cont.

Day 11: Thursday 19th July: Wild-camp WY to Billings MT

327 miles


photo. Dawn revealed it was quite the location after all!

Despite setting up camp in the pitch dark (other than my head-torch of course), it turns out I'd found a pretty cool spot after all!

The two-track had led up a rough climb to a saddle on the ridge-line, and I factored that if vehicles had been here before, then it was probably a decent camping location - however, as it turned out, there was very little flat area to pitch a tent on, and the saddle itself was a funnel for a brisk evening wind that blew up the moment I unpacked my bag and set up the most simple camp I could - just my tent, my air-mattress, pillow and sleeping bag - the rest of my gear could stay on the bike tonight!

As the wind lashed at my hastily pegged-out rain-fly, for a few moments I did consider moving everything down the hill a bit - but tiredness soon overcame me, and I hunkered down with my earplugs, still in most of my clothes... Fortunately, the wind eventually died down overnight and everything was beautifully calm and quiet when I awoke the next morning.





Having woken at 6am, and not had much stuff to pack away - I was back on the trail in good time, and made fast progress north along the backbone of the Big Horn Mountains. I would appear there were a number of alternative routes I could have taken towards Ten Sleep (the next nearest fuel and food point according to my map), but by electing to stay in the high country until the last opportunity - I was rewarded with not only a spectacular 'big reveal' view as I descended into the valley, but to top it off, the final few miles into town was along a doozy of a sandy two-track trail... according to my GPS it had an official road name: Juniper Rd - but in all honesty was more of an OHV trail that wound it's way up and down like a rollercoaster above the sleepy town just to the north. Spot on!


photo. I would of course have eaten here, were it open... instead I had to make do with a burger for breakfast a few doors down.

Like that infamous scene in the Michael Douglas movie Falling Down, I had missed the breakfast cut-off by 2 minutes (11.02am), so instead had to make do with the lunch-menu for breakfast - but unlike Michael, I wasn't about to complain - it was no bad thing if I'm honest, and by the time I'd made my way though that mammoth bacon cheese burger and fries, I considered it was now time for an ice cream too!

I'd already ridden the best part of 90 miles of dirt this morning, and was essentially 3/4s of the way across the state now - ahead of my target to make Montana by the weekend, which would allow me the maximum time to explore* before I had to start making my way further west.

*As some of you may recall from my Northern eXposure ride report from last year, originally I'd not considered the middle of Montana much more than a way to get from the Canadian border to the Beartooth Highway reasonably quickly, as part of my journey east... however, just a few miles of dirt in and I realised I'd stumbled into prime adventure and dual-sport riding country, and actually spent the next fours days (basically as long as I could, before I absolutely had to continue east to meet my prior commitments) plotting and track-logging my own 'Trans-Montana Trail' BDR style route right through the heart of the state, and that this year I wanted to go back and expand upon...

By this stage of the trip, I'd also made a few decisions that would ultimately punctuate the final stage/s of the journey back home to California. I'd already committed to a series of presentations at the Horizons Unlimited Can-West event that was being held in Nakusp BC towards the end of August (23-26th - so if you're in the area please do come along!), but that was still more than a month away, and to be quite honest, I'd haemorrhaged money over the past couple of weeks, and didn't really relish chasing my tail and filling in time for another four weeks on the road.

Of course I could have lived like an animal and wild-camped in the wilderness for a while (not really my style if I'm honest!), and I'm also fortunate to have a number of friends in both Alberta Canada and Idaho whom I consider close enough to, and be not too much of a burden, as to be able to bunk with for a few days if I were passing though... but I was also very conscious that I'd hardly spent any time in California this spring/summer, and that a couple of weeks of home cooking and some keyboard time (to catch up with this huge ride report) was probably exactly what I needed to reset my sanity after all the relentless riding I'd been doing.

Fortunately I have a very good friend who had recently moved his family back to Boise ID, and had extended just such an invitation to stay with them if I were passing through... so via text, email and online flight reservations - a plan was hatched to spend a couple of days riding with them, then leave my bike at their house while I flew back to California for a couple of weeks. I'd then return to Boise on the 18th of August to host a presentation afternoon at the local BMW dealer there (BigTwin Motorcycles), before carrying on northwards to meet my commitments in British Columbia the following weekend. Sorted!

So now the pressure was on to make the most of the time between now and then to reccy as much as I could in Montana, then take the southern section of the Idaho BDR (yes, I'd packed that map too, but again forgotten to download their official GPS track) to meet up with Neil and his family by the following weekend.


photo. You don't need a centre stand to lube your chain, just find a handy trail-side log ;o)

The final dirt leg in Wyoming took me cross country again to eventually intercept some of the 'Gold Roads' on the Butler map - including the spectacular Medicine Wheel Passage that drops more than 5000ft down the west face of the Big Horn Mountains from around 9000ft to under 4000ft once you've reached the river and town of Lovell. I debated 'one more trail' and perhaps finding somewhere to [wild] camp again... but after three huge days in the saddle and two nights under canvas, punched in the location of the nearest hotel in Montana that wasn't priced at a premium being part of the 'Gateway to Yellowstone' (seemingly being located within 100 miles in any direction of the National Park earns you that moniker!), and ended up in Billings - another eighty odd miles away!


photo. It was indeed a 310, heading north.

More soon!

Jenny x

Day 12: Friday 20th July: Billings MT to the most awesome trail in all Montana!

257 miles

I have to say, it does take some discipline to not have a second waffle at a Super-8 each morning. I'd elected to stay in Billings Montana last night, as I felt it was close enough to where I wanted to start my 2018 exploration (Big Timber), but without the expense or going over old ground that would involve staying in Livingston which is where I'd ended up last year after my epic river crossing foray.

However, when I tapped 'Big Timber' into my GPS as I rolled out of the carpark, I realised I actually had 83 miles of Interstate to endure before the good stuff. Hey ho. iPod it is then...


photo. I felt like I was in the Matrix here... this is my GS, in southern Montana 2018...


photo. and this is my XT in eastern Utah 2009.

I'd already uploaded my previous trip track-logs into my GPS, and the nice thing about the Garmin Montana is that you can select individual tracks to show on screen or be hidden as required, and also set them to display in a range of colours... In effect, I now had last year's network overlaid on the main maps, and could therefore plot my further exploration in relation to the previous year, and hopefully end up with a comprehensive network of 'proved' routes, that I could ultimately connect into a definitive 'Trans-Montana Trail' for the future...

Last year's route essentially connected the north western corner (near Glacier National Park, which includes the famous Going-to-the-Sun highway) with the Beartooth Highway (another Butler Gold Road, and world-renowned mountain highway) that crosses into Wyoming a little east of Yellowstone NP.

In between there was some prime adventure bike and dual-sport riding to be had - long stretches of unpaved gravel and dirt roads, punctuated by more technical OHV and Jeep trails. Although much of eastern Montana is flat, like Colorado, there is suddenly a defined ridge of mountains half way across the state (a continuation of the Rockies no less) that offers a wealth of more technical adventure riding potential, including dramatic elevation changes, forests, high plateaus... and like the big sky all around you, it's endless!

My plan for the weekend ahead was two-fold - to explore essentially a long loop sector north east of Great Falls (which I'd not had time to visit last year on my way through), plus revisit the Lewis & Clark National Forest to the south of Great Falls, where I'd noted any number of [presumably more technical and challenging] OHV trails off my main through-route... and fundamentally, to try and find the 'correct' way out of the maze of trails just north of the Crazy Mountains, where I'd had to wade my bike through a series of flooded creek crossings, and somewhat embarrassingly ended up in the front yard of a rather fancy hunting lodge (fortunately it appeared no one was home that evening ;o)


photo. Last year, on my CB500X - what do you mean you've not read Northern eXposure already?!

However, before I embarked on that particular task (planned for later than afternoon), I thought I'd take the opportunity to reccy a few more modest trails that could offer an alternative outside of the seasonal closure (note. the mountain trail in question was only open from the 15th June to the 15th of September), or for bigger bikes for example.


photo. The Village People's retirement ranch...


photo. So close, but ultimately denied by a locked gate!

The trails directly to the north of Big Timber were simply all-weather access roads to ranch property on either side - pleasant enough to be away from the paved highway running parallel of course, but ultimately once I got due west of Two-Dot (crazy name, crazy town), I had no choice but to retrace my steps - over and hour and a half of my time, and more importantly 50 miles of precious fuel wasted - as there was no public though route to join with Cottonwood Rd that led up into the mountains.


photo. It appears to be the only place in town actually. And there is no fuel near here either.

Still, it wasn't long until I was back on my route from last year, winding up the rough road that leads to Forest Lake (plenty of dispersed camping options up here should you wish)...


photo. Last year I was here much later in the day, in the pouring rain - wondering if I'd made the right decision to try and cross over a 8000ft mountain pass in a thunder storm...

I have to say, this time I simply breezed across the meadow and pasture - winding my way on the two-track between cattle grazing, birds tweeting - it was like a scene from the sound of music!


photo. This is the point I elected to head straight downhill (on a faint track) last year, which ended in a series of creek crossings, trying to reach the Shields River Rd less than 3 miles away according to my GPS map.

