Mountains, Rivers, Canyons, Lakes, Statues and Oddities, Both Domestic and Foreign, Then Repeat

[humanrace]

Packing tip #1. If you have limited upper and lower body strength, are short, and ride a tall motorcycle, pack your right side saddlebag heavier than your left side saddlebag. Do not get them mixed up when attaching them to the bike.
Packing tip #2. If you have camp shoes and not enough pairs of socks to change regularly, don't pack the camp shoes in the same bag as your clothes and food.

I got a fairly early start because I was pretty sure I would want to do some hiking in the Craters of the Moon NM. I was right.

This is not a volcano cone. This is cinders spewed out of a vent in the side of a nearby volcano. It's a big pile of cinders.

My trusty steed in the parking lot below. Unlike a couple of years ago, I have my money and credit cards distributed between my wallet and my left front pocket, instead of everything left in my tank bag while I climb a volcano

The white surface of the leaves is an adaptation to limit sunlight absorption. The surface temperature of the cinder cone can reach 155* F

This lava is less than 2,000 years old and is part of the last eruption to happen in the Idaho plains.

Not all lava is black. This bit looks almost hot. If it were growing on a tree, I would want to harvest it to use on my lathe.

Lava will solidify on the outside while still liquid and flowing on the inside. The result is lava tubes. This is a collapsed lava tube and is probably the reason other intact lava tubes are off limits in Craters of the Moon.

When lava at just the right temperature reaches a live tree or recently killed tree, the moisture of the tree cools the lava into a bark pattern.

An example of a plant with white leaves that can withstand 155* F in the summer and being buried by snow in the winter.

I camped in the Crater's campground and the rain finally caught me just as I was getting my tent set up. I stayed dry, but had to delay dinner a couple of hours because my food bag was still attached to the bike instead of under the table canopy. It rained hard. Very few miles today, but quite a bit of hiking.

Now, this is a well thought out sign coming into town and leaving town. Later in my report, I'll show you a business sign that is a well thought out sign involving poop.

Less than one hour after being in a lava field with temperatures of 90* plus, I'm in the mountains surrounded by snow patches and more wet roads, but no rain on me.

 

[RedPill]

Your ride reports are great!

We were in South Dakota and Eastern Wyoming year before last, and loved every minute of it. We're going back, and I guarantee we will allot more time to the Crazy Horse Memorial. We could have spent an entire day there and maybe more. So much to see. Rushmore was cool, but Crazy Horse was amazing.

If I remember right, the Navajo code talkers were mainly Marines in the Pacific. The First Infantry was in Europe.

 

[humanrace]

Your ride reports are great!

We were in South Dakota and Eastern Wyoming year before last, and loved every minute of it. We're going back, and I guarantee we will allot more time to the Crazy Horse Memorial. We could have spent an entire day there and maybe more. So much to see. Rushmore was cool, but Crazy Horse was amazing.

If I remember right, the Navajo code talkers were mainly Marines in the Pacific. The First Infantry was in Europe.

More than 10 different Indian languages were used by code talkers. While in Kalispell, Mt., I talked to an Indian from Bernalillo, NM. I mentioned how many soldiers from NM died in the Bataan Death March and the prisons afterward and how lots of them were American Indians. His theory was genetics. American Indians were warriors for millennia before the Europeans came and just about all males were warriors. He said being a warrior was bred into them that's why they join the military so readily during war times. I had no argument for any other theory.

Did you buy a raffle ticket at Crazy Horse to win the Indian motorcycle? If so, you are my second choice of people that I want to win.

 

[SpiritAtBay]

Yea!

More Dennie magic

carry on, please

 

[Cello]

Should I take a class in journalism as soon as my local University finds a new president and someone that's willing to be the head of the Journalism department?

*snerk* I wonder how many catch the reference.

 

[humanrace]

On my last time in Idaho, I missed several roads that I wanted to ride. Time is sometimes a problem. I missed Sun Valley to Stanley. It's worth the wait.

May 27, 2023

One cannot investigate all of the interesting sounding side roads, but a few may pay off.

Petit Lake. Someone else beat me to my lunch spot.

More spots available.

The youngster is trying out his fishing waders. I splashed water on my face.

