Day Twelve: May 11, 2007

Northport, WA to Deer Lodge, MT

After a great breakfast with Dave & Sue, I took William’s Lake Road to Colville and then down to Spokane where I spent an hour at Starbucks drinking coffee, updating the blog, paying bills online, and trying to arrange an phone interview.

Someone in Spokane should do something about Hwy 90. I’m close to calling it the most dangerous road I’ve been on this trip. Traffic is moving at high speeds and the surface of the interstate (in the area of the city) is the most rutted I’ve experienced. The bike was so unwieldy, that I actually pulled over thinking I had blown a tire. Two bikers at the gas station told me that “No, its not the tire, it’s the road, and it doesn’t get better for another two or three miles.” Sliding sideways two or three inches on two wheels every time you hit a bump or a rut is not my idea of enjoyable riding. If you come through this area — be careful!

Here are a couple of shots of Idaho, which I quickly passed through.

Idaho pullout

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The Montana Board of Tourism doesn’t seem to think much of it’s scenery. There were virtually no places to pull over when I saw something I wanted to photograph. So here are a few “from the road” shots of Montana.

Montana

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Sunset

Tomorrow, Yellowstone. Not sure what internet access looks like from there, so it may be a day or two before I post again.

Today’s Route

Day Twelve Route