Easy Rider 2006: Homeward Bound, Day 1 -- SLC to Salmon ID

Well, we are on the homeward stretch, so to speak. It's Sunday night and we are in Salmon, Idaho -- 504 miles and 9.5 hours from Salt Lake City, via Tremonton, UT, Burley, ID, and Sun Valley. We didn't send out a posting last night after the Salt Lake show since we were exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and needed to get an early start from SLC today.

The final concert at Libby Gardner hall (no relation I know of, despite the Mormon "Family Bush" theory) on the University of Utah campus was without a doubt the most emotional for me and many of the singers, as well as the best received by an audience anywhere on the tour. The hall was spectacular, both architecturally and acoustically. Dennis Coleman, the artistic director had the choruses do EVERY song they took on tour in this single show, so it lasted nearly three hours, and the audience still wanted more. Tony read the proclamation by the Mayor of Salt Lake setting the day as SMC/SWC day in SLC, to which Dennis said "I think I like your mayor", and the audience reacted with wild applause. I've tended to get a bit teary eyed during "Not in Our Town" every time it is sung, and this was no exception, but I also got rather verclempt during the Brokeback Mountain set, as well as the Peace Medley -- as did most of the audience and many of the singers. I think the combination of the audience energy, the final show, and the emotion of the music sung by singers on the top of their game combined to get everyone reaching for the Kleenex. I was particularly happy to have 20 members of my family there in the audience -- and aside from a few, none had ever seen the Chorus, though they've heard Tony talk about it for years. They finally got to see what all the fuss was about, and everyone raved about the show, and Tony's dance choreography. His bows were well deserved.

This morning we got up and hit the road a little after 8am to beat the heat. As usual, we tried to keep off the Interstates, and planned a route accordingly, but unfortunately there really isn't any way to "escape" Utah without taking an Interstate for some stretch. We went north from SLC along US 89 as far as we could, and we had planned to head northwest through desert to Corrine following the original transcontinental railroad route, but missed a turn and had to take I-84 for about 20 miles to Snowville where we picked up a back road and took it across the desert up into Idaho and landed up near Burley. Gadzooks it was hot. By the time we got to Burley it was 98 degrees on the bank of Burley sign and we were roasting, in our black leathers sitting atop a roaring hot engine, and feeling the heat bounce back up off the pavement. That stretch of desolate desert was long and hot, and the road had more dead animals on it than I'd ever seen. Tony called it "Road Kill Highway".

One of the things they taught us in the basic motorcycle rider class last year was that bikers always "wave" when they pass. We observe this rule more or less all the time, and often find ourselves reflexively waving while driving in a car as well.

We stuck to the parallel to I-84 stretch of US 30 until we hooked up to US 93 North through Shoshone and into Sun Valley, one of our favorite towns. It's very different without snow. Past Sun Valley we headed up into the mountains and crested at Galena Pass, a route that neither of us had ever been on. It was a gorgeous twisty road that climbed up to about 7800 feet before dropping down into the headwaters of the Salmon River. In the little wayside of "Smiley Junction" we stopped for a quick drink and to put on the rain gear at the advice of the attendant at the store who said it was raining up the way. Two other bikers, guys from California headed for the "Arctic Circle" were doing the same thing. They said they expected to get up there about the 20th. Long long way still for them. In fact, just before we got to our hotel tonite we passed a sign marking the crossing of the 45th parallel which is half-way between the equator and the north-pole. These guys had a long way to go, as do we it seems. We then followed the Salmon River for 170 miles to Salmon, Idaho.

The plan now is to get up early again and head north to Missoula and then turn west on US 12 and go over Lolo Pass and drop back down into Idaho again and end up in Washington via Lewiston. We'll likely take a bit more of a northern route from Lewiston towards Seattle, but we are both anxious to get home so who knows. It is possible, though not probable, we'll get into Seattle late Monday.

It's been a long trip, both literally and figuratively and we are both ready to be home, while still looking forward to the drive back. We checked into this old motel (but with Wi-Fi, albeit spotty) and at their suggestion went down the river a bit for some fantastic prime rib and tomato and mozzarella salad. The motel is right on the river and our room has a patio that faces the riverbank -- and despite about 30 other bikers on a group ride staying here, it's rather peaceful.

So, from the "Stagecoach Inn" on the banks of the Salmon River in Salmon, ID -- on the downhill slope home..

Gary and Tony