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Published: August 12th 2012
Winthrop
A little short in the saddleAnother bright sunny morning greeted us today, and short a stroll through the lightly wooded grounds to a meadow that had the most amazing views of the nearby mountains, was just the job. If ever there was a location for a new build house then this was it, which is exactly what some lucky family had begun to do in the form of a beautiful, and large wood cabin. Oh well enough dreaming, anyway it would be too difficult to get to work from here. This morning we will ride to Spokane on the Washington Idaho border, but our first stop will be back to explore the small town of Winthrop and get some breakfast. This once thriving town that served the needs of the trappers that plied their trade in these wild areas, now has an endless supply of tourists and also a lot of bikers, all making the trip across the Cascades. We had our breakfast in a genuine turn of the last century hostelry, which was nice. Our route then took us out of the mountains and into the more arid region of northern Washington, the scenery changed very quickly from trees to desert and
the heat followed suit. We made a stop at the overlook at the Grand Coulee Dam, which I must say was very impressive, and then on to our night stop at Spokane. Just a small detail stop the day being very successful, there was not a room to be had anywhere, big problem. Well after trolling around the town we got a much needed lead to some rooms, a phone call secured two rooms at what turned out to be an overspill from the Bates Motel from the film Psycho, oh well it was just for one night, and we did find a great restaurant right next door that was a converted railway buffet carriage.
Day 126……05/08/2012 After a quick head count it seemed that we had all made it through night unscathed, and there was not a sign of any shower curtains having been slashed. We set off without much delay as soon as we were loaded. Today’s ride will take us further east to Missoula along interstate 90 which is never the preferred type of road, but this one is quite a pretty route by all accounts. The road East took us out of Washington State
and into Idaho and through pretty rolling countryside, the we have been told to make a stop at the small town of Wallace, and to check out the historic downtown area, so that’s what we did. By now it was lunchtime and the sun had become very warm, so we called into a small café that still had all its original 50’s features which was nice. Most of the town’s shops were closed being a Sunday, but that did not stop the two Lynne’s, sorry Lyn and Lynne perusing the ones that were open, this would normally entail an expenditure of some sort, but we did get away fairly lightly this time. We arrived in Missoula at around five and booked into a nice Super 8 motel, the receptionist told us of the options for dining that evening that were within walking distance, and to Andy and my self’s utmost surprise, the ladies decided that they would like to go to the local “Hooters” bar and grill, oh well if that what you want, I am sure there will be something there that Andy and I fancy.
Day 127……06/08/2012 First stop of the day was to be the
local Harley dealership that we had seen yesterday as we had rode in. T shirts were the objects of desire, but any other merchandise that caught the ladies eye was going to attract some serious consideration, which in the case of my Lynne was a pair of size three Harley boots that were in the sale, Andy did not get away so lucky as his credit card left the store smoking, it’s not nice to see a grown man whimpering.
The day was a little more overcast today and the sun was struggling to be seen, but this made the ride still East very pleasant. Rolling hills massive farms sorry ranches were dotted across the vast plains, and all the while the Rocky Mountains looming to our left. We crossed the state line back into Montana, and headed toward the City of Butte. I know nothing of the City except that it was once a major mining town, and from our initial observations had definitely seen better times. With that said I thought that the old part of the City was absolutely beautiful, sure in parts it was run down and boarded up, but it was also to me
Bates Motel
Complete with train through the motels upper floor a time capsule to the past, streets with a link to things and times long forgotten, building facades that oozed character. I am glad that the new town of Butte has spread out away from the old, and with so much space to spare here in Montana I hope that the old district will be left alone, and may even achieve a renaissance in the future to revive the fantastic historical legacy that is all too often just bulldozed because of the land value.
Day 128……07/08/2012 The consensus this morning is to visit the Copper Canyon Harley Davidson dealership here in town. For me it was bit like “Ground Hog Day” but for my three companions its T shirt heaven, well I cannot argue with that. A thing that I did not know is that the world famous stuntman “Evil Knevil” was born here in Butte Montana, and very proud of the fact they are to, judging by the merchandise on offer here. Well after a little more credit card action, we continued on our journey South on some very pretty roads and back into the State of Idaho, still following the Rocky Mountains to our left. The
road snaked on for a hundred miles through vast plains, and passed lakes of enormous size, and all the while the mountains dominating our left flank. East of this section of the range would be our destination tomorrow, a place that can only be described as wondrous, it spans an area of almost 3500 square miles, and it is Yellowstone National Park.
