Chanterelle Mushrooms!

I had to take advantage of the last of beautiful fall days. So Rocky (my blue heeler dog) and I decided to go on a deep forest hike and chanterelle mushroom expedition.  I love those golden trumpet shaped mushrooms that are bountiful in the fall.  When cooked in soups, or sauteed, or included in sauces, they impart a nice mellow flavor.  They are forest gold.

Normally I would include a Google My Tracks app map of our hike but then that would show you where my chanterelle mushroom spots are.  Mushroom pickers are notoriously famous for guarding and keeping secret about their mushroom harvesting locations.  So, sorry no map included except to say I found them within a 20 minute drive from my house. Washington is perfect chanterelle mushroom country so just about anywhere there are woods you can find chanterelles.  If you are interested in chanterelle mushroom picking and it is your first time, make sure you take someone who has picked chanterelles before so you make no mistakes in picking the wrong mushrooms.  Also let someone know where you are going.  Wear good warm clothes and sturdy boots for walking over uneven ground.

Chanterelles are typically found in second or third growth Douglas fir forests. I have found them partial to shady areas and where there is a lot of old woody debris, e.g., old fallen trees and limbs.  If you see one chanterelle mushroom you will probably find more since their root system (if you can call it that) is quite extensive underground.  Cut the mushroom low on the stem versus picking it because if you pull it out chances are you will damage the root system and mushrooms will not reappear.

Rocky and I found a nice forest trail and walked along it but the trail was too rocky and open - unlikely finding chanterelles along this trail . As we continued down the trail I spied a game trail that leads up into the woods which seems much more conducive to finding mushrooms.  Sure enough as soon as we get deeper into the woods there are mushrooms everywhere - big ones, brown ones, white ones, small ones, tall ones, all sorts of mushrooms except the mushroom I was seeking - chanterelles. However I take seeing so many different mushrooms to be a good sign.  It is fall so the golden color of maple leaves on the forest floor mimic the color of chanterelles so I find that I have to look hard.  I finally find a chanterelle mushroom about the size of my fist, a good sized one.  It is simply beautiful - golden color, smooth fluted top, nice and round.  As I carefully pick this beautiful mushroom, I see more and more chanterelles that I didn't see a moment ago. I realize I found the chanterelle mushroom motherload. There were so many I am selective on which ones to harvest. I only pick perfect ones - good color and shape, and those that are not too small but then again not too big.  Realizing that I just started my walk, I decide that  I will not pick all of them here but hope of find more farther along.

The game trail continues to go deeper into the woods.  I make sure I am tracking my route using my Google My Tracks app on my smartphone so I will not get lost and can, if necessary, re-trace my route. I notice that this game trail has seen more traffic than just game by the garbage of empty sandwich bags and pop cans left behind. The trail continues to climb up and deeper into the woods and hills.  As I look for mushrooms I also have to keep an eye on where the game trail goes.  I believe I have a lot of experience with following game trails and know that they can easily diverge or slowly fade away.  The game trail winds around windfalls of downed trees and avoids steep draws but continues to climb deeper into the woods. A look at my progress on the My Tracks app shows a twisty this-way then that-way track that I have walked.  I see that if I continue on this game trail that it should intersect farther on with a gravel road - at least I hope so.  As game trails go it is not bad walking but you still have to step over logs and limbs, walk over uneven ground, and through deep brush.  A road will eliminate all that and make walking easier and faster.

Sure enough I spy another chanterelle mushroom just off the game trail, and as before where I spy one I spy many.  Again I am selective in which mushrooms I harvest - only the beautiful shaped golden ones that are medium sized.  There are so many that I say to myself, "Once again you have found the chanterelle mushroom motherload."  Rocky is finally curious in what I am doing.  He sniffs the mushrooms and looks at me quizzically as if to say, "what are you doing with these things?"

Sure enough as I fill my bag with mushrooms I lose sight of the game trail. I am now standing on a very steep slope to the point I could touch the ground with my hands without any sort of bending or stooping. I simply had to lean just a bit, extend my arms and I am doing a three-point or four-point touch with the ground. Another check of the My Tracks app shows that I am less than 100 feet from the gravel road. Good because this is way too steep for me.  I could tell the road was up ahead because the sun was shining through trees from a clearing - the road.  The bag of mushrooms is now very full and heavy.  I estimated that I had picked well over 10 pounds of mushrooms. Climbing the steep slope was difficult itself, but now lugging a heavy bag of mushrooms made it a bit more challenging.  To make my steep climb easier, I fashioned a kind of a rucksack out of the dog leash and the bag so that I could securely transport the bag of mushrooms on my back. I then did a four-point spider type of crawl up the steep slope.  I had about 100 feet of elevation to climb and I did it in 20 foot sections.  Each 20 feet I stopped and caught my breath for a moment.  I believe even Rocky was happy for the rest stops since even he was struggling at climbing up the steep hill.  Finally I reached the top of the hill, waded through some thick salal that was over my head in height and burst out onto the gravel road.  Oof, glad that was over.

The old gravel forest road twisted and wound its way back to where I had started albeit about three

miles farther than my one mile game trail and hill scramble.  I used my improvised bag of mushrooms rucksack all the way on the road too. All told the My Tracks app said that I had traveled 3.9 miles and gained almost 750' of elevation.  The short jaunt back to the house was all smiles in that I had a bag full of mushrooms and Rocky had a great forest adventure. As I walked I began to think about mushroom recipes.

Here are some tasty mushroom recipes that you can try with chanterelles or store bought mushrooms.

Preparing chanterelles... thoroughly wash them to remove forest debris and grit. Let them air dry in a colander. They will keep for several days in a cool, dry place.  I have read that chanterelles should not be eaten raw but only cooked. 

Italian Sausage with mushrooms and rigatoni
This is a long time family favorite. It can be made with shitakes, porcini, button or chanterelle mushrooms.  If using dried mushrooms reserve the mushroom soaking liquid and mix it in with the beef broth.

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage (I prefer hot)
1 lb. mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp rosemary
1-2 bay leaves
1 T dried parsely
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup half-n-half
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups Rigatoni, dried pasta then cooked

Directions:
Heat large pot over medium heat with olive oil.  When oil is hot add chopped onion and saute until onion is soft about 3 minutes.  Add Italian sausage and cook until sausage is no longer pink about 5 minutes.  While sausage is cooking break up sausage into smaller chunks.  Add mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes.  Mushrooms will release water and cook until water is nearly gone.  Add white wine and herbs and cook for about 5 minutes until at least liquid is reduced by half or more.  You want that concentrated mushroom flavor.  Next add the beef broth and simmer uncovered over low heat for 15-20 minutes until the sausage-mushroom mixture gets thick by being reduced.  Meanwhile cook the rigatoni pasta until al dente.

Add the half-n-half to the pot and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes, but do not burn or scald.  The sauce should be creamy.  Add the pasta to the pot and mix well.  Finally add the grated Parmesan cheese to the pot and mix very well.  Serve with crusty french bread and perhaps a bit more grated Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy.

Hungarian Wild Mushroom Soup
I love to dip a grilled cheese sandwich into this soup when eating it.  The bread soaks up the soup and the mix of flavors is just wonderful.  It would be a good soup to make after you spent a cold day in the woods.

Ingredients:
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 lb. mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup flour
1 T paprika
1 t dill weed
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream

Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or pot heat the butter and olive oil together until the butter just starts to sizzle. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes or until the onion is soft and nearly translucent.  Add the mushrooms and white wine and cook until nearly all the water the mushrooms give off and the wine are gone, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the flour and paprika, mix well, and cook for about another 2 minutes until very fragrant.  Add the broth, water, and dill weed and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. If the soup gets too thick add a bit of water.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle soup into a bowl and add a dollop of sour cream. Serve with some crusty bread. Sometimes I add a few drops of balsamic vinegar just to add some acid to the soup.  Enjoy.

Simple Chanterelle Mushroom Saute
There are so many things you can do with this mushroom saute - mix it in with scrambled eggs, or add to a brown gravy to make it a "Jaeger Sauce" (Hunter's gravy), or on top of toasted french bread or crostini as an elegant appetizer, or mixed with wild rice, or simply served mixed with pasta.  It's just a wonderful and flavorful mushroom saute.