The obvious track was indeed the one above (complete with trail number signage), but on reaching the crest, I was faced with a dubious looking narrow downhill on loose shale, with what looked like little opportunity to turn around should the trail eventually peter out. Of course had I the forethought to try and source an official OHV map of this area, it would have revealed if this were a dead end or not... as it was, I was relying on my GPS mapping software, which even using the TOPO maps, did not show a connecting trail in this area.

So, I felt it only prudent to head directly downhill again - as I had last year - and see if there was a more obvious way out that I'd missed last year in my desperation to cross the creeks before nightfall.

Of course, on a bright sunny afternoon, coupled with a closer look at my GPS maps, there was an obvious route out by turning Left (rather than Right, the natural direction, and which I'd taken last year) - doh!

However, in a double doh! - while this was clearly an established track, it was sort of dubious whether I was still on public land or not. And not as it turned out. I'd almost made it to what I considered was the public road (which led to a campground not far from here), when a huge horse trailer pulled up in front of me - not aggressively you understand, but making it quite obvious that there was no intention to let me pass.

Knowing the best way to defuse any tension is to immediately remove my sunglasses and helmet, I smiled apologetically at the lady driving the truck and exchanged a series of increasing pleasantries - thank goodness.

She was not the landowner herself, but informed me that the trail I was on [although in the GPS] was not a public road, and that this was not the first time people had ended up on their property in an effort to find the way down off the mountain. I stopped short of revealing that I'd actually been here before (ahem), and instead asked if she knew if there was a [public] through route from the trail I'd been on further up the hill... and in a scene reminiscent of my run-in with the Rangers in Idaho when I'd been pioneering my own route to join the new TAT with the old on Trinity mountain back in 2015, she reached into the cab and opened up a huge paper map of the area marked with all the official trails - result!

A quick glance was all that I need to commit the necessary trail numbers to my short-term memory, and I was on my way again with an series of contrite waves goodbye to her and the ranchers gathering their horses.

The evening was drawing in now, but armed with this golden information, I wasn't going to let this opportunity pass by, nor even wait until morning to finally join the two trails together!



photo. Heading back into the mountains, this time a little further west from neighbouring Smith Creek Rd.


photo. this is looking promising!


photo. Bingo! Bloody bingo!


photo. All the effort had been worth it!

Yes, as the sun was slipping rapidly away, I'd finally managed to join the two trails, and prove a perfectly legal route through these mountains (albeit still subject to the seasonal restrictions mentioned above of course), it was a tiny triumph indeed!


photo. This is at the top of the steep narrow trail I'd stopped at a few hours previously - turns out it is a legitimate through route after-all, although it is quite challenging in places - including tight switchbacks and off-camber side-slopes to negotiate...


photo. ...and not least this 50" bridge - only motorcycles and ATVs allowed beyond this point.

Elated, I retraced my route back down the hill - factoring that I needed to exit this way (west) anyway in the morning, and try and find somewhere to camp tonight... I'd noticed a nice flat level [parking/staging] area prior to the 50" gate a few miles back, that ought to serve such a purpose well.


photo. a deep and muddy bog-hole which I'd managed to avoid on the way down into the valley, caught me off-guard on the way back out!


photo. simple stealth camping at 7500ft.

It was such a balmy evening, I didn't even consider fitting the fly to my tent (note. I chose my Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 tent specifically as it can be erected as a self-supporting mesh 'bug-hut' on firm/hard ground as needs be, or pegged out with the rain-fly as required), and I slept soundly with my smelly stuff hung in a nearby tree, and my knife, lighter and can of WD40 (as a makeshift flame thrower ;o) to hand - should the local wildlife take a fancy to my deodorant or Clif bars.


photo. this is why I carry camping gear...

It had been a good day today!

Jx

Day 13: Saturday 21st July: Wild-camp on the Joint trail MT to another wild-camp somewhere else in MT

218 miles

I have to say, I was starting to enjoy being off the grid now... camping right on the trail meant there were no distractions other than my own coffee brewing facility, and I was all packed and rolling again just after 7am. Trusting my fuel range gauge on the bike was accurate (currently still showing 104 miles remaining), I decided I had enough margin to explore a little more en route to a suitable refuel, and see if what appeared on my GPS to be a network of through roads to the north, correlated to what was actually on the ground.

On the whole, the unpaved/dirt road information shown in the Garmin City Navigator mapping software (in the US at least) is surprisingly detailed - each twist and turn and junction accurately represented, and can be routed along just as if they were paved highways - typically making it easy to follow your chosen route through a myriad of side-trails, once you've put an initial destination waypoint in... However, you have to keep in mind there is no distinction between an old logging road that may have been cut (and mapped) 50 years ago and subsequently returned to wilderness, and a definitive 'road' that remains in constant use. There is also no indication whether a particular road is public or private either... which can make initial route planning on-screen a little tricky. Once on the ground it's not usually a issue, as most dirt roads [in City Navigator] are considered public rights of way unless specifically posted, and unfortunately in this instance, what seemed to be a well-used continuation of the initial access trail through an OHV network ended ominously with this sign:


photo. I really was in the middle of nowhere, and only a few miles from the highway too - but it wasn't worth the risk...

I used this enforced retreat as the perfect excuse to explore some of those OHV trails that I'd passed by earlier - not least so that I wasn't directly retracing my steps (I always hate to do that in these circumstances) - but at the same time mindful that while the GS was seemingly sipping fuel at an incredibly frugal rate during these exploratory trail conditions, I was still a good distance from anywhere that might allow me to refuel without significantly diverting from my intended route for the day.


photo. another 50" gate (concrete posts) - most of the OHV trail network here is for motorcycles and ATVs only.

With no choice but to ultimately rejoin the same route out as I'd plotted last year, at least I recalled there was an independent gas station a few miles south (on the main highway) with old-style pumps - that should be open now it was after 9am on a Saturday morning. As it turns out, I can confirm that Dales Fuel in Clyde Park also has a 24 hour pay-at-pump facility, along with their existing crank-handles. There is also a killer coffee stand on the lot opposite. Breakfast was served.

This minor detour meant that on my way back to join my intended route west, I noticed an alternative and parallel trail to the otherwise paved road that led to a small mountain range in the distance. This was an absolute corker - a proper 'green lane' as we'd call it in the UK - typically two-track between a wide fence-line on either side, and undulating just enough to ensure you were never quite sure what was over the next horizon - wonderful stuff!


photo. Checking in after a night out in the wilds - I factored I'd be guaranteed a strong 3G signal here...

Flathead Pass crosses through the middle of the Bridger Range [of mountains] just to the north of Bozeman, and is a proper 'Jeep' trail - easy enough on the climb up to the pass itself from the east, but much more rocky, rutted and loose on the west side - and I admit I was glad I'd chosen to navigate this particular stretch in this direction! Again, as with many of the through routes in this part of the state, there seemed to be a network of alternative and potential even more challenging OHV trails leading tantalisingly into the forest on either side - some of which I'm sure would have reconnected to where I was heading - so many trails, so little time. Still, as I always say, it's always worth leaving something to come back for.

Certainly it would have been very easy to lose sight of the task in hand, which was to continue to prove a series of interconnected dirt roads and trails, ideally punctuated by more technically challenging sections where appropriate, as a definitive 'through route' that was not too convoluted.

It was a pleasant if not especially taxing ride from the ghost town of Maudlow alongside the Sixteen Mile Creek heading north, then out into more open country under clear blue skies, perfect. However, on glancing down at my GPS, I noticed the screen had started glitching on and off between the hardwired cradle and battery power. What the hell is going on now then?

I stopped at the side of the trail and initially checked the fuse - turns out the two 12v auxiliary circuit/s actually share the same fuse as the dash so I knew it wasn't that... and since the GPS seemed to be working fine on just it's internal battery power, deduced it had to be something in the wiring between the cradle and the loom... Mind you, I wasn't going to start delving any deeper than that at the side of the road until I'd had some lunch - priorities and all that you know!

Fortunately, I knew a great diner in White Sulphur Springs (the Branding Iron Cafe) a few miles away, which not only serves a mean fried-chicken sandwich and fresh-fruit milkshake, but has a covered patio area to one side, under which I was able to dismantle the front end and sort the damn wiring while staying out of the sun...


photo. this is what is most tedious about this bike - the fact you have to remove half the bodywork just to get to anything - including the auxiliary connectors behind the headlamp cover.

Ultimately it turns out the issue was a broken wire inside the connector I'd fitted to the GPS power cable (note. the power wires on the Garmin cables are very thin), and I was able to disassemble the connector, bodge-crimp the wire and terminal with my Leatherman pliers, and seal it all together again - using a dollop of Quik-steel around the wire itself in an effort to stop it from vibrating and snapping again*. I also took the opportunity to re-route the cradle cable so that the connector was more easily accessible (behind the headlight bulb) without having to remove any of the bodywork in future.

*note. should you decide to hardwire your own Garmin power cable into a typical auxiliary connector socket, I recommend sealing/seating them with some clear silicone sealant (some connectors come with little rubber grommets, but silicone is still better in this application)... but in this instance, Quik-steel had to do.


