The awesome scenery of Montana, Idaho and Washington on a 327 mile ride

We didn't expect today's 327 mile ride from Missoula, Montana to Walla Walla, Washington would take us through such a wide variety of landscapes while traveling primarily west on Route 12, the Lewis and Clark Highway.

We started riding south from Missoula on Route 93, and quickly joined Route 12 headed west over the Lolo Pass through the Bitterroot Mountains, with views of snow covered 9,137' Lolo Peak.

We stopped at the visitor center just before the Idaho state line, reading about the park, the Lewis and Clark expedition that traveled through this area in 1805-1806, and watched prairie dogs hard at work.

On this part of their journey, Lewis and Clark were searching for a river connection between the Columbia and Missouri Rivers. This area is part of the ancestral home of the Nez Perce who helped  guide the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Route 12 twists and winds its way west through northern Idaho, hugging first Lolo Creek and then the Lochsa River. We knew we were in for fun when we saw this sign:   

 

We zoomed our way through the dense cedar forest, watching the shallow, rocky bottom rivers flow alongside us. Mike quickly passed the few cars and trucks we came upon, giving us the opportunity to enjoy the curving, twisty road.

We stopped for lunch in Kamiah at the Hearthstone Bakery and Tea House on the Clearwater River. This was the waterway Lewis and Clark had been searching for, and they were finally able to build canoes and travel on the river instead of horseback.

The restaurant is beautiful inside, with tin ceilings and Victorian decorating touches. The sandwiches and salads were wonderful, and we looked longingly at the baked goods displayed in the front case.

Not far west from Kamiah we entered Lewiston, an industrial town of about 30,000 at the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake rivers. It's the most inland seaport on the West coast, 465 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. We stopped at the 18th Street Bridge, the first bridge built across the Clearwater in 1913.

As we rode across the bridge over the Snake River, we entered Clarkston, Washington and the landscape changed completely. We were now in the Palouse, a region of large, round, rolling hills that were formed by centuries of wind blowing dust and silt and are today covered with wheat, barley, and grass - but no trees.

The size and scale of the hills is amazing. I spent most of the ride wondering how farmers were able to drive tractors up and over the sides of these steep, round hills. The wind is being put to good use with numerous large windmills scattered over the hill tops.

We ended the day riding into Walla Walla, only 13 miles north of the Oregon border. We're looking forward to tasting local wines and exploring the history of this area before we continue on our journey to Portland, OR.

Sunny ride into Aspen

Bright blue skies and a hot sun greeted us this morning in Grand Junction, Colorado.  At around 60,000 people, it's the largest city on the Western Slope, which is all of Colorado west of the Continental Divide. Its name comes from the junction of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers, which to our amazement are both fairly large moving bodies of water. We're used to 'rivers' in Arizona, which typically are dry and sometimes have a trickle of water. No wonder there is so much green here, even in a high desert climate.

Tom and Christine's friends Bill and Cynthia joined us for today's ride to Aspen and led us on a route that started off heading east on Interstate 70 through the Grand Valley that is bordered by the Grand Mesa, the world's largest flat-topped mountain, on one side; and the red rock cliffs of the Colorado National Monument on the other. We rode past vineyards and fruit orchards in the green valley along the Colorado River, an area originally the home of the Ute people with white settlers arriving in the 1880's. 

Usually I dislike riding on busy Interstates, but the scenery trumped the semi-trucks on the 20 miles we were on I-70. We left the interstate at exit 49 onto Colorado 65, the Grand Mesa Byway, that twisted and turned through the dry landscape.

We turned off on 45 1/2 road to enjoy more sweepers before rejoining I-70 and continuing east.

We stopped in Rifle for lunch at the Shooter's Grille where many of the waitresses wore a holstered pistol on their belt. I'm always curious about the history of names of towns, and legend has it that Rifle got its name from an old cowboy surveyor who left his rifle leaning against a tree and after that referred to the area as 'Rifle'.

We finished the day riding on I-70 to Glenwood Springs, then on busy 4-lane Colorado route 82 into Aspen. The road bisects mountains covered with pine trees, with intermittent vistas of snow-capped peaks in the distance. Our odometer turned over  to 24,000 miles just outside Aspen, and we slapped a high-five and did a little dance on the bike celebrating the mileage.

This was the first day of the trip we didn't need our raingear, surprising since July and August are known for rain and thunderstorms. Tomorrow we spend a full day in Aspen, and we're looking forward to exploring the town and mountains.