Ingredients:
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 lb. Chanterelle mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 tsp rosemary.
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add butter and olive oil and when butter just starts to sizzle, add chopped onions.  Cook onions 3-5 minutes until they are soft and translucent.  Add mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.  When mushrooms have given off most of their water, add white wine and rosemary.  Cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until white wine is cooked off about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat, taste and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Exploring Provo - Slate Creek Canyon.

After traveling for so many days it was good to stop and grow temporary roots for a day or two.  It's nice to sleep in and not have to drive any distance except for locally.  My driving now consisted of two trips - (1) the Seven Peaks Ice Arena, and (2) a Provo Parks and Recreation Trailhead.  My routine was pretty simple - eat, sleep, watch ice hockey, and take a walk with Rocky.

The evenings were filled with cheering on the Utah State Aggies ice hockey team as they played Denver University, Boise State University, and Montana State University.  The "Ice Aggies" handily defeated each team so that was a bonus.  Denver University and Boise State University were particularly interesting games with plenty of goals and action.  I love watching live ice hockey.

My first full day without having to drive had me and Rocky interested in taking a walk, not just a walk, but a long walk were he could run free and sniff.  Both of us could work out those three days of "car legs and butt" that we had earned.  I looked at a map and initially it didn't show much.  There was a city park less than a mile away - Bicentennial Park.  So Rocky and I went to Bicentennial Park.  Ugh. This was simply a facility for young mothers to let their young children play.  This was no park for a dog.  Okay, where to now?

As I was traveling to Bicentennial Park I spied a road sign that said, "Lightning Peak."  I traveled the road but saw no other reference to Lightning Peak.  What I did see though is some rocky outcroppings on the Wasatch Mountains that closely bordered Provo to the east.  Hmm? I thought, that rocky peak looks like it could be a Lightning Peak.  As I drove along literally the base edge of the Wasatch Mountains I saw a turn off to a Provo Parks and Recreation site.  I drove up the very rocky and steep grade and decided to park my truck off to the side of the road and go explore further by foot.  What I discovered was that if I would have ventured another 100 yards I would have come to a nice paved parking lot.  Funny, a nice paved parking lot but to get it you need a 4 wheel drive vehicle.  Anyway I surveyed the area and found a nice wide trail - the Bicentennial Trail - that parallels the valley and the base of the Wasatch Mountains.  Rocky and I walked about 1/2 mile out to a promontory to get a view of the Utah Valley.  From this promontory you could see Utah Lake, and the entire Utah Valley north and south.  The city of Provo and Brigham Young University laid at your feet.  Quite spectacular.

Panorama view of Utah Valley from the base from the Bicentennial Trail by Slate Creek Canyon

Looking west up Slate Cr. Canyon

Looking back towards the Wasatch Mountains you could see a steep canyon that rose high up to some lofty, fresh snow covered, mountain tops.  You also got a great view of the rocks which I thought (and still think) are Lightning Peak.  Not satisfied with our short promontory walk, Rocky and I decided to explore Slate Creek Canyon.

Slate Cr. Canyon trail and what I think is Lightning Peak

The trail started out steep, very steep.  I would estimate an 8-10% grade at least.  I had to stop several times to catch my breath.  My thought was that because it was so steep, we would only travel a short distance up and then turn around.  I turned on my Google My Tracks app on my smartphone to record my distance and travel.  What I discovered was that my curiosity was getting the best of me.  I found myself saying, "Okay, just to the next corner and I'll turn around" or "Just to the next flat spot (relatively speaking) and I'll turn around." What happened was that I kept on going up and up the canyon and reveling in the canyon beauty. The leaves were all turning color from yellows to deep reds.  The sky was incredibly blue.  Several times I checked the My Tracks app to see my distance.  My new resolve was to go one mile up the canyon.  I pushed hard as it seemed the trail was getting steeper.  Finally, I spied a somewhat less steep spot which I deemed was a "flat spot" and turned around.  I had traveled farther 1.05 miles but I was panting so hard that I realized it was time to turn around.  Even Rocky's tongue was dragging and he too probably relished going down hill.

The sun shining on the canyon walls intensified the colors.  I kept on going up and up, each panting breath had me taking another step.  I stopped and dropped off my sweatshirt and hat realizing they were not needed and it was useless to lug them up with me when I knew I would be turning around. Several times I stopped and checked the

Going down Slate Cr. Canyon.

Going down hill was not as fun and as easy as I thought it would be.  The steepness required me to ensure that my footing was good with each step so I didn't ski on the gravel and end up on my butt. I noticed that each step was like hard breaking to slow my downward momentum.  I found that not only did I have to stop on my way up, but I had to stop to rest my knees and calves on my way down.  I found my dropped off sweatshirt and hat but realized I had traveled farther than I had thought. As I continued my legs started to get wobbly, my calves and knees were aching from the boom-boom-boom of my body pounding down on the ground to slow my descent. I finding myself wishing I hadn't gone so far.  But despite my whining, all I had to do was look up and around the canyon beauty to quickly and temporarily forget the agonizing descent. My gosh this is just so beautiful.

Finally, I reached the upper parking lot and then the last descent to my parked truck and the walk was over.  I do a lot of walking and felt that with this walk I had truly accomplished something.  Though my legs were aching I felt fully physically and emotionally refreshed.  Wow! What a walk.  If you ever find yourself in the Provo area I would highly recommend this hike.  A USFS sign said that the Slate Creek Canyon trail ventured up for about 3.6 miles where it connected with some other trail.  I believe it would be beautiful in the early spring when the creek would be flowing with water from melting snow.  There are no bridges and in the mile I went the creek was crossed about three times, so you would have to have some good waterproof boots.  The trail would be too hard to hike if there was snow or ice, and way too hot to hike in the middle of summer.

Finally my legs continued to shake and recover for the rest of the day and well into the evening.  I thought I was in fairly good shape by exercising three times a week, but this hike indicated otherwise. My explorations of Provo were otherwise fairly limited - motel-ice rink-motel and Slate Cr. Canyon. Not sure there was much else to see that didn't already look like any other town.

Day 3, Elko, Nevada to Provo, Utah via the Mormon Trail

Ugh, Nevada. Beautiful in its own way.

After a quick fast food breakfast I continued on to Interstate 80 and my eastward trek. Pretty much the same as yesterday, scrub-sagebrush and mountain range-valley-mountain range scenery all the way to Wendover. Wendover seems like quite the desert hot spot with all the casinos. I had no interest in stopping at this over-commercialized sin city called Wendover. From what I could tell the place was jumping from all the cars and tour buses.

Today's route was, I 80 to Utah State Route 196 for 183 miles. Then down UT SR 196 for 19 miles and turning left onto UT SR 199 for 22 miles. A right turn at the small town of Rush Valley onto UT SR 36 for 39 miles. UT SR 36 ends and a left

Yellow highlight marks Day 3's travels

turn onto US Hwy 6 for 24 miles going through the towns of Eureka and Santaquinn, Utah. Finally a left onto I 15 N to Provo (19 miles) and my planned stay at the Sleep Inn Motel. I chose this route which avoided Salt Lake City for several reasons. One, was I wanted to avoid Interstate highway driving as much as possible. It is just so boring. Two, I wanted to avoid the high stress driving on Interstate highways when in cities. There's just too many cars and trucks driving, entering, and exiting the freeway. And three, it would get me to Provo too soon - well before check-in time at the motel. What was I supposed to do while waiting in a city that I was unfamiliar with? Sure driving this route was farther and slower but it would meet my objectives and be more interesting.

Driving from Elko to Wendover was, in a word, boring. Endless sagebrush and only very distant mountains. I consumed at least a couple of cups of coffee to stay alert. It was at this point when I started listening to country music radio. There were no rock-n-roll stations that came in clearly. The only other radio stations that seemed to come in clear were religious. Ugh, I decided to take the lesser of two evils - country music. It wasn't long when I, believe it or not, I started to like it. What the? Country music? I found that country music told a story in song. I liked that.

