Tuesday, September 25

I forgot to add that we ate breakfast at Bulldog Diner in Rufus, Oregon.  It was right off the interstate and the first place you see when you take the exit.  There were a few other people in there, friendly waitress, no background music, big space, and a beautiful bathroom.  Kevin order the eggs Benedict and I got an omelet filled with hash browns, cheese, sausage, onions and green pepper with pancakes on the side.  Kevin's eggs were poached perfect and he "really liked" his meal.  My pancakes had just the right crispy edges and done perfect!  My omelet was filling and exactly what I was hungry for.  So if you're out that way I hope they are still around as it is a little hole in the wall stop.

We drove until we hit the Salt Lake area where we stopped for super at The Grille in Tremonton, Utah.  It was about a mile of the interstate but it met all the other criteria-not a chain, not something we can go to at home and not fast food!  The wait staff was very friendly. I took one of her favorites, the chicken cordon bleu with coleslaw and tater tots while Kevin got the meatloaf sandwich with sweet potato fries.  My chicken was good but just slightly hotter than warm-the cheese was hot enough to be melting, the coleslaw had a hint of spice and Dijon mustard, the tots were nice and crispy and the roll was good.  Kevin liked his sandwich. The meatloaf filled the entire sandwich and was probably about 1 1/2 inches thick!!  The fries looked amazing but I did not try one.  It was a nice stop and break.

Kevin said he was still good driving so on we went!  He drove until I thought I saw him nodding!  I had got a power nap in and took over the wheel until we needed fuel.  We traded a few more times and I got the last leg from Ogallala to Fort Calhoun.  Not much to see in the dark and most of you know the terrain of Western Nebraska.

almost home, Kearney Gateway Arch

Time for sleep in our own bed!!

Just a few items I forgot to mention but thought interesting:

- Patience did amazing!!  She needed some attention but not nearly all that she got in 2016.  Kevin did a great job getting her in running condition and with having gone the distance before knew her tendencies and had minor issues to deal with (if you ask me!)  

- travelling with engineers is always interesting and the things they notice compared to me, yep I learn some stuff I didn't know I needed to :)

- along the road in Connell, Washington they have a fenced trail with metal flowers along for decoration!

- evidently huckleberry is big in western Montana area as there was huckleberry everything!  I did not get any but probably should have!

- there is a housing area called Desert Gardens along I-84 without anything visibly green!  and a walking path around nothing but sloping hills of desert

- the restroom in the fuel stop 20 miles west of Laramie, Wyoming is filthy!

- the spirit and determination of the riders and the courtesy of the support crews among each other is amazing

- this is not a sight seeing trip so it great to get the quick chances to catch one

- there is so much high desert in the west!  I knew but did not image how much it really covers

- there are wineries and breweries ALL over Western Oregon!  (nope, didn't stop at any but did try some of the beer at restaurants) 

- the motovan is a bit trickier driving in the wind and around curves than I imagined!

- I just realized how little seafood I ate!!  (now I'm bummed!)

- and most important, if you really want to see this great land...get off the interstates and take the highways!  I know from the riders photos and videos they had the much more scenic drives.

September 24, Monday

We had a terrific meal last night, time to relax with friends before we all depart our separate ways to our regular lives.  The night included awards to youngest, happiest (went to Marty the black lab owned by Beau and Dennis), person who had true spirit of Cannonball (Victor, who celebrated his 76th birthday on the trip), most women (four and for one it was her fourth), second and first place riders (Scott and Dean, respectively).

We bid our support crew farewell as they travel home.  It was great to spend time with these two men.  I believe they enjoyed talking to the other riders and crew members just as much or more than travelling with me (or at least talk motors with them better!).

Here we are on the ride home, I-84 to I-80, easy route!  The western part of Washington and Oregon are just hills and mountains of desert.  It is easy to tell where the rivers are because that is where the irrigation takes place and in the vast view of brown there are small areas of green!  There is just brown with the mountains as far as you can see uninterrupted by any sign of buildings or roads!

The most impressive scene was on I-84 coming into Pendleton.  We climbed up just to see it in the valley surrounded by mountains, another breathtaking view!  We then had to climb up out of there and into the area of the Blue Mountains.  I did not encounter the sharp curves as in previous posts but did have a few where the speed limit was too much for the motovan (I did not really wnat to tip over!)

