Crossing the Cascades

Entering the Cascades Highway

Saturday, June 28th:
Today we took route 20 across the Cascades, which is a mountain range in the northwestern Washington known for its spectacular views.   The weather was cool but comfortable, in the 60's and 70's, and alternated between sun, clouds, and showers. We passed LOTS of motorcycles of all kinds.

Cascades Rest Stop

One of many waterfalls

Crossing the Cascades

After coming out of the Cascades, we continued west on Route 20, and got on the I-5 south toward Seattle. This was quite a change, from winding mountain roads.  Kerry was busy negotiating the Wing on a very busy 4 to 5 lane highway with traffic going 75 to 80 mph.  We finally stopped for the day at a Holiday Inn near Tacoma. We plan on spending a few days touring this area.

Our first glimpse of Seattle; Space Needle in the center distance

From Natural Splendor to Man-Made Wonder

Central Washington; Black rock is volcanic basalt

We woke up in Sandpoint, Idaho to a grey, rainy, cold day.  There was no avoiding it.  We suited up in the rain gear and headed west on Route 2.  The Idaho panhandle is blanketed with pine forests and green mountains. The rivers and creeks are full and the current is swift from all the rain.  After a time we finally passed the state line into Washington.  The rain stopped but the skies were still full of low gray clouds.  We passed through Spokane with its miles of chain stores along route 2.  Any chain store you can imagine was there.  The traffic had also changed from pick up trucks to a general mix that looks more like what we see in Pennsylvania.  Departing Spokane we continued west on Route 2 into the center of the state of Washington.  It looks very much like the rolling prairie land of North Dakota or Montana, except for the ridges of black basalt that dot the land, a testament to its volcanic past.
     We departed Route 2 and headed toward the Grand Coulee Dam, and stopped there for a tour.  The tour was OK, but not as exclusive as our tour of the Fort Peck Dam.    The sun was out now and it had warmed up considerably.

on top of the Grand Coulee Dam

Just as we were leaving the Dam, a thunderstorm let loose, and we quickly pulled into a pizza place.  The outside didn't look like much, but the pizza and service was great.

Pizza shop at the Grand Coulee

After our early unscheduled meal, we headed northeast and ended up at a motel in Omak, WA, which is surrounded by fruit orchards thanks to all the irrigation.

Cherry Orchard covered with screen to keep out the birds!

Glacier National Park

The Holiday Inn in Great Falls, MT had no  breakfast or coffee (!?!), so we packed up and headed out, stopping for breakfast at a diner, which was just OK, (nothing special) then headed north on Rt 89.  It was another beautiful day with clear blue skies, low humidity and comfortable temperatures.  We were looking forward to a short day on the road (only about 150 miles).  The scenery was beautiful.

On the road to Glacier National Park; Mountains in the distance

All was well until we came upon a big orange sign:

     MOTORCYCLE ADVISORY:  ROAD CONSTRUCTION

     STRONGLY ADVISED TO CHOOSE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE.

Really?  Alternate route?  WHAT other alternate route?  Hmmm.....   There were no buildings or other cars in sight, just ranch land.  We continued another half mile and came upon a road heading east (unmarked) but with no other choice, we turned right and headed east.  After about 20 miles, we intersected I-15, so we headed north on that highway.  About 20 more miles, and we ran into.... good old Route 2!!  So we got off the interstate and headed west on Rt 2, and once again the railroad was our constant companion with long trains of oil tanker cars. Finally, we re-connected with Rt 89 and after a nifty 60 mile detour were back on the original road.  The road started climbing and getting a lot of twists and turns, as the snow-capped mountains got closer.  There were dark clouds in the distance hanging over the mountains with occasions streaks of lightening. About 30 miles from our destination, the rain started up.  We pulled over onto the shoulder and quickly donned the rain gear as the thunder rumbled all around us.  It rained until we arrived at St. Mary, which is a very small 'town' at the entrance to Glacier NP.  We had reservations at the KOA, and the sun came out as we were pulling in.  This would be our first night camping.

Officially 'Roughing It' at the KOA

St Mary KOA

Kerry cooks up dinner on the grill

Kerry wasn't quite sure what to do without a TV and remote control, so we played cards and then crawled into our sleeping bags, hoping for a good night's sleep.  It was a bit cool, about 45 degrees, but the sleeping bags were comfy. In the middle of the night I had to take a walk to the bathroom, but spent a long time just standing and looking up at the sky.  It had cleared up and the sky was filled with more stars than I have ever seen.  I could find all the familiar constellations, and could even see the Milky Way, which is totally obscured in the Northeastern U.S. from all the artificial ambient light.  It was amazing and spectacular!  I could have stood there and looked at the sky all night.