All this frikking around in the hot afternoon sun meant it was now after 5pm (and two huge buckets of Pepsi) before the bike was all back together again and I was ready to hit the road... I topped off with fuel, stocked up on water and Clif bars, and headed back out into the wilderness with the intention of simply riding on until it was almost dark, and find somewhere to camp trail-side again.


photo. this was a pretty trail down off the mountain, but again it would appear the official trail petered out into private property.

As the evening started to draw in, so too clouds began gathering directly ahead over the higher ground - although fortunately my intended route would ultimately drop down and head north again, away from the brewing storm. Continuing the theme of the day, I then took a punt on a marked OHV side trail that I hoped would provide an alternative to a route I'd already ridden before...


photo. Ah, this didn't look good... although you can see to the left of the picture, there is a potential way down and into the creek itself...


photo. ...which I took, obviously ;o)

Although initially this appeared to be a well-established trail (complete with an OHV route marker at the beginning), it started to deteriorate as it wound it's way down into the valley, and eventually led into open pasture... covered in literally hundreds of sheep - who, being sheep, all decided it would be a great idea to funnel together and run along the trail directly ahead of me!


photo. Oh no - please don't... shoo, go on, shoo!

I stopped short of creating an outright stampede, not knowing exactly what to do now. On the horizon I could see a gate in the distance, and these wooly bastards knew that too. Fortunately a pair of Pyrenean Mountain dogs soon appeared on the fringes of the throng, and in what presumably was a well-rehearsed scenario, started to guide them away from the main trail and back onto the open range - thank goodness!



I waited contritely to see if their handler was about, so that I might proffer some sort of apology (certainly if this was England or Wales, I'm pretty certain that at any moment an irate farmer would have stormed up on a quad-bike and given me a good ticking off), before gingerly skirting around the remainder of the flock and making a bee-line for that gate in the fence ahead. Phew!


Back on the highway, I concluded that I'd probably strayed onto private land after all (although in my defence I'd stuck religiously to the trail, and there were no signs demarking any public/private boundary that I noticed), and so headed for the National Forest to the north and picked up on last year's trail along the Judith River where I knew there would be a number of camping options - dedicated or otherwise.

As it turns out, trying to find a vacant spot in a dedicated campground on a Saturday night in high season is more of a task than I imagined - even this far out in the boonies! Certainly every pitch I passed was seemingly crammed with a huge travel-trailer and collection of quad-bikes, camp-fires burning, beers-a-swilling and a general party atmosphere which would not be at all conducive to a solo traveller trying to get some sleep after a hard day on the trails...

I finally found rough patch of ground just off the road and next to the creek itself. Electing to install the fly-sheet tonight - if only to afford some degree of privacy - I endured the inevitable drone of a late-night RZR rodeo back and forth along the road nearby, until sleep finally overtook me.

Still. I was likely to be up and long gone the next morning before any of my neighbours awoke.

More soon...

Jenny x

Day 14: Sunday 22nd July: Judith River Basin MT to Highwood Mountains MT

369 miles (yes, I went the long way round!)


When I rode though this region last summer at the end of June, I was denied riding a seasonal Motorcycle/ATV OHV trail (50" gate again) by a single day - so part of the reason for stopping here last night was so that I might ride that particular route, and in turn prove some of the trail network at higher elevation, including the Ettien Ridge [road] - J821 - which is a pukka long-distance Jeep-trail alternative to the otherwise more mundane gravel access road that runs alongside the Judith River.


photo. one of the overlooks along Ettien Ridge.

I have to say, this was an excellent decision on my part - while the lower elevation gravel road is a great way to cover ground quickly back and forth (especially if you're tugging a huge 5th-wheel camper), and ideal as a 'big bike' ADV route - which is probably why Butler mark it on their map as such - the alternative high-line trail is much more what this particular bike is all about!

Starting out on a narrow rocky two-track (don't forget this is a 50" trail), it emerges from the forest onto a high plateau alpine meadow (which would be perfect for wild camping) - then heads higher to T-join the rough trail along the escarpment. I chose to prove it in both directions, but ultimately headed north towards Utica, as still being early morning, breakfast was calling...


photo. as the trail began to decent (quite steeply in places I would add!), I noticed a series of rubber ridges embedded diagonally across the trail - these are to deflect rain water away and protect the main surface of the trail from washing out - neat!


photo. at the north end of the Ettien Ridge trail there is a sizeable creek crossing - it was also far deeper and more rocky than it first appeared too - no problem in a 4x4, but on a bike with luggage you really need to take care.

I rolled up outside the Oxen Yoke Inn in Utica with my feet still soaking after that final creek crossing, and dripped my way to a table, eager for breakfast - only to be informed that they only offer lunch and dinner... Not to be deterred, I agreed that 10am was a perfectly acceptable time to tackle their 'garbage burger' (which comprises 3/4lb of beef that's been stacked with pretty much everything in the kitchen - including mushrooms, fried onions, bacon and cheese!), and set about planning the next stage of today's route.

I was leaving the mountains behind now, for a while at least - choosing to head north towards Havre through the heart of the Upper Missouri River National Monument, which appeared to comprise more open desert terrain.


photo. I elected to try and stay off paved highways as much as I could as I wound my way north towards Winifred - the last chance of a refuel before hitting the desert for 100 miles or more...


photo. the same bridge from the far side... heading down to Christy Bottom (yes, that made me giggle).


photo. this was a 'shortest route' gamble that didn't pay off... looks like there had not been a bridge here for a long time!


photo. The trail north from Winifred requires you to cross the Upper Missouri River by boat!

Fortunately the ferry crossing is a seven-day-a-week operation (although more limited hours on a Sunday), and I pressed on along a sweeping sandy trail, wondering how many people actually make use of this service, since it really is a very remote dirt road through open desert country!


photo. the ferry docks on the north shore, and you call it over by switching on a handheld walkie-talkie in a post box, and pressing the button!


photo. I asked the operator how much traffic he typically sees each day, and he replied "We've been busy today - you're the 13th passenger!" - while 10 tends to be the average!


photo. you can see why they [still] utilise a ferry - building a bridge of this span would be hugely expensive for so little traffic.

I tipped the ferryman (although there is no actual charge to cross in either direction) and continued northwards at a good pace on the well-maintained gravel road - having been informed it was still 80 miles or more across the Bear Paw Mountains before I'd reach civilisation again.

It was a pleasant enough ride, away from any traffic, people, and indeed other than the odd fence and cattle-gate, any sign of human activity whatsoever to be honest - this was remote! But I was starting to feel the compound effect of being on the road without a break for a good number of days now - long days, with plenty of off-road/trail and more technical riding to punctuate many more mundane hours in the saddle. The bike was also starting to feel a little 'tired' now too - the cush drive [rubbers] I'd replaced back at around 5000 miles were now completely shot again, and you could feel the transmission 'shunting' back and forth on a constant throttle, particularly on the washboard surface. That increasing wear in the rubbers resulting in fore-aft play had now resulted in an increasing side-to-side play in the actual sprocket-carrier bearings too - there was nothing I could do about it right now of course, but I was mindful that an actual bearing failure out here could potentially be catastrophic.

I followed my outlined route through the Bears Paw Mountains, with, if I'm honest, an increasing lack of enthusiasm... I guess I'd been spoilt by all the epic trails I'd found further south in mountains during the previous few days, and while I usually love the desert, this just wasn't 'doing it' for me today.


photo. south of the Bears Paw Mountains - beautiful scenery!

My plan was to loop back south towards Great Falls (having now seen enough of this region to decide that other than the ferry crossing itself, there was little to commend it as part of any 'definitive' Trans-Montana Trail), and to finally start heading west for Idaho in the next couple of days - again, punctuating an obvious direct route with any choice side-trails I happened to find.


photo. easy going open country meant I'd been able to cover a lot of ground today...

I was starting to run a little low on fuel again by now, and being unable to cross back over the river at Virgelle (another ferry, which at this time on a Sunday evening was almost certain to have stopped running), I took the next available crossing - a bridge - at Loma, where the river was far more narrow than it had been further east - and gambled there would be fuel at Geraldine (the direction I wanted to be heading), rather than have to route via the relative metropolis of Fort Benton on the main highway a few miles further on...

And I'm glad I did, as the 'shortest route' function again led me down a corking alternative to the main dirt-road (photo above) which was already enjoyable...


photo. Hidden below the horizon, Chalk Bluffs Rd was a delightful sandy two-track that skirted the rim of this shallow canyon...

Zig-zagging my way south to eventually join the highway, I rolled into the no-horse town of Geraldine a little after 8pm... There was no sign of life, or even anywhere I might get something to eat or drink, never mind sleep - thank goodness for 24h pay-at-pumps!


photo. Square Butte.

I had no choice but to continue into the rapidly approaching night on my chosen route - a fast gravel dirt road south - which unfortunately only skirted the National Forest rather than dipping into it, and instead was flanked on either side by some stern wire fencing with open ranch pasture beyond - there would be no chance at all of stealth camping here.