Coming down the hill into Wendover you could see the impressive salt flats stretching for miles. Water

Bonneville salt flats as viewed from I 80

on the salt flats was shimmering in the morning sun. I didn't expect to see so much water. It didn't look deep, only a few inches. Then I thought well duh, that's how the salt flats got there. I was enamored with gawking at the salt flats that I missed the exit to the Bonneville Speedway. Surely I thought there would be another exit but I was wrong. There wasn't another exit for 22 miles. So all I could do was observe from the truck the endless salt flats. There was no highway right-of-way fence preventing you from cutting across the median or driving off the freeway. You could see that several others had done so. I chose not to, because I didn't want to risk getting stuck, so on I drove. I noticed that folks had scribed in the salt-sand-mud things. There was even some primitive artwork of bottles, sticks, and junk stuck into and arranged in various patterns alongside the Interstate highway. I did so want to touch or drive on the salt flats. I guess I'm going to have to come back another time.

Interesting stone arch at the Wild Horse Hills rest area

I pulled over at Wild Horse Hills rest area just on the eastern edge of the salt flats. Rocky and I took a short walk to some rocks in the distance. A sign said, "Beware of rattlesnakes and scorpions" which had me a bit more observant on walking through the rocks and brush.  Rocky enjoyed the romp-about. We saw no snakes or scorpions, nor did we see any wild horses.

We continued on I 80 which was absolutely boring. So at the first chance to get off and take a scenic route I jumped at it. The opportunity came to go south on Utah 196 or Skull Valley Highway. It was just what I needed a narrow two lane road with a beautiful range of mountains that had a fresh topping of snow off to my left. Off to my right was a scrub-sagebrush valley. I saw an interesting road sign that warned me off free range buffalo. I never saw any buffalo but did see some prong horn antelope. The road turned without warning right into the US Army Dugway Weapons Proving Grounds. The only other structure was a large Latter Day Saints church. No other buildings. Weird I thought, but then I am in Utah. Rather than approach the gate I did a U-turn right in the middle of the road. As I completed my turn, I noticed I could go onto Utah 199. Huh? No sign or anything indicating Utah State Route 199.

Utah SR 199 looks like a 'road to no where'

Utah 199 seemed to go straight into a mountain range. I started humming the Talking Heads song, "I'm On A Road To Nowhere." For miles you couldn't see any sign of the road going over the mountains, but the road did. The road went in to a canyon climbing and twisting through a juniper forest until once again you came to pass. Just east of the pass there was a small campground but it was empty. The road steeply and twistedly wound its way down to the valley below. What I didn't realize was that I was on a road called "the Mormon Trail." The road or trail ended in a small town called Rush Valley. 

I turned right on to Utah State Route 36 going towards Vernon, Utah. To my left was another US Army facilty the Tooelle Weapons Storage Dump. It looked very similar to the Army weapons storage dump at Hermiston, Oregon - half underground bunkers arranged in rows. I later found out that Tooelle was not pronounced "too-lee" rather "too-ell-lah." Perhaps the residents didn't want to be known as living in the "too-lees" because it looked like you should pronounce it like that. Highway 36 wound its way past Vernon (a former Pony Express stop) and through sparse sage and juniper country until it came to its end at US Highway 6.

I turned left onto US 6 and once again started a climb up and over a small mountain range. This time at

A pass looking into another valley on the Mormon Trail

the summit was the town of Eureka, a small former mining town. The town proudly displayed some mining equipment to celebrate its history. Curiously there were large gray rocks, about the size of baseballs neatly distributed everywhere - hillsides, along the road, around the school, in tiwn around businesses, and even around homes. I wondered what mining would result in that rock as a tailing? The rock did not resemble the surrounding rock. I pulled into a garishly painted bright yellow and red cafe called the "3 Prospectors Cafe." As I entered there was a vigorous conversation going on about chainsaws, chainsaw chains, and cutting wood. Seems that juniper is tough wood and wears chainsaw chains down rapidly. So, if you are going to cut juniper, bring spare chains. I ordered the special - beef tips, gravy, over noodles. It was quite good and better than a hamburger. I asked about the rocks all over town. They explained that gold, lead, and other metals were mined in Eureka. The mine petered out in the late 60's. Tests showed that the resulting tailings were toxic to people and the environment.  They thought of cleaning all the tailings up, but decided the cheapest thing to do was bury it under rock. Wow, that's a lot of rock. I asked what keeps the town alive now? Hunters and tourists.

After Eureka, US 6 dropped rapidly into the Utah Valley. The seemingly impenetrable Wasatch mountain range towered over and framed the eastern side of the valley. The valley contained Utah Lake as well as several towns and cities, namely Provo my destination. I drove through Santaquinn and turned left onto I 15 headed for Provo. Once again it took me a minute or two of adjustment from traveling two lane roads at 55 mph to four lane roads at 75 mph. Also from no traffic to bustling traffic of cars, trucks, and semis.

I made it to my motel, checked in, and prepared for the next adventure of the day - a collegiate hockey game. I had traveled over 306 miles and once again saw sights and scenery that was all new to me.

Day 2, Clyde Holliday State Park, Oregon to Elko, Nevada

Oh my, it got cold, very cold, last night although I am unsure of exactly how cold but for sure in the low 30"s maybe lower. That portable alcohol heater sure did its job of keeping my sleeping area warm. In fact, some time in the night I woke to turn the heater off, only to turn it back on.  This Origo heater is invaluable.  I was so nice and warm I didn't want to get up. I kept on waiting for the sun, but then realized by being in a valley it could be some time before the sun's rays hit my camp.

I warmed up by heating up water for coffee and instant oatmeal. It was so cold I had to put gloves on. I'm sure my neighboring campers were amused watching me as they sat in their big travel trailers all nice and warm. I wished I was too. I wolfed down the coffee and oatmeal. I then heated up the rest of the coffee to boiling hot and re-filled my thermos. Camp was easy to break. Move the stuff from the cab to the back and I was done.

I didn't register or pay for my campsite last night so Rocky and I took a walk to register. Then we walked farther along the John Day River on a nice park trail. Several times we saw deer out feeding. They were probably using the state park as a refuge to keep from being hunted as it was hunting season. I noticed that it definitely got cold because there were many places you could see where water in small puddles, ditches, and ponds had a thin layer of ice. The coffee, oatmeal, and brisk walk were warming me up. When I left Clyde Holliday State Park the truck temperature gauge showed a low of 29 F. Okay, it is officially cold.

After leaving Clyde Holliday State Park shortly after 8 AM, I entered the small town of John Day. I decided to get gas because this was the last town of any size until I got to Winnemucca, Nevada almost 300 miles away. In this distance I only went through three small towns, if you could call them that. Actually they really were a collection of a few houses (less than 10), a grade school, mercantile, and a post office. Lots of vacant buildings which let you know that sometime in their past they were bigger and more significant than they are now. The three towns were Frenchglen, Fields, and Denom. Denom actually straddled the Oregon-Nevada border and was the sorriest looking of the three.  You could tell Frenchglen had some former history to it and still had a thriving elementary school.  Fields seemed to be more of a hunters destination, although the elementary school seemed smaller. Perhaps Frenchglen or Fields had gas but it wasn't obvious. Denom didn't have anything - school, post office, store or bar. In fact, I wonder considering the shape the town was in, why would anyone choose to live there.

Day 2 route is yellow highlighted

Today's route was, US Highway 26 to the town of John Day, about 7 miles. Turn right on to US Highway 395 all the way to just outside of Burns (about 67 miles) to turn off onto OR SR 205, the Frenchglen Highway. Frenchglen being about 60 miles away. Staying on OR SR 205 for 73 miles until the Oregon-Nevada border where OR SR 205 became NV SR 292. Three miles down NV SR 292 where it becomes NV SR 140. Travel 65 miles on NV SR 140 with several very long straight stretches until it hits US Hwy 95. A right turn onto US 95 and 31 miles later you're in Winnemucca, Nevada. A left turn onto Interstate 80 and 124 miles later you are in Elko.

Silvies Ranch country along US 395 heading south

Between John Day and Malheur the scenery was typical of the day before. A winding this-way-that-way road up a canyon until it hit a high point in the woods. Basalt columnar cliffs and large out croppings of basalt rocks mixed in with willows along the canyon creek and Ponderosa pines everywhere else. The Silvies Ranch before I got to Burns, Oregon, seemed to go on for miles. I noticed that the ranch had several huge barns or sheds that always featured three evenly spaced characteristic cupolas on the roof. Also, the gateways to the ranch were stucco arches versus typical log gateways. US 95 bisected at least 12 or more miles of the Silvies Ranch.