 I woke up to birds singing and the sky just starting to lighten.  I checked the time.  It was 4:00 AM.  I went back to sleep.  

 

      The next morning we met up with our 'red bus tour'.  The famous 'Road to the Sun' which traverses the park is under construction, and most of it is closed due to snow and avalanches.  This is not a good choice for touring VIA motorcycle, so we signed up for the bus tour instead.  The road was only open for 13 miles, but the mountain views were spectacular.

Avoiding the rain in a KOA cabin

When we returned from our tour, we got some dinner at a local cafe, then checked the weather.  It was supposed to start raining over night, and continue all day tomorrow.  We packed up the tent and moved into a cabin at the KOA.

 Sure enough, the next morning was wet, cold and rainy.  We suited up in our rain gear and headed out..

  We left St Mary and  headed south on 89, then picked up Rt 2 west which winds around the southern end of Glacier National Park, then turns northward toward the town of West Glacier, then continues west.

After an hour and half of riding in rain and cold, we needed a break, so we stopped for gas and breakfast at a little restaurant.  I had several cups of hot coffee and and some delicious huckleberry pancakes.  Huckleberries are a big  thing around this area. They grow wild in the mountains and local folks harvest them and sell them to the local establishments to make pies, jams, syrups, candy, etc, and they are yummy!

bowl of huckleberries

The rain was slowing down and we continued on our Route 2 journey, ending up in Sandpoint, Idaho.  This town is a tourist area with a huge lake and lots of boating in summer, and skiing in winter.  There are big mountains all around, but they are green, not rocky like in Glacier.  It is a beautiful spot and the town has dozens of cafes and restaurants.  We chose a microbrewery pub and had a nice dinner to wrap up the day.    It was a difficult ride day for Kerry with 254 miles of winding roads, rain, and periodic areas of road construction.   After dinner, Kerry put some oil in the Wing, and we stopped at a car wash to remove two weeks of road grime.  The motel we are staying at tonight is called the GuestHouse Inn, one of a small chain in Idaho and Montana.  Kerry is now relaxing with his TV and remote control.  Life is good.

More Big Sky and the Upper Missouri River

Monday, June 23rd was a beautiful sunny day with comfortable temperatures and the wind had finally stopped snapping my head around, so I was able to relax and enjoy the scenery.  Lots and lots of 'Big Sky' ranch land along Route 2, which is hard to capture with a photograph.

Big Sky Montana

We finally departed our old friend, Rt 2, and headed southwest on Rt 87 heading for Great Falls, MT.

Selfie on the back of the bike.

Once again, Kerry spotted a sign pointing to  a road off to the left that said 'Fort Benton Historic Site', so he took the turn and a few miles down the road came upon a beautiful small town on the shores of the Upper Missouri River.  This town had once been a busy port on the Missouri as well as a major stage coach stop and there was a visitor center, museum and fort to tour.  There was also a nice 1-mile paved walkway along the river with historical markers and boards with information.  It was a picture-perfect day; 80 degrees with a nice breeze and that wonderful western dry air - none of that muggy humidity.   

     The town also had a public pool, and there was a huge pile of bikes at the entrance and lots of kids having a great time in the pool, but almost no adults around.  This is one of those rare places were kids can run around outside all day and play with their friends.  It reminds me of my own childhood when the moms told all us kids to get out and play, and just be home for supper!  As we were getting back on the bike, a couple of young kids whizzed by on their bikes and shouted hello to us. 

Wing on the Missouri

Downtown Fort Benton

We left Fort Benton, and again headed south, arriving a Great Falls, MT, which is their 2nd largest city after Billings.  We stayed at a Holiday Inn with a four-story high lobby complete with  a huge display of rock and water falls supporting two stuffed bears and a bobcat.  I thought I had walked into a Cabelas!  Tomorrow we head back north to Glacier National Park.  Right now the 'Goint to the Sun Road' through the park is still partially blocked by snow and some areas just had 20 inches of new snow a few days ago, so our tour may be a bit abbreviated. It's also going to be much colder!