The people we meet along the road

Sometimes the ride is all about the road:  twisting through the White Mountains in New Hampshire; following winding, narrow roads along the rivers in Vermont; zooming up and down the hairpin turns in the Alps.

Other times the ride is about the scenery:  gazing from the top of the Green Mountains over the forested valleys; crossing wide rivers like the Ohio and Mississippi with their ferry and barge traffic; looking out over the brown fields that stretch unbroken to the horizon in the plains in Missouri.

Often Mike and I ride alone, but today we had fun riding with David Waldrip, a BMW rider from Georgia who is also heading to the BMW rally in Sedalia, MO. We met David last night at the hotel, shared dinner and lively conversation, and decided to ride together today.

Sharing a love of motorcycle riding seems to bring people together. We immediately have a common point to start conversation, and that flowed into talking about life, discussing books and authors, recommendations for equipment and gear, and even about our life philosophy. It seems like much of our conversation with strangers is superficial, but put everyone on a motorcycle, and conversation quickly becomes personal and interesting.

We may not talk while we're riding, but there's communication occuring. I look back to see David riding behind us, he notices when I point out a red-headed bird sitting on a fence post and later tells me it's a common buzzard. When we come to a stop sign, David pulls up next to us and we either exchange a few words about the ride or the turn coming up, or we simply exchange a thumbs-up to share enthusiasm for the twisty, curvy road. We stopped for gas in St. James where I picked up a brochure for the Vacuum Cleaner Museum - who knew someone collected 588 different vacuum cleaners beginning with the first non-electric models from the 19th century? That led to a discussion about Route 66, the historic highway that stretched from Chicago to LA and passed right through St. James. Add a third person to our conversation makes the travel and the day much more rich.

We met another wonderful person when we stopped for lunch in small and dusty St. Elizabeth, population 336. Ms. Kitty's Place looked to be the only place in town open except for the post office.

When we walked inside, we were greeted by several people seated at the round tables or at the bar. We made for a strange and interesting sight:  three hot and sweaty people wearing motorcycle pants and boots, carrying high-visibility yellow motorcycle jackets and helmets. Ms. Kitty herself waited on us, recommending either the cheeseburger or special prime rib platter as the house specialties, and proudly telling us that everything was homemade.

Ms. Kitty and her three daughters - Debbie, Becky, and Shelley - plus a grandson run the restaurant. She confirmed that she made the chunky applesauce herself, and I believed her because it tasted just like my Grandma Michael's applesauce. The sliced tomatoes in the salad and on the cheeseburger came from her garden. She not only cooked the food and waited on customers, she talked with us about riding motorcycles and her life in Missouri. The sign on the wall:  "Through these doors walk the best people in the world - our customers" and her infectious smile made us truly feel welcome.

When we reached the BMW rally at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia, we found ourselves in the middle of motorcycle and BMW fever.

We chatted with the vendors, talked with people we met walking along the busy street filled with motorcycles, and stopped by the Vermont MOA camping area to share stories of our trips to Missouri, riding in Vermont, and the pros and cons of camping.

Riding a motorcycle makes us part of a community of riders.

sunshine in the Swiss Alps

view from my hotel balcony

We were greeted this morning with very welcome sunshine after all the rain yesterday. Everyone was in great spirits as we set off toward the first of 4 mountain passes in Switzerland – our 5^th and final country during this trip.

As we rode through the valleys toward the Swiss town of Susch, I was really glad that I put the warm liner in my motorcycle jacket; plus I also had on a Smart Wool base layer topped with a light fleece shirt since the temperature steadily dropped to a low of 40 degrees.  Factor in the windchill generated from sitting on the back of a motorcycle, and it was cold! When we reached the top of the Fluelapass between Susch and Davos in the Swiss Alps, the temperature was 52 degrees and just right for a hot chocolate in the Hotel Fluela Hospiz, a family-run inn built in 1869 at 7,837’ above sea level. The small stone hotel is off the grid, getting their power from either a diesel generator or water. This was our first stop in Switzerland, and where we learned how expensive everything is. Our cup of hot chocolate cost $5.25 in US dollars!

Mike at the top of the Fluelapass

Hotel Fluela Hospiz

Zooming up and down the hairpin turns on the mountain passes is becoming almost second nature for our group, and everyone is feeling more confident in their driving skills after yesterday’s steep roads in the rain. The Swiss mountain roads are wider than the ones in Italy, and while there was a fair amount of truck traffic on the roads today, Mike only had to pass one tour bus. He was excited to pass a logging truck on the way up our second pass, the Julierpass.  It’s definitely a thrill to be on the back of a motorcycle speeding up a mountain, passing a logging truck! See more on today's video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVjKYP8IqV4

Julierpass hairpin turns

The top of the Julierpass was busy with lots of motorcycle riders from several  different countries. The small grill served only the basics for lunch, including their special “Mc Julierburger” which Ron couldn’t pass up.

