Easy Rider 2006: Homeward Bound, Day 2 - Salmon to Wenatchee

Almost home. Almost. We are in Wenatchee, Washington, just 160 miles from Seattle, but after 540 miles today, we just couldn't finish it -- indeed we didn't think we would after leaving this morning. As it is, we pulled into Wenatchee about 8pm, PDT -- after leaving Salmon, ID at 8am MDT, so we were on the road for more than twelve hours, and the sun was setting over the Cascades and so we decided to pull into the Red Lion Hotel -- a real hotel with a pool and room service, and treat ourselves to one last night in a good hotel on the road before heading into Seattle in the morning. We crossed the high rolling wheat fields of Washington, and watched the Cascade's rise up from the plains from about 60 miles out as we climbed out of the Columbia River Coulee just as the sun started to set. It's the kind of a view that Woody Gutherie would have seen when he wrote "This Land is Your Land"...wheat fields waving, dust clouds rolling, etc. It seemed fitting to wind down the road trip on that note, since it's how the Chorus closed the shows on this tour.

We got up early and pulled out of the Stage Coach Inn motel in Salmon a little after 8am, and headed due north on US 93. The road follows the Salmon River, and there are lots of little fishing camps/motels all along the route. It was in 1806 that the Lewis and Clark expedition was returning east along this route, and there are countless "historical markers", wherever Lewis or Clark stopped to go to the bathroom or some such event. It was a tad overcast and nicely cool when we left -- I swear there is nothing like the smell of a pine forest in the early morning with cool crisp air. It's even better when one passes a sawmill and you can smell the fresh cut wood on top of it. After we crested the pass and crossed into Montana we followed the Bitteroot River valley and noticed that the main industry seemed to be manufacturing log homes. It seemed that ever mile or so was another log home manufacturing plant, milling giant Lincoln Logs for gorgeous houses. It was all I could do to keep Tony from stopping and picking up a catalogue at each one. Needless to say we smelled a lot of sawdust on the run today.

When we got to the junction with US 12 at Lolo, we had a decision to make. We pulled into a gas station/café and pulled out the maps. We could turn on US 12 and head southwest into Lewiston, ID, or continue northwest on US 93 further into Montana and crossing the Idaho panhandle and northern Washington. Since it was quite clear that we likely wouldn't be getting home tonite anyway, we both felt we might as well take a longer route to get home and enjoy it, so we opted to continue on US 93 rather than turn west on US 12, dropping into Lewiston, ID and crossing Washington much the same way we did when we left two weeks ago. We elected to keep going north and go into Missoula, Montana. There is a nice Harley-Davidson dealer in Missoula, just like there is further up I-90 in Bozeman and in Billings. These aren't just "nice" Harley dealers, they are almost Theme Parks dedicated to all things HD. It makes us both wonder why a big city like Seattle can't have one of these mega dealers, while they seem to be strung out like Christmas lights along I-90 in Montana. Naturally we stopped for shirts and a look-see. On this trip we've managed to score cool HD shirts from Salt Lake, Pocatello, Jackson, Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula. We will need to re-arrange the t-shirt drawer when we get home.

We ducked under the dreaded I-90 and headed north on US 93 until we turned northwest on Montana 200. After a few miles of gawdawful road construction with stripped off pavement (we've run into this several times this trip, not fun in a car, and really not fun on a motorcycle) we hit a little shower but it didn't last and soon we were dry again. This road follows the Clark Fork River (named after you-know-who), as well as the old Northern Pacific Railroad. About lunch time we came across a small town that used to be a division point on the NP called Paradise, and the only place to eat was the "Whistle Stop Café". With a name like that we had to stop in. It was right across from the tracks, and very much a little local hangout. The only thing that would have made it perfect is if it had "Fried Green Tomatoes" on the menu, and Fanny Flagg in the corner. As it was, the food was great, including home-made Dreamcicle Cake. Had we stuck to the Interstate we never would have found the "Whistle Stop". Nor would we have smelled the fresh pine air and felt the cool of the river bottom. It is why one takes back roads on a motorcycle.

We turned West on a county road that took us over Thompson Pass and back into the Idaho panhandle. There we had no choice but to pick up I-90 for 30 miles, crossing the boundary back into Washington just before Spokane. Those 30 miles were shear hell. Unlike the back roads, the freeway is ALWAYS full of cars going roughly the same speed you are, and the air pockets, vortexes and wind-wakes they create combine to slap you and your motorcycle around so that after a few miles I end up feeling like I've been in a bar brawl. In addition, you have to be constantly paying attention to the other vehicles moving along with you, and you can't really look around and enjoy the country you are passing through. You are much like a leaf caught in a raging river, rather than floating lazily down a quiet stream. You can go just as fast on the back roads in most cases, especially in the West, but the lack of traffic makes them smooth as silk, giving you the chance to enjoy the ride and the scenery, and not end up feeling like you've just been run through a blender.

We stopped for a water break at the BECU facility in Spokane where Tony is often training employees. He didn't have his ID badge and looking like the road warrior he's become, they were a tad hesitant to let him in (much like my Aunt Jane was when we showed up on her porch). Once they realized who it was they let him in and we were able to rest, cool off and relax from the freeway run. We left there and headed west on US 2 aimed ourselves towards Wenatchee.

US 2 runs pretty much straight west in the middle of Washington -- past lots and lots of wheat fields, and small almost ghost towns. The color of young wheat before it ripens and turns gold is a wonderful light green, and combined with the building afternoon thunderheads in the distance, makes for one of the prettiest sights, and one I could never really describe. We went on for miles through the wheat -- it's 160 miles from Spokane to Wenatchee. However, this route also drops down into the Columbia River Coulee and past Lake Roosevelt which is formed by Grand Coulee dam. I've never seen the dam, and we didn't have time for the side trip up to it, but someday we'll come back. We dipped down into another Coulee and as we rose up out of it we could see the Cascade Mountains rising in the distance, and at that moment we knew we were almost home, and the trip just about over, and we'll pull into the driveway almost exactly two weeks from when we were SUPPOSED to leave.

We've seen a lot of wonderful scenery and places along this journey, and we've got one last stretch over Steven's Pass and down into the Puget Sound area tomorrow, then it's over. We've been over a lot of new roads, been through towns we've never seen, and likely never will again. We've wondered what's that awful smell, and enjoyed the cool crisp air of the high mountains. We've killed millions of bugs and will be scraping them off the leathers for weeks I expect. We've seen deer, antelope, elk, buffalo and tons of other critters. We've ate in wonderful little local dives, and watched as whole new audiences have come to love the Choruses. It's been a wonderful adventure.

We will sleep in a bit tomorrow, have a room service breakfast, and still be in Seattle before lunch. Thanks for coming along with us...

From the Red Lion hotel in Wenatchee..

Gary and Tony