Big Sky, Dinosaurs and Power Plants

Map of Fort Peck dam and Lake on the Missouri River

On Sunday, June 22nd, we left the bustling boom town of Williston, ND and again headed west on Route 2, running parallel to train tracks all day long.  This is big railroad country, with multiple tracks carrying long cargo trains (mostly tankers of crude oil).  The rail line was our constant companion.  It was sunny, but very windy and gusty.  We decided to make a stop at the Fort Peck Dam, and as usual with most of our unplanned stops, were pleasantly surprised.
The Fort Peck dam is a 4-mile long earthen dam on the upper Missouri River.  The dam has created a giant lake that extends many miles.  At the dam is a hydroelectric powerplant and a museum.  The museum sported giant TRex skeletons and other dinosaurs that have been excavated in the local area, along with displays of local wildlife, and two giant fish tanks carrying common fish species such as walleye and pike.  The rear of the museum held historical displays about the region and the construction of the dam.

Me and a T. Rex skull 90% intact

Dinosaur displays were worthy of the Smithsonian.

Triceratops Skull.

This is the hydroelectric power plant.  The giant tower encloses a huge tank that allow water to 'surge' up inside it to avoid damage to the turbines.  We got a personal tour of the inside of the plant.  It was terrific!  We were not allowed to take any photos due to 'security reasons'. 

Riding across the Fort Peck Dam

After our tour of the Fort Peck area, we headed back to good 'ole Rt. 2 and continued west, finally stopping for the day at  Edgewater motel and campground in Malta, MT, which was clean and had a big TV for the 'GoldWing pilot.'  Good enough for us. The railroad passed directly behind us, so we were serenaded by the trains going by all night long.  We ate a small meal at a nearby dinner; nothing special, except it had a bar and casino attached at the back side of the building.  We didn't go in that entrance.  Every small town has at least one car wash, and all the vehicles are covered with a film of brown dust.  The Wing is looking a bit crusty, too.

Paul Bunyan and Boomtowns

     We left Bemidji, MN on Thursday morning of June 19th, waving goodbye to Paul Bunyan and his ox Blue.  We also saw the headwaters of the Mississippi.  Once again, a cold and rainy day, temperatures around 60 degrees.

Paul Bunyan and Blue

Head Waters of the Mississippi

We got a motel room in Devil's Lake, North Dakota.   There are several very large lakes here and lots of fisherman, but not much else.   220 cold and wet miles.

Friday June 20th started out chilly and cloudy, but as we headed west on route 2, the clouds broke up and the temperature finally topped out in the upper 70's.  As we approached Williston, ND, we started to see lots of oil wells along the highway.  Williston is a modern-day boom town.  Everything is brand new.  I have never seen so many heavy duty pick up trucks in one town in my entire life.  There are help wanted signs up everywhere, and the Walmart is paying $17 and hour.   Naturally, it's impossible to get a cheap hotel room.  We were lucky to get a nice room at the brand-new Best Western for $100 a night.

Prairie with Oil Wells in the distance

We decided to stay and take a day to check out Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a tiny place about an hour south of Williston.  The scenery was beautiful, and we took a short hike out to an area called the 'Prairie Dog Town'.  There were hundreds of Prairie dogs!  We also saw a small buffalo herd.  It was a beautiful day with highs in the low 80's, but  it was very windy and Kerry had a challenge keeping the Wing straight in the wind and also negotiating a lot of road construction areas, sections of dirt and gravel, and LOTS of trucks from the oil fields.  We did about 150 miles today.  Tomorrow we head into Montana.

Hello, buffalo!

Teddy Roosevelt NP North

Teddy Roosevelt NP North Panorama

Prairie dog Town

Across the UP to Wisconsin & Minnesota

A common sight

Tuesday, June 17th:  We left Manistique, MI at 10 am after waiting 2 hours for the rain to stop.   It was gray, cold (58 degrees) and damp.  The woman running the motel gave us old towels to wipe off the bike.  She offered, we didn't ask; I think she was afraid that we would use the towels in the room to clean the bike!
      Around noon the sun came out and we stopped to get lunch and take off layers.  The temperature had warmed up to a comfortable 70 degrees. Route 2 spanning the upper peninsula gets very boring after about an hour; nothing but short trees and pines on either side with occasional small cabins and trailers. The only thing that breaks up the drive is the occasional road construction stops and delays.  Finally we passed over the state line into Wisconsin, but the scenery didn't change much except for some hills. Approaching Ashland, Wisconsin, we actually felt it before we saw it.  The temperature suddenly went from 80 degrees down to 60 degrees.  Ashland is on the shore of Lake Superior, with a cold stiff wind blowing off the lake.  We didn't have much choice of lodging, ending up at a Super 8 for 80 bucks.  We got some pizza and beer and ate in the room.  294 miles and a very tired biker.

