I think it only fair that all should know just how bad the ride was from Baker City, Oregon to Missoula, Montana actually was. I did the homework the day before, so I knew that it could be a rough one. A 460 mile day on back roads, 2 lanes, is hard enough to do in 8 hours in good conditions and my Garmin was calling for 10 hours. I do not remember the exact time I pulled out of Baker City but I’m pretty sure I was out of there by 8am. Why? No one but me was in the restaurant.
Ok, I was all dressed for battle so off I went. I was still in town gassing up, when the attendant walks up and say’s, “You’re a brave man to be out here on a day like this.” I told him that I’m 3000 miles from home and do not have many choices. Note to yourself for the next part. I have a special shield inside my helmet that stops fogging. Haha! I pulled out of the station in heavy rain and I got 5 miles out and had to stop because I could not see. The shield was fogged over. I take it apart, reseat the anti-fog shield and off I go. Another 5 miles, same thing. Alright, stop 3 coming up and I’ve done maybe 20 miles. I said to myself, “can it be any worse if I just take off the anti-fog shield and leave it off. Bingo! We have success. I left a little crease in the shield and I could deal with the occasional rain splatter in the face and cold air rushing in.
Ok so that battle is done. Now the wind! I have no clue how fast it crossed my path but I swear I came around one corner in 3 gear and 30 mph and the bike almost stopped in it’s tracks!! It was the sensation of the wind that I felt, the bike didn’t actually stop, but I did have to downshift and accelerate. This went on until I reach Council, OR., where I needed a mental break, fuel, and food. There is not much here in this one road town. Lined up on the side of the road is 8-10 dual sport motorcycle similar to mine but smaller. Figured since most where local plates, the place must not be to bad for eats. What a sight I greeted to. Have you ever seen a wet dog after it has been swimming or in the rain for hours? Haha, the floors were soaked and the customers were laughing at them. Me too. Sorry but they were a sad bunch and it made it funnier because they were all 50 or older. They all wanted to know how my ride went and why I didn’t look soaked. It was awful, I told them, and I’m mostly dry. That exterior Klim suit was now worth the money looking at that bunch.
I pulled out of Council and the skies where actually bright overhead but in the distance like a monster waiting to eat me, was the darkness. I was hoping my route turned away somehow, but I knew. The rain was hard at times but what was missing this leg was the wind. I can deal with this. I was also driving so conservative in the corners that I felt like I was scared of my own equipment. I think what it really was, is the wind that beat me down the first leg of the day. I eventually came to my senses and started rolling at my normal pace. I knew the tires would stick but mentally, I was somewhat exhausted.
Here was the last punch in the face! When I travel with Lori, I make my reservations 2 or 3 days in advance unless there is a holiday approaching. That one I will make early. When I travel by myself, I just drive up and take my chances. I went to 8 or 9 different hotels before I finally found one that had rooms. At one point, I was thinking about re-saddling and driving south.
Ok summary of all that was damaged! Remember when I said I stopped to clean that shield 3 times? The rag or towel I was using was in my pant pocket on the exterior shell and I forgot the last time to zip it. Well after about 5-6 hours of taking on water, it finally got though my exterior shell, heated pants, to the jeans, but I was warm because of the heated pants. My tail bag where I mounted the extra fuel tanks? Well the screw holes must be leaking in harsh conditions because I had 1 inch of water standing in that bag. Cloths only, and I only had one set of clean cloths left, so no biggie. My laptop!! It’s safe but the neoprene liner that was wrapped around had a few wet spots. The exterior liner overtop of my computer showed a bit of moisture but the laptop itself, nothing. It worked fine. All in all, everything worked very well except for the stuff that I failed to do properly. Lastly, the length of the leg, the roads selected, and the conditions, mentally beat me up. By morning, I was recharged and ready to roll. Sort of, ready to roll away from the rain.
So this morning after all the weather research I did, I decided to give up Glacier National Park and head south to Yellowstone. I had a few things that had to be done prior to leaving Missoula. I had to do the laundry and I had to re-seal those screws that held my extra fuel tanks. Took me about 2 hours to get all of this done, but I was rolling out of town by 9:30 or 10am.
It was a good plan! I rain into maybe 1 to 2 minutes of sprinkles the entire ride today and by the time I hit Butte, Montana, skies where starting to clear off. I t was a beautiful ride into West Yellowstone and yes I had the camera rolling again.
Tomorrow my new plan for the day is to ride as much of Yellowstone as time will allow. I laid out several waterfalls, hot springs, lakes, and of course Old Faithful. The weather forecast is cold at first, but should warm up nicely. Rain? Very small chance, so my plan to runaway seems to be correct.
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