ride report 2016

[gary_imp]

Once every trip around the sun I take a trip less predictable with some friends of mine. We take nine days, pick a direction and proceed to get lost. Staying in budget motels in forgotten towns along the way, eating exotic fried foods and swimming in rotten eggs.

This time we hit the friendly border to the north and rode towards the rising sun. Following Highway 2 over the Cascades meeting up with Highway 20 until it's end just before Idaho. Headed north again and through some forests to a land fit for tolls and fairies called Lake Koocanusa. Here we started to catch some very chilly rain that started to creep to our bones. We called it a day in a gateway town for the night with plans to cross Glacier National Park the next day and head down onto the high plains of Montana.

Montana makes me think of what Mad Max would be like as a cowboy. An aging population holding on to the past makes for good conversation at the bar with swastikas carved into it and covered with lacquer to preserve hate. Not that I would judge such a fantastically, beautiful area by one bar. The rock fetching dog reminded us to keep it simple as we continued on our way.

We wound south in Montana to get around the snow that has boxed us in. Deciding that we have successfully wasted enough time on the road to head back west.

Trip highlights -
Flowery Trail Road https://www.google.com/maps/@48.2969073,...1934,12.5z
This road was so good it is hard to describe

Lolo Pass
https://www.google.com/maps/@46.4561473,...964,10.21z
99 miles of twisty curvy road.

Highway 37 North
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.6259914,...516,10.46z
Just so pretty

Highway 2 approaching the rockies
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.5631875,...161,11.46z
So many little passes, some with fire damage. Great medium paced riding without traffic.

The new seat was great, we weren't putting the hours down that some do, about 300 miles a day overall. I felt like I could have gone all day without an issue. I give it 5 stars.





More and Full resolution images are in this album
https://goo.gl/photos/UeEPEUTUBoyZXLgs6

[LongRanger_imp]

Nice! Lolo is absolutely one of my favorites, as is the road you took around the shore of Lake Koocanusa. Libbey, MT, is on the southern end, yes?

[gary_imp]

Nice! Lolo is absolutely one of my favorites, as is the road you took around the shore of Lake Koocanusa. Libbey, MT, is on the southern end, yes?

Exactly! Great highway riding through the pass and amazing views.

I forgot to mention Lewis and Clark National Forest down 89 as one of the highlights
https://www.google.com/maps/@46.7955204,...6376,10.5z
White Sulfur Springs has a great little motel with hot springs that smell like ass but are great after some riding in the cold.

[flynrider]

Good choices! I haven't ridden Flowery Trail Road, but am familiar with the rest of them. You wandered some of my favorite roads in MT and ID. Hard not to have a good time on that route.

[Cormanus]

Looks fantastic, gary. Thanks for sharing.

[4 Paws_imp]

Yeah man, way to travel!

[pdedse]

I forgot about Lolo pass on a recent trip through MT...good thing is that it's not so far from OR. What is that thing on the bus in the pics from: https://goo.gl/photos/UeEPEUTUBoyZXLgs6

Is that a snow plow?

[the Ferret]

Awesome, yep ridden Lolo Pass, 89, stopped by Lake Koocanusa for a photo op. Love riding in Montana and Idaho, just unbelievable country. Glacier, Going to the Sun Rd, Beartooth Pass, Chief Joseph Pass, Lewis & Clark Hwy. some of the best riding on the planet. Lucky is the person that can ride a motorcycle thru tha country.

Not heard of Flowery Trail Road either?