June 28 2023 Day Twenty Six

 June 28 – Kalispell MT – Day 26

 

I made it to Kalispell MT, and it was quite the ride here from Seattle. I just finished a very good Mexican dinner and am having a few margaritas to write this story. I could’ve stayed at the same hotel I did some 17 years ago when I was here last, but more on that later. 

 

I was up as my usual ride time has been when I’m riding for the day, and I don’t know why it is earlier on those days than my relaxation day.  It might be that once I do wake up and checkout the clock, I start thinking about my packing and how the trip might go for the day that I just can’t relax and sleep longer. Not that I need to because with over a 7-hour trip ahead of me, I might as well get going earlier rather than later. I did get the bike packed and took my shower for today’s ride and while I was getting ready for my ride, I thought I might have to text Steve to see when he’d be back for me to say ‘goodbye’ just as he walks in the front door. Apparently, he was doing the mornings watering that Catherine had to take the car to her morning breakfast meeting, so he was there after all. Because it was chilly this morning, I did go for the full leather up, pulling out my chaps and putting those on as well as a long sleeve shirt and the heavy leather jacket, better to be comfortable instead of cold. I did get a close to 9 am start, that’s Pacific and today I will lose an hour after today’s ride, so the sooner the better.  I’d really like to thank Steve, Catherine and the kids for letting me stay and extending my stay for a day so I could experience a little more of Seattle. It was a great stay and I really enjoyed being able to visit with them.

 

Steve’s direction to the interstate East was easy enough and since I passed a gas station on my way before getting on the freeway, a perfect place to fill the tank, have a breakfast bar and get my morning Mt Dew. Good directions to the interstate and because I had warmed up with the gas stop and heading East away from the morning gloom, I actually started thinking I could’ve skipped the full leather for this trip this morning. That did soon change when I started going thru some of the passes to get over the mountains on the way to the East part of Washington and it didn’t seem that far that I was over them and in the plans of Washington that things did start to warm up. I was surprised along the trip to see a sign to Yakima and how it was only 38 miles from the I90 that I was on because a few days ago when I was planning my trip from Portland around Mount Rainier, I considered going thru Yakima, yep the same Yakima that not only was I head East, but South that maybe I could’ve made a sunnier trip to Mount Rainer. Well, that’s not my stop today that I’ll keep pushing on.

 

Like I had mentioned I was now in the Washington plains and things started warming up quick that once I got to Moses Lake, I saw the seas’ part and figured it was time for a full makeover. Not, quite a full makeover since I still have to wear a helmet, but got rid of the chaps, the jacket, long sleeve shirt and lubed up with sunscreen that now I can enjoy what I’m hoping will be a short ride with only the helmet before a full makeover. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but because the back of the helmet (which I love by the way) has a lip that always gets hung up on my jacket that sometimes I can’t turn my head fully that I really do prefer not to have both the helmet and leather jacket on together. Not that big a deal and I always deal with it without issue. 

 

On to Spokane and I remember this city from last year when I was heading home this way from Portland, today a much quicker trip here than then. I was watching my map ad I knew it’d be soon that I’d be crossing the border into Idaho that I can then get rid of the helmet and ride naked the rest of the way, not fully naked, but no leathers, no helmet and fully lubed. I did make a mistake taking the state line exit because I thought it’d be a quick off and on, but once I found I had to make a few turns for gas I just got back on the freeway and yep, exit 2 will be a good place for gas and getting rid of the helmet, yeah, I jumped the gun with excitement. Got my gas, put the helmet away and checked whether I want to now take the alternate route thru the mountains to Kalispell or stay on the freeway until the last minute. That also included checking the weather that it looks like rain and thru the mountains maybe more likely and over a 4-hour trip that I might as well stick with the speedway because it was only 3 ½ hours and if I hit rain that it’d be easier running the freeway thru rain. 

 

Oh, the other thing coming into Spokane is I did notice the mountains in the background after coming from the plains of Washington state so no wonder they built a city here instead of in the plains, never thought about that before. I’m now enjoying the wind blowing thru my hair, I mean over my bald head, and it sure looks like rain in those there mountains. I do remember this ride from last year home from Portland and much nicer riding it dry and warm which wasn’t the case last year. I did go past the place I stayed at last year, but no reason to stop and take pictures, I just remember. Soon I did have to get off the interstate to head North to Kalispell and I figured a good time once again to get gas, because I don’t know how many gas stations there’ll be a long that way that I might as well be safer than sorry. 

 

Ok heading north and sure enough there are thunderstorms ahead of me. My directions did tell me another 10 miles and I’ll be heading East again instead of North, but for the rain and lighting in front of me I should probably think about stopping soon and gearing up for the rain. I did push on even though the closer and closer I’ll eventually be in the rain and after going thru a town where I saw a couple of bikes parked thought it would’ve made for a good stop. No, I didn’t stop and soon enough that right turn paid off because now I was only riding alongside the rain. Yep, heading north again, but far enough East that I had just missed the rain because for some reason it’s moving from East to West here. I did get cold enough though after having missed the rain that I did have to make a stop to put my jacket on and really no place along the road to pull over, but I did notice that each mailbox did have a patch of pavement that I can park the bike on one of them to leather up. Did just that at a really small house with a light on and if anyone was home, they were probably wondering what I’ve been doing. 

 

So far so good, but it still looks like rain in front of me that I keep praying to mother nature to work with God and keep me dry. I did go thru a nice city by the lake about 17 miles south of Kalispell and as I was going thru thought maybe I should just stop here, some nice hotels and restaurants that I can make those 17 miles up tomorrow. Yep, great thought, but once again I kept pushing on and with a lot of luck got to Kalispell rain free. So far so good with rain on this trip, while I’m knocking on wood that I hope to avoid any other than the little bit that I did hit in South Carolina and Florida. I did punch in directions to the Glacier Harley shop even though it might be too late and eventually I pulled into a bar full of bikes. Nothing but gravel that to get my bike turner around and parked I needed a couple of the bikers to give me a push and they figured I’d be riding for a while because of all the bugs the bike, sure have and the baby needs a wash. I went inside and there were a few gangs here. One guy identified 3 of them and I was amazed, they all get along cuz I’ve been in some places that when one gang is there, no others are allowed.

 

I did ask a guy if he had any suggestions for hotels and he mentioned 2 just up the street, a nice one a cheap one next to a Mexican restaurant that I might as well check them both out. A mile up the road and I pulled into the cheap one which is right next door to the expensive hotel, and I asked a couple who had their bike there what they thought, and they said not so bad and has some remodel done, rate about 130$. I did decide to check out the expensive one and when she said, 230$, I figured I can go cheap. Ok, room booked and apparently not next door to the Mexican restaurant because it’s up the road a bit. Oh well, I get a room, am dry and it’s only for a night that I might as well take it. Not much of a room, but enough to shower, feel human again and head up the street to the Mexican restaurant which I do, and what do I see, Motel 6, the same one I stayed at back in 2006 that if I would’ve drove just a bit further would’ve been right next door. Oh well, like I said I have a room and am dry so that’s all I can ask for tonight. Tomorrow onto the road to the sun.