2017 West Coast Rally

[Jonz_imp]

I've been trying to write up something about the rally. I have only gotten to to my trip there so far.

Tuesday 8/23/17 9am, I had a little under 14,000 miles on my od. By 3pm, in Omak, after lunch at the bakery in Twisp, 243 more miles. I think Hwy 20 through the North Cascades has got some of the best mountain road and view there is. With it’s 2 passes, twists, sweeps, lakes, rivers, and 60+ miles of often empty roads, it’s hard to beat.
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The day ended with a pulled pork sandwich and a couple of dark beers from Republic Brewery.

Wednesday after a decent hotel breakfast I continued on 20 through NE Washington. A very nice leg of the trip, but not as drop dead gorgeous as the Cascade mountains.
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At the Idaho border 20 joins with Hwy 2, that’s where traffic re-appeared. It was smokey from one of the many forest fires I skirted over the next few days, and hot. I wear one of those day glow vests when I ride and have taken to not buttoning my jacket underneath so the front is a big vent on my chest. The jacket is held together by the zipper on the vest. That only helps when I’m moving.
It was lunch time in Sandpoint, Idaho, but I didn’t want to stay in the traffic. By 1:30 I needed gas and food, luckily I was in the town of Clark Fork. A tasty sandwich from the bakery and conversation with another biker on a 2003 Shadow. He was returning home from a long trip, bike loaded with gear. Together we road south for 30 miles till his turn off to home. I continued on another 30 to reach Thompson Falls for the nite.
Another 262 miles had turned on the od. I decided to stretch my legs with a walk in Island Park and took some pics.
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Hwy 93 runs though the middle of town, and on my walk back from dinner to my hotel I saw 3 deer at different intersections just standing in the middle of the road. A different type of traffic than I’m used to.
Thursday woke to a light rain. Walked into town for breakfast hoping to have a dry spell to repack my bag on the bike . Food was ok, but the long and loud conversation between tables behind me about how city folks don’t know nothin’ and are the real cause of forest fires was entertaining. I wondered if I was the root of all evil in their opinion.
It was a damp but still smokey ride on the 2 hours south to Missoula. In Missoula I saw how smokey it could get, even as the rain continued. Glad to be heading another 2 hours south, over Lost Trail Pass, away from that confluence of the many fires smoke.
I stopped at the summit and used the hot air hand dryer in the rest area to dry the front of my shirt, because I hadn’t closed up my jacket in the rain. That short break meant I arrived at the sharp turn where 2 trucks had just gone head to head and had time to stop. I saw that the drivers were on their cell phones and squezed through the debris. Luckily I saw no other wreaks the rest of the trip.
Had lunch in North Fork, just south of the 100 Acre Lodge where Kenny, Karl, Lisa, and I stayed.
My arrival.
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More later--Jon Z