We geared up and got ready to leave Castlegar but with reservations, as I have never had such a bonding with a group of like minded riders. A couple of cups of coffee and I was ready for the road.
Bill and Mitch, Endo…two handsome devils!
We decided to ride with Geoff over some of the fun Castlegar roads and into Nelson, where Bill and I would beg off and ride south toward the border. The ride was a bit rote after all the fun roads we had ridden but the scenery was stellar. Once we arrived at the border, it seems pretty backed up and we were in a long line of motorhomes (sloths). It seemed that the border dignitaries were methodically going through all each and every house on wheels and travel trailer, so it was slow going. I believe we were there no less than 40 minutes.
It just occurred to me that I never told you about my serious loss, that of my MAC lipstick and sadly I had lost somewhere on the road and I had encountered no where to replace it. Note, could only chuckle at my loss, but I’m serious, I was a gonner without my favorite lipstick. I was awaiting a “real” store like Nordstrom to replace it and it looked like Spokane was the nearest place. So, damn it, border patrol, let us back home, so we can take care of the more serious orders of business!
We finally got a clear sign to move across the border and we scooted immediately to a place that had some lunch and someone that might be able to connect us to the road for which we were searching. The local waitress/forest service worker wasn’t sure where we wanted to go, but our gas stop was a feast of knowledge in the local law enforcement and old knowing guy. They got us headed to the road we were seeking and off we went, heading for Spokane the LONG way.
Sullivan Lake
My attempt at art.
Close up of the same vantage
Some lake or another…
We arrived in Spokane, but not without getting lost before finding my bro’s house, our destination for the evening. We were sooooooo close, but without the GPS we were hosed. Bill found a local that could talk us in and we were thrilled to arrive, put our bikes in his garage and drink his whiskey. It was a good night!
My nephew is a black belt as well as my bro and he showed us some of his routines. I must admit to being impressed. That is some serious body control. We ate a wonderful meal, ala Bruce, my bro and called it a night fairly early. The following day, my brother and his son were to join us riding east to go south. I had never ridden with my bro and could hardly wait.
Morning arrived like a soft furry bunny and the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed. The evening had seen thunder storms and lightening and I spent the night dreaming of being struck by lightening, a silly folly, but a paranoia none the less. I was thrilled to rise seeing some sunshine.
We got ready to leave and had a fairly comfortable start.
My bro (speaking of handsome) and his youngest son.
Riding out of Spokane
My bro and me and his youngest son, Michael
Bill and my bro and a very interesting fuel pump
The bikes
Harrison Slough off Hwy 97
My continued affinity with all things RR.
We met my other nephew, Jeremy for lunch in Moscow at La Casa Lopez whose portions were over the top and really quite good!
Jeremy was my first ever pillion. When I told him and his reply was, “cool”. Gotta love that brave lad! I was surprised that as light as he is, I still had to have my feet well planted to get him onboard. Stopping wasn’t much different, because he was light, but I could feel the balance difference. I have a ton more respect now for riders with passengers. It’s quite a responsibility.
After lunch, Bill and I headed for Lewiston, the Old Spiral Highway, and a motel for the night. The Spiral Highway is a hoot and one worth running once, however it’s really short and this day the wind there was howling. I took this photo at the top and was amazed that I could barely hold the camera still and I was off the bike standing! Bill spoke to another rider at the motel that evening who told him that he had been in that same spot to take a photo when his bike, not locked into first, was knocked down by the wind. Not a cheap lesson for him nor his FJR.
A night of scotch and cigarettes ensued and we didn’t exactly get an early start, but after mass coffee we were ready to take on Rattlesnake Canyon into OR. It was gonna be one of those days for me, one where I was never quite spot on. 😉
Rattlesnake Canyon
There are simply few words to describe this road. It’s a series of tight turns and elevation changes. You have to be totally on task for the road, but want to sightsee the area. It’s quite the paradox!
This I took my first time over the canyon in 2007…wow, no watermark, how unlike me! Amazing view of the canyon.
At the bottom of the canyon is a little restaurant that has the most amazing rhubarb milkshakes ever! The food is decent as well and it has been owned by the same people for years. This year I barely recognized as it has been repainted but there is only one place. Maybe Bill remembers the name and can chime in here…i seem to be having what I fondly call a “senior moment”.
I gotta say the waitress was something else. She was definitely the queen of the diner in her hot pants. 😉
Bill and I continued on to Enterprise, OR where we had planned to split off for a few days so that I could go to Portland, OR and visit my kids, mom and sister. We would meet up again after four days in Detroit, OR and head back to CA, which ended up being one of the most daunting parts of our entire journey….stay tuned…