September 23, Sunday

                                                                             Mt Hood

After breakfast at our hotel we went out to get loaded into the motovan and this was our view!  Not a bad way to wake up :)

We left our final departure from the Fairfield Inn at 11:30.  The boys are all dapper in their vests and hats while I went the team support t-shirt theme for the day.  Another windy day but very nice temperature.  We are looking forward to some more amazing views today as we head to Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington.

From The Dalles, the interstate followed the Columbia River and the landscape changed to mountains there were tree filled.  When we crossed over the river to get to Stevenson we crossed the Bridge of the Gods.  Once again my Corps of Engineer brother graced us with some background information.  This bridge was built in 1920 and in 1938 had to have the entire bridge raised over 40 feet to accommodate river traffic due to the dam raising the water level in the river so much.  How crazy is that!!

We got to the lodge, and Wow!!  Pretty amazing views!  This place is defiantly not on my target for regular lodging!  Once again I am thankful for having my motovan without any trailer, the parking was crazy!  I guess that means there is a lot of people here to see the final parade of bikes come in.  We got checked in, finally, and went off to get our bags unloaded. Wow again!!  Our view is off to the front of the building with a georgous view!!  

view of Columbia River from our room

Two of my favorite people were able to join us, Cameron and Brianna :)  (They took the weekend to drive down and see the sites and some other friends.  They stopped at the beach where  "The Goonies" was filmed.  I need to see that area sometime as well.)  Kevin had a friend, Steve and his daughter, Liz, make a 3-4 hour trip as well to come see us!  Thank you all for your support and time to come visit for such a short time.

Cameron and Brianna

Kevin and Steve

The Cannonball team did a great job at having the bikes come in parade style to allow a fantastic view of each bike and rider, very impressive!  We could not have asked for a more beautiful day!  

We were able to visit and enjoy the relief of Patience finishing another journey.  Now, time to get raady for the final banquet and awards.

Saturday, September 22

It was an early start for us today, 7:30 departure time.  Once again the breakfast thing was a bit much to keep up with.  They ran out of Coffee!!  I only got one cup and we had to go!  I did enjoy the biscuits and gravy, however!  The biscuits were big with a bit of a crisp outside and soft inside to let the gravy absorb into it a bit.  The gravy had good amount of meat and flavor.

We are off for The Dalles, Oregon today.  It is to be a bit warmer today, up into around 70.  We did not leave immediately after the riders left.   We let the bulk go ahead and hopefully let the rush go first.  It was high desert area as we saw much the same as say Wyoming but more mountainous.  The were miles of sage brush and some trees.  There was a lot of irrigation happening yet/  It looked odd to have so much brown and then a spot of green, sometimes even a spot of black (looked like a controlled burn)

The landscape near Kennewick was lined with power line towers and windmills.  I also saw fields with apple trees, corn, grapes and hay- lots of hay!  For much of the last half, the interstate ran along the Columbia River.  We got an excellent view of the Columbia River Gorge but not at a spot to stop to photograph. 

We got in about 12:30, checked into our hotel, got a suggestion for lunch with a coupon for 10% off at Baldwin's Saloon.  Being a little hungry but wanting to save room for supper, I choose a lighter fare of fish tacos.  They were made with halibut and very good.  Jay had a sandwich which he enjoyed.  It was a very nice place with it's renaissance paintings and old time band instruments in the loft area.

We still had some time left to do something so we went to The Dalles Dam.  It was interesting in that I never knew the Corps of Engineering built fish runs on the dams.  Now they just need to train the fish to use them!  We went in the visitors center and got to learn how they changed to river and the mode of transportation of goods.  

The Dalles Dam

for the fishermen:  look how big these are!! 

I never knew they could get so big!

Tonight was windy!  Thank goodness the temperature was nice.  I am happy to say Patience made it again today!  There was one area Kevin was worried about gas but he made it on fumes! (I forgot to say he did run out a few days ago)  We had a few fans again today, thank you for introducing yourselves and for making the trip.

We were treated to a hosted supper from the Sedition Brewing Company.  If you know me, you already know I am not a fan of salmon.  I heard we were being treated to freshly caught salmon that was smoked and then grilled.  Sit down...I ate it and liked it!  It did not seem fishy or as strong as other times I tried...or maybe I was just hungry!  Either way, it was very good.  We were seated outside so we had to hang onto our plates!  There was a live band and one of buildings was getting a mural painted on it and the artist was busy working while we were there.  