Wednesday, June 18th:  While things are heating up at home (90's and humid) it is VERY chilly here.  We left Ashland, Wisconsin around 9:00 am with a stiff wind and 48 degree temperatures.  It was COLD.

Crossing the St Louis Bay into Minnesota

Very gradually the temperatures increased and the sun came out.  By mid-afternoon it was sunny and pleasant, about 75 degrees.  Today we crossed over a bridge that spans the St. Louis Bay, and also connects Superior, Wisconsin to Duluth Minnesota. The bay empties into Lake Superior.  There are large railroad yards and long trains carrying iron ore.  Iron mining is very big in this area, as well as lumber and paper mills.

Welcome to Minnesota

Kerry was still really tired and we stopped for the day in Bemidgi, MN.  After 220 miles, we checked in to the 'AmericInn' located on Paul Bunyan Drive (of course!)  I ran next door and got Kerry a KFC meal.  He turned on the TV (as usual), ate his chicken, crawled under the covers and fell asleep at 3:00 pm with a WWII movie playing on TV (as usual)

 Bemidgi is where the Mississippi River begins.  There is a giant statue of Paul Bunyan and his ox 'Blue'.  Behind our hotel is the Bemidgi Curling Club.  I wonder if they host 'open Curling' like we do 'open hockey'?

Going UP, eh?

Kerry noticed the cruise control was not working on the Wing, so before departing Frankenmuth, we needed to find some WD-40, hoping that would do the trick.  We tried the drug store next to the hotel, and it was like walking into 1965 (except for the prices). The pharmacy was tucked in the back, and the snack bar/ counter service restaurant was up front with several of the locals enjoying a visit with their morning coffee.  The one item this store lacked was the WD-40, so we walked two blocks down to the hardware store.  Again, a tiny downtown store with EVERYTHING crammed floor to ceiling.  Not only did they have the WD-40, but in three different sizes.  We were set.  Kerry still wanted to stop into the meat store and pick up some sausages to cook on the grill and we also picked up a large bottle of german dark beer to go with the sausages.  This shop had every kind of sausage you could imagine, most fresh with everything in cases so that you had to ask the girl behind the counter for your selection.

     Finally we were ready to leave Frankenmuth behind.  We wanted to stay away from interstates as much as possible, so we headed north and picked up  route 23 for a bit, then rt. 65 North.  This road made a beeline north through mile after mile of Michigan farmland,  followed by mile after mile of pine forests, eventually meeting up with rt. 23 again along the northern coast.  We turned onto 23 west, and within a mile it suddenly became quite cold.  The temperature had dropped from 80 degrees down to 62 degrees!  Not long after that Lake Huron opened up before us with its brilliant blue sparkling water.

     Two hours later we arrived in Mackinac City, (pronounced 'mack-in-aw') and decided to stop for a bit at the pier, walk around, and take some pictures.  We parked the bike and noticed no one was around.   We took off our helmets and jackets.  I took a picture and we started walking, only to be swarmed by thousands of insects that looked like large mosquitoes.  We hurried back to the bike to find it covered with these bugs, including our gear.  They started covering our bodies as fast as we could swat them away.  I think I swallowed a few.  We quickly shook out the jackets and put them on, as well as helmets and took off as fast as possible!  UGH!  Now I know why that parking lot was empty.

Bugs swarming on the side of the bathroom wall

Getting stuck behind a truck on the Mackinac Bridge

     We fueled up (3.99/gallon) and headed for the Mackinac Bridge that connects southern Michigan with the Upper Peninsula.  All was wonderful until the right lane closed and we got stuck behind a very slow-moving lumber truck.  We were only going 23 mph when the bridge surface changed from asphalt to metal grating.  Fortunately Kerry has superb biking skills, but it was a real white-knuckle experience for him!  The metal grating kept torquing the handle bars back and forth, plus we were going very slowly, which makes it worse.  The winds up top are gusty, too!  Kerry didn't enjoy this much, but I was able to enjoy the view and take pictures.  Glad it was him in the driver's seat!

Negotiating the Mackinac Bridge

metal grating on the bridge.

We made it across the bridge and finally linked up with Rt. 2, which will be our highway for the next six states.  We headed west on Rt 2 with more beautiful views, now of  Lake Michigan.

Two hours later we arrived at the Gray Wolf Lodge in Manistique, MI, and had dinner at the Three Seasons Cafe next door.  I had a beef  'Pasty' a regional specialty which is a baked pastry with beef, carrots, and potatoes on the inside.  Kerry had broasted chicken.  Everything was good and very filling.  339 scenic miles for the day; its time for that german dark beer.

Beef Pasty