300 miles on scenic highways in Idaho and Montana

 We started the day going for a run along the Idaho Falls greenbelt along the Snake River, and stopped at City Bagels and Bakery for another authentic New York-style bagel - the second of this trip.

We planned our route today based on Butler motorcycle maps, and thoroughly enjoyed riding through wide mountain valleys, narrow gorges with tall rock cliffs on each side of the road, and along scenic rivers.

We started today riding west on US 20 under hazy skies due to smoke from wildfires in Canada. 

US 20 goes through the Idaho National Laboratory, part of the Department of Energy focusing on nuclear energy. You can't see much from the highway and we didn't have time to stop at the Atomic Energy Museum but it looks fascinating - when do you have an opportunity to see a nuclear reactor?

In Arco, the first town ever powered completely by nuclear energy (for 1 hour in 1955) and site of a large rocky hill where since 1902 graduates from Butte County High School paint the year they graduated, we continued on US 93 north.

This section of US 93 from Arco to Challis in the north is part of the the Peaks to Craters scenic byway. We rode past Mt. Borah, at 12,662' the tallest peak in Idaho and part of the Lost River Mountain, through wide valleys and narrow, twisting canyons.

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In Challis we crossed the Salmon River and US 93 is now part of the Salmon River scenic byway

Also known as The River of No Return, the Salmon originates in central and eastern Idaho not far from where we rode today, and flows north until it joins the Snake River. 

US 93 was such a fun motorcycle ride, with wide, sweeping curves along the river, tight turns in the canyons, and outstanding views of the mountains.

We crossed into Montana at the top of Gibbons Pass in the Bitterroot National Forest, and soon after winding down into the Bitterroot valley we came to Hamilton where we're spending the night. 

Although the temperature was in the high 60's when we left Idaho Falls, by early afternoon the sun came out and the temperature climbed into the high 90's. We had a reservation at the Super 8 but when we walked in were told the air conditioning just went out. After 2 hours on the motorcycle in temperatures just under 100 degrees, we looked for another option and snagged the last room at the Quality Inn just down the street.

We're now cooling off with the air conditioning blasting on high, talking about one of the most scenic rides we've had, and getting ready for another potentially hot - but gorgeous - day on the motorcycle tomorrow.