Last Minute Ride

I wanted to spend a few days visiting Sue while she was enjoying her photography summer in Montana . Sort of on the spur of the moment, I decided to take a week and go for a ride.

My plan, such as it was, was to spend three days getting to Missoula . Since the shortest route distance is about 950 miles , spending that much time can be a challenge.

There are a number of roads and places I have had on my to-do list for some time and several of them are in Northeastern Oregon and Northern Idaho . Sounded like the beginning of a plan.

Day One

I spent the first night in Burns, OR.  The weather was fine and traffic was not bad. However, I've been that way many times and the road and the scenery were very familiar. Lake Abert was an amazing shade of blue. Goose Lake was its usual muddy gray. Breakfast in Dunnigan, stops for gas in Red Bluff and Alturas.

Miles for the day – 538.

Day Two

My plan for day two was to ride from Burns to John Day then Baker City then Oxbow. This involves some beautiful roads which I have ridden several times before. Near Oxbow I turned north toward Joseph and Enterprise . Along the way I stopped at the Hell's Canyon Overlook to enjoy a view of the deepest canyon in the United States . It's more than a mile deep and is very beautiful and very remote. In the summer it is often appropriately hot. The road from Oxbow to Joseph, Wallowa Mountain Road , is a nicely paved, beautiful, second and third gear road for most of its 60 miles .

Joseph, named for Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, is a town which has reinvented itself into an artistic, touristy, cute little town. I’m sure some could spend many happy hours browsing the many shops. I made a circuit of the main street without putting a foot down and moved on toward Enterprise .

I gassed up in Enterprise , had a late lunch at the Top Hand Café and then made the turn for SR 3 which would take me to Lewiston . SR 3 is another of those roads on the list.  Shortly after leaving Enterprise I saw a sign saying the road was closed 35 miles ahead due to a wildfire. Crap!

Dragging out the paper maps, it appeared the next best route was through Walla Walla . The GPS told me that was a 200 mile detour for an 85 mile route. Checking the clock I saw it was 4:30 and the GPS indicated it was three and a half hours to Lewiston by this route.  Since this was a sightseeing tour, riding after dark didn't make much sense. Decisions, decisions.

I stopped in the national forest office in Enterprise hoping they would be able to provide me with more information. Unfortunately, their information was many hours old. Although they called the fire fighting headquarters to inquire on my behalf, the people with the information were not present at that time. They did tell me there was a detour available, but it was about ten miles of exceptionally steep, twisty, rough dirt road. I’ve sometimes been accused of thinking my bike is a dirt bike, but this seemed a bit too much even for me, especially while traveling alone.

I finally decided to spend the night in Enterprise . My thinking was that maybe the road would be open in the morning. If not I could still detour through Walla Walla . Dinner was a salad in my room from Safeway washed down with a martini. Perfect.

I wanted to ride SR 3. If not, I still planned to ride the Spiral Highway north from Lewiston and then go through St. Maries to I-90 and then to Missoula.  Dinner the next night in a fancy restaurant with Sue.

Miles for the day – 280.

Day Three

When I woke up Thursday morning I had planned an alternate route through Walla Walla from Enterprise , OR to Missoula , through Lewiston and other points I had planned to visit. When I left the motel I was mentally geared for the longer, less desirable route.  However, because I'm stubborn, I decided to check Highway 3 again.  The road closed signs were absent!

Singing in my helmet, a sound only I should ever hear, I rode happily along in the 30 degree weather, pleased with my heated grips and not needing the Widder vest safely stored in my left saddlebag.  The first part of SR 3 from Enterprise is basically straight and flat through conifer forest.  Gently rolling, gentle turns. The day before, the signs had indicated the road was closed 35 miles from Enterprise , so I kept an eye on the odometer.  As I approached the 35 mile mark I started seeing signs urging caution due to the fire ahead.  However, I had seen a number of fire fighting vehicles and fire crew vehicles traveling in the opposite direction so I assumed that the fire was pretty much done for.

At about 36 miles I came to the interesting part of the road.  I passed the Chief Joseph viewpoint and suddenly realized I was traveling along a ridge more than 2,000 feet high.  It was a feeling similar to that which one gets when traveling the hogback south of Escalante , Utah . In a mile or so, the road plummets steeply into the canyon.  Twisty and more twisty.  I discovered why the road had been closed, since it was clear the fire had been burning on both sides of the road.  I learned that the red fire retardant the planes and helicopters drop on fires is not slippery, since the road was covered in several places.

The road dropped about 2,000 feet in short order, and then just as quickly climbed until the elevation had been regained.  Fun riding. Great scenery.

As I came around nearly the last corner of the climbing portion, I was confronted with a black steer standing in the middle of the road.  Bovines have a very different reaction time than I do.  It seemed that it took the steer 15 - 30 seconds to realize it was in danger of becoming hamburger prematurely.  It took me about a nano-second to determine I was in danger of becoming a statistic and reacted to prevent it.  The cow ambled off the road as I watched.  Around the next bend, I had to stop for a flock of wild turkeys who had taken up residence in the middle of the road.  Can you say, "Not much traffic?"