We rode through St. Moritz, a famous Swiss ski and spa resort city and on to our third pass, the Ofenpass in the Swiss National Park. All of today’s passes rise above the treeline in a gravel, rock-strewn landscape that reminds us of the moon. Many of the mountains are dotted with ski areas, which makes me wonder how difficult it is to drive up these roads in the winter!

top of Julierpass

Once back down in the valley we crossed into Italy and stopped in the 700 year-old walled city of Glurns for an afternoon break, which of course meant trying out the local ice cream. The market square in the center of town was packed with both tourists and locals trying to navigate the narrow, cobblestone streets and sidewalks.

center of Glurns

We finished our ride today winding our way through the valleys, passing small towns, farmers working in the fields, and the ever-present cows in the meadows. Even though we rode 195 miles today, we finished a bit earlier than usual, which meant we had time to sit outside our hotel and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine and warmth. A perfect day!

Switchbacks! Hairpin turns! Tunnels! oh my!!

At the end of our 10 hour, 310 km day today, Ted said “if I were a kid, this would be just like Christimas!”. We experienced a little bit of everything today, including the narrowest roads we’ve been on, 14 switchbacks in a row up the highest elevation we’ve attempted, pouring rain, warm sunshine, fields of apples as far as you can see, conversations with motorcycle riders from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands; and sweeping turns through lush green valleys. Wow!

Check out today's video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDlLJzedDrQ

It was raining when we started at 8:30am, but everyone was in high spirits, because today we were attempting Stelvio, a 9,045' mountain pass that is the highest paved mountain road in the eastern Alps. We started off through the valleys around Merano, Italy, which are planted with millions of apple trees, supplying apples to all of Europe.

Our first pass of the day, the Passo Tonale, greeted us with a steady rain. A stop at the top for hot chocolate gave us a chance to warm up and put on more raingear in preparation for the trip back down the mountain pass.

We passed in and out of rain, mist and clouds on our way to the Passo Gavia, a twisting, steep, extremely narrow road that led right along the side of the mountain through switchback after switchback. It’s a good thing we traveled this road on a Monday where there was little traffic, because in order to pass an oncoming car, we had to inch our way to the very edge of the road, stop, and wait for the car to slowly crawl past us. By the time we reached the top, everyone breathed a sigh of relief for successfully mastering the technically challenging and often scary (for both drivers and passengers!) road.

The trip down wasn’t as steep, or else we were becoming used to riding up and down mountain passes. By the time we reached the valley for lunch, the sun broke out of the clouds. We laughed and told stories about the ride up Passo Gavia over a delicious Italian lunch of salad and pasta. For me, riding on the bike is a solitary experience since Mike and I can't talk. We often communicate with hand gestures, or a tap on the leg. But on this difficult road, Mike needed to concentrate and I kept my thoughts and observations to myself. At lunch, everyone wanted to share their stories of the trip, tell jokes, laugh and enjoy the shared experience of riding in a group. We had a blast!

Sunshine meant we would definitely tackle Stelvio today. We had heard from Peter and Florian, our tour leaders, about this difficult mountain pass. We’d also spoken with several motorcycle riders we  met at rest stops the past two days, and all of them warned of Stelvio’s technical turns as well as the incredible views. This was the mountain pass we’d been waiting for, and when we saw the sign that announced "14 tornanti", or hairpin turns, ahead, we knew we were in for some real fun. Not only could I watch the riders ahead of me as they wound their way up the mountain above the treeline, but I could also look back down the mountain and see what we had just ridden as more bikes swept up behind us. Mike kept his eyes on the road, waiting for the video and pictures later that night to finally see all of the majestic scenery.

this is what we rode UP!

We were ecstatic and relieved to make it to the top of the mountain, and even rode up a short, steep path to a look-out known as Tibet for even more incredible views.

view from 'Tibet'

After a short break, we headed down the mountain, traversing more hairpin turns until we zoomed into the valley.

the route down Stelvio

We had about 45 miles to go to our hotel in Serfaus, Austria, a resort village in the Tyrol at 4600', which meant we drove up even more switchback turns. We relieved the thrills of the day and shared stories about bikes and travels over dinner, going to bed early to get ready for another day tomorrow - into Switzerland!

