Following Lewis and Clark

 We've come across sections of the route taken by Lewis and Clark in 1804-1805 as they explored the vast area of the Louisiana Purchase. Today we followed much of their route from Montana west through Idaho as they headed toward the Pacific Ocean. US Route 12, is known as the Lewis and Clark Highway, and in Idaho it's also the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway.

We started today's ride in Hamilton, MT, heading north on US 93, a 4-lane, busy highway in the Bitterroot Valley for about 30 miles until we turned north on US 12.

We started climbing through open fields and then heavily forested Bitterroot Range.

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Our highest point for today came at 5233' Lolo Pass where we crossed from Montana into Idaho. We stopped at the visitor center - closed today but the bathrooms were open - for a quick snack and drink of water, and enjoyed chatting with a couple from Iowa riding their motorcycle.

I missed taking a photo of a large sign that proclaimed winding mountain roads for the next 99 miles. All that was missing from the sign was a photo of an extremely happy couple zooming through the canyon on their motorcycle!

This area is the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest which covers 4 million acres in north-central Idaho. Much of this area is protected wilderness, and for most of the 99 miles we saw very little traffic as we descended down from Lolo Pass.

US 12 twists and winds following the Lochsa River, one of the rivers included as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968. 

 

We stopped for lunch at Kooskia at 1293' elevation - we had dropped almost 4000' over 99 miles. The Selway River joins the Lochsa River at Kooskia, forming the Clearwater River.

US 12 continues along the wide yet still winding Clearwater River, which Lewis and Clark paddled in dugout canoes. The elevation dropped to 864' - that is about 7000' lower than our home in Southwest Colorado.

The last part of today's ride took us away from rivers as we headed north on Idaho Route 3. The temperature was over 90 degrees and we decided to stop at the first gas station we saw for a drink of cold water - and much to our delight found ourselves at the Juliaetta Market which featured huckleberry ice cream. We saw inside the air conditioned market chatting with the friendly woman working there while we cooled off. Refreshed, we rode through the huge, rolling hills of the Palouse.

Our last turn was onto Idaho Route 99 which wound through the wheat fields of the Palouse into Moscow, our stop for tonight.

Today was another beautiful, memorable day on the BMW through mountains, along rivers, and into rolling agricultural lands crossed 220 years ago by Lewis and Clark. Much of the area hasn't changed much during those centuries and I like to believe that it will stay this way for the next few centuries for others to enjoy.

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.