A few more miles of gentle sweepers and grain fields and I came to the edge of the plateau which drops down to the junction of the  Clearwater River and the Snake River . Notable at this junction are the cities of Clarkston , WA and Lewiston , ID.   The road passes through Asotin , WA at the bottom of its decent.  This portion of WA 129 has been featured on a number of automobile commercials and is even more fun to ride than it looks on TV.

So, the morning was a success in that I was able to complete a ride I had planned more than 5 years ago.

As I pulled into Clarkston, I was stopped by a flagger at a construction zone.  I asked him if he could recommend a good place for breakfast.  His reply was, "I have no idea where that might be here in Clarkston. I'm from Lewiston ."  Check the map and you'll find the two cities are separated by the Snake River which is not more than 100 yards wide at that point.  I thanked him, smiled to myself and rode on.

After finding a good place for breakfast, Waffles and More, in Lewiston a few minutes later and then filling the gas tank, I headed out to ride another road I have wanted to experience, the Old Spiral Highway immediately north of Lewiston on the North side of the Clearwater. This road, built in 1914 and engineered so cars of the day could travel the 2,000 foot grade on the north side of the river at 20 - 30 MPH has been replaced in recent years with a more modern, high speed highway.  However, as motorcyclists, we know that newer and straighter is not necessarily better. My recommendation, ride the Old Spiral Highway .

I continued up US 95 to Potlatch, ID where I turned on SR 6 which becomes the White Pine Scenic Highway . I stayed on this to its junction with SR 3 and then followed it through St. Maries and then to the junction with I-90. This is a terrific road and I recommend it for its motorcycle and scenic qualities.

My destination for the day was Missoula to meet up with Sue.  We had agreed I would make an appearance between 4:00 and 5:00 PM .  I checked the clock and saw I had about an hour to use up, since I had been able to take the shorter route up SR 3 from Enterprise .  So, checking my maps I decided I might take a little side trip through Thompson Falls , MT.   I put that in as a waypoint and the 2610 promptly came up with a route through Burke , ID using some forest roads.  I looked at my paper maps and they were inconclusive about the road surface, so I figured I'd go for it and retrace if the situation became too "interesting."

A quick fill up and then a few miles on I-90 which through this area is one of the most fun freeways in the US , to Wallace ,  ID. Highway 4 heads north from Wallace through the TINY hamlets of Woodlawn Park , Webb, Gem, Frisco, Black Bear, Cornwall and Burke.  Each of these communities was merely a few houses along the road in a steep and narrow canyon.  In each community the road became narrower and steeper, the pavement rougher and the houses more ramshackle.  There is a stream alongside the road, and it was impossible not to notice that the water was staining the rocks of the stream bed an unpleasant rust red.  I wondered what it might be doing to the insides of the folks who relied on it as their water source.

At Frisco I learned of a war which took place in 1890 between the union and the mines in which 6 men had died; three on each side. The Army brought in 1,000 soldiers to help maintain order.  A large mill was dynamited by the union men and the debris can still be seen in the streambed nearly 120 years later.

About a half mile past the huge mills at Burke, the paved road ended and so did my side trip.  I retraced my path through history and returned to I-90 and headed east to my meeting with Sue. 

I had forgotten the time change from Pacific to Mountain Time, so my extra hour was non-existent and I was late arriving in Missoula . As a result, Sue was worried, but she forgave me.

We had a lovely dinner at one of Sue’s favorite restaurants in Missoula , Scotty’s Table.

Miles for the day – 374.

Day Four

Sue and I had planned to travel together in separate vehicles for the next couple of days. Sue was taking a trip from Missoula east to the Little Bighorn and then to Devil’s Tower and the Black Hills . We decided on a route for the day and headed out about mid morning.

We had agreed to meet in front of the candy store in downtown Philipsburg a former mining town which has reinvented itself into a arts & crafts haven for tourists. I found the candy store on the main street and parked in front. The store was closed, so while I waited for Sue I wondered a bit. Sue arrived shortly and we spent a while strolling Main Street and enjoying a delicious lunch.

Our next stop was Anaconda, MT which is the location of the world’s tallest brick structure. The smokestack from the smelter at the old copper mines there. The copper mines are closed and the smelter has been torn down, but the smokestack remains. It’s so large the Washington Monument could be built inside of it. You can’t get very close to it, but you don’t need to be close to be amazed. I noted on my way out of town that I could still clearly see the structure from nearly ten miles away.

The next place on our agenda was the Berkeley Pit in Butte . This now flooded open pit mine is huge. It’s a mile across in one direction and more than 7,000 feet long. The pit is more than 1,800 feet deep. There are still active mining operations nearby, with giant truck moving vast quantities of ore from the mine face to the processing facilities.

The Phelps-Dodge copper mine near Morenci , AZ is much larger than the mining operation at Butte , but the mine in Butte is right in town. It’s worth stopping by when you’re in the area. It’s also worth while to tour through downtown Butte to see the amazing brick buildings lining the streets.

