VROC - TPCPFTG & WWR IX

VROC Newport, Wa & Mt Home, Id

Pics are top to bottom, text for a pic is under it, click on a pic for a larger one...

Time for a rally... or two!!!  Epibunny has one in Newport, Wa and I've not been up that way, and Bucky was having WWR IX down at Mt Home, Id.   I had some daze to use up between 'um which is why I was riding amock thru Id, and I had a great time!!!!

Got to see a lot of small town America, stopped a few places to chat with the locals and generally had a great time!!!  Loved it!!!  Thanks for the map Epi!!!  She made one up to run from Newport to Mt Home and I broke it up to use up 3 daze. 

OK, my ready to ride pic!  Ol' squint was ready!  Headed up to visit my oldest in Klamath Falls, Or visit an ol' IBM buddy south of Portland and on to Newport, Wa!

Left my friends place south of Portland, headed up 5 @ 50 miles and caught 12 over towards Yakama, site of an earlier rally - Thanks Rubbergator!!!  Was going thru a small town and saw some places and pulled over.  The spot I was looking at was closed, but next to it was a nice coffee shop, biker friendly - look at the fence pics and in I went.  
 

 

Saw a couple "bikes"!!!  GBG  One was a big'un!

 Might take a leap to get up to this one!!!  Maybe a reach too!  They  had great coffee, and I got to visit with an Aussie that rented a Harley up in Canada, headed to Las Vegas and then back home.  He said he was having a great time!

 
Continued down route 2 across Wa.  and went by a nice lake, had a lunch with me and needed a rest stop.  Real nice!!!   Lots  of campers.  Notice the one that was here to enjoy nature!!!  See the $^@($^_+$) satellite dish sitting there!!!  Geez!!!

This was the bottom end of   Banks Lake - Grand Coulee Dam
 

Made it up to Epi's place and went to find VROC home, missed it and disturbed a couple nice ladies that never heard of 'er!!!  GBG   Back to motel room to type help on the forum and went out for a break when I heard some scoots come up...  Well it was Epi and Mac  Guy!!!!  I went past 'um on the way out and I knew I saw Mac Guy, his scoot has a distinctive sound!  Anyway, I was found and all was good for am meet for breakfast!   Epi had a great place  picked out and it was good.  We kept 'um busy for a few daze!!!!

Here we are pulling in after breakfast at Audrey's.   

Mac Guy, Buzz (Stpbuzz) and Epi.

After my tale of lost, Epi thought better signage was needed.
 

 We know where to put 'um.....

Epi givin' folks pointers!!!

Well, the addy WAS Diamond Lake....... so we had to go down to the water.

Very nice!  Went down on the weekend, and it was BUSY!!!!!

We went for a ride to visit another lake, and the water was clear! Buzz and Epi admiring!

Seeing the bottom was easy!  Beautiful lake!  Almost empty!  ... sad to say....

Where we were....

Nice lookin' resort!   We continued on to a mexican place for lunch.

Somebody said it was time for some "Sherm" pics......

I had a bowl of soup and it was good, but no pic....

On down the road to a rest stop by a lake, lotsa water!!! for a break.   No, Epi was not diving!!!!

It really was a pause for the cause!

Then on to Mt Spokane.... on the way up.

this part was easy!  The second 1/2 was knarly!!!

My way of takin' notes.... 

We were up there!!!  What made it so noticeable was everything else wasn't!!!  Big difference elevation wise!

Just scanning around....

Notice the plastic T?   It was aimed at various lakes in the area and there were > 1/2 doz. of 'um!

Stone house on top....

On my way out of Newport, went by a huge   Lake Pend Oreille

Took route 2 / 200 down to Missoula, Mt, spent the nite, and on to Lolo Pass next day!!!  Been this way once before with a broke camera, a once in a Blue Moon event...  Poured Blue Moon beer in my camera, sigh...   Ya had to be there...  sigh....

This the beginning of the Columbia River just over the top of Lolo pass that begins at the Id. border on rt 12.   There is a sign "warning" drivers, 99 miles of down hill winding road ahead!!!  Gorgeous!!!  Nice and slow, 55 mph and wide sweepers!!!  Beautiful!!!   A MUST DO ride!!!!

Starting to widen up!  The water was very low, but Ya get the idea!!!  By time it gets to Portland, it's @ a mile wide!!!! 

.....bigger...