Ultimately I lost the fight with the sunset again, and dodged through countless gormless cows (bless 'em, but they are dumb!) on my way into the National Forest at last... having crossed a succession of cattle-guards, I figured now was a good a place as any to find somewhere to pitch my tent, and hopefully not be interrupted by any bovine intruders overnight.

I took the first turn off the trail, ducked behind the trees, and sure enough there was a fire-ring of stones - someone has always been here before.

Despite being at significantly lower elevation (4900ft) than the previous two nights, it was cold here - and damp. I concluded that not only had today been a long and arduous ride for little real reward [with regard to extending my TMT route at least], but I was rapidly becoming tired of camping in woods where you have to hang all your stuff in a tree.

Grrrrrrr. snore.

Jx

Day 15: Monday 23rd July: Highwood Mountains MT to Missoula MT

358 miles

It was a good job I'd decided to stop where and when I did...

On leaving camp early next morning (my damp rain-fly bungeed to the top of my Giant Loop bag to try and dry it out), what followed in quick succession was a series of creek crossings - some quite deep, others less so - some wide, and all with a rocky, if compacted base below the water - this would have been potentially disastrous in the thick of the night, as all were deep enough to potentially drown the engine if I'd dropped the bike due to a clumsy mistake in the dark.

Fortunately, the daylight and clear creek water meant navigating them was easy enough and therefore entertaining, although once again my feet were soaking by the final and longest crossing (where the turn off to the official campground was) - I really needed some new boots* now!

*note. although I'd started this trip with a brand new pair of Icon Patrol 2 boots - which I have to say are very lightweight, comfortable and properly waterproof too - I'd actually left those behind in the UK when I'd returned there last month, so for the continuation of this trip was now wearing my older original Patrol boots, which after three years and 50,000+ miles of ADV riding, had finally started to come apart at the sown seams - and ghetto-fixed with Gorilla-glue ;o)

I was on a bit of a mission today - I wanted to be in Boise ID by Friday afternoon at the latest, and there was still a huge chunk of Montana, plus the southern half the Idaho BDR route which I was planning to ride on my way there. Stopping for breakfast at a new cafe in Belt (recommended) I plotted the day's route using my Butler map, and factored that Missoula was a realistic target for this evening - allowing me to work my way west on a series of dirt roads and trails, many of which would cross right through the various mountain ranges, rather than simple shlep along the highway (which according to Google would only have taken a little over three hours in comparison - but where's the fun in that?!) - after all, I'd come all this way specifically to explore the backroads and byways of Montana, and I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to add to my already impressive tally of unpaved routes across the state.

As such, I didn't stop for many photographs today - it was all about the riding... Endeavouring to stay off paved roads as much as I could, I rejoined my GPS track for last year a little way east of Cascade (a good food, fuel and motel stop, just off I15), and continued westward along Mission and Birdtail (dirt) roads (fun, easy riding) - to briefly pick up a couple of paved passes (Rogers and Fleshers, both of which were 5610ft!) that had been highlighted on the Butler map, before diving onto the dirt again at Stemple Pass (6376ft).


photo. the remains of the ruined St. Peters Mission on Mission Rd.

I was making good progress, navigating suitable alternative and side-trails on the fly (Dalton Mountain Rd - Buffalo Gultch - Clear Creek Rd was a particularly entertaining combination), before hitting highway 141 a short way south of Helmville. I mention this specifically, as the following trail (the old Helmville Back rd, which runs parallel with the current highway) was just like riding a British Green-lane - it certainly appeared to be a legit through-route, although it did pass close by a couple of properties (one with a dog!) that had typically expanded on either side of the trail - primarily with a collection of old vehicles and sheds. It was certainly an entertaining alternative to the eight or more miles of highway - which you could just see across the valley in the distance...

Choosing to staying on the fast gravel road north of Helmville meant I popped back into civilisation (if you could call it that) right in the centre of Ovando - a tiny town just far enough off the grid for the inhabitants to be considered 'quirky'. I liked it.


photo. great coffee and ice cream here... fuel available too.

Refreshed, I continued north into the National Forest east of Seeley Lake - an huge recreation area which had been devastated by forest fires around this time last year, and you could still smell it in the air - although it was encouraging to see so much new growth below the charred remains of those huge trees not yet felled.

It would have been easy enough to just pick up the highway to Missoula now, but that would mean missing out on what turned out to be, the grande finale to Montana (well, for this year at least) - Jocko Canyon Rd.


photo. Jocko Canyon Road essentially follows the creek and series of reservoirs for 30+ miles... it's stunning!

Here I was, barrelling along this easy gravel road at he base of an impressive canyon, and marvelling at the clear water glistening in the late afternoon sun... the perfect ending to these past few days exploring...



And this could easily have been enough to end on a high - find a hotel in good time, and call it quits. But you know me, if I see a side trail, I'm going to take it aren't I (well, once I've zoomed out on my GPS screen and see if it actually leads anywhere in the direction I want to be going) - and sure enough, I realised there was a whole network of trails just to the north of this main thoroughfare...


photo. One of the lesser used side trails that interconnects the trail network to the north of the main through-route.

...and spent the next two hours or more zig-zagging back and forth on a series of lesser used forest roads and two-track trails proving a whole series of alternative routes, before ultimately calling it a day a little before 8pm.

I say we're done here for this year Piglet.

cont.

Day 16: Tuesday 24th July: Missoula MT to French Creek ID (BDR)

249 miles

It's nearly midday and I'm still in Missoula - shaming myself in a Starbucks having had no breakfast until now!

Last night did not go well. I was on such a high after proving a series of such epic trails yesterday, that I felt I'd earned a night in a decent hotel. Well, I say decent - it turns out that hotels around Missoula are pretty damn expensive for some reason, even Motel 6 (usually the cheapest of the chains) wanted to relieve me of a hundred bucks just so I might stay on the north side of town (admitted very close to where I wanted to be the following morning - a motorcycle dealer where I might buy some new boots), so instead I headed further east to their 2nd location closer to the university. Big mistake.

This place was a dump. Not just compared to their shiny new-built property I'd just forfeit for austerity you understand (and it was only a $20 saving anyway) - but in the grand scheme of things, this was a bad example in anyone's book. You may recall I considered the Motel 6 in Joliet the worse I had ever stayed at, and I still stand by that... The second worse I then considered to be the rather shabby example the following night in Des Moines (you know the one, under the flightpath, and with the broken lock on the door) - but by the time my head hit the pillow, that had been comprehensively usurped by this current location.

All I wanted was a clean and quiet room after another long day on the road, plus some change for the laundry machines. The rather nonchalant young man on reception apparently ignored what ought to have been the fundamental requirements, and presumably felt that only the laundry was a priority - as my huge, echoey and dirty room was right next to the decrepit washer-dryers. Great... thanks.

The room lights flickered irritatingly, the shower barely showered and the drain didn't drain properly... there was also only one small towel (and no other linen/bath mat), the curtains didn't quite cover the full width of the window, and someone had even left a broom in the corner of the room! I can imagine that whoever had been allocated to clean this particular room finally thought that life was no longer worth living, and simply left half way through... who knows? Certainly the general prison ambiance was doing nothing but exacerbate the irritation I'd began to feel when the washer swallowed my money, not once, but twice - and I'd subsequently been fobbed off by the guy on reception who said they weren't responsible for the machines, and suggested I kick it... and that ultimately I'd have to wait until the weekly engineer came to get a refund - seriously?

Had I not already unpacked, and covered all my clothes in detergent (yep, so I had no choice but to hand-wash them now - at least the damn dryers worked), I would have demanded a refund and got back on my bike... as it is, Motel 6 is dead to me now.

But Starbucks isn't, well, not yet anyway - I do like their chorizo breakfast sandwich (available all day!) and if I ask for a four-shot espresso and an inch of water, it seems I finally get what I want!

I also spoilt myself rotten this morning with a new pair of boots at the BMW/KTM dealer [BigSky] on the south side of town, and stocked up on Clif bars and a new propane cylinder at REI - yep, I'd be camping again these next few days.


photo. One other dealer I stopped at also sold these Mahinda 'Jeeps'. I recall this brand from the mid-90s (they are made in India) who at the time made a rather dowdy copy of the old CJ series Jeeps, but seem to have reinvented themselves for the OHV market with a more stripped-down and well-prepared version - unfortunately these days they are no longer fully street-legal, rather categorised in the same was as SXS vehicle is - which means they can be road-registered in certain states, but not for use on major highways. Shame.




photo. Selling Yamaha and Triumph too, Maverick Motorsports had this lovely stripped-down example of the new Bonneville Bobber... I have to say, I'm tempted by one of these!

I really had to start making tracks now... fuelled up at Lolo, and decided that the sinuous highway 12 looked far more enticing on this hot afternoon than shelping along off-road (on the BDR route just to the north) for the sake of it, especially when I had some ground to cover today.


photo. Lolo Pass (the state line) itself isn't all that exciting, but the next 100 miles are!


photo. I imagine these guys were planning on (or in the middle of) riding the Idaho BDR...


photo. for the most part there was little if any traffic on the Lolo Highway - unfortunately the moment I went to overtake these guys, there was a stream of vehicles in the other direction!


photo. I turned off highway 12 at Kooskia, planning on joining the official BDR route a few miles south of here, after some more epic twisty pavement!