About 50 miles East of Butte along I-90 you come to the small town of Three Forks. Just outside Three Forks is the Missouri Headwaters State Park . In this park three rivers, the Jefferson , the Madison and the Gallatin come together to form the Missouri River , the longest river in the United States . Lewis and Clark with their Corp of Discovery visited here in 1805.

The park is undeveloped with a few informational signs and a few picnic tables. Sue and I both found it to be a peaceful and rewarding stop. Archeological evidence indicated this area has been used by people as a gathering spot for more than 11,000 years. It’s worth a visit.

We finished our day at the Best Western in Bozeman .

Miles for the day – 220.

Day Five

There was a huge wildfire burning south of Big Timber, MT. At that time, the fire was more than 150,000 acres and smoke was everywhere. When I went out to the bike in the morning, there was ash covering it. It was very dry, so a wave of a dry towel over the bike and the ash was mostly gone.

We traveled East on I-90 to Livingston and then south on US 89 through the Paradise Valley . Sue had hoped to do some photography here, but there was so much smoke that visibility made that impossible. We continued through Gardiner and into Yellowstone through the Theodore Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance. It’s an impressive arch. We stopped at the Mammoth Hot Springs Visitor Center and enjoyed an excellent lunch in the dining room at the hotel following a brief tour of the visitor center.

We headed east on Grand Loop Road and then on the Northeast Entrance Road . Sue spotted a herd of Bison and stopped to take some photographs and I continued on to the Northeast Entrance station where I waited for her. We then went to Cooke City where I paid $3.65 per gallon for regular.

I had planned to ride over the Beartooth Highway three years ago on an August ride which several people in the chapter actually enjoyed without me. I had to miss it on the advice of my cardiologist. This summer, I made it. It’s an interesting ride. It’s also a landmark ride for motorcyclists.

There were hundreds of bikes. Bikes of all descriptions. Of course, most of the bikes were V-twins with riders dressed in every conceivable style. There was one rider and passenger who were both wearing scanty bathing costumes, flip-flops and no helmets. It was chilly up at the 11,000 foot summit. I wonder I’m sure they found it bracing.

Sue, of course, stopped along the way to take some photographs and I waited for her in Red Lodge at a railroad car burger joint on the South end of town. I had just finished my malt when Sue arrived. We made short work of the trip into Billings where we spent the night.

Miles for the day – 257.

Day 6 – Labor Day

I needed to return home so I started out early, while Sue was still asleep.

Her plan was to continue eastward for more sightseeing and photography in Eastern Montana and the Black Hills of South Dakota. The evening before we had discovered one of her tires was getting pretty smooth, so a little internet research and we found a tire dealer in Sheridan , WY where she would be spending her next night. Since she only had a short distance to travel, we were both confident she would have no trouble.

I headed West on I-90 back to Bozeman and then turned South on US 191. The ride through Big Sky and then nipping the Northwestern corner of Yellowstone NP was a beautiful ride with very little traffic. That changed at West Yellowstone .

US 20 South from West Yellowstone is a two lane well paved highway, which on Labor Day was jammed with RV’s, pickups towing travel trailers or boats and families in all types of vehicles with distracted parents trying to deal with obstreperous children wanting to know if they were there yet, and me.

I had a hundred miles to perfect my group passing technique. At one point I was able to pass a pack of 27 vehicles in one jump. Most of the time, however, it took several steps to get past the giant packs of slow moving behemoths. At Idaho Falls , I turned south on I-15 and was able to ride a little more comfortably.

I stopped near Woodville , ID for gas and my first food of the day. A decent chiliburger and terrible fries, washed down with a couple gallons of ice water and I was ready to ride again.

Another gas stop in Twin Falls and then the lovely ride south on US 93 through a few rain showers brought me to I-80 at Wells. I turned the CB to channel 19 as I approached Wells, since the ladies working in the brothels in Wells are notorious for their advertising broadcasts to passing truckers. They are very entertaining to listen to.

East in I-80 to Elko , NV where I checked in to the Best Western Gold Country Motel. My room here was very nice and my dinner at the restaurant in the casino was a very excellent pot roast.

Miles for the day – 665.

Day Seven

This day was about getting home. I stopped in Winnemucca for gas and breakfast at The Griddle where they serve excellent omelets. Next stop was at Boomtown in Verdi , NV for another load of gas, and then home.

Miles for the day – 495.

Afterward

This trip was basically a spur of the moment ride covering seven states and more than 2,800 miles. There is an advantage to keeping your bike ready to go. If you get the chance, jump on your bike and leave with no particular destination in mind. Pick a direction and if you see a road branching off that looks interesting, make the turn. Some of my best rides have been the result of that kind of exploration.

If you have a GPS, make a waypoint while you are parked in your driveway. Then go out and see if you can get yourself lost. Program your GPS to avoid toll roads and highways and to take you home. Odds are you will have an interesting ride.