Just before Burns, US 95 started dropping out of forested country and into high desert scrub-sagebrush with steppes and buttes. Malheur Lake was shimmering in the morning sunlight. I considered stopping at Malheur Wildlife Area but it was closed due to the government shutdown. Malheur is famous for observing waterfowl. OR SR 205 bisected the western edge of the Malheur reservoir. I slowed down but didn't see any waterfowl. What I did have to stop for was a cattle drive across the road. Now how often does that happen to you?  I was most intrigued how the two Border Collies did all the work to keep the cattle in line. They wandered this way and that way stopping every now and then. The cowboys on horseback simply rode along at the cattle's pace. Wow! Might not seem like much but I found that fascinating and a most welcome diversion.

High desert and mountains. (Photo taken through windshield.)

After Malheur the drive changed from following along a creek and canyon to driving along the edge of shallow lakes and wide valleys. A familiar pattern of mountain range-valley-mountain range became the norm. The road would follow along or slowly cross a valley, then at some point reach the far mountain range before going into the next valley and so on and so forth all the way to Elko, Nevada. Some mountain ranges had big mountains, other ranges the mountains were simply hills. When you would cross a mountain range the road would rise sharply and wind its way up and down and over the range. Driving the valleys consisted of long straight sections with a slight curve just to keep absolute driving boredom at bay.

Off to my left as I headed south to Frenchglen was Steens Mountain. This mountain seems to just rise up out of the steppes. I read that it is its own ecosystem. I observed plenty of snow up on Steens Mountain. Just before Frenchglen there even was a skiff of snow alongside the road; although I was many miles from Steens Mountain. At Frenchglen I saw a turn off to the "Steens Mountain Loop Road." I decided that traveling the Steens Mountain Loop Road was on my bucket list.

SE Oregon on OR SR 205 just outside of Frenchglen

Right out of Frenchglen OR SR 205 steeply climbs with many twists and turns to get out of the valley to get back into that high desert. Once at the summit the road straightens out back to the familiar boring straights. I wished I had stopped in Frenchglen but not sure why I didn't. So I will have to return at some other time.

There was no traffic until I hit Interstate 80 at Winnemucca. Many times I stopped barely pulling off

Sagebrush and empty spaces

the road to either get a picture or take a pee and for the whole time - maybe 10-15 minutes there was no other vehicle. I began to wonder what to do if an unfortunate mechanical issue would arise. You could get old waiting for another car. When you did stop, it was so quiet.  A few stops had some wind blowing, but I heard no birds or other critters. I saw a few Marsh Hawks (you can tell by the white rump patch) and a few Ravens from time to time. I would watch as I drove the Marsh Hawk hover spying some prey below, but never saw the drop for the kill. Hmm? The Ravens were always in pairs. Was I missing something?  Of course there were road signs warning drivers to be on the lookout for wildlife. Oregon had the most boring signs, e.g., Elk, Deer, Livestock, etc. Nevada's road signage seemed to have action images of cows, antelope, and deer.  Come to think of it, I didn't see any bullet holes in Nevada road signs whereas Oregon road signs resembled Swiss cheese.

My traveling of state highways ended when I reached Winnemucca and the end of Nevada 140 which used to be Oregon 205. From Winnemuca on it was even more boring high-speed Interstate freeways. I had to put the pedal-to-the-metal too, from leisurely 55 mph to now blistering Interstate speed of 75 mph. What's more, from never seeing another vehicle to now having multiple vehicles - cars, trucks, and semi-tractor trailer rigs - share the road alongside of you. Wow, I had to stay in my lane. The only positive was having to share the road with other vehicles was your only relief from total boredom of driving in Nevada. All mountains seem to look the same, as well as endless scrub and sagebrush. I don't remember seeing any trees except those planted around houses. Uh, not houses but manufactured homes surrounded by multiple vehicles in various states of disrepair. Used travel trailers (mostly dilapidated) seemed particularly endemic to the Nevada landscape.

Elko is kind of an oasis in the middle of a the high desert scrub-sagebrush. Of course being Nevada there are casinos. Tonight I am moteling it since the overnight forecast was for temperatures in the 20's. Also, Rocky and I prefer a comfortable bed versus the bed of a truck if it's going to get that cold. I pulled into a Motel 6 and got a room for the night. I don't mind the simplicity of Motel 6, but I like them because they are pet friendly and cheap. I ate a quick supper then retired. I was tired, perhaps from driving, perhaps from last night's camping, or whatever but I didn't stay up too late. It was a good day. Traveled over 430 miles and saw lots of places that I had never been to.

Day 1, Olympia, Wa to Clyde Holliday State Park, Or

I'm a bit nervous about this trip. It has been quite sometime since I did such a trip on my own.  I believe the last was on my way to Yellowstone National Park in June, 1976. That was 38 years ago. That trip was to start a summer job, this one is to see some of my son's collegiate hockey games. The trip is planned around traveling several roads that I have never been on and visit areas I have never been to. Areas like Malheur, Steens Mtn., Bonneville Salt Flats, and Bear Lake. I will be traveling to and through places like John Day, Frenchglen, Winnemucca, Elko, Rexburg, and Salmon. My traveling buddy will be Rocky my blue heeler. I've got to finish packing versus blogging.

Delphi Road near Olympia heading south

Just before I left, Rocky went out in to the street and challenged a guy walking his dog. He was mad. Then I was mad. This had me bugged for most of the day.

We got underway at 10:22 AM. I drove south through back roads to Littlerock to get to I-5. I didn't drive long since I had to get gas at the ARCO in Rochester. $3.29/gal - that's cheap. It's still quite foggy but it's supposed to clear up. No sooner did I think that, when just after Chehalis - about 10 minutes later - fog lifted and I had clear, sunny skies for the rest of the day.

I continued down Interstate 5 until I got near to Vancouver where I left I-5 to go south on I-205 and exited on to Washington State Route (SR) 14 East.  Wa SR 14 is a beautiful way to drive up the Columbia River. WA SR 14 goes along north side of Columbia River and is two lanes, and I-84 is an interstate freeway that follows the south shore of the river. WA SR 14 is just not as fast as if I were to travel I 84 on the south side of the Columbia. But, I wasn't in a hurry.

Outside of Bonneville Dam on WA SR 14

Traffic on WA SR 14 was very light and I was making good speed and time; of course I have to remind myself that it is a Tuesday in middle of October. As I wound along and drove higher along the hills and buttes the maples really turned color - lots of yellows and reds. Driving lower along the river the trees were more green and only had touches of yellow.  As I headed east, oak trees started to become mixed in with the maples until you got to a point where there were no more maples but only oaks. This subtle transition signals the change from west side to east side. In time as I drove farther east the trees got less and less until there were no trees. Then I started to notice the transition from grasses to the definitely drier vegetation of sagebrush. I love driving along the Columbia because of this gradual spectrum of going from wet-west side to the dry east side.

An east wind coming right down the gorge was blowing hard, must've been 20 knots or more. I stopped

View of Columbia River from Cape Horn on SR 14

for a moment to get a picture at Cape Horn scenic view.  The road here must be over 1, 000 feet above the river. You can look up river at least 20 miles or more. The river definitely showed the wind blowing by creating long ribbon patterns of spray and waves on the water. Somewhere after the town of Stevenson the wind lessened and by the time I got to Bingen there was no more wind. In fact, there were beautiful reflections of the mountains in the sloughs that border the river.

I I turned off of WA SR 14 onto southbound US 97. crossed the Columbia River and left Washington state and in to Oregon. US highway 97 is a major north-south route serving central Washington and Oregon communities. Immediately across the bridge is the Interstate community of Biggs Junction. Biggs is a popular stop with travelers both pleasure and commercial and makes its name by intersecting I-84 and US highway 97. Because I was starting to travel in eastern Oregon where the towns and the availability of gas is less I decided to fill up with gas. Not so cheap here - $3.45/gal.

 

US 97 winds south up a twisty canyon that takes you away from the Columbia River. Nearing the crest of the canyon, I turned off of US 97 and left onto OR SR 206. Almost immediately you are in the old farming community of Wasco. Wasco is a small town but still "alive" with homes, a church, and a farmers supply store. After Wasco, OR 206 continues to gently climb up through the wheat fields and into a forest of windmills. Some windmills were turning others not. Again the wind was very light.