 You get the idea........  Gorgeous country!!!!!

Note taking again....

One very noticeable trait of wandering thru small town Id was, you go into town and you go waaaaayyyyyy down...  exit.... and you go waaaaayyyyy up!!!  Always, must be the water that makes it necessary.   An example, OK - maybe a tad extreme, was Louiston, Id.

Really down!!!!!

This was the river running into Lewiston...

Walkin' around the Kaw Pasture / Best Western Mt Home, Id and it was a very nice place!  I couldn't afford it so stayed at the Mt Home Inn and it was nice too.  This is the back of the hotel, where the trucks park, I'da thought it woulda been a meeting place down to our standards, but others thought we should meet in the pool area.   

That worked out great as they had a BBQ  and CheapB got the cooking honors on Fri and Sat nite.    That was great as all the folks got to stay and visit -vs- hitting a restaurant and coming back....

Bucky's nice Custom 900,  Black Widow.

Had to get a pic of 'vettes and Mal's scoots, I liked the weed hanging off 'vettes scoot!

Solo and El Nomad

Eric decided to adjust his handlebar angle down for a more comfortable position, looked to good, did the same to Ruby!  Much better!   Have to say, after 5 years, I found some new muscles after riding for a while!

Not much going on Thurs so I headed out rt 20 for a lunch.  Stopped at the Wrangler
in Fairchild for lunch.  It had "best hamburger in town" billed out front, I think that was a tad tongue in cheek, as I think it was the only one!!!  GBG

After that I rode a while and wound up with a 50+ mile trip back on 84 into a strong headwind, not nice, but hey!  Wed and Thur we had some sporadic rain storms, not bad, just some "stuff".

Back at the BW (Best Western), folks were playin'...

Boomer and Shannon just arrived, and he had a chunk flappin' outta his rear tire that took him a day to get fixed.   He went to the Darkside!!!!  I'm surprised, he had no problem getting folks to work on it.  In the bay area, they are real finicky.......

Next day we went to Featherville one of KrazyBob and Barb's favorite places.  It was very nice and had a lake in the area for folks to play.

They also have a nice bar and next door restaurant that delivers to the bar.

Kasey and PhilT on the left and KrazyBob on the right.

Mal getting something.....

Just a pullout for us gawkers...

Solo headed somewhere...

The cooking area in the far back...

KrazyBob and KrazyBarb on the right.

Next day, Mal led us @ 150 mi out to Craters of the Moon.

Going to do a 7 mile loop of the place.

So here is the hill that folks decided to climb...  IT WAS A TRAP!!!   You got to the top THEN you could see the one behind it!!!!!  GBG  Up we went!

Had a nice view from the top...  pant.... pant... pant...   we were up in the altitude!!!

Mal, 'vette and CheapB

Our scoots... way down there and this is a blow up!

I guess the trees will grow anywhere!  

We got lava!

This guy loved 'vette's scoot!   Came over just to take a pic!

Mal left his headlight on....

On the way home with a stop off in Austin, Nv I had a lot of nothing planned, and I was in the middle of it when I saw something that looked like a car in the distance... but it wasn't moving...    Well, I rolled up and she decided to wander off....

Back with her friends!!!  Yeah, open range, no fences!!!  I seem to have run into some stock of late.....

The roads I'd planned, 51 and 225 to Elko didn't show any gas, 195 mi and I thought I could just make it on fumes, knowing I carry gas, but like to plan to make it...  

Well, at the Nv border here was an Indian Chevron place and full grocery store!!!  I was at 95 miles and 2 gal and thought, awwww heck, I can make it and I told that little voice in the back of my head to $*%#)$%!*# it!! Pulled in and got gas!!!!  See gas, buy gas out west!!!

I was following this little creek, slow curvy road, and it had a little water in it and that bothered me as at this time of year, just didn't seem right....  Stopped for a clothing change for a bit..

.... so folks come out here to camp, eh?

Ok, found the water source!!!!  It was low, but it was still wet!!!

Great run!!!! 15 days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight....  almost....

It was solid riding, place to place or runs at the rally's and I think my back was about to #$*)%!$^($_%( at me!!!  Took about 3 days of exercise and stretchin' to loosen up!!!   
Lookin' at my maint log, I've put in 12K miles since first of year, a lot for me and it was all great stuff!!!   Thanks all for the planning and allowing me to run off to new places that  I'da never seen otherwise!!!!