Dr. Rich
Arrested Development
I left the San Francisco Bay area at the end of August headed to Spokane to meet up with my daughter for a ride. On the way up to Bend I stopped to see Crater Lake. In all the years I have traveled this route I had never stopped and was amazed by the beauty of this park.
I spent the night in Bend and then very early the next morning I headed towards the Dalles/ Columbia River. Seeing how it was dark and the road was under construction, I ducked in behind a rather fast moving local cage and proceeded up the road. About 30 miles north of Bend the radar detector started to light up. Coming the other way was a sheriff who immediately did a u-turn and chased down the cage. That investment in the radar detector paid for itself! Once at the Dalles I hooked left to the Melaloose campground where I met up with one of my Canadian hunting buddies for breakfast. Rollie and Judy live in Williams Lake BC and they just got a new travel trailer and truck and are starting to see the US.
The trip up to Spokane was pretty uneventful and I met up with my daughter Karen. She took me to an amazing pizza spot on the south side of town and we drank a few brews and talked. Karen after finishing her Bachelor's degree went into the Peace Corp for two years working on an AIDS project in Kenya Africa. When she returned she went to Gonzaga Law School and decided that the law was not where her heart was so she got a Masters from Eastern Washington University. While doing her masters she made trips to India and another to Egypt. This kid loves to travel. She is now headed to South Korea to work overseas for two years.
The next morning we headed north out of Spokane through Priest River, Sandpoint and then Bonners Ferry. Along the Priest River we stopped to fix Karen's face shield
From Bonners Ferry we headed down the valley to Kalispell where we spent the night. The next morning very early we left and headed to Glacier National Park. I soon realized that the outside temp was in the 30's and Karen didn't have real good gloves so we stopped at this little restaurant to allow her to warm up. They had home made cinnamon rolls! Yum!
We then headed into the park and took some shots at the south west end of the lake. The red tourist buses were waiting to load up with the morning passengers.
We then headed up the canyon towards the "Going to the Sun Road"
You can see that Karen got her Mother's height and her Dad's build! The "Going to the Sun Road" had quite a bit of construction and the trip took several hours to get to the top.
We spent the night in Great Falls Montana and enjoyed dinner at a little downtown pub called Bert and Ernies. The next morning we were up early for what we realized was our best day on the road. We went south on Highway 89 and the weather and scenery was spectacular. The road was covered with grasshoppers and it was a very unusual sensation to have hundreds of them bouncing off your boots. We passed though some of the most beautiful mountains and passes I have ever experienced. Along the way we stopped at this little motel to stretch our legs.
We then continued down the valley until we hit the Neihart homestead....Please note the name on the sign... The Niehart Inconvenience Store! And yes they did serve homemade pie!
We had lunch in Livingston Montana and then headed towards Big Timber where I had reserved a log cabin out on one of the ranches. This turned out to be our most fun night in a real log cabin, bears and wildlife everywhere and the stars and night sky.
Here is a gourmet breakfast that was served for us! Eat your heart out Old Michael!
After breakfast it was off to Red Lodge to tackle Beartooth Summit before heading into Yellowstone. The road was paved about 2/3 of the way to the top and then it turned into dirt and gravel. Two days before a car had gone into a turn too fast and slid off the edge. The occupants were injured but alive.
Mud pots in Yellowstone and Old Faithful.
The roads going into the park and out of the park were under construction. Additionally the west loop of Yellowstone was closed due to a bridge being out so the ride was long and difficult. Leaving the park it was dark and we got to about 10 miles north of Jackson Hole only to find out they were in the process of chip sealing the road and had oiled it and laid the gravel. The gravel was loose and about two inches deep. It was some of the most dangerous driving I have ever done. The road was not clearly marked, traffic was coming the other direction kicking up dust clouds and the bikes struggled to maintain a straight line. We slowed way down (10 mph) and made it to Jackson. After a quick shower we went to the Snake River Brewery and imbibed!
One of the four Elk Horn arches in Jackson.
From Jackson we headed west and up towards the North Fork of the Salmon River. We stopped at a little spot on the road for lunch and got a 10 inch hamburger.
This sign was in the window of a shop in Salmon Idaho....
We stayed at a great spot on the Salmon River and our room looked out directly onto the water. That evening we went to a "Gourmet Bed and Breakfast" called the Hundred Acres Woods and enjoyed our best meal. Normally you have to call ahead a week in advance to order your meals but they were kind enough to accommodate us on short notice.
The next morning we headed north up through Hamilton Montana and to Lolo. On the way we stopped at this little store and had a wonderful breakfast with the locals.
At Lolo Karen and I filled up with gas and hugged and she headed to Missoula and then back to Spokane and I headed west over the Lolo Pass to Lewiston Idaho. From there I headed south to Joseph Oregon to meet up with some other friends. About 20 miles outside of Joseph I ran into a thunderstorm and found a motel for the night. About fifteen minutes later the sky opened up with cherry sized hail. Several cars in the parking lot got dented. The bikes were safe under an overhang for the motel office.
I spent two days in Joseph Oregon washing clothes and relaxing before shooting across Washington to spend some time with an old College President friend out on Whidbey Island.
I left Whidbey Island at the end of last week at 5:30 am and was home in the bay area at 8:20 pm 835 miles later.