At about milepost 10 on OR 206 winds its way steeply down a canyon for four miles until it comes to Cottonwood State Recreation Area; then twisting and turning five miles back up out of Cottonwood canyon. There were plenty of 25 mph corners in and out of the canyon. Finally at milepost 24 you were fully at the summit and the state route bisecting various wheat fields. OR 206 ends in the small but vibrant farming community of Condon. In Condon I turned right onto OR SR 19.

I loved the little town of Condon. Condon was fully decked out in Halloween figures at various points in town, along with flags and banners welcoming you to Condon. Wow, there's life and pride in this little farm town out in the middle of nowhere. Sure it was a Tuesday sunny afternoon, but there were people walking its sidewalks and out chatting with others.  It looked as if I was witnessing various Norman Rockwell paintings as I drove through town. Again, I really fell for this little town.

Beautiful Oregon State Route 19

Once out of Condon, OR SR 19 descends gently down into another canyon, the road twisting this way and that way with plenty of 30 mph corners. Almost imperceptibly the expansive wheat fields changed into sagebrush and juniper trees. There were more hills and the hills weren't round like they were along the Columbia River, but rocky steppes and buttes. If you didn't pay attention, ever so subtly the scrub-juniper landscape morphed into Ponderosa Pine forest and the hills much more pronounced even becoming small mountains. The mountains continued to get bigger and more dramatic in color - the mountain rocks and soils were green-gray, pink to red, and dark browns and blacks of basalt. Conversly, on the "down-low," OR SR 19 drove along the John Day River with its alternating riffles and pools. Bordering the river trees in fall colors of reds and yellows added even more color. Driving was almost dangerous because I was so caught up observing the terrain and colors. The only distraction is the town of Spray - another little community out in the middle of nowhere with a lot of pride. After the little town of Spray, OR SR 19 continues to follow along the John Day River and enters John Day Fossil Bed country. Again vividly colored mountains and soils rise up each side of the river canyon until you think

John Day fossil bed country

you cannot go any further but you do. OR SR 19 ends abruptly and you have no choice except to turn left or right onto US highway 26.  I thought where did this highway come from? I turned left into aptly named "Picture Canyon" on Highway 26. The highway winds through almost vertical rock walls and suddenly, and I mean very suddenly, emerges out of the canyon into a gentle valley. To the north mountains have shrunk into hills. To the south there are still mountains, but they are more distant and not rising so dramatically right from the river.  The broad valley is filled with small farms and homes. One of the small communities I passed through was Dayville whose claim to fame is the fossil beds. Next up was the small town of Mt. Vernon. General Store, cafe, farm supply, and Post Office describes each town.

The sun was setting behind the mountains making evening seem to come too soon. I was anxious to get to the Clyde Holliday State Park campground and get settled. Finally there was the turn into the campground.  What a beautiful campground. I easily found a site. The only others camping were retired folks and hunters. My camping arrangement was simple - sleeping in the back of my truck. I've got a short pickup bed, and I'm still pretty tall so I had to configure my bed (a sleeping bag on top of a big chaise lounge mattress) to lie cross-wise on the truck bed. Rocky would lie in the space to my right.  I positioned the heater to my lower left and opened the canopy window right above it so I wouldn't suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning. The other camping gear would be temporarily stored in the backseat of the truck.

Camping at Clyde Holliday State Park

Now that I had my sleeping arrangements made, next chore was a quick supper.  It was now almost dark and I could feel the temperature dropping. Skies were still clear and the nearly full moon was bright. The small Coleman gas lantern provided not only light, but welcome heat too. I wanted something hot to warm me up from the inside. Again I was grateful that I had the foresight to pack a big bowl of instant noodles. All I had to do was heat water for supper. Oh my those hot brothy noodles hit the spot.  Next, I hit the sack.

Rocky and I settled down in our little road home. The Origo heater was turned down to low and effectively keeping the cold at bay. I snuggled into my sleeping bag and Rocky tightly curled up next to me. I layed there looking at the brilliant moon through the rear canopy window and digested this moment in time. As if on cue, coyotes in the distance howled, giving Rocky a bit of a start. I reviewed in my mind the 370 plus miles I had traveled today, the sights I saw, and all of the new places I had never been to. A moment later I was asleep.

Montana Motorcycle Adventure

Stopped at Longmire, Mt. Rainier National Park

Day 1. Tuesday, 7/30
Left home at 10:12 AM. Finally on our way. Bikes are loaded and heavy.
First stop at Starbucks in Yelm at 11:15 AM and 34.4 miles. Kim was cold and wanted a warm up. We couldn't remember where the Starbucks was so we traveled thru several parking lots. Next fill up bikes at ARCO across street.
Just after we left Yelm the skies cleared.
In Longmire for a pit stop. Kim keeps on wanting to stop. Each time lots of futzing about with things. Ugh.
The "GPS" app that records gas mileage was messing with the Google My Tracks app. Dang! This messed up me recording today's trip. So I uninstalled it. To measure gas I put in $7.80 1.97 gals at 4.159 per gallon.
Stopped at Paradise just to see the view. We got a couple of pictures and talked to a couple of folks. It

Kim and her ride at Paradise, Mt. Rainier National Park

We went on down Stevens Canyon until we met up with some road construction.  From there to the park boundary we were behind slow vehicles which did at or below the speed limit. Once we got to Hwy 12 we were able to move along quite nicely. We stopped at the Silver Beach Resort for some cheeseburgers. Oh boy they're good. Besides that we were tired and needed a break.
As we headed down into the Yakima Valley the temperature got hotter and hotter.  We were glad we changed into our mesh jackets at Paradise. There was smoke in the air from the forest fires south of Yakima. By the time we got to the motel (5:45 PM) it was 93F from a comfortable 77F. We got to our room, quickly unpacked the bikes, and changed. I cranked the AC to as cool as it would go. I got some ice and poured myself a couple of fingers of whiskey. "Oooh dat good."
We're better bikers now than we were two weeks ago. We rounded corners good and felt more comfortable.  Although I am still somewhat cautious on the corners. The bike is heavy with gear so it acts a bit different. I do believe the right side is heavier than the left.
Day's mileage: 185.3 mi.
For supper we headed over to Antojitos Mexicanos restaurant. We ate here before and it was good. It's rated the best Mexican food in Yakima. Today I'm having the Pambazo which is a Mexican sandwich smothered in enchilada red sauce.
2.966 $4.059 $12.07 5176 163 54.76 mpg
sure was beautiful. We changed from our heavy coats to our mesh coats which required some unpacking and untying then re-packing and re-tying stuff.