I wish that we could have found accommodation a little closer to the park but at this time of year things are pretty much fully book everywhere, so much so that we had to ride seventy miles south just to get our rooms for the night, but having been here before that was a small price to pay for the ride that awaited us tomorrow.
Day 129……08/08/2012 We were all looking forward to today’s ride a 250 mile loop to visit Yellowstone, that was until a slight problem arose in that I could not find mine and Lynne’s passport, I was sure that I had had it when I checked in last night, but now they were nowhere to be seen. We looked high and low, and asked everyone, until the time came for me
to visit the police station to see if it had been handed in, or report the loss. They did not have it, and then it all became very serious.
As I was getting the information as to what to do about the situation, a phone call came through to say that the passports had been located. Now this in the main was my fault for leaving them on the counter of the hotel, but you would have though the girl on the desk would have returned them straight away, but no she put them to one side where they get covered with paperwork and hidden from view, oh well all ended ok, I do not want to even imagine what we would have had to have gone through if they had stayed lost.
The four of us set off just about a half hour later than planned so not too bad. We arrived at the West gate of Yellowstone about an hour later and joined the queue to enter. We had been warned that this was a busy time of the year and they were not wrong. Yellowstone must be one of the most potentially dangerous, but at
V8 Boss Hoss
V8 Boss Hoss at Missoula Harley Davidson the same time most beautiful places on earth, and as we made our way around we were treated to some amazing sights. Rivers that snaked through lush green meadows, dense forests and the ever present ring of mountains. It was hard to imagine that we were riding on top of an active volcano, but at times this was very evident by the plumes of steam and bubbling pits that were scattered around the park. No trip to Yellowstone would be complete without a visit to “Old Faithfull” a geezer that erupts around every hour or so and sends a jet of steam and water feet into the air, they say that it will have taken 500 years for the cycle of snow melt to have filtered down to the chamber where it is super heated and makes it dramatic reappearance. Today has been long but very spectacular, and must not be missed if you visit this region
Day 130……09/08/2012 All the forecasts speak of grey skies and a possibility of thunder storms for today, but that is not what we are seeing yet, so we will set off in the bright sunshine towards the Teton Mountains to the
East which we will have to cross to get to the mountain ski resort of Jackson Hole in Wyoming, State number 27, this place had been recommended by many so we would make the slight detour to visit it. Getting to the summit of the pass that looked down into the valley where Jackson nestled was a little testing for Lynne’s trike but it made it eventually. The town of Jackson was as expected, very busy, but luckily we found three good parking spaces, they just happened to be outside the local Harley dealership. The shops were plentiful and definitely geared up for the tourists, the timber buildings were all very traditionally built, which all added to the atmosphere of a famous frontier town. The route to Idaho Falls and our hotel for the night took us back over the Teton Mountains, and back into the flat farmlands of Idaho.
Day 131……10/08/2012 Today the four of us will make the 200 mile dash across the valley floor from Idaho into Utah, State number 28, the forecast is for fairly high temperatures so we will have be mindful of that. But before we do this it is only right
that we will visit the falls from which this town takes its name, and very impressive they were too. We also paid a visit to the reconstructed 18
th century Fort Hall, which would have stood as an outpost for the pioneers who were heading West through Idaho to find fame and fortune. The day did get a lot warmer, which as the miles rolled on sapped the energy from you, so it was with great relief when we arrived our hotel for the night in Salt Lake City, and just ahead of a small storm that had been flanking us to the West for most of the day.
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Bill & Eve
non-member comment
Hi
Hi what a great picture of the four of you. Scaaaarrrrrry. You look like their minder Steve. lol Gotta say the two of you look good. Not long now before your return. Booo hooo. Catch you later. Bill & Eve xx