Rivers, mountains and wide valleys riding from Idaho to Wyoming

 We started today in Salmon, ID  and started riding south on US 93 along the Salmon River. This part of US 93 is the Salmon River Scenic Byway as it curves and twists following the Salmon River past large rolling hills and rocky mountains.

Once we passed Challis, ID US 93 now is part of the Peaks to Craters Scenic Byway. The ride so far today is one of the most beautiful and fun motorcycle roads we've been on this trip.

We rode through part of the Lost River Valley until in Arco we turned east on US 26. Arco ID which in 1955 was the first town in the world to be lit by electricity generated by atomic power for 1 hour. Today the Idaho National Laboratory continues work with nuclear energy.

US 26, and then US 20 are mostly flat and straight with long range views of ranch land until we worked our way through Idaho Falls and turned once again onto US 26 east.

We rode along the Snake River that starts in Yellowstone National park, flows through Grand Tetons National park, and eventually meets the Columbia River in Washington. 

The Snake River is dammed to create the Palisades Reservoir to provide hydroelectricity, but like so many of the lakes, rivers and reservoirs in the West the water level is extremely low - about 21% full.

We crossed into Wyoming and then rode a short stretch of US 89 south from Alpine to Afton where we've stopped for the night. It was a wonderful day on the BMW, twisting along rivers and mountains, riding straight stretches bordered by ranch land, and enjoying just about perfect weather conditions for late August. We'll be ready to ride into northwestern Colorado tomorrow, looking forward to more mountains.

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.

\

 

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.

Mountains, rivers and fields in Wyoming and Idaho

 Day 3 of our motorcycle trip started in Rock Springs, Wyoming, heading north on US 191. For the first two hours we rode through a flat, arid landscape with no trees. Occasionally a dirt track wound off into the far-off Wind River Range that looked like faint shadows in the horizon.

Eventually we started climbing and the landscape changed to rolling hills and green bushes and trees as we entered the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

As we continued north we rode between the Wind River Range to the east and the Wyoming Range to the west.

We came to the first river for today and rode alongside the Hoback River, a major tributary of the Snake River, through a steep-walled canyon topped with pine trees.

In Hoback Junction the Hoback River flows into the Snake River, and we turned west on US 26, following the Snake through another canyon.

US 26 then runs for miles along Palisades Reservoir as we entered Idaho. It had been cool in the morning with temperatures in the 60's, but as we descended below 6000' elevation, the temperatures rose into the 80's. 

US 26 continues west through Swan Valley, home to much of Idaho's agriculture with endless, vibrant green fields backed by mountains.

We're more in touch with our surroundings riding the BMW vs driving in a car - feeling the wind and sun, noticing the different smells in forests, watching hawks and osprey soar overhead. It was a bit jarring to end our day on a 4-lane highway in Idaho Falls, and we look forward to more country miles tomorrow as we continue north toward Canada.