Day 2. Wednesday, 7/31
Adjusted rear spring from 6 turns to 12.
We left the motel after 10 AM and went to Starbucks for a coffee. From there we went to the Harley shop so Kim could get a "Cramp Buster" for her bike. She also got some new motorcycle socks (the others were too tight.). Finally on our way. We headed S on I-84 which was tricky because of a merging on ramp. Then when going over a bridge my bike got squirrelly because of grooved pavement. That spooked the crap out of me. At the same time the GPS is screaming at me to turn around. The GPS is not too keen on modified routes. Next on to Hwy 24.
As we motored down Hwy 24 there wasn't too much car traffic but a lot of large truck traffic going with us and against us. When one these big boys would pass by going the opposite direction the wind gusts would violently shake you and the bike. Ugh, I hate big trucks. The worst were the semi tractor-trailer rigs hauling fruit. Each time i would see one approaching I would prepare myself for the on coming wind blast.
About 7 miles out of Moxee Kim screams on the intercom that my left pannier fell off the bike. It skidded across the road and stopped on the shoulder.  I turned around to get back to the scene. The top opened and a few things came out but other than that the pannier wasn't in too bad of shape. Some scrapes and a locking pin was busted off. The big semi tractor-trailer trucks hauling fruit were zipping by within a foot or two of us on the shoulder of the road.  They didn't give us much lee-way so we moved down the road to a wide spot. We spent almost two hours trying to fix the pannier so we could get on our way.  The biggest problem was that the lock/latch mechanism wouldn't fully lock because the case was slightly bent. Getting the bend out was the issue. To get the bend out we needed to remove the pannier latch mechanism. The latch was bolted to the case using two Torx screws. I was able to remove one of the screws but the second screw was stripped and too tight. We tried for oh so long in the heat and at the side of road to remove this screw, but it would not budge.Finally we unbent the case by inserting an Allen wrench through the other screw hole and pulling back on it with vice grips. It kind of worked. The pannier was just un-bent enough for the latch to secure the pannier to the bike. In addition I used a couple of zip ties to secure the pannier to the pannier rack frame so it will not fall off again. All of this took about a couple of hours to do.  Unfortunately I was spooked that something else will go wrong.
To get a bit of a respite from our roadside repair, we stopped at the Vernita Rest Area and had a pop. Then on our way again. Less traffic and less big trucks. Boy that stretch between Vernita and Othello has one long boring straight stretch. Glad the pannier didn't fall off there because there was no shoulder and what shoulder there was, was sand. We started off in the 90's but as we got to Othello the temperature cooled to the low 80's. So glad we were using our mesh jackets. The cooler temperatures felt great particularly when we cruised through orchards with sprinklers - almost a 10 F drop from a few miles earlier.
We turned right off of 24 to Hwy 26 in Othelko. We buzzed along on Hwy 26 after Othello until we got to the rest area on Hwy 395 & Hwy 26. We stopped there for about 30-40 minutes and it felt great. I laid down and almost took a nap.
After the Rest Area we felt a few rain drops as we continued down Hwy 26. It looked as if there was some thunderstorms ahead. Just past LaCrosse my low fuel light came on. As a result instead of traveling the speed limit of 65 mph I slowed down to less - around 60 mph instead to get better fuel economy. As a result we got passed by several cars - oh well. We got into Colfax with my reserve showing 24 miles used. We filled up at a Conoco: 3.97 gals at 178.9 miles traveled or 45.1 mpg.. Oof I only had about 9 miles or less left.
After fueling up we checked in at the Siesta Motel in Colfax. Nice place. Kind of "old fashioned" in that you went to your room and there was the room key. After unpacking we walked across the street to Eddy's Chinese Restaurant.  Food was very American Chinese but good after not eating all day. I was glad this day was over.
Day's mileage: 183.1.

Day 3. 8/1
About 8:00 AM Colfax was hit with good thunderstorm - lightning and rain. We waited it out. Forecast looks to be wet today with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Plan is to go to St. Maries, Idaho and reassess. We are geared up for rain - heavier jackets versus the mesh jackets.
In the meantime (waiting out the rain) I re-balanced the panniers so all the weight is not only on one side. Hopefully this will help.
I also bought a replacement Allen wrench, better Torx tool and more "zip ties."
The Siesta Motel was a great stay and would definitely recommend it.
We finally left Colfax about 11:15 AM. We turned on to SR 272 and headed out of town. What a beautiful road! We motored up and down hills providing great Palouse views. In many places the wheat was ready to harvest. In other places it was already harvested. Hay was rolled into large bundles. We crossed into Idaho and onto Hwy 395 but only for 0.7 of a mile. Now on Idaho SR 3 we traveled through the small towns of Princeton and Harvard. The highway rolled through farms and woods. We entered the White Pine Scenic Drive which was beautiful. The feature was the Palouse Divide - which fir us was a great curvy road. After the White Pine Drive we turned on to Idaho SR 6 which took us to St. Maries.

Gourmet supper on the road

In St. Maries we stopped for lunch at Buds Burger Drive in. Followed by some grocery shopping for supper, and finally to fill up on gas even though we didn't need to.
Got gas: 1.21 gals; $4.279/gal.; miles since last fill:74.7; Total miles: 5429. 61.7 mpg.
St.Maries is a busy place with cars, trucks, and various big trucks - logging and dump trucks.
Finally on to the St. Joe River Road. The traffic was definitely less, although heavily loaded log trucks were going to St. Maries. About halfway to Avery we had a summer rain shower, but fortunately it didn't last long. I was amazed at all the camping along the river. The road is in good shape with lots of curves. We paused at Saddleback Campground but continued on to Turner Flat Campground where we found a nice spot not far from the river. We relaxed and made a nice Puttanesca supper. After supper you could hear thunder in the distance which meant that a thunderstorm was approaching. We quickly cleaned up camp and went to bed.
We listened to the thunder and counted when we saw the lightning. The closest was about 3 miles away. The rain followed and never really stopped - that's the bad part. The tent is not designed for camping in the rain. Small puddles formed inside the tent getting most things wet. I woke about 3 AM went to the restroom and had enough of laying in puddles, so I brought the camp chairs into the tent and slept in them. Kim seemed to be drier than me. Surprisingly I slept okay although sitting in camp chairs.

Day 4. 8/2
There was more water in the tent than outside. I was surprised at the weather because this was not in the forecast. We hurried and broke down camp. We continued our drive up the St Joe River Road - it is so beautiful, too bad there were low clouds, rain and fog which affected the views. The road left the river and started to wind and climb up into the mountains. As we made for the pass - the Idaho Montana border - it was totally fogged in. Also the road turned from pavement to gravel. We stopped to pause at the border to consider the gravel road before us. Driving on gravel had us a bit wary, but this was wet gravel and mud. We recognized that this was going to test our motorcycling skills.
We started out very slow but picked up speed as we got more familiar with the road conditions,. The road was very muddy but not soft. Either the road wasn't as bad as we imagined, or our motorcycling skills were improving, or both. The weather seemed to get better as we descended into St Regis, Mt. Pavement was reached just a few miles out of St Regis. We stopped at a tourist restaurant and had lunch. It was nice to get some hot food. We also felt like we had accomplished something. Covered in mud many Harley riders on there way to Sturgis looked at us with some amazement.
We turned left in St Regis on to Montana State Route 135 and made our way to our destination of Plains. SR 135 follows the Clark Fork river through the mountains. Again, a very scenic road with several large sweeper curves - a great motorcycle road. There was quite a bit of traffic on the road - mostly vacation travelers with motorhomes and cars/trucks pulling trailers. For once I was happy to have them on the road with me because they too didn't travel the 70 mph speed limit. We settled in behind some slower travelers and let the faster cars pass us. SR 135 ends when meets up with Montana 200.
We turned left on to SR 200 and to our day's destination - Plains.  Only nine more miles to go.  As a fitting celebration, the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and we saw the sun. We made it to Plains, Montana. Now a few days of rest.
We got settled into a wonderful little motel called the Dew Duck Inn. A very quaint motel. Each room is unique in its layout and each room is fashioned with unique quilts made by the owner. Seeing our muddy bikes the owner provided me with a bucket and rags and a place to was up the bikes. I guess they didn't want muddy bikes to take away from the quaint ambiance and  possibly mess up the rooms. I washed up the bikes to get the mud off which was quite a chore. The mud was everywhere - in every nook and cranny. The mud was also tenacious because you couldn't just wash it off but work to wipe it off too.

Day 5. Plains, MT.
Got gas: 2.67 gals ($3.839/gal), miles since last fill: 134.1; total miles: 5563. 50.2 mpg.
We had to check out of Dew Duck Inn for today so the question was,"What to do until we can check in?" A thought was to motor to Trout Creek to the Huckleberry Festival. Trout Creek is 47 miles away. As soon as we got started Kim heard a loud rattling noise. So we pulled in to downtown Plain to check. Kim's motorcycle chain was definitely loose. So we tightened that. Luckily I had the correct tools. Off again, but the problem was not solved. I had to turn around to meet Kim. We pulled inro a Montana DOT area to check it out. A fellow adventure biker doing route exploration pulled in to assist us. We determined that Kim's chain tughner was loose. I tightened that and that did the trick - no more noise. So, once again we started off towards Trout Creek only to hit a small rain storm - ugh, that was enough for me.  I suspected that this was a sign to stop. So we pulled over and turned around to go back to Plains. Kim called the motel - Glacier Crossing - and they said we could check in. We were both relieved. We were both tired and needed a break friom riding. So we checked in to the motel and relaxed since Kim has to work tonight.  
Later in the day we went to Quinn's Hot Springs for a soak and supper. We didn't take the bikes because Kim's co-worker Sondra drove. Oh how I relished soaking in the hot spring pools. There are many pools - from cool to really hot. The pools are separated by walls which you can easily climb over into the next pool. I wandered from pool to pool - cool to hot and then back to cool only to repeat the process. The stress of the pannier falling off, the passing trucks, the traffic, and the muddy drive all seemed to dissolve. After an hour or so of soaking I was fully relaxed and ready for supper. Supper was good, but the hot spring soak was the best.