7 mountain passes and a local Fest

It was a beautiful, sunny morning in Kötschach Mautern, Austria, the start of our third day on the ROADRunner magazine 5-country motorcycle tour.

A few of us decided to start the day with a run along the river, then headed up into the foothills on a well-maintained path. It was a great way to start the day!

Our route today took us over 7 mountain passes in the Italian Dolomites, which required navigating more hairpin turns than any of us can count. You can't miss the video of today's route!

The talk among the drivers is all about the correct technique to safely navigate the hairpin turns, but as the pillion rider, all I care about is the scenery (awesome, stupendous, awe-inspiring), the camaraderie (it’s amazing how quickly we’ve become friends, how much we have in common with people from all over the world, and what we can learn from each other), and of course the delicious local food. Mike takes care of the technical parts of the trip, and we both enjoy spending time together. A perfect vacation and 30^th wedding anniversary celebration!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dup6Sc-DLb4 

Lunch today was something you might imagine in a dream:  picture a clear lake, surrounded by the craggy high peaks of the Dolomites, anchored with gorgeous hotels, and a beautiful sunny blue sky. Throw in pizza (we ARE in Italy) enjoyed lakeside, and the dream comes true.

After lunch, as we were heading up the Passo di Giau, we were passed by a man driving an Army green Ural motorcycle with a sidecar. He had a huge grin on his face, and looked to be having the time of his life. We met up with him at the top of the mountain pass, and had fun talking about motorcycles, his travels through Europe, and how much he loves driving a motorcycle with a sidecar. Motorcycle riders are definitely a friendly, talkative bunch!

The afternoon was spent enjoying more incredible mountain views and hairpin turns. When we arrived in Arabba, Italy, our final destination, everyone was in a celebratory mood after a perfect day. We were in luck, because a local group was hosting a festival right next to our hotel, complete with a 3-man band (accordion, tuba, and vocals) and "nogln" a famous Austrian drinking game that involves trying to hammer nails into a large tree stump, using a hollow metal hammer. It reminded me of the whack-a-mole game we used to play with the kids when they were young, except in the Austrian game the loser buys the winner a beer. We danced the polka and Ukrainian 2-step, played the nogln game, and had a wonderful time with our tour group members and the local folks. It reminded me how much fun can be had at a small, local Fest, and it was a fantastic way to end an absolutely wonderful day.

3 countries and 8 mountain passes in one day

It sounds like a Hollywood movie:  we had breakfast in Austria, lunch in Slovenia, afternoon ice cream in Italy, and dinner in Austria - all on our second full day of our 5 country motorcycle tour of the Alps!

It was 54 degrees and a heavy mist was hanging low over the mountains when we left Tamsweg at 8:30am, but within an hour the sun came out and the sky was a brilliant blue. We were on our way through 8 mountain passes today, with everyone looking forward to the famous cobblestone hairpin turns in Slovenia. Luckily for us, the sunshine and dry roads meant we'd be able to navigate those hairpin turns without mishap.

John on an F800GS and Jay and Barb on an R1200GS navigating a cobblestone turn

close-up of the famous cobblestone turns

On the way up the Vrisicpass in Slovenia, we stopped to take in the awe-inspiring views. It's a good thing Mike was paying close attention to the roads, because I couldn't stop looking at the mountains spiking into the sky all around us.

Eric and Catherine

We crossed the border into Italy where we drove up one of the narrowest 2-lane roads I've ever been on. At one point, I swear I could have reached out and touched the stone wall on the right side of the hairpin turn, and a car going the other direction on our left-hand side. The road led through a pass called the Passo Pomollo in Italian, or Nassfeld in German. Nassfeld translates to 'wet field', which was spot on because it started to rain as we came to the top of the pass at 1552 meters above sea level, home to the largest ski area in Carinthia.

The final cruise into Kötschach Mautern took us through a wide valley, bordered on both sides by mountains. The sun came back out and the temperatures reached into the low-80's - perfect for enjoying the ride and the scenery. Today's video is here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1jTicFVtkY

The conversation at dinner centered around the roads (worst in Slovenia, scariest in Italy, best maintained in Austria), food (lowest prices in Slovenia, best ice cream in Italy), views (a toss-up; they were all outstanding!), road signs (a graphic of a man falling off a motorcycle, warning about dangerous roads), and various styles of rest rooms in the different countries. We're a diverse group from Canada, the US, and Austria and one of the best parts of the trip is spending time talking about our lives, motorcycle riding history, and rehashing the day's trip. Riding with a group is definitely more fun than riding alone!