No supplies to be bought for Patience as again, just routine plus some tightening of the fuel tank.  Tomorrow we finish with only 51 miles to go before getting to Stevenson, Washington. 

Whew, I'm caught up just in time!  

Friday, September 21

After all the food last night I had to get up this morning and workout before I went down to eat breakfast with Kevin.  We had a scheduled departure time of 9:00 so there wasn't the mass of people as some mornings.  At this Red Lion, they have someone tending the omelet skillets making personal omelets along with the buffet.  We met Jay in the hallway and he mentioned that the bacon was not the regular run-of-the-mill bacon and that we needed to try some.  It was meatier than usual and it was tasty! 

On our way to the departure, I took a good look at the rose bushes I was passing and noticed they had humongous rose hips!!  So pretty, pink roses with those huge red rose hips.

We are off for Spokane Valley, Washington today.  It was another amazing day even on the main road!  We had a bit cool day with sunny skies.  There were more lakes and rivers to gaze upon and wonder what it would be like to live in such a mesmerizing place!  We were able to catch a spot overlooking one of the lakes and get some photos.

There were other lakes with lodges, cabins, houses and houses on the lake islands!  What a fun place to get to hang out and enjoy.  There were boaters and fisherman out today.

We got lucky and saw another spot with a bunch of vehicles stopped and figured there must be something we need to see as well.  And there was!!  We found a spot that had a small hiking trail to see a swing bridge and some waterfalls.  I should have videoed it for you but here are a few photos.

Kootenai Falls

swinging bridge

The bridge has a sign stating that only five people at a time can be on it.  It shakes and bounces as you cross it, so not much for the faint of heart.  I was well worth the hike.  The water in the river was so clear you could see the rocks on the bottom.  The color had a glacier turquoise tint which makes you feel cold just looking at it!  

We went through Idaho which was a tree lined road with small towns along the way.  I don't recall seeing any potatoes!  

Since we made a few stops along the road today, we were able to get checked into the hotel and then figure out where to finish point was.  We had a hosted night at the Lone Wolf Harley-Davidson.  We were given tacos and salad but if you decided that was not to your liking, they had two food trucks there with ribs, brisket, wings and brats for sale.  They had a live band and multiple vendors inside with items for sale.  The turn out of people was once again fabulous, this time the biggest I believe.  Kevin again had some fans stop by (again, thank you for purchasing a t-shirt :)  The distance they drove is heart warming.  Just knowing they are so interested and caring to take the time to come see the bikes and the respect they have for the riders and mechanics.

The night was beautiful!  It seemed everyone was out in the hotel parking lot just having fun.  Some were relaxing because their bikes were no longer running but they were going to the finish regardless.  Others were relaxing because they, the rider, were broken but are continuing the trip until the end.  And there were a few birthdays being celebrated.  Some just didn't have much to do, like Patience-again!  (She does have a small fuel issue but Kevin is choosing to leave her alone since she is working so well otherwise.)  It was a perfect night to go and socialize!

Thursday, September 20

We left from Great Falls this morning an hour later than scheduled due to the low morning temperatures and concern of some icy spots with all the moisture.  Kevin overslept causing him to miss breakfast and only had a PayDay candy bar this morning.  He was not delayed in starting and took off just fine!  Today is her big day...she gets to do the Going-to-the-Sun road in Glacier National Park! 

We did not leave early enough to do the park route so we had breakfast at the hotel before leaving for Kalispell, Montana.  Jay was excited the restaurant had eggs Benedict!  We both ordered them and Mark ordered the breakfast burrito.  I'm not sure there was a tortilla shell anywhere in his burrito but he said it was very good.

Great Falls has the art covered Buffalo in their city.  This one has it's home in the Best Western Plus lobby.

Our drive today took us on a two lane highway to Kalispell.  We first saw just land without a road or house for as far as one could see!  It was crazy to see all this uninterrupted land except the occasional fence.  To have that much space is wild!  Mark did tell me the state of Montana has about one million people...so does the metro area of Omaha!  This vast open road lasted until we crossed over mountains and then there were more rivers and lakes along the road.  We did get a spot to pull off for some photos.  A few of the lakes had boaters fishing while the rivers had an occasional fly fisherman.  