 Day 6. 8/4, Sunday

Adventure motorcycle

Moved back to the Dew Duck Inn. First real opportunity to spread all the wet camping gear out to dry - tent, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags. It was a hot sunny day so it didn't take long to dry out the soggy gear. Once dry, I re-packed it all.

Day 7. 8/5 Monday
Drove around Flathead Lake. Headed east on MT 200 and turned on MT 28 and drove to Elmo. First part was very beautiful with rocky hills, pine forests and a nice curvy road. Once you get close to Hot Springs and after, all the way to US 93 there are long straight streches.
US 93 is busy with travelers on their way to Glacier National Park. The road winds along the west side of Flathead Lake through several tourist towns and vacation cabins. Of course the speed limit is 70 but I chose to do 60 and would occasionally drive on the road shoulder to let cars go by.
At Somers I turned right on to MT 80 that goes across the valley above Flathead Lake. Then I turned right again on to MT 35 which goes down the east side of Flathead Lake. Just past the town of Bigfork I turned into Wayfarer State Park to take a short break. I found a picnic spot right by the water. I looked at the map, munched on a snack of nuts and drank some water. Just as I was getting ready to go the family at the next picnic site invited me to join them for Bannock bread and fruit.
Bannock bread is simply bread dough wrapped around a weanie roaster stick and cooked over the fire. How fun. While the bread "baked" we chatted. When the bread was done, I ripped it in half length-wise and smeared peanut butter on it. When I said I was going to go, they wanted a picture of me with them. I gave them my email address hoping that they will send me the Bannock bread dough recipe.
I then headed south on MT 35 all the way to Polson. I got gas in Polson: 2.51 gals; $3.989/gal; 133.4 miles since last fill-up; 5697 total miles: 53.1 mpg.
The GPS had me take some back streets out of Polson so I could avoid US 93. The back roads started out fine, but in hindsight I should've turned left versus right because next thing I know is that I'm traveling down these narrow gravel roads out in the middle of nowhere. I traveled by farms and fields, and even along the Flathead River. After about 5-6 miles of gravel, the road switches to a coarse single lane of pavement. I followed this until I turned right onto MT 352. This in turn takes me along the west side of the National Bison Range and finally back to MT 200.
I am now 33 miles from my start in Plains. It is getting hot. My air temperature guage is reading 92 F! As I cruise closer to the Clark Fork river the temperature drops but only about 4-5 F. I get into Plains about 3:30 PM almost 7 hours from when I started. I am pooped. 188.7 miles. Not a bad day.

Day 8. 8/6 Tuesday.

Steel horse versus real horse

Visited the Plains Ranger Station and picked out a Kootenai National Forest map for tomorrow's trip. The USFS front desk person said it was a good road and we shouldn't have any problems.  I then scouted a portion of the road myself - at least to see what the condition was like. From the USFS Ranger Statiion it's paved for 3-4 miles. I accidentally went straight when I should've turned. Shortly after turning left the changes to gravel. The road is hard packed dirt with some (not lots or deep) gravel on top. It looks to be a good road. I estimate that we'll travel on gravel for about 46 miles. That and the othee concern was that I did see several logging trucks coming down the road to Plains. The gravel and paved, or most direct route to McGillivray campground from Plains (County Rd 558-US 2-McKillop Rd.) is 97 miles (3:40) versus the MT 200-MT 85-US 2 route is 139 miles (2:50). Hmm? 46 miles at 25 mph is almost 2 hours itself on gravel roads. But we are off the beaten highway path.
I then created the most direct route in the GPS and researched USFS campgrounds along our planned route for the next couple of days. Better do it now since there's no Internet access for the next few days.
Tomorrow (Wed. 8/7) McGillivray for sure, but for Thursday (8/8) I was interested in Yaak Falls (7 sites, no water, 98 mi.) but Whitetail (12 sites with pump water, 81 mi.) Pete Creek (13 sites with water, 78 mi.) may be better options. Red Top campground between Yaak Falls and Whitetail is only 3 sites and no water.

Day 9. 8/7 Wednesday
We left Plains at 10:30 AM. We stopped to top off with fuel (which I was glad I did).  1.68 gals, $3.839/gal; 88.6 mi since last fill; 5786 total miles; 52.6 mpg.
We went through Plains and turned right on Clayton Ave. We drove out of town where Clayton turned 

Beautiful Montana back roads just outside of Plains, MT.

into Lynch Creek Rd. At about 4 miles the road ended and the gravel started.  We followed this road until we met up with the Little Thompson River Rd. Most of the time the road was more hard pack dirt versus gravel. Although in places the gravel was more pronounced.  We traveled between 25-30 mph. A couple of times the road was very rough with washboards and pot holes so we drove standing up - although I preferred to sit down. (What kind of adventure rider am I?)  What I thought was a county or Forest Service road was actually a private logging company road.  I preferred this road over the FS road. Many times the FS road paralleled the private road. When they diverged we chose the private road because of its width and condition. The FS road was generally very narrow and road conditions not that good.
We traveled over 46 miles on these gravel roads (private, county, and FS) and only came across a few other vehicles (going the opposite direction - no cars passed us), one of which was a log truck - for this guy we pulled over (much to Kim's chagrin).
Just near the end we had a couple of obstacles - (1) two cattle on the road, and (2) some huge holes in the road.  The cattle were wandering down the left side of the road. They didn't know what to think when I came up to them. I saw them turn and bolt in my mirror. Kim slowed and passed them too. Farther down the road, the road seemed to collapse creating two huge sink holes at least 12" deep. These holes were dangerous. There was no marker or warning - another reason to take it slow and easy. If you would've been standing, you probably would've been tossed forward over the handle bars. At about 1 PM we made it to US 2 and turned left.
The change from gravel to highway was strange. Going 55-60 seemed so fast, and dealing with cars and trucks passing you because they were doing 70+ mph. We liked the back roads better. Although this strech of US 2 was beautiful with the Thompson lakes off to our left.  The plan was to fuel up at Happy's Inn on US 2 but it was closed - closed on Wednesday's. So we moved on down US 2 turning right on to McKillop Creek Rd (about 11 miles from when we turned on to US 2).
Wow, McKillop Creek road is a beautiful road.  It can't be more than a few years old - it was so smooth. We traveled on this road for about 30 miles winding through the woods and eventually to the Fisher River. It's mostly a one lane road although when it meets up with FS 273 it's a two lane road. Again the traffic was light but we did experience more vehicles - both coming and going. Also it was getting hot - temperatures were in the upper 80's and low 90's. My temperature guage read 92 F at times.
FS Rd 273 ends at MT 37 where we turned left to go to Libby. We had to detour 11 miles to a gas station. And this was no ordinary gas station - it sold fishing tackle and guns/ammo besides groceries. We fueled up for the next leg of our trip. I got: 1.65 gals, at $3.799/gal; 98.4 mi since last fill, and 5884 total miles; 59.6 mpg.
We made some requisite phone calls since we would be out of cell service for the next few days.  Then off again.

Kim and Lake Koocanusa

We back-tracked the 11 miles to our turn on to FS 228 or the west-side Lake Koocanusa road. Almost immediately there were nice curves and the temperature was about 6 F cooler - whew. We stopped to take some pictures as there was a great view point of lake and dam. The road was average with a lot of "black tar snakes" all over the road. In the heat it did make them kind of slick when you went hard around a corner - so you had to exercise some caution. My front tire slipped once on one corner.
We got to McGillivray Campground (about 11 miles from MT 37 turn-off) around 4 PM and found a campsite.  Upon inspection of our bikes there was dust everywhere from the gravel roads earlier. Poor Kim got the worst of it as she was behind me the whole time. I lead because I had the GPS and had thoroughly studied the route.
We set up camp and Kim again said her chain was "clanking."  Sure enough it was loose - very loose.  So, we worked on adjusting her chain.  I tried to make sure both sides were equal in their distance. I tightened it once but the chain was too tight. I was adjusting the chain tightening screws but also the axle nuts. I think the correct procedure is to simply adjust the chain screws and don't mess with the axle nuts. I'll keep watch on it. I also applied a liberal spray of WD40 on to the chain which I believe helped.
We then started on a supper of "creamy chicken fettuccine." (Canned chicken, can peas and carrots, 3/4 pkg of cream cheese, and pasta.) It was very good. Seems like my pre-packaged seasonings are working out really well.
After supper we used the bikes to go to the swimming beach as it was quite a ways (maybe a mile or more) from the camp site. I took a quick wade in the water. Ooh it was so refreshing. Then back to camp and we were done for the day.
I pondered on the day and was impressed on how well we did the 46 miles of gravel roads.  For me this was an accomplishment.