Although not part of the official BDR route in Idaho, for me Kooskia is the perfect stopping-off point - particularly if you don't plan to take the 300+ mile side trip into eastern Montana and back again - offering a number of affordable motels, fuel and food options.

I took a punt on the 'Backroads Diner' (well, you've got to pick one right?) - who rather ambitiously if not also ambiguously, advertised themselves as offering the "Best Burgers Around"... hmmmmm, we'll see shall we?

Turns out their reputation is both well deserved and remains intact - everything was really tasty, from the huge banana milkshake made with what was essentially a pint of ice cream and fresh bananas (so fresh in fact that the chef had to run out and buy some once I'd ordered that particular flavour!) to the stack of grilled meat and pineapple smothered in teriyaki sauce served on an open bun, surrounded by hand-cut string fries. Yepper.

note. I factored that since I was about to head into the wilderness of the BDR, I probably wouldn't be eating [a meal] again for at least 24 hours now - well, that was my justification, and I'm sticking to it!

Highway 13 and 14 south of Kooskia are another example of those epically twisty and scenic minor highways that are such fun to ride on a bike. note. If you do decide to ride the whole of the IDBDR, then the southern 'Magruder Corridor' section of the loop in and out of Montana actually utilises part of highway 14 along one of the most scenic sections west of Elk City.

But it was about time that we picked up some more dirt now, so I joined the BDR route due south here, and was immediately climbing high into the mountains on a twisty gravel road, surrounded by lush forest and every so often, catching a glimpse of some epic scenery through the occasional gaps in the trees.





A highlight of this particular section was picking up the network of dirt-roads and trails that lead to the old mining [ghost] town of Florence. Here my route left the typical hard-packed forestry roads behind, and took a sandy two-track deeper into the woods, snaking it's way through the trees - huge fun!

As the sun began to dip below the peaks, a series of long switchbacks led me back down off the mountain towards French Creek, and I soon came to realise that much of Idaho is essentially like a grid (albeit a natural one rather than man-made) - in that the roads (most of which are all-weather gravel rather than actually paved) tend to follow alongside the creeks - typically north and south, and every so often east and west - which allow you to connect to the main north-south highway up the western side of the state, where you'll find services for food and fuel. However, if you stick to the north-south unpaved routes that comprise the BDR, there are very little options for food, fuel or accommodation - in Idaho especially, it's a good idea to bring a tent.

I eventually found a quiet campground a little way along the Salmon River near French Creek - chose an elevated pitch overlooking the river beyond, and once again set up my tent with no fly-sheet so that I might marvel at the million stars above.

Jx

Day 17: Wednesday 25th July: French Creek ID to Deadwood Reservoir ID

203 miles

"My own private Idaho"


photo. The Salmon River (near French Creek), early morning - just a few hundred yards from my campsite last night...

As I mentioned previously, the BDR through Idaho is pretty remote with regard to food and fuel options, although camping is plentiful on the whole - be it in a designated campground or a suitable dispersed/wild spot. You just need to be aware of wildlife of course, as this is very much bear country. Had I been especially low on fuel, I could have ducked out west along the paved highway for a few miles and gassed up, but figuring it was only 30 or so miles this morning to Burgdorf (a hot spring and cabin resort) where they also had fuel, I decided to stick to the trail ahead - with any luck there would be some sort of [cooked] breakfast available there too, to bolster my early morning coffee and crunch-bar...


photo. Manning Bridge - shortly before the dramatic French Creek Grade switchbacks (when heading in this direction).


photo. Manning Bridge was originally a wooden structure built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. It's recently been replaced with a new design using more modern materials - a decision that caused some controversy*.

*At the time I did wonder why the BDR map description referred to this specifically as an 'historic' bridge (and presumed they must mean the location and/or the original reason it was built) - and it is only in writing this report with my journalistic integrity hat on, that I noodled around for some more information...

It turns out that the current bridge is actually brand new - having only been officially 'opened' on the 5th of June this year - and has replaced the original two-pier suspension bridge with one using a [much larger] single asymmetric design. The controversy seems to be primarily that the original structure has been completely dismantled and removed.

note. Bridge and civil-engineering nerds may want to view the time-lapse on the official website link here.

But back to the trail, and more specifically, my ongoing hunt for breakfast...


photo. French Creek Grade - some more crazy civil engineering going on right there!

I have to say, I always admire these remote civil engineering projects... Of course a lot of these existing roads out west were originally constructed for mining access - Gold being a huge incentive to dig with shovels I imagine (or at least to get Chinese people to dig with shovels on your behalf...), but once those mines were exhausted and the associated towns eventually died, you do wonder what incentive there is these days to maintain and improve many of these old roads and trails? I'm not complaining of course, I think it should all be applauded, supported and continued!

Of course when you look at a map more closely, you do realise that those few towns there are out here still need to be accessed, and there are any number of parcels of private land too - so while they may not be paved (nor ever), they are generally of the all-weather kind - allowing both locals and those of use travelling through, reasonably easy passage.

However, you are clearly at the mercy of the geography, which in this part of the country is very steep and unforgiving (see the GPS route above) - there is certainly not enough money nor inclination to actually tunnel through these huge mountains (were that even physically possible, a lot of these are primarily granite), so the only option is to either follow the creek, or go up and over - which in this instance, is exactly what I was about to do!


photo. the 'reception'/office/dining room at Burgdorf Hot Springs.

For your second history lesson of the day, let me introduce you to Burgdorf Hot Springs. It is a funny place. And by that I mean just a bit weird. Maybe it's the altitude - living at 6000+ft in an Idaho forest all year round probably does that to you ;o)

Originally established as a mining camp, the local Hot Spring/s meant Burgdorf soon became a [presumably more profitable?] rustic cabin resort, which continues to this day. There are very few facilities or even actual residents in 'town' these days, really just the staff who run the springs - but it is a fun place to explore, and the pool itself looked incredibly inviting. You can even rent a cabin and stay a while if you wish... although if my warmed-over breakfast burrito and weak coffee is anything to go by, I'd aim to self-cater if I were you.


photo. The original cabin (#1) at Burgdorf.

However, the saving grace for many travelling though is that Burgdorf has a pair of gravity-fed gas tanks - one regular and one premium. I chose premium (just because - and after all, who knows how long the gas had been sitting in the tanks right - I probably needed all the octane help i could get!), even though I was informed [prior to pumping at least] that it would be seven bucks a gallon! I didn't mind - not only do I never begrudge anyone who's prepared to provide this sort of facility on their own property, but it was still cheaper than buying petrol in the UK!

I continued south and east for a while, confident I was following the BDR exactly, as there really wasn't any other option than the trail I was on! And that was sort of the problem - once you pick a particular route here, you really are committed - and while it was wonderfully remote and peaceful, the road itself was a rough and often rocky trail that ran around the terraced contours for mile upon mile upon mile. I was also more often than not surrounded by dense foliage on either side - and much as with the penultimate stage of the Trans-Am Trail in Oregon [for example] I soon felt like I was going though the motions a little now, just to say I'd stuck to the route. Of course here there really was no other option, so I sucked it up and considered that once I got to the next food/fuel stop of Yellow Pine, I might start to reconsider my route. It was Wednesday now. I could easily be in Boise by tomorrow night (tonight if I took the highway after lunch), and I was looking forward to spending some time with humans again now.

As I was day-dreaming along, I happened on one of those classic BDR/TAT moments - coming around a corner and there were two bikes parked at the side of the trail. The Africa Twin owner already had his rear wheel off and was wrestling with his tyre irons... I stopped and asked if they needed any assistance, and while not directly, felt it prudent to stop and chat a while to make sure they got on their way again. And it was a good job I did, as Brian - with the puncture - soon realised his bicycle pump he'd brought along was not working (good luck blowing up a 150x18 rear tyre with that even if it was!), and that was the only means of inflation they had between them...

I dug out my BestRest 12v compressor - much to their intrigue and relief - and we soon had that tyre mounted back on the rim. Unfortunately, in his scrabble to swap the tube, he'd now lost a vital wheel-spacer from the rear axle - oh how we searched and searched in the dirt, raking it with our fingers until after fifteen minutes or more, finally Brian found it buried deep in the ground where he'd originally been working... Thank goodness!


photo. My good-deed for the day - helping Brian (Africa Twin) and Leigh (KTM 1290) trail-side - great to meet you fellas!


photo. these guys were the only riders I'd actually seen on the BDR so far, although there had been the odd 4x4 further north the evening before.

I rolled into Yellow Pine way after lunchtime now - although it appeared the Yellow Pine Tavern kept it's own hours, and if the door was open, you were welcome. I enjoyed yet another Idaho burger and a sizeable coke, and counted up the casualties of this trip so far:

• cush-drive worn (first set replaced, but gone again now)
• fork-seals leaking (cleaned)
• GPS wiring broken (fixed)
• low-beam filament blew at 12,000 miles (replaced)

So the bike itself was doing ok still... however, some of my personal gear was not doing so well, and ultimately needed replacing:

• wash-bag zipper broken (bought a new one in REI)
• old boots leaking (bought new ones in Missoula)
• new boots rubbing my shins (need longer socks for these ones)
• camera lens packed up (this morning - bugger)
• Camel-bak mouthpiece leaking (unless I close the valve every time - tedious)
• colon - starting to suffer from far too many burgers and sugary drinks I'm sure.

