June 1: Mother Nature's Games

Mother Nature's alarm clock started going off at 5:30 this morning.  First it was the sand hill cranes making their calls.  Later it was followed by geese, squirrels, and various other birds.  They must have been set on a snooze schedule because just as I was about to fall back to sleep, the next critter was making their noise to make sure I didn't sleep in to much!  I finally got up at 6:15 to 37 degree sunshine!  I thought - what a beautiful day this is going to be.

I began my route and had great roads and beautiful snow covered mountain views. In same places the roads were a little wet due to light rain over night but nothing serious.  What happened next turned out to be an indicator of what the rest of the day was going to be like.  As I continued on, I was approaching another pass and then all of a sudden, the road was covered with snow.  There were truck tracks in the snow that I thought I could follow but quickly realized that was not an option.  I had to back the bike up about 50 feet to get back out of the truck tracks to get turned around.  So I started to back-track and stopped at a gas station to get fuel.  I made a comment to the clerk about the road being closed and she said she wasn't sure why they had removed the signs that the road was closed.  She said they are having a cold, late, wet spring just we are having in Minnesota and much of the entire Midwest.  Typically, to raods would be open by this time of year.  Two hours after I left the campground this morning, I was right back where I started!

I found another way to get back on track but determined I needed to shorten the route some because I need to keep moving on.

Later in the afternoon I was approaching a road that is very highly recommended as a "must ride" road (the road between Enterprise Oregon and Lewiston ID - see photos).  Unfortunately as I was approaching, it started to rain again.  I put on my rain gear and hoped it was just an isolated shower - no such luck.  The rain continued the rest of the afternoon.  The road was amazing.  It is about 20 miles long and you work your way down the mountain to the bottom where you cross the Snake River and then climb your way back up the other side of the mountain.  This road is challenging enough when it is dry, doing it when raining really tests your skills.  This road is no place for those with weak stomachs or those without high confidence in their riding ability.

As it was still raining when I reached Lewiston and there was no relief in sight, I decided to get a motel room again tonight.  The forecast for tomorrow doesn't look a much better either.  I am changing my route plans and rather than taking a route across northern Washington, I am taking a more southerly route to save time and hopefully miss some of the rain.  You will have to check back to see how successful I was!

May 31: What do you call.....?

What do you call a day when you don't have to put on your rain jacket?  It's about time!

I awoke to a morning temperature of 36 degrees.  I knew I had another higher elevation pass to go over in the morning and was hoping the roads were dry.  I began to worry when I had to pass a snow plow truck.  I worried even more when I saw another snow plow truck coming from the other direction.  Thankfully, it turned out that there was no snow on the road.  As I came to the crest of the pass at 7,000 feet, the temperature was 34 degrees and there was plenty of snow (see top photo). 

As my ride continued, I headed towards Hells Canyon which is made by the Snake River - what a joy this road was.  It hugs the rocks on one side of the road and the river is directly below on the other side.  For much of the ride, there is no railing between the road and the river.  The last part of the road is 22 miles and then it dead-ends at a dam.  You drive over the dam to the visitor center.  The views are breathtaking.  And then the best part is you get to turn around and take the same 22 miles back and it looks completely different in each direction.

After Hells Canyon it was time to begin exploring Oregon.  One gem of a road I found was 245 outside of Baker City.  For any motorcycle enthusiast - this is a must do road.  The best part is the first 20 miles or so where the curves are tight and constant.  I didn’t see another vehicle while on this road!

I have camp set up tonight in Sumter Oregon at an RV park.  They have tent sites as well but not much to choose from.  I found 1 that at least had some softer sand rather than rocks to sleep on.

Tomorrow I continue with a loop through Oregon and depending on how far I make it, Washington is next.

May 30: Gray Skies, White Mountains, Green Grass (see photo)

The top photo summarizes much of the day.  I left Billings Montana and it was sprinkling rain and 45 degrees.  As I continued my journey it cooled to around 40 degrees in many places and as I went over a couple higher elevation passes, it dropped to the mid 30’s.  Yesterday various parts of Montana had received snow.  The snow line is between 5,000 and 6,000 feet.  On a couple of passes on the way towards Butte Montana, there was still fresh snow on the ground and the highways were wet.  I was watching carefully for any freezing on the roadways. 