The ride was just beautiful!  Lakes surrounded by evergreen trees, rivers lined with trees changing into their fall colors and the fields again golden yellow and rust.

When we got into Kalispell, it has an old town area lined with old buildings filled with shops and restaurants.  The street poles all have huge lush flower baskets hanging on them. 

Patience came in today having done so well again!  She climbed the Going-to-the-Sun road and came home needing the routine maintenance and I believe just a small something else.  

here comes Kevin and Patience

the crowd at the Red Lion Hotel in Kalispell

With such an easy night, we were able to all walk to get supper.  We were given several selections from the hotel personal which also rated very well on Yelp.  Well everyone else had the same idea because there was a 45 minute wait at the first two places we tried!  The third try was successful with immediate seating and also reviewed well.  Sykes Diner did not disappoint!  We had fast and friendly service, the food was delicious and we left very full!  I had the chicken fried steak which they had marked as a specialty.  It was one of the best I've had!  It was crispy coating, meat that was not gristly, gravy with a hint of spice and loaded with sausage and a scoop of real mashed potatoes with the skin included!  I ate it all and it should have really given me several meals!  But wait, as if my belly wasn't full enough Kevin had to ask about the pie!  Yep, pie to fill all the small cracks and crevices of my belly!  Coconut cream for me, apple for Kevin ( ala mode by mistake) and strawberry/rhubarb ala mode for Mark.  Jay was the only reasonable one to abstain.  The pie is homemade and the crusts were accented with decorative cut pieces of crust.  Apples on the apple pic, small stars on the coconut and bigger stars on the strawberry/rhubarb.  The special touch that shows love and care went into the process!

So the reason this day is late because after all the belly filling, I walked back to the hotel and immediately went into a food coma!

Oh dear!  It has been a bad blog week for me as you can tell and I apologize.  It may not be a surprise to some that my love of socializing had interfered with my correspondence to you.  So without further ado, let me catch you up!

On Wednesday the 19th we left Billings with predictions of some rain and cool temperatures in the 50's.  The breakfast situation was a bit hectic as the staff was not well prepared for everyone to eat so early at once!  Kevin and I ate together but the guys waited until after the crowd left.  With me not eating with them they got to choose where to eat.  Since there are no Cracker Barrels in Romania, that is where Jay wanted to eat.  He had the hashbrown casserole and he sold Mark on trying it as well! I believe both left with happy tummies!

Our drive was a mix of rain, overcast and some sun.  The area was more populated than the stretch the prior day.  We could at least see some farms and houses!  There seemed to be more pastures with cattle.  There were more trees on the mountains scattered on the mountains as well.  We also saw a number of lakes that had houses built around them.  As we got further into the mountains we had to go through a beautiful pass!  I wish I would have thought of it sooner to have someone video the drive it was that spectacular!  It is definitely different taking the curves in the motovan as opposed to my car! 

When we arrived in Great Falls, Montana it was chilly and wet.  We meet the riders at Big Sky Harley-Davidson shop.  Some of the riders had their support go to the nearby North40 store for warmer clothes while others, including Kevin, picked up some warmer apparel along the way!  The shop had planned ahead and everything for the hosted supper of pulled pork was inside allowing all to be warmer and drier.  They were nice enough to include cold beverages but the coffee was the real hit! The weather did not deter the crowd from coming!  People came from hours away to see the riders and bikes!  There was even a group of vintage cars that pulled in to visit.  I always love to hear how excited they are and how they have been following along with the event.  Kevin had a few of his AdvertureRider fans show up and introduce themselves! (and thank you for purchasing a shirt :)

these little scooters are along for the entire ride!

a chilly crowd at Big Sky H-D

Kevin and Patience coming in

With the weather not being the most hospitable and Patience needing only the routine maintance, the guys were able to take care of her in the van.  This left plenty of time for Jay to do some homework, Mark to chance some winks and Kevin and I to go socialize!  A bit later Kevin caught some winks and Jay came down to socialize.  We were sitting with a friend that could not eat all her artichoke cheese dip so I had to help her out!  It was a very relaxing night after such a yucky day of riding.