As I was licking my wounds (together with the remainder of the ketchup from my fingers) while contemplating my next move, the lady who ran the bar came over and started chatting - where was I from, where had I been, where was I going - and then asked if I was interested in the location of a 'secret' hot spring nearby* - obviously sensing that I was pretty weary and probably looking for an opportunity to relax and recharge myself a little.

She then proceeded to draw me quite the elaborate map on the back of a napkin, and all that effort convinced me the gracious thing would be to at take up her generous offer, and go and find it after all - although I almost reconsidered when her parting words were "Just go up this road about 18 miles, then take the first left" like it was the end of her driveway.

And I'm glad I did - the 'secret spot' was absolutely idilic:


photo. the pool itself is fed by natural hot spring a little further up the hillside...

She'd explained that someone had created a plunge-pool by augmenting a natural depression with some strategically placed and concreted-in rocks, and that it could only be found by following a series of wooden steps that were barely visible from the road... However, what I'd not realised until I eventually found the steps, is that the pool was actually on the bank of the creek itself - how magnificent!

I freely admit to getting all Ed March at this point, and enjoying nature at it's finest!

Feeling thoroughly rejuvenated, if smelling slightly like a volcano now, I got dressed and hopped back on the bike - heading south again on the BDR and keen to make camp somewhere ideally within a half-day ride of Boise in the morning...

And as the sun was setting, I found the perfect pitch - while the official campgrounds at Deadwood reservoir were pretty much brimming with family groups, I found a trail that led right to the water's edge - and set up camp on the beach itself:


photo. west-facing at the water's edge - the perfect camping spot!

It had been one of those days that for me exemplified what 'adventure' riding is all about - rode great trails, saw historic landmarks, met quirky local people, helped other travellers, ate a nice lunch, soaked in a hot pool and camped on a beach.

By this time tomorrow this life on the road would be temporarily put on hold again - I was going to savour it for one more night.

More soon...

Jenny x

Day 18: Thursday 26th July: Deadwood Reservoir ID to Boise ID

128 miles

In my enthusiasm for finding the hot spring yesterday, it had slipped my mind to top-off with fuel at Yellow Pine (another highlighted location on the BDR map) - and while the bike was proving very frugal at this modest trail-pace, I was concerned that I might have under-estimated my range now. Certainly if I were to have continued on the official BDR route from here for the final few miles to Lowman, it really would have been touch-and-go, especially as the trail climbed quite steeply again to well over 7000ft, and followed more twisty terraces in and out of a series of valleys according to the map.


photo. My modest camp by the lake.

But as I always say, everywhere is an adventure if you've never been there before - and factored that there would be no bad choices in this part of the country, and that presumably there was an alternative route that all these big travel-trailers had been taking in and out of the recreation area around the reservoir. Sure enough, my 'shortest route' function revealed an alternative dirt road that continued due south, to join the highway a few miles west of where I could find fuel. Done.


photo. the Dam at the head of the Deadwood Reservoir is not particularly large or deep, but the water is immensely powerful!

I have to say, there were parts of this dirt road that would be pretty tough going if you were hauling a 5th-wheel camper behind you - you'd almost certainly need four-wheel drive in places, and some strong brakes on the twisty switchbacks coming down off the ridge towards the highway!

It was interesting, and I have to say somewhat disconcerting, to watch my fuel range/miles remaining gauge recalculating in real time as I initially climbed out of the valley. There was a point were my fuel range was actually 3 miles less than the actual distance still to be covered according to my GPS - yikes! - only for it to recalculate once again I'd reached the ridge-line and subsequently started to descend the far side - feathering the throttle on little more than tick-over whenever I could now - and sure enough, the initial estimate was pretty much the same as it had been at camp - with 16 miles left showing when I rolled into Lowman and fuelled up.


Having brought both the regular Idaho Butler map (with all the 'gold' highways marked) and the BDR version with me, it was easy to plan and modify my own route using a mix-and-match approach - and on the whole I always prefer to use a paper map for initial route planning (rather than just rely on the GPS or iPad) as it allows you to get a much better overall picture immediately of the ground you need to cover.

Certainly the obvious route to Boise from here was to take highway 21 - the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway - a gold (and red) highlighted sector on the Butler map which I was confident ought not to be missed. And it didn't disappoint! The initial run south was a sweeping series of sinuous switchbacks until you reach the pass at Beaver Creek Summit. There appeared to be a good number of unpaved and OHV side trails in this basin too, but I was more than happy on my little 'adventure' bike riding this rough, and in places broken, pavement instead... Indeed, I'd suggest this kind of highway really isn't dedicated sports-bike territory anyway - the patchy pavement and occasional rocks and gravel on the inside of corners particularly, means a longer-travel and more softly-sprung machine is likely to make better progress, and certainly cause far fewer 'oh shit' moments than you might experience on a chin-down arse-up style of bike.

I rolled into Idaho City (a typical tourist town, that makes the most of it's 'wild west' heritage - particularly along main street), and while initially drawn to the 'Ice cream and Espresso' sign prominently positioned at the side of the highway, elected to stop at a proper restaurant a couple of hundred yards further on instead - and once again I missed out on a cooked breakfast by just a few minutes (Michael Douglas would be seething by now I'm sure).

But if Trudy's Kitchen is genuinely 'World Famous' as their signage suggests, then I'm going to do my best to uphold that reputation by sampling and reporting their lunch menu here on the world-wide-web. Yeah, it's good.

Idaho City is actually a great jumping-off spot for some great OHV style trail riding (as I was subsequently to find out over the coming weekend with my friend Neil), and is also essentially a 'cross-roads' on the current Trans-America Trail route too. I was tempted to head south-east from here, using the network of trails through the Boise Mountains that both the BDR and the TAT use en route to Featherville and explore Trinity Mountain. But it was hot, and to be quite honest, I felt I'd been pushing my luck the last few hundred miles with that cush-drive assembly, which was increasingly vibrating/shunting over rough surfaces, and had significantly play side-to-side as well as fore-aft now. Plus my rear tyre was also completely bald.

I thought it most prudent to continue on the highway to Boise now, drop by the BMW dealer (with whom I'd already arranged to replace my rear tyre) and ask them about getting the cush-drive sorted under warranty again, and also to firm up our plans for the open-day/AV presentation to be held on the 18th of August, once I returned from my previously arranged sojourn to California.



Day 19/20: Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th July: Sat: Road-ride (via Sun Valley) to Stanley and back / Sun: Boise Ridge trails ID

343 & 115 miles

So that's it so far. I had a wonderful weekend with Neil and his family - relaxing and riding, and I took the opportunity to utilise his well-equipped and immaculate garage to change the oil (again!) on my bike, thoroughly clean and lubricate the chain and transmission, and generally check things over before I was scheduled to leave for California on Monday morning.


photo. Neil and Angela on their Rally-Raided CB500X on Saturday...


photo. That is a big bastard bug! Angela introduced me to the Mormon Cricket "The Hummer of crickets" she called it!


photo. Back in Idaho City again for tea. It was a joy to be riding this bike without luggage for a change!

More soon of course - in fact I fly back to Boise in about 18 hours' time - with, I'm delighted to add, a 15T front sprocket that arrived in the post this morning all the way from the UK!

'Stand by' as they say...

Jenny x

Chapter 4 - Boise to California

Day 1: Saturday 18th August: San Jose CA to Boise ID (via Salt Lake City UT)

1107 miles - on a plane...


Have I made the "Idaho? - no, you da ho!" joke yet? - if not, there it is...

After a couple of weeks catching up with real life back in California (well, as 'real' as it can be there of course), it was time to head back to Boise, collect my bike, and continue north for Nakusp in BC the following weekend.


photo. I have to say, I'm not a huge fan of this sort of thing!

Because I was also scheduled to present my current AV Slide-show about the trip so far to an assembled audience at the local BMW Dealer (BigTwin) at 3pm this afternoon, it meant I'd had to catch a 6am flight from San Jose to arrive in time. Ugh!


photo. this is a classic Bonneville Speedway bike, owned and run by BigTwin DP Fred Wiley.


photo. Just some of the specialist tools required to service the various BMW models...

It was a very enjoyable afternoon - with plenty of Q&As about the bike in general, what it had been like to live with so far, and of course details about the various modifications and upgrades/accessories I'd fitted to my own example.

While I'd been in California, I'd also asked BigTwin to perform the first valve inspection (due at 12,000 miles - but performed at closer to 14,500 in this instance), change the cush-drive rubbers [plus bearings this time too] under warranty again, and also fit a new 140/80 x 17" rear TKC80 as my current back tyre was completely shot by the time I'd arrived in Boise.

So with fresh meat, replaced rubbers and fettled valves, I rolled off their forecourt at well past closing-time on Saturday afternoon, planning on heading north first thing the following morning...