In Butte I got off the interstate and was going to head towards Idaho on some “fun” roads.  I made it about 5 miles when a guy in his little yellow car coming the opposite direction waved me down.  He told me he had to turn around because there was too much snow up ahead – about 1 foot he said.  So I pulled over and started to re-plan my route.  A couple more people stopped and confirmed the earlier report.  Cars were going in the ditch and trucks were having a hard time making it through the pass.  No place for me on 2 wheels.  As I looked at the map, I determined the best way to get back on my route was to continue north on the interstate (again) to Missoula and then begin heading south through Idaho.  It was about 100 miles farther north than I had planned but I didn’t have much for options.

Fortunately, as I approaching Missoula around 1:30 p.m., the weather finally started to break.  I actually saw the sun a few times in the afternoon.  From Missoula I headed south along the Salmon River Scenic Byway.  This is a great road that follows the Salmon River.  It is not a real technical rode but plenty of curves to keep one entertained.  As I approach the highest pass (about 7,000 ft), I stopped for gas and asked the person there if there would be any trouble getting through the pass on my motorcycle.  The reports were it had snowed about 5 inches earlier but the last person they talked to said the roads were clear – just a little wet.  The report was correct and other than snow in the turn-outs and ditches, the road was very passable – just at slower speeds due to the wet conditions and cold temperatures.

I decided to set up camp tonight in Challis Idaho.  Just I got the tent set up, it started to hail.  Nothing serious.  It only last a few minutes and was the size of a pea (and pretty soft) so no damage – just more interesting weather.  The sun is now shining (at least for a little while) and I can see the snow capped mountains in the distance.  What a beautiful country we live in.  We only need to take the time to get out and stop to enjoy it.

May 30: Morning Report

It looks like another cool wet day but I plan to continue my journey and see how it goes.  As long as I don't run into snow, I will be OK (at least for a while!).  It is currently 45 in Billings where I am and  don't expect it to be much warmer during the ride today.

I will provide an update later on how it goes.

May 29: The road has been calling my name ....

The road has been calling my name and it has been saying "Go west young man, go west" - so that is what I did this morning.  I headed west across Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana and I'm spending the night in Billings (853 miles).  Unfortunately, the weather has not been cooperating very well.  It rained for about 2/3 of the trip today and it never got above 55 degrees and it was 48 degrees during the last several hours.  The forecast for Montana for the next few days isn't very good either.  Some places in the mountains are expecting more than 1 foot of snow!  I am still trying to determine what to do tomorrow - I guess I will look at the forecast in the morning and decide if I continue with my planned route, try an alternative route, or just hold up for a day and let some of it pass.

I am spending the night at a Motel 6 as I wasn't going to set up a tent in the rain and spend a cold wet night sleeping in the rain after driving in it all day!


One item I purchased prior to this trip is an electric heated coat liner.  It plugs into the battery on the motorcycle and has a thermostat to adjust the level of heat.  It came in very helpful today!

The highlight of the day had to be all the wildlife I saw (because the roads weren't very exciting!).  I saw deer, antelope, fox, turkey, swans, pelicans, geese, ducks, pheasants and more.  Fortunately, they all staid their distance from the road.

Now for the farm report:  This has obviously been a went spring across this entire region.  Many of the farm fields still haven't been touched due to the wet conditions.  In some spots farmers have been able to get a few crops planted, but even then, some of them are now under water.  This is a major contrast from last year when farmers were able to get crops planted very early.  At this point, the fall harvest will likely be reduced due to the late planting or inability to plant at all.


That is all for today. Hoping the weather improves quickly!

Getting Ready for the West Coast Baby!

Once again I am fortunate enough to be able to take an extended motorcycle trip this year.  This year I will be riding towards the west coast.  My planned departure date is Sunday May 29 and I plan to return around June 18.  The image above shows the states that are my planned route will take me through. This route is a bit ambitious as it is about 10,000 miles so I may have to shorten some pieces but it provides the general direction of m travels.  If I complete this entire route, I will add 9 more states to my "List of States I have Ridden In" and will leave only 6 more to accomplish all 50 states.

I will add more posts once I get on the road.  I hope you enjoy them almost as much as I enjoy the peace, tranquility, and joy these trips provide me!

For those of you you have not seen blogs from my previous trips, I have included the links for them below:
rettigtrip2010.blogspot.com (New England)
rettigtrip09.blogspot.com (Blue Ridge Parkway)
rettigtrip08.blogspot.com (Rocky Mountains)