Time to look for a campsite.

I guess I'm not going to camp on FR 197, close to Banner Pass

I stopped for gas in Stanley and this truck pulled up. The owner said it was a 1966 BSA Hornet that had belonged to his dad. He was moving, but the tank had been sent off for repairs. Bike runs according to the owner.

I was headed to Meridian, Idaho to buy tires and I was running late. Most pictures would have looked very similar to this one until I got down from the mountain and then they would have looked similar to any picture taken from along a road in the suburbs of Houston.

I got to the bike shop about an hour before closing only to be told that they didn't have my tires. A salesman that was waiting on another customer overheard my conversation with my salesman and interrupted with, "Are you the guy on the long trip?" "Yes." "I put your tires in my office to make sure nobody sold them." Saved.

I checked motels in Meridian and most motels were sold out and the ones that were not were way out of my budget. There was some kind of college function going on. May 27th could have been graduation or move out day. I didn't care except I needed a parking lot to change tires and oil. A Choice motel in Ontario, about 50 miles away had rooms. The first night was $178 and the next night was $107. Whatever was going on the first night was going to be over the next day.

The bike of a world traveler, at least for one day.

There was a gravel parking lot behind the motel where 18 wheelers could park. The motel was about to start a remodel and supplies were stored in shipping containers on the gravel lot. It seemed like a good place for a tire and oil change. It's best to start around 9:00 in the morning after most customers had left. That way, you can be through before the next customers start to arrive.
My custom adjustable jack stand in action.

A curb works just as good as boards. Can you tell I have already changed the oil. I don't know what I was thinking, but the toothbrush with 90W gear lube on it tells me that I wasn't thinking when I lubed the chain before changing the tires.

Bungee the front brake as insurance to keep the bike steady. I was able to back my bike between two of the cargo containers and use my 1/4" nylon rope to raise my front tire off the ground. In the past, I've taken the tank, seat, brake caliper and the axle nut off, loosened the pinch bolts and laid the bike on it's side for changing the front tire. Boards also work, but I was one board shy of enough to get the front off the ground.

I spent the rest of that day resting, washing clothes and organizing bags.

I saw this guy pulling in yesterday afternoon as I was heading out to a store to resupply food and buy oil. His trike was definitely loaded.

He still has two bags to go on the back seat.

And I'm making fun of someone with too much luggage.

The next morning I realized that I still had two quarts of used oil. I found a Take 5 oil change place. When I pulled up, I lost my balance and nearly tipped over in the parking lot. When the two attendants finally stopped laughing, they agreed to take my used oil, but not my plastic quart jugs. I poured the oil in their catch can, put my jugs back into my tail bag and threw them away at my next gas stop.

I stopped and did a U-turn to take a picture of these very inviting wild flowers in front of some kind of hunting business.

Nice entry sign.

I guess you have to have a reservation.

with such a small population and so much public land, it wouldn't seem like trespassing hunters would be a problem.

I had neglected to plan a route to Washington State to see a waterfall so I took a coffee break in a Cambridge cafe and brought out the Butler Maps. ****'s Canyon won. It wasn't much of a contest. ****'s Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon. Any local can and will tell you that, if you ask any questions about the canyon. It is not nearly as dramatic as the GC.

Lots of this in the bottom of ****'s Canyon.

****'s Canyon is dry, except for the rivers and lakes at the bottom.

There are dirt roads and tunnels on both side of the lakes and rivers. Butler says one side is scenic, but not the other side. I rode both.

End of the road on the west side.

End of where I was willing to go on the single track at the end of the road.

Backtracking

I passed this sign and just had to do a U-turn to come back for a picture. When I saw the 15 MPH sign, I slowed down a little.

Somebody didn't see the sign or decided not to acknowledge it.

I rode Highway 39 from Halfway, Washington to Joseph, Washington. I don't have pictures and I don't know why. It's one of the top 25 roads in the US, in my opinion. If I find the pictures later, I'll post them. At this point I had decided to put the waterfall off until later and went to the town of Joseph. Linda, my wife was joining me in ten days and I wanted to scout a little bit in Canada to figure out a what she might want to visit.