I can say that my trip was the best I have ever taken on a bike. Sharing time with my daughter on the road was indescribable. She is thirty and off to the other side of the world and I will think about our trip until I see her again.
I spent the night in Bend and then very early the next morning I headed towards the Dalles/ Columbia River. Seeing how it was dark and the road was under construction, I ducked in behind a rather fast moving local cage and proceeded up the road. About 30 miles north of Bend the radar detector started to light up. Coming the other way was a sheriff who immediately did a u-turn and chased down the cage. That investment in the radar detector paid for itself! Once at the Dalles I hooked left to the Melaloose campground where I met up with one of my Canadian hunting buddies for breakfast. Rollie and Judy live in Williams Lake BC and they just got a new travel trailer and truck and are starting to see the US.
The trip up to Spokane was pretty uneventful and I met up with my daughter Karen. She took me to an amazing pizza spot on the south side of town and we drank a few brews and talked. Karen after finishing her Bachelor's degree went into the Peace Corp for two years working on an AIDS project in Kenya Africa. When she returned she went to Gonzaga Law School and decided that the law was not where her heart was so she got a Masters from Eastern Washington University. While doing her masters she made trips to India and another to Egypt. This kid loves to travel. She is now headed to South Korea to work overseas for two years.
The next morning we headed north out of Spokane through Priest River, Sandpoint and then Bonners Ferry. Along the Priest River we stopped to fix Karen's face shield
From Bonners Ferry we headed down the valley to Kalispell where we spent the night. The next morning very early we left and headed to Glacier National Park. I soon realized that the outside temp was in the 30's and Karen didn't have real good gloves so we stopped at this little restaurant to allow her to warm up. They had home made cinnamon rolls! Yum!
We then headed into the park and took some shots at the south west end of the lake. The red tourist buses were waiting to load up with the morning passengers.
We then headed up the canyon towards the "Going to the Sun Road"
You can see that Karen got her Mother's height and her Dad's build! The "Going to the Sun Road" had quite a bit of construction and the trip took several hours to get to the top.
We spent the night in Great Falls Montana and enjoyed dinner at a little downtown pub called Bert and Ernies. The next morning we were up early for what we realized was our best day on the road. We went south on Highway 89 and the weather and scenery was spectacular. The road was covered with grasshoppers and it was a very unusual sensation to have hundreds of them bouncing off your boots. We passed though some of the most beautiful mountains and passes I have ever experienced. Along the way we stopped at this little motel to stretch our legs.
We then continued down the valley until we hit the Neihart homestead....Please note the name on the sign... The Niehart Inconvenience Store! And yes they did serve homemade pie!
We had lunch in Livingston Montana and then headed towards Big Timber where I had reserved a log cabin out on one of the ranches. This turned out to be our most fun night in a real log cabin, bears and wildlife everywhere and the stars and night sky.
Here is a gourmet breakfast that was served for us! Eat your heart out Old Michael!
After breakfast it was off to Red Lodge to tackle Beartooth Summit before heading into Yellowstone. The road was paved about 2/3 of the way to the top and then it turned into dirt and gravel. Two days before a car had gone into a turn too fast and slid off the edge. The occupants were injured but alive.
Mud pots in Yellowstone and Old Faithful.
The roads going into the park and out of the park were under construction. Additionally the west loop of Yellowstone was closed due to a bridge being out so the ride was long and difficult. Leaving the park it was dark and we got to about 10 miles north of Jackson Hole only to find out they were in the process of chip sealing the road and had oiled it and laid the gravel. The gravel was loose and about two inches deep. It was some of the most dangerous driving I have ever done. The road was not clearly marked, traffic was coming the other direction kicking up dust clouds and the bikes struggled to maintain a straight line. We slowed way down (10 mph) and made it to Jackson. After a quick shower we went to the Snake River Brewery and imbibed!
One of the four Elk Horn arches in Jackson.
From Jackson we headed west and up towards the North Fork of the Salmon River. We stopped at a little spot on the road for lunch and got a 10 inch hamburger.
This sign was in the window of a shop in Salmon Idaho....
We stayed at a great spot on the Salmon River and our room looked out directly onto the water. That evening we went to a "Gourmet Bed and Breakfast" called the Hundred Acres Woods and enjoyed our best meal. Normally you have to call ahead a week in advance to order your meals but they were kind enough to accommodate us on short notice.
The next morning we headed north up through Hamilton Montana and to Lolo. On the way we stopped at this little store and had a wonderful breakfast with the locals.
At Lolo Karen and I filled up with gas and hugged and she headed to Missoula and then back to Spokane and I headed west over the Lolo Pass to Lewiston Idaho. From there I headed south to Joseph Oregon to meet up with some other friends. About 20 miles outside of Joseph I ran into a thunderstorm and found a motel for the night. About fifteen minutes later the sky opened up with cherry sized hail. Several cars in the parking lot got dented. The bikes were safe under an overhang for the motel office.
I spent two days in Joseph Oregon washing clothes and relaxing before shooting across Washington to spend some time with an old College President friend out on Whidbey Island.
I left Whidbey Island at the end of last week at 5:30 am and was home in the bay area at 8:20 pm 835 miles later.
I can say that my trip was the best I have ever taken on a bike. Sharing time with my daughter on the road was indescribable. She is thirty and off to the other side of the world and I will think about our trip until I see her again.
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