My original plan had me starting out on Sept 1. Since I didn't get moving until the 9th, I'm finding I have a lot less flexibility in my schedule up to the 25th when I need to be in North Carolina for a friends wedding. Working backward, I found that I really only have one day of slop, and after thinking about it for a while, I decided I'd take advantage of that day when I reach Milwaukee on the 20th.
I did figure out a way to route myself though part of Michigan, which is where my parents grew up. I'm spending a few more day's in motels than I'd like for this leg of the trip, and my expenses are going to be higher for the month by a significant amount, that means I'll have to work a bit harder at keeping expenses under control for the remainder.
Finding time to process images is harder than I thought it would be. Part of the issue is not having any real slack in the schedule until after the wedding, another part is that I'm still learning how to best pack the bike, set up and break down camp, set the camera up from the bike, etc.
Day 2: From Anacortes to Spokane, via Hyw 20.
327 Miles
Hwy 20 is a beautiful ride and the color of the river and Diablo & Ross lakes were an amazing shade of green. The day started out a big foggy, but cleared quickly as I moved away from the coast. It remained a cool 62-68 degrees until I dropped into the Methow valley, where the temperature climbed rapidly to a slightly warm 82 degrees. I made a few images but I haven't had time to edit them yet, maybe later today, perhaps tomorrow. THe Methow valley is very picturesque but the mid afternoon sun was less photogenic than I'd hoped. If my final schedule had held up to the realities of life, I'd have started the day in Winthrop which I believe would have be very nice.
By the time I got to the Grand Coulee Dam, it was hidden in the shadows of the surrounding hills, and as I suspected, there was no water coming over the flood gates and I failed to find anything worth photographing. This is of course one of the down sides to trying to photograph while in the process of trying to cover specific distances, where you see potential, it's often the wrong time of day and unless you can interrupt your schedule, your best bet is to enjoy the experience and not worry about missed photo opportunities.
Day 3,4 Spent a few days with my brother Greg
Day 5. From Spokane to West Glacier KOA
300 Miles
Heading north on Hwy 2, it's a beautiful sunny day, very little traffic. Stopped for lunch in Sandpoint, ID. Seems like a pretty nice town, lots of activity. Somehow I missed my entrance into Montana, I suspect it was when I was trying to keep away from the SUV driver who was more interested in texting than driving.
Day 6. From West Glacier to Great Falls Montana
222 miles
Total miles so far: 908
Met a nice couple from Seattle at the camp site. Unfortunately I stayed up too late, and didn't sleep well - I'm still adjusting to the tent/bag/pad. Most bags and pads are really designed for people who sleep on their backs, unfortunately for me, I'm a side sleeper. I spent a good portion of the night trying to get the air mat to the right firmness, and going from being too hot to too cold. I figure a few more nights and I should have it figured out.
A very large section of the forest north of 'Going to the Sun' (the main route though the park) has been destroyed by fire. A few miles of the road are being re-done and is new a dirt one track, well mud actually as they're watering it, I suspect to keep the dust down. More burn area on the east side of the park. I really enjoyed the ride from Logan Pass down to the turnoff onto Starr School road. South of Browning, the road flattens out, but still has some nice curves, the scenery is pretty amazing, off to the left is a huge grass plains that seems to run all the way to the Rocky Mountains. No wonder they call Montana "The Big Sky State". Some times having the sun high in the sky is the only way to get light into canyons, I think I got a few good images, but it will be a while before I really have time to edit them.