 

[humanrace]

*snerk* I wonder how many catch the reference.

I was working in the Electrical and Computer department when Dr. Banks became Dean of Engineering. She was horrible as the dean. Example: She spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to remodel the second floor of the Zachry Engineering building for her personal office and her staff's offices. She allowed the Computer Engineering Department to spend even more remodeling labs on the first and third floors. Five lab technicians and several contractors worked for more than two years before being told to stop. She did all that, knowing that she was going to have the building gutted, enlarged and completely remodeled. The new labs that had been built didn't have a building to go to, so most of the equipment had to go to storage. Some professor's research came to a screeching halt. She spent so much on costs over runs for the Zachry redo that there was no money to pay grad students to teach labs. Lab technicians had to start teaching labs instead of getting the evicted labs back up and running as space was found for them. The list of poor decisions was endless. I quit partly so I wouldn't be associated with such nonsense.

The fact that she was promoted tells me that Chancellor Sharp should follow her out the door. To make sure nobody thinks I'm from a rival university just trying to belittle a rival, I graduated from that university in 1977.

 

[Kid2watch]

I'm not getting many comments. Was the condensed version I posted during my trip enough? Are people getting tired of reading about my exploits? Do I need to take a class in photography? Should I take a class in journalism as soon as my local University finds a new president and someone that's willing to be the head of the Journalism department? I'm very serious about my first question, the rest, not so much.

Fantastic pictures and ride report… thank you for posting.

 

[RedPill]

More than 10 different Indian languages were used by code talkers. While in Kalispell, Mt., I talked to an Indian from Bernalillo, NM. I mentioned how many soldiers from NM died in the Bataan Death March and the prisons afterward and how lots of them were American Indians. His theory was genetics. American Indians were warriors for millennia before the Europeans came and just about all males were warriors. He said being a warrior was bred into them that's why they join the military so readily during war times. I had no argument for any other theory.

Did you buy a raffle ticket at Crazy Horse to win the Indian motorcycle? If so, you are my second choice of people that I want to win.

I did buy a ticket. I have no argument with the warrior mentality, although I would put it more into the category of culture than I would into genetics. Also, I think poverty and limited opportunities has something to do with it. When we were up there we visited Wounded Knee, and the small cemetery there. We were impressed by the number of veterans buried there.

We have friends who are church planters with the Lakota people (that's who we were visiting in South Dakota) and have had some exposure to the Navajo through some other church planters and some church camps we used to work with. Super people who have been dealt a really raw hand, and fascinating cultures.

 

[humanrace]

Fantastic pictures and ride report… thank you for posting.

Thanks. You're welcome.

The local commercial campground close to Joseph, Oregon is an oasis for families with children. A swimming pool, go-cart track and other amenities assured me that it would be too expensive for me. It was and I looked elsewhere. I found a state park at the south end of Wallowa Lake that had showers, flush toilets and my main priority, a table. Bonus-A monument, beautiful lake, flowers and wildlife. Not a bonus-young, wierd, crazy guy camped next to me. He wasn't really crazy, he had a new 250cc Chinese dual sport back at his house and was super excited to see someone riding a bike and camping. He ran in front of me as I was approaching my campsite. He wanted to ask me a lot of questions. Bonus-he had a cooler and a cold beer.
I set up my tent while conversing with YWCG. Jason and his wife had two large tents and an EZ-up canopy. They had been camping for two weeks and it had rained most of those days. The original tent leaked.

Back to town for a burger and to get a signal to call Linda. Flowers along the way.

Lake Wallowa

More of the beautiful town of Joseph when I get back from the gym.

 

[RedPill]

Beautiful Irises!

 

[humanrace]

I did buy a ticket. I have no argument with the warrior mentality, although I would put it more into the category of culture than I would into genetics. Also, I think poverty and limited opportunities has something to do with it. When we were up there we visited Wounded Knee, and the small cemetery there. We were impressed by the number of veterans buried there.

We have friends who are church planters with the Lakota people (that's who we were visiting in South Dakota) and have had some exposure to the Navajo through some other church planters and some church camps we used to work with. Super people who have been dealt a really raw hand, and fascinating cultures.