It was only an hour or so later, back at Neil's house (where I was staying overnight) that I realised I'd left my phone (and charger) plugged into the wall in the showroom. The showroom that was now well and truly locked up for the weekend, and would not open again until 9am on Tuesday morning...

Bollocks.

cont.

cont.

Day 2: Sunday 19th August: Boise ID to Boise ID (loop ride)

158 miles


There really was nothing I could do but wait now. We'd emailed a couple of the dealership staff the evening before, but of course it was their weekend off with their families etc. - so resigned to the fact that I would probably have to wait until first thing on Tuesday before I could get on the road proper (which would now mean having to blast north through Idaho, forfeiting much of my intended trail riding plans to ensure I got to the Horizons Unlimited venue in good time for my first presentation on the Thursday afternoon), I took the opportunity to get in some more local riding with Neil and his wife, having also fitted a 15T front sprocket (and refitted my original 40T rear) to see how it compared to my previous 16/43 set-up*

*not much difference to be honest - but obviously cheaper to do, particularly as you can still use the existing chain with the smaller front sprocket rather than a larger rear which requires a longer chain too.



photo. The Magnolia Saloon in Placerville is now a museum full of random historical artefacts collected from around the town over the last 150 years or so...


photo. The town museum has expanded into the nearby old grocers store...


photo. A great place to poke around examples of late 19th and early 20th century town life.

We took a fun road and unpaved-road (which is actually part of the current TAT route in this area) ride up to the historic mining town of Placerville and poked around the Magnolia Saloon museum before lunch in Crouch a few miles further north. This set us up nicely for an afternoon of blasting some scenic highways (marked as Gold Roads on the Butler maps) alongside the South Fork Payette River - a world-class white water destination - before heading once again down highway 21 from Lowman (which is on the BDR route) back to Boise - an epic twisty highway with which I was becoming increasingly familiar these days...

Fortunately, one of the dealership staff had been in touch to say there was likely to be someone at the shop tomorrow (Monday) even though they were technically close to the public, so it was with some optimism that I packed all my gear into my Coyote and onto the bike, in preparation for getting going only one day behind now...

Jx

Day 3: Monday 20th August: Boise ID to... Boise ID again, but ultimately a wild camp about 70 miles north of there...

258 miles

I thought I'd leave it until 10am to make sure someone was at the dealership - and they were, but unfortunately the mechanic only had keys to the workshop out back, and not the main showroom. Bugger.

He did say he's leave a note for anyone else who was coming in later that day (to retrieve my phone and leave it in an agreed 'safe spot' where I could collect it later), so with nothing else to do for the time being, I decided it was time to make some lemonade out of this enforced lemon - and go trail riding again!

Although this ongoing delay meant I almost certainly would have to miss out some of my proposed off-road segments of my route north over the next couple of day, conversely having to stay close to Boise for the time being meant that I could at least ride a particular trail that I'd had to forfeit in 2015 when I came through on the Trans-Am 500 ride - where I might have circumnavigated a locked gate (ahem) to try and reach Trinity Lakes and lookout, and subsequently been caught by the Ranger.

There was a pretty clear dirt-road loop out and back starting a little south of Boise - Blacks Creek Rd to the 'resort' town of Prairie (gas, food and cabins) before things got immeasurably more 'trail' like as I took Burnt Creek Rd - a softer sandy two-track - to join with Trinity Mountain [and Ridge] Rd.


photo. The air was thick with smoke in southern Idaho - forest fires in northern California and southern Oregon being primarily to blame (along with a few smaller fires in Idaho itself).


photo. It's a wonderful scenic ride heading east along Black Creeks Rd - a wide easy dirt road (used by trucks, so be careful on corners!) towards Prairie.


photo. approaching the Lakes from the south, you pass the turn-off/side trail to the [forest] fire look-out tower...


photo. my replacement camera for my defunct Lumix (see the end of chapter 2) has a much longer zoom!


photo. so of course I had to ride up there!

The side trail to the lookout tower is actually closed to all but motorcycles (and really narrow ATVs), but the tower itself is open to visitors from 10am-6pm daily. for info: It's actually marked/suggested as an optional 'hard' route on the Idaho BDR map, and I have to say in places it was quite the scrabble on the loose and rocky surface, so I can see why they don't particularly recommend it for bigger and/or loaded ADV bikes.


photo. A crapper with a magnificent view - well, if it wasn't so smoky perhaps!


photo. the modest accommodation for the watchman - who is typically stationed here alone for 6-day shifts at a time. I hope they have wifi!


photo. I'm not sure you could even spot a fire if it did break out on a day like today?!

I retraced my steps back to the main trail, and dropped by the big lake to check out the campground/s for future reference (nice btw.), before heading down towards my 'gate of shame' from 2015:


photo. 2018: this is a seasonal gate - only open from mid July until early November each year.


photo. 2015: my 'friendly' Rangers - good cop and bad cop... good cop ultimately gave me a trail map of the Boise National Forest!


Both the Idaho BDR and the Trans-America Trail routes pass though this area, but equally there are any number of alternative dirt-roads and trails that interconnect, allowing you to create your own personal route through the wilderness, which is exactly what I did! I have to say, I happened on a couple of cracking OHV side trails that essentially paralleled the main gravel/dirt roads though the mountains and alongside the fast flowing creeks between:


photo. Narrow OHV trail - lovely!

...and one in particular which I shall surely return to try when I have more time!


photo. no Jeeps, and not even ATVs allowed... you just know this one is going to be good ;o)

However, time was marching on now - it was after 4pm and I was still a way away from Idaho City (the epicentre of excellent ice-cream and espresso in Idaho I might add), but it had been a good day on the trails - and by this time, that was all that really mattered now.


photo. this is the '50" bridge' marked on the Idaho BDR map... clearly not a 50" bridge anymore!

I stopped off at the Sarsaprilla Ice-cream parlour, where you can basically combine any of their flavours into your own milkshake - and sucked down on a huge salted-caramel and espresso combo (recommended!), and bought myself a finger-puppet racoon as a key-fob for my black and grey BMW:


photo. "It's a PUPPET!!!"

As the surrounding shops shut for the evening, I fuelled up the bike and rolled back down highway 21 once again (very much for the last time this trip I hoped) to Boise, hoping that I'd finally be able to retrieve my phone and get gone.

I was, and so I did.

Even though I was essentially two full days behind schedule, I factored a couple more hours riding [basically until it got dark] this evening would at least give me a change of sticking pretty close to my intended route north - even if that meant a couple of long days in the saddle now. Since I didn't much fancy paying hotel prices - I elected to follow my initial planned dirt-road route north via Ola (a few miles west of the main arterial highway 55 north of Boise), hoping to find a suitable campground or wild-camp. As it was, much of the [dirt] road was flanked on either side by private ranch property, clearly fenced and posted 'no trespassing'. Fortunately there were also pockets of open range - and particularly once you enter the National Forest - and as the light was fading, took a punt on a narrow cow-trail to one side, and eventually found a suitable spot high on the hillside above the road. This'll do.

More soon...

Jenny x

"OK, I think we really ought to press-on now Piglet - since we really ought to be in Canada by tomorrow night..."

Day 4: Tuesday 21st August: nr. Gross ID to St Maries ID

322 miles (and about half way to Nakusp from Boise... so on target ;o)

It always seems to take an hour from waking up to being ready to roll when I'm camping... always!


photo. this was my wild-camping spot from last night - surprisingly comfortable, and warm too... and no cows!

I got back on the main dirt road [618] north from Ola through the West Mountains that are, well, west - of the main arterial highway 55 that passes through Cascade and McCall, and soon realised that had I left Boise a little earlier last evening, then there were actually plenty of suitable camping spots and official sites once you enter the National Forest - as is usually the case of course. I made good progress on the fast forestry trails, and wound my way into McCall in plenty of time for an extended breakfast and wifi catch-up at a coffee stand/cafe on the outskirts of this funky lake-side location.


photo. This had been a disappointment the evening before... turns out that the [earth] contact in the headlight plug had been arcing or something, and had heated up sufficiently to melt the surrounding plastic. Fortunately I was able to chip the elephantiasis away and crimp things back together.

The next leg would essentially be all on-road, but boy what roads they were - the hwy 95 corridor from New Meadows to Grangeville is almost all highlighted in either Orange or Red on the Butler map, together with two Golden sections reserved for the old highway 95 just north of White Bird - stunning stuff!







By the time I rolled into Grangeville early afternoon, I also realised I was now back on Pacific Time again (interestingly northern Idaho chooses to use the Pacific, rather than Mountain Time, despite being this far east - as a great deal of business is done in Spokane WA which is pretty much right on the boarder, so it makes sense for such neighbours to share the same clock), which meant I now had another hour in hand - well, I was pretty sure I did anyway...

From Grangeville I tried to plot as straight a line as possible north now, and picked up a series of unpaved roads high in the hills above Orofino, that ultimately switchbacked down into the valley below:




photo. I do like the zoom on this new camera!