Day 10. 8/8 Thursday.

Lake Koocanusa, Montana

We left camp about 11:30 AM. Turned north on FS 228. Beautiful morning.  We made our way at a very relaxing pace, generally 40-45 mph. It's a great road with great scenery and lots of curves. The road surface is okay. At abour 1 PM we made it to the "Rexford bridge" crossing Lake Koocanusa.  We the took FS 92 which took us to Yaak.
This road climbed steeply with many hairpin corners up the side of the mountains to climb out of the Kootenai River Valley. At one point I almost collided with a deer bolting across the road. The temperature near the lake was in the low 80's, at the "top" the temperature was in the mid 60's. The "pass" or "top" (which there really wasn't) made the headwaters of the Yaak River. There's plenty of corners on this road. After the pass the trees become more sparse and the forest changes from spruces to pines, particularly Ponderosa Pines. The continues to wind through the woods all the way to the small community of Yaak. You know you are approaching civilization when telephone poles line on side of the road.  Some sections of road were being oiled with new gravel.
We got to Yaak and stopped at the Yaak Store/Tavern. We had a couple cold drinks, a fancy cheeseburger, and Poutine. Well Kim had to instruct them on how to make Poutine - and it turned out well (fries with gravy and shredded mozzarella cheese) - the food was all good.  The place was busy with quite a few bikers - Harley's, and cafe style. The poor waitress/bartender/cook was one busy gal. Most of the vehicles we saw today were other bikes.
It started to rain a bit and it was getting late in the day so we stopped at Pete Creek campground. There

Pete Creek campground, Yaak, MT

were two campsites available - we took one. And within an hour all campsites were taken.
Since we had just eaten, we had a light supper of cream cheese with bits of pepperoni on crackers along with some cheese curds. It hit the spot. Later Kim found out that the brown containers that looked bear proof garbage cans were actually bear-proof food storage containers. It reminded us that we're in bear country - grizzly bear country. So we asked to share a container at the neighboring campsite. This was interesting because our neighbors were bikers too. They had a pair of Suzuki V-stroms that were modified for off-road use. The couple - Colin and Chloe - were on their way to Tierra del Fuego in South America. Already they had been on the road for 6-7 weeks driving from Winnipeg, Saskatchewan. They were tired of the cold and were headed south. We told them of "Around the World Biker - Rene Comier." We also told them of some routes we had traveled - particularly the St. Joe River road. We also kind of gave them a route to their upcoming destination - Portland, Oregon - via pretty much the route we had taken. Kim gave them her Washington and Idaho highway maps. We bid them good luck and safe journey and then went to bed.

Day 11. 8/9 Friday.
Woke to clear skies. We left our camp at 10:10 AM to continue on our trip. Cruising down the Yaak River Road was great - no traffic and good road. Even going down US 2 was good - no traffic.  As we motored down the road the temperature slowly rose from 66 F to 83 F.  When we crossed into Idaho we gained the hour we lost when we entered Montana.  We pulled in to an Exxon in Bonners Ferry for fuel and some breakfast. We now had a 40+ mile run on US 2 and US 395. We missed a turn and ended up having to drive through downtown Sandpoint, Idaho. What a tourist place and a whole lot of traffic. After Sandpoint we continued another 25 miles on US 2 to Newport, Washington. We motored along the east side of the Priest River through mostly timbered areas dotted with farms.
In Newport we stopped for a break at a McDonald's. It was cool, and we could relax. From Newport we turned off of US 2 on to Hwy 20. Good to be off of a major thoroughfare.
We drove about 10-14 miles until we could turn off to get to Flowery Trail road. Flowery Trail road is a nice road, except at the Stevens County line the road was being freshly oiled which meant over 25 miles of driving on gravel. The speed limit was supposed to be 25 mph but no one drove that speed except for us. We pulled over a couple of times to let those who wanted to go faster, go. The fresh oil lasted all the way to Chewelah.  At Chewelah we checked in to the Chewelah Creek Inn for the night. We walked to a relatively new eatery in town - Mondo's - a nice Italian food eatery.

Day 12. Saturday, 8/10.
Late last night thunder, lighting, rain moved through the area.  Watching TV news and weather confirmed most of Washington is getting scattered thunderstorms. The weather forecast for a large area of the North Cascades was to get storms and rain. Kim nor I were interested in camping in the rain so we reserved a motel room in Winthrop.
In the morning after looking at the weather forecast - 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms - we called the motel and they confirmed the wet and stormy forecast. Winthrop was getting hammered with thunderstorms and heavy rain. So, at breakfast we made a decision to head south to Ellensburg for the night. No North Cascades this year.
As we were getting ready to leave, a couple asked which way are we going?  We told them State Route 231. They replied that that road too was being oiled with fresh gravel, nearly 25 miles. Ugh, we weren't in the mood for that so we took an alternate route - the Addy-Cedonia road and then go down SR 25 to Davenport.
The Addy-Cedonia road was gorgeous - good road, curves, and great scenery.  What a treat to start out a long day's ride. We then turned left at Cedonia and motored to Fort Spokane/Seven Bays. We pulled into the picnic area and took a rest. From there we drove 25 miles to Davenport where we fueled up before "crossing the desert."
We took SR 28 to Ephrata via Harrington and Odessa. Ugh it was so hot (temperatures in the 90's) and boring. I've driven this route many times before in a car but didn't realize how straight and boring most sections were. We traveled along at 60+ mph. We stopped at the "Travelers Rest" park in Othello to take a short "butt rest." Although I know we didn't need it, we had to pace ourselves because it was going to be a long day. Driving through the coulees by Wilson Creek and Stratton it was hot - 92 F. Again driving in a car it didn't seem so bad, but on a motorcycle you realized how hot and boring it was.
We made it to Ephrata and stopped at McDonalds for lunch and a break.
After Ephrata we made for I-90. Ugh, this was miserable - cars passing us at 80 mph and the heat (over 93 F). We decided that we would turn in Vantage and take the Old Vantage Highway into Ellensburg.
Another great road and cooler too - 89 F vs 93 F. We noticed that when we got by the giant wind turbines it got cooler.  Could it be that it was cooler because of the air movement? This route was much better than taking I-90 - less traffic, better scenery, and some good curves.
It's pretty much a straight shot into Ellensburg once you get to the top and the valley starts. We checked in to the Super 8 motel after a very long day of riding - 228 miles.
We ate supper at a little Mexican restaurant down the street (disappointing, it wasn't that good), went to bed and crashed - it was a long day. Coming out of the restaurant we noticed the sky had really changed from sunny to definitely threatening with rain and thunderstorms.

Day 13. Sunday, 8/11.
Woke early and left the motel by 8 AM. By 8:30 we had got gas and were on our way out of town on SR 10.
Again, what a wonderful road - great scenery, good road, light traffic, and curves. SR 10 follws along the eastern side of the Yakima River with forested hills on the west and basalt cliffs on the east. Much better than I-90. SR 10 ends when it meets SR 970 - the road that goes to US 97 and Blewett Pass. We turned left and went in to Cle Elum. At Cle Elum ww turned rght to go towards Roslyn. While we didn't fully go into Roslyn we once again bypassed a portion of I-90.
Unfortunately to get over the pass you have to use I-90. We drove about 16 miles and took the Hyak exit and stopped at the summit for a cup of coffee and a break. After about 40 minutes we continued on I-90 all the way to SR 18 exit. We did fine, especially since there's a third "slow" lane for us. Again we cruised along at 60-63 mph.
The drive to get home was great because we never stopped again until we got home. We traveled down SR 18 and onto I-5 doing 60-65 the whole way. We could tell the weekend traffic was building, and we knew that if we traveled too late there could be backups. So onward we pressed.
We pulled into the driveway at about 12:20 PM after traveling 161 miles or a total 1,531 miles for the whole trip. Oh what a relief to have traveled so far and been blessed with no major incidents.