The day dawned bright blue in Missoula without a cloud in the sky. It was time for the ride I had anticipated for several months since reworking Charlie's Missoula-Seattle route to detour off the interstate. The Lewis & Clark Wild and Scenic Highway (Route 12) along the Lochsa River through the Bitterroot Mountains and the Clearwater National Forest beckoned. This would be a day for taking it slow and taking lots of what Marty (trying his best not to sound derisive) calls "snapshots."

Clif, Charlie, and Marty were orginally scheduled to do the route with me. However, Marty wanted to get to Seattle (which he has never seen) so that he could have his bike looked at. Research indicates that the shimmy could be anything from bad wheel bearings to a steering head problem. Charlie had been feeling a bit under the weather and figured that getting to one place and resting was preferable to an additional night on the road. Clif was ambivalent but finally decided to go with them straight across I-90 to Seattle/Renton.

After bidding them farewell, I began to load the bike. A guy and his son had a Gold Wing in the motel parking lot and we started talking. He told me that Rt. 12 was the finest motorcycle ride he had ever taken, and he rides all over the country. That really heightened my expectations.

I headed out from Missoula. In addition to being a (difficult) part of Lewis & Clark's journey, the route also goes through Nez Perce country. These Native Americans got a pretty raw deal (as did so many) back in the late 1800s. I took pictures of the signs to remind me of their story.

I soon left Montana and soon crossed into Idaho. Another new state for me. The time also changed to Pacific time so I figured to buy an extra hour for my ride. I pulled in to the Lolo Pass Vistor's Center to get some information. I watched a few minutes of a Ken Burns documentary they were showing on Lewis & Clark. I'll try to find it on DVD when I get home. Marty suggested the other day that we ought to pack fewer shirts and buy T-shirts of places that we visit along the way. So I promptly bought a Lolo Pass T-shirt. As I was leaving, I started talking to two riders from North Dakota who were on BMW dirt bikes. They were guys about my age and we talked about all sorts of things, including where I had lived when I was in ND back in 1973-74. They seconded the idea that I was about to travel one of the finest roads around. By the time we were finished, the whole time change hour had been eaten up!

If of the banes of motorcycling is a sign reading, "Construction Ahead - Loose Gravel" then surely one of the great joys has to be an early sign on Rt. 12: "Winding Road Next 77 Miles." The road itself was in great condition and the ride was simply incredible. The miles flew by and if the camera hadn't been broken (long story) I know I would have spent hours stopping and taking more pictures. As it is, these few pictures will have to do to give you some idea of what it was like. No burned trees here; just mile after mile or lush green pine forest. Throw in the picturesque Lochsa river further along and it just doesn't get any better. No portfolio of pictures can capture the feeling of such a ride.

After the forest ends, the wheat fields start. The last 100 miles were through lush wheat. The smell reminded me of Weis Bier. The ride ended in Colfax ("Home of the Bulldogs"). I pulled in to the Wheatland Inn around 4:00pm. I had dinner and a beer at Bulldog Pizza.