The air was still pretty thick with smoke, even this far north (I guess I'd left the California fug around the Boise Basin behind now, and was no suffering more from the forest fires in neighbouring Oregon and in northern Idaho itself), but undeterred I headed for what I trusted would be a scenic detour from the main highway route north-west, and crossed over the Divorshak Reservoir using Dent Bridge:






photo. the Dent suspension bridge is an impressive structure - who'd have thought it was worth building something quite so substantial just to essentially reach a campground and boat launch on the far side?!

Before long the pavement gave way to an easy gravel road [Elk River Rd] which continued though the forest, to eventually emerge and the quaint lakeside settlement of Elk River. I stopped at the general store (the rest of the town was already pretty much deserted by going-home time) and indulged in a soft-serve huckleberry ice-cream while taking a break on a bench outside. Yepper.

As I was chowing down on this huge confection, an old couple pulled up in a conventional car (you don't see many of those in these parts I have to say) and asked if this was the way to Orofino... I explained that yes it was certainly the shortest, and confident also the most scenic way - but that the next 20-30 miles was gravel and not paved. Initially they seems wary, but I assured them that other than the loose topping (which on a bike was admittedly a little tedious), it really was an easy road to navigate, and watched them trundle off into the distance...

For me however, despite only really having a couple of hours light left this evening, I was itching to get a little more and indeed some 'proper' dirt under my tyres before finding a place to pitch my tent again - endeavouring for this leg to try and camp as many times as I could, both to save money and to make the most of travelling during the high summer.

While planning this penultimate leg of the trip (ie. heading north for Nakusp in BC, before finally heading south and west for California again), I'd utilised both my Butler maps - the regular and BDR versions - plus my GTR map of Idaho, which despite being essentially printed in black and white (with just the basic topography shaded in colour), has a surprising amount of dirt-road detail included, and I find invaluable for unpaved route planning - often revealing through-route roads and trails that you might otherwise overlook or ignore if trying to plot an outline route using a digital medium such as Google maps (handy though that can be too). Certainly when I've used Google maps on my iPad, while there is often a considerable amount of minor road and trail detail (once you've zoomed in), there is little distinction or indication whether it is a through route or on private land... sometimes you get lucky, other times, not.

The mix of maps showed a series of dirt roads [through the St. Joe National Forest] that would allow me to avoid a chunk of highway [3] while continuing in my general north-westerly direction towards St. Maries - that was all the incentive I needed to carry on, and trust to luck I'd find a suitable camping spot along the way.

And I have to say, the Palouse Divide Rd is a doozy! - a winding ridge-line trail between two valleys - sandy and soft at the top, while twisting and turning through the trees (but not too tightly as to become laborious) - this was fun forestry single-lane Jeep trail stuff - wonderful! In fact I was guilty of having my head turned once again by the Idaho 'Beautiful people' - with a myriad of inviting side trails and alternatives just beaconing to be explored. Sorry, but another time ladies, I'm on a mission today...


photo. I considered camping somewhere in the heart of the forest, until I saw these tracks... those are not deer, nor cows. Nope!

Having taken a gamble on an alternative and more direct 'through route' according to my GPS, it turned out to be nothing of the sort (just a bird's nest of logging roads over what was now a barren hillside), so I ended up taking my original planned route - marked on my GTP map as the 'Palouse Adventure Road' - towards Emida after all, eating in to the evening which I realised now got dark an hour earlier of course, due to the change in time zone.

Emida appeared to be pretty scary in the dusk, and with no hint of a hotel there anyway, elected to press on north and find somewhere more salubrious. I rolled into St Maries a little after 9pm and headed straight for not only the best, but apparently also the only, hotel in town - the Pines Motel. I have to admit there was a mild moment of panic on arrival, as the carpark was rammed full of logging trucks, and almost every room window was already lit... the office was also closed, however, a phone call to the scribbled note on the door revealed they had one room left - not cheap, but I took it anyway. It had been a pretty epic day after all.

cont.

Day 5: Wednesday 22nd August: St. Maries ID - Castlegar BC

247 miles

The hotel had been quiet and comfortable - no laundry unfortunately, and far too good wifi - which meant I'd been up half the night making sure the Internet was ok (turns out it isn't, but I did the best I could ;o) so it was a slow start this morning... It was made slower still by the fact there was a cafe right next door [Heidi's] that served huge portions of all manner sweet and savoury - complete with freshly squeezed juice, but weak coffee - which of course I then had to rectify by visiting a coffee hut on the way out of town too!

So it was after 10am by the time I eventually got rollin' on my way - heading for Harrison on the eastern edge of of Coeur d'Alene Lake, where there appeared to be an enticing network of trails to explore on my way north...


photo. This gate you could ride a bike around...


photo. ...unfortunately a mile or so further on, it turns out they definitely didn't want traffic of any kind on this trail.

Again, Google had let me down (it's worth noting that a chunk of this direct [closed] trail was not shown on my Garmin City Navigator maps - it was on their Topo maps however) - and I had no choice but to defer to the Butler map in this instance, and stay on the trail they'd highlighted on paper as a through route - even though it was a little more convoluted. I'd say there are no bad trails through the mountains - only that some can prove a little more tedious than others perhaps... certainly I'd hoped for an other epic ridge-line trail - like the one I'd enjoyed the previous evening, but instead I was once again winding my way though a forest, shrouded in trees which hid any chance of a scenic view.

It was still fun mind, only I was aware that the late start and subsequent messing around in the woods meant it was now lunchtime and I'd really not made any meaningful progress north today...


photo. low-siding and spinning almost 180° didn't help progress either, although fortunately I was unhurt (other than a slight scuff on one knee) and the forks slightly twisted in their yokes. I have to admit, it's still quite the weight to lift when it's loaded with luggage and full of fuel mind you!

Fortunately the 'forestry' road out of the forest [Beauty Creek] towards Coeur d'Alene and I90 turned out to be paved - albeit broken pavement with some huge pot-holes in it too, just to keep you on your toes! But at least I could make good progress now without the fear of sliding out on every gravel corner....


photo. "You take the low road and I'll take the high road..."

I forfeit a short stretch of I90 for the far more twisty two-lane alternative to skirt around the city itself, and was soon heading due north now towards Priest River (refuel) on minor highways, before once again the pavement ceased a short way north of Nordman [west of Priest Lake] - and where I wound my way out of Idaho and into Washington via Pass Creek Pass:




photo. Once in Washington, the road numbers got crazy - are there really two million, two hundred thousand National Forest roads in this state? Actually, probably yes...


photo. Bathed in early evening light, what a wonderful way to leave Idaho behind - for now anyway.

The road up to Pass Creek Pass starts off as a wide gravel forestry access road, before getting more and more narrow as it climbs up and over Granite Pass close to the ID/WA state line. The far side is a wonderful meander on a narrow shelf road, high above a deep gorge, all the way to Metaline Falls, where it's then just a short hop on the highway to the Canadian border crossing:




photo. wired for sound... not knowing where I might be staying tonight (camp or hotel), I took the precaution of charging up my phone and iPod while riding - the bonus of having a twin socket USB port on the dash!

Since I was less than 200 miles from Nakusp now, I figured I'd find somewhere to stay tonight - somewhere I could hopefully do some laundry since I'd not had the opportunity the night before, and I needed to refresh everything now before four days camping at Horizons Unlimited - then push on for the final leg in the morning, since my first presentation was not until 3pm that afternoon.

I refuelled at Castlegar, and briefly considered a motel in town - but the only affordable place didn't have a laundry, and I wasn't going to spend over $100 just to wash my smalls... I ended up in a delightful camp ground on the outskirts of town - $17 CAN for a quiet spot and a wonderfully warm shower. There was even reasonable wifi if you pitched close enough to the office building. Sweet!

More soon...

Jenny x

Day 6: Thursday 23rd August: CastleGar BC - Nakusp BC

149kms (93 miles)

A short day today - in fact as I recall, the first travel day under 100 miles (that is if you don't count just messing around on trails in Moab ;o), and I was up in good time to grab a shower before getting on the road to find some breakfast...


photo. Frog Peak Cafe on hwy 6 near Crescent Valley BC - go there!

I was ready to roll out of camp in great time - before 8am (including my comprehensive ablutions and packing all my gear away), and was debating heading back into Castlegar to use the laundromat there, as I was now down to my last set of underwear, and had another three nights [at least] of camping ahead of me... particularly since a google search had been inconclusive whether there was a laundromat at Nakusp or not (all it came up with was a gas station?), so I factored it would be safest to get the washing done now, and suffer the indignity of a McDonalds breakfast next door... However, as I was just about to leave, the lady in the RV parked next to my pitch got chatting - turns out they live in Nakusp, and yes, the googled gas-station does indeed have a coin-op laundromat on the site - result!

Then, just as I was about to remount, she said "Hang on" and scurried back with her business card saying if for any reason the laundromat wasn't working, to give her a call and I could use their washing machine once they'd got back home later that day!

And that my friends, is why I LOVE Canadians so much!

Now, back to breakfast:


photo. the cab of the VW bus out front is perfect for those 'social-media' moments with your friends...


photo. If you ever wondered what happened to the 80's band King - it would appear they went on tour in Canada and never came home...

I was rolling up