My experience with poverty, lack of opportunity and joining the military align with your views. I came from a family with seven boys and an absentee dad. Six of us joined the military. I slightly mentioned the poverty issue to my new friend and was promptly shut down. I listened. He and his girlfriend were out riding his Harley and I wanted to hear about where they had been rather than discuss why Indians join the military. More on him and his girlfriend later. I don't want to spend time searching for pictures right now.

 

[humanrace]

More on Native Americans and the military. After this I will get back on track, even though I welcome your thoughts about the subject.
I just went to the donut shop (insert emoji of big belly) after the gym
The consensus there, among military retirees was something completely different. The East Asian guy said that the reason most join is to show that they fit in with "the rest of us." He had strong arguments that seemed to show that might be the main reason. The retired colonel mentioned that Native Americans are the only ethnic group to ever have more officers in the military than enlisted men. According to him, they do that during times of no war. Maybe the warriors are waiting for war before enlisting.

 

[humanrace]

Back to mountains and rivers.

And art work. Joseph, Oregon has a population of less than 1,200 people. Art projects on public display are close to setting a record for the most statues per capita. Check out the door in the background.

Some are fairly simple and relatively inexpensive.

Others are very detailed and elaborate.

Some looked real. This guy was parked outside the cafe I stopped in for a snack.

I ordered a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee. That's a dinner plate.

This poster in the cafe reminded me of my first set of leathers. I asked my dealer to get me a set of inexpensive leathers. I resisted when he tried to talk me into something more expensive. Two race weekends later, I retired those leathers without a scratch on them.

Morning snack over, I took a short walk around town before heading out to explore some roads suggested by my crazy neighbor. More statues

Chief Joseph

Another Chief Joseph saying. I nominate Chief Joseph for president.

This larger than life statue is called "Attitude Adjustment."

A good use for obsolete or worn items. Art?

Panther, Cougar, Catamount, Puma, Mountain Lion

This gas station or, as they once were called, service station still does service work. The mechanic says he is very picky about what he allows on his lifts.

I guess old is not one of the criteria for exclusion.

This guy drove up while I was taking pictures. He did not want the attendant to fill his tank. I didn't write down what his adventure was, but I remember I was impressed.

I'm going to Quote my log book from this morning.
"Up early. Jason's wife is up. She's sitting in a folding chair, all hunched over from the cold. She's wearing lightweight PJs without a jacket and smoking a cigarette. It's in the 40's. Every cough and spit results in another drag on the cig., followed by another coughing fit and spit. I want to offer coffee or tea, but I only have one cup."
The coughing woke Jason up. When he saw me packing up, he ignored his wife and came over to my campsite.
"I talked to Jason about good roads in Oregon and he told me about some around his home of Baker. I've changed my route to Canada to include those roads. About 220 miles added. The roads he suggested are both Butler Gold roads."

Jason's suggested roads when I get some more pictures sorted. I took 1,951 pictures with my camera and many more with my phone The last picture I posted above was taken on May 30th. I rode into my drive way in mid July.

 

[SpiritAtBay]

As far as reactions to your reporting. For me, I have a rule; I try not to open your RR on my phone, I save it for a larger screen and when I have time to savor the words and images.

(However, I'm on my phone now...so much for resolutions...)

 

[RedPill]

More on Native Americans and the military. After this I will get back on track, even though I welcome your thoughts about the subject.
I just went to the donut shop (insert emoji of big belly) after the gym
The consensus there, among military retirees was something completely different. The East Asian guy said that the reason most join is to show that they fit in with "the rest of us." He had strong arguments that seemed to show that might be the main reason. The retired colonel mentioned that Native Americans are the only ethnic group to ever have more officers in the military than enlisted men. According to him, they do that during times of no war. Maybe the warriors are waiting for war before enlisting.

That's interesting. I don't have any military background myself, so I'm more than happy to defer to those who do.

 

[Liteitup]

As far as reactions to your reporting. For me, I have a rule; I try not to open your RR on my phone, I save it for a larger screen and when I have time to savor the words and images.

(However, I'm on my phone now...so much for resolutions...)

yep, same here

I'm in awe of anyone that can write good ride reports. You're certainly on that list.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Just getting caught up here, keep it coming, loving the reports.

 

[Tourmeister]

Good pictures help make for a good report. Witty writing helps as well. What I really enjoy are the observations about things that catch your attention, like the people you meet, the signs, architecture, scenery etc... It is neat seeing how other people see and interpret the world around them. We can both be looking at the same scenery or talking to the same person and our take away from the experiences may be similar and have some overlap but they will also likely have a lot that is completely different.

Carry on

 

[humanrace]

Hwy 82 from Joseph to La Grande, Oregon. I don't know why Butler maps doesn't have more red on that road.

Hwy 245 south of Baker City should be on anyone's bucket list of roads to ride. Jason and Mr. Butler are both right.

Jason suggested that I ride 245 south of Baker city, 7 to Sumpter and 73 to North Powder. I tried.
Camping on a little lake along highway 7.

It's May 31st. They probably forgot to take down this sign, right? If the road was really closed there would be some kind of barrier, right? I have until I get tired to ride, but I must be back in Kalispell, Montana in eight days, with a working knowledge of where to take my wife in Canada. I decide the road is open, Jason said to ride this road.

Still lots of snow up high, but it doesn't look solid anywhere.

That will be easy to go around and it only two more miles to the summit.

I can get around that by going a little off the road and it's less than two miles to the summit.

Hmmmm. It's 1.8 miles to the summit. Like the old song said, "I'm lost, I should have read that detour sign."

Headed back, It's pretty.

These trees were uprooted instead of being cut down. What's going on?

Riding down the road, I saw a sign that said something like, "Bridge View." I took the turn.

Robert, "Bob" has a sense of humor. Do you think he fishes under the bridge. What surprises me the most, considering the large number of lakes and rivers in the Northwest, is how few people one sees fishing.

An old English dale in the Oregon mountains. Lucky people live in that house in the valley. Well, maybe not in the winter.

The title of this thread is Mountains, Rivers......Repeat. There's going to be a lot of this.

A first for me. Another first for me was a sign in Canada, "Texas Gate." It was announcing a cattle guard. It was late, I was tired, I hadn't found a place to stay for the night and I thought I would see another one. I didn't stop for a pic.

I saw this group of cyclist at a market, the name for a grocery store in the northwest. Tent poles are showing so I asked. Yes, they are biking and camping. They are doing nearly all of their eating in town.

This one has even less gear. Maybe they share a tarp.

I made it back to Joseph and my old campsite was available. Jason had left.

This deer has been fed by humans. I guarantee it.

Headed to Lewiston tomorrow, for the first time on this trip.

 

[Deanfe]

Great trip and ride report!

 

[RedPill]

Good pictures help make for a good report. Witty writing helps as well. What I really enjoy are the observations about things that catch your attention, like the people you meet, the signs, architecture, scenery etc... It is neat seeing how other people see and interpret the world around them. We can both be looking at the same scenery or talking to the same person and our take away from the experiences may be similar and have some overlap but they will also likely have a lot that is completely different.

Carry on

Same.

 

[gixxerjasen]

You want to learn to pack lighter, don't talk to SteveO, talk to those bicyclists.

Keep the mountains, lakes, canyons, rivers on repeat, much enjoying it.

 

[humanrace]

I'm heading north toward Lewiston after waking up late this morning. Late is really not a relevant term for this trip unless I'm late getting back to Kalispell. I have no agenda other than meeting my wife at the airport in 6 days.

I'm a sucker for a field of flowers.

Rattlesnake Canyon. I visited here in 2020 and thought I would come back.

Another view before dropping down into the canyon for the first time.

An intersection right after crossing the Grande Ronde river will take you left on a paved road to Flora. Go there if you have the chance. According to one local, do not go on Memorial Day weekend. They have massive fireworks display and thousands flock to the small town. Do get a milk shake at the store. If you come right after the Memorial Day weekend, the store owner will be exhausted. You can't miss the store, it's the only one in town and is right across the street from the bridge that says closed. It's closed to cars. The school is on the other side of the river and the teacher rides over the bridge every school day. If you want a pretty dirt ride, ride across the closed bridge to a dirt road back to the highway.

The paved ride on the north side of the river is also pretty.

Coming out of Flora, the dirt road is fairly steep, with a few switchbacks and rough spots. I was feeling like I was a pretty good rider until I saw the mail boxes along the road.

The area is farmland. Not farmland like we have in Texas. It's not level. There is a lot of no till farming on hillsides. This is part of the Palouse area of the northwest. If it's not where the line, "and amber waves of grain" came from, it should be.

Judging by some of the buildings, it has been in cultivation for a long time.

This is the first time I have ever seen a field of canola. I initially thought it was a field of wildflowers like our bluebonnets.

It looks like the highway does a sharp switchback. I'm actually on a side road because I saw a sign about a lock and dam with a fish ladder. I wanted a firsthand look. The lack of pictures tells you what I thought of it.

I spent the night in Lewiston according to my notes and my credit card bill. I'm having a bit of a problem with my memory, and I don't remember where I spent the night. Later in my ride, I will return to Lewiston with surprising results. At least surprising to me. Anyway, my notes said the parking lot was smelly. There was a paper plant across the river and a sewage plant on my side of the river. My notes say the room was fine.

June 2nd
Small town America amazes me. Not the oldest gas pumps I will see on this trip.

A car with two steering wheels makes a car with a back seat driver sound like a luxury car.

Most items had a price tag. The statues did not. My guess is any offer gets to haul them off.

By the time the Snake River gets to Washington, it's big, even by Texas big standards. In Washington, It's just a tributary of the Columbia River.

The Palouse River is a tributary of the Snake River. I like this waterfall.

This sign made me want to get to the other side of this sign before stocking up on apples.

I ate lunch in Ritzville, Washington at Jake's Cafe. I had way too many fried shrimp, a crisp salad and a mountain of French fries that mostly remained on my plate, all for $15. That meal is the second-best deal that I got on this trip.
I camped on the east side of the river in Newport, Washington. I can hardly believe I am willing to pay to camp just to get a table when there are hundreds of places in Washington to camp for free.

A few weeks later, I could have had fresh wild strawberries with my morning oatmeal.

If you are not a member of the reservation, you are subject to Federal, state and Indian law when on a reservation. I know that a 2022 decision by the US Supreme Court changed some of that law, but don't take a chance until the decision has been applied a few times.

Mosquitos have been really bad this year. They were so bad this morning that I quit eating my oatmeal after fishing several out of the bowl. I would later supplement my breakfast with a cinnamon roll in a mosquito free cafe.

On June 3rd, I entered Canada. A lady in the mosquito free restaurant had suggested that I stop at a bank to get Canadian money because some Canadian businesses will accept US money but the exchange rate will be to their advantage. I stopped at a bank and bought $200 worth. The bank charged me $5. Don't do that. Every purchase you make in a supermarket, motel or Walmart and need some Canadian money, ask for money back on your credit card. No fee and you won't end up with lots of extra Canadian money when you get back to the US.

Naah.

Canada places rest areas and picnic areas in scenic places along the highways. My first example. After a couple, I started pulling in to rest areas to see what was there. Not all were like this.

Canada was instantly gratifying. This road is along the highway to Nakusp from Newport, WA.

Rivers and lakes. No boats, no fishermen.

A boat ramp for a beautiful lake. Picture taken at 4:40 on a Saturday afternoon. No boats, no fishermen and no cars or trailers in the parking lot. This is not Texas.

Another beautiful roadside rest area. Most also have some type of toilet.
Common warning sign.

No boats.

Look, a boat. Somebody has been to Prada in the big bend of the Rio Grande.

I got so excited about seeing a boat that I took another picture

More later. I met some colorful MC riders at tonight's camp in Nakusp's city park.

 

[humanrace]

I told you in the last post that a $15 shrimp dinner was the second best deal I got during my trip. When I read the post to Linda, she went into my office and dug out the report for my June credit card bill. I spent a total of seven nights in the Blackstone Motel. I initially I paid for five nights. Later, I asked if I could add two more nights at that price and they said yes. After six nights, I asked if I could get that same deal for one more night and the clerk said she thought she could do a little better than $35/night. Here's the room and my CC statement.

My last night cost me $8.24