day we had been battling the wind and as we rode south it seemed to be getting colder. It seemed that the clouds were becoming more threatening as we rode south and began to climb yet again reaching an altitude of more than 5200 feet before entering the town of McCall where we pulled in to Paul's Market. While not unusual from the outside, the first thing I saw was a large sign that advertised growler refills. For those who don't know what a growler is, it is a large bottle of about two litres, or 65 ounces. People fill them with draft beer, often directly from the brewery, doing away with the need for packaging and paying the money that the government doesn't take directly to the producer. It's a good deal for buyer and seller.

The sign in the entrance to Paul's Market

The beer selection at Paul's

The woman who was filling the growlers was named Adrien. She had tattoos on both arms but they had a musical theme with notes, staffs and other symbols. She was quite willing to let me take a few photos of her with her tattoos. I also bought an aluminum growler and filled it with an IPA that is rated at 100+ IBUs.  Quite tasty!

Adrien's musical tattoos

Adrien

the other side of Adrien's arm tattos



As we left McCall and headed toward Boise the clouds in the south became even more threatening and we could see wisps of rain from the clouds that seemed to fill the pass that we had to traverse to get to Boise. By the time we passed Payette Lake rain was looking certain so when we arrived at the small village of Cascade we called it quits and found rooms in the BirchGlen Motel, a rather rustic place. As we were unloading our bikes the rain began. We had made the right call and even had our motorcycles under cover.

After settling in we walked to the restaurant on the other side of the motel we had meatloaf. I usually think of meatloaf as rather disgusting, but this was surprisingly good and when we finished we sat around just chatting. Before we knew it close to an hour had passed and it was a good time. We finished off by playing a few games of pool in the motel's rec room. I even won two games. Not bad, considering that I'm a terrible pool player. I suppose that the saying, "It's better to be lucky than good," was true in this case.

Garry has been looking at the weather forecasts and it looks like this whole part of the country is gong to be having rain. Where's the drought I've been hearing about when I really need it? We'll push through to Boise tomorrow then we'll have to decide which direction to take. Right now it looks like the best choice may be to ride east then north through southern Idaho then Wyoming possibly crossing in to Canada south of Calgary. Not quite what anyone had in mind at the beginning of the trip, but we didn't have a definite route in mind anyway. We're nothing if not flexible.

The country we passed through today was amazingly different, from rolling farmland the mountain passes, river canyons, high plains, evergreen forest. The variety and the companionship of good friends is what makes doing a trip like this really worthwhile and I am certainly enjoying it all.

Tilting at Windmills

Last night we stayed at the Cedars Inn in Wenatchee, WA, a decidedly more upscale motel than the Sterling Motel was. We were greeted by two young ladies who were quite efficient and friendly, and who later baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies for their guests. We went for dinner at the Clearwater Steak House & Saloon.  I had the chicken fried chicken (I don't know why the word chicken is in the name twice) with garlic mashed potatoes, white gravy, and steamed vegetables. It was a vast improvement on the peanuts, Doritos, and Diet Mountain Dew that Garry and I had for dinner the night before.

 

This morning we were treated to a continental breakfast of coffee, a waffle, sausage and eggs, and fruit or cereal. A decidedly good start to the day. Until, that is Jim showed up and insisted that I shoot some video because he was going to show us something we hadn't seen before. He then dropped his jeans to reveal Under Armor tights. You can see the video and determine from the comments that this was not one of the highlights of our trip to this point.

 

Burned into my mind forever. And not in a good way.



We programmed my GPS for the Starbucks in Ellensburg, WA, and followed a roundabout route to get to Highway 97 where were rode past a place named Cashmere (like the toilet paper, not the Kashmir that Led Zeppelin sang about) where Kerry gets a type of apple-based candy that he likes. Along the way we met a Slingshot, a reverse tricycle made by Polaris. It is kind of low and sleek but some states won't license it as either a car or a motorcycle. We also skipped the Bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth and flowed the twists and turns of the highway as it climbed into the mountains.

One of the things I remember from high school geography is that the temperature drops 3 degrees Fahrenheit for every thousand feet of altitude gained. When we left Wenatchee it was 21C; warm enough for me to wear my fingerless riding gloves and to feel cool about it. At the top of the pass it was 14C. I felt 'cool' about it, but not in a good way. The wind chill factor at 14C and 100 kph has got to be quite low so my fingers were getting cold enough to warrant a quick stop to change into my regular gauntlets.

On the way in to Ellensburg we passed a wind farm where several dozen wind turbines were placed on the top of a ridge to catch the wind which was blowing hard enough to throw our bikes around as we rode.



The GPS took us right to the Starbucks in Ellensburg where we stopped for our first cup of their coffee in three days. As we sat drinking our coffee, we couldn't help noticing the young women with nice puppies who we arriving at the store. Several of them had puppies that were so cute that people just wanted to pet them. One had a miniature Doberman and a pug, another had a chihuahua, still another had a fluffy little puppy of indeterminate breed while yet another one had a small terrier type of dog. Since we were there for a short while it seemed unusual to see so many in such a short time.  Jim gave us our pearl of wisdom for the day when he said, "Pain has no memory." The fact that women have a second child and we all go back to the dentist is some sort of proof that he is correct.

 

Rest stop in Ellensburg, WA

 

Starbucks in Ellensburg, WA



We left Ellensburg and headed east toward Othello, WA. On the way we passed another wind farm with probably two hundred or more wind turbines just outside of Vantage, WA.  We crossed the Columbia River and headed south. Climbing out of the Columbia River Valley we emerged onto the Palouse, the rolling country that covers much of eastern Washington.  Along the way we saw rock bluffs and road cuts that were comprised of volcanic rock, the visible signs of the massive volcanic eruptions that covered almost 164 000 square kilometres of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and California between seventeen and fourteen million years ago.

 

 

Crossing the Columbia River at Vantage, WA



 Outside of Othello we stopped at a roadside market named Judy's, that sold beer, wine, and asparagus. The young lady who met us wasn't named Judy and there actually is no Judy, and she seemed surprised when we told her that we were stopping for an asparagus break. 

Kerry and Jim traded motorcycles for the ride in to Othello, and Jim put in the yellow helmet that he has been saving for a special occasion. With the visor down he reminded me of Maverick from the 'Top Gun' movie.

 

Tom at Judy's near Othello, WA



 

Jim with his 'Top Gun' look



Further on we passed a feedlot that must have had several thousand cattle in it. seeing this makes me think about where the hamburger and steak that I like comes from.  Just outside the fence, wandering in a large field of grass were at least two hundred cattle 'free ranging' it. It was clear which animals had the better life, although it is academic because they'll all probably end up in the same place anyway.

We continued on to Othello where we pulled in to Burger King. We were immediately followed by a guy and his wife who were driving a 1951 Ford V8. When he exited the car I couldn't help thinking that this guy should be in ZZ Top. He's not. We asked him about it and he opened the hood to show us the engine. The guy's name was Scott Ross and as we chatted he mentioned that he had a Harley at home.  He then pulled up his left pant leg to show us a prosthetic leg that flames painted on it. He also had a Harley-Davidson sticker just above the foot.

 

Steve Ross and his 1951 Ford V8

 

Steve's flame painted prosthetic leg

 

Detail of Steve's leg with H-D sticker



His story was that about twenty years ago while he was riding his Harley, he was hit by a twenty year old guy who was drunk and had no insurance. Scott got very little for his loss and he says that the guy spent less time in prison than he spent in the hospital. he had some funny lines. One of them was, "Why do old guys ride baggers?" The answer: "Because they can." He also had an explanation for the name Othello. Someone chaged a few letters from the settlers' first explanation when they saw the place. They said, "Oh hell, no." An added 't' and a dropped 'n' and that resulted in today's name.

While we were sitting in the restaurant a Hispanic man approached me and said that his wife wanted to know if I could take her for a ride around town on the Harley. I might have done it, but I didn't have an extra helmet so I had to tell him that I couldn't oblige her.

About thirty kilometres outside of Othello we pulled in to a rest stop then continued on our way. Ninety four kilometres later after being blown around by the wind ffor most of the way and not seeing a single place to pull over, we stopped at a small village that was appropriately named Dusty. The only place that seemed to still be in business was a farm supply place. Everything else was closed.  We passed a small place called Washtucna which had recently had its railway tracks pulled up. I love trains and like railway tracks and it always seems sad to me when a community which has had a connection with the rest of the world by rail, probably for almost a hundred years, loses that connection. It's almost the death knell of a place like that.

Strangely, although it was sunny it wasn't really warm and the wind which had been blowing hard all day seemed to cool down and it just wasn't pleasant riding from Colfax to Pullman, WA. We stopped for gas and checked out the motel across the street. We have a reasonable eye for cost, so when what would be a sixty dollar room was quoted at one hundred and ten I was surprised. The reason was the Washington State and University of Idaho graduations this weekend. We walked away to check out another place that turned out to be much better. The price was a reasonable sixty-five dollars.

Before we went for dinner at the Chinese restaurant down the street Jim showed up with his Under Armor. The photo will show the reader what we saw. Make your own judgment.



Between the time we arrived at the motel and when we were ready to head out for dinner, clouds had rolled in and it was looking like rain. By the time we returned it was raining lightly. I hope that things clear up by tomorrow. At present we will head south and east into Idaho and perhaps into Utah. We will have to figure that out tomorrow. 

So far we have had decent weather and good roads. Everyone is getting along well and we're all having a great time. This is a great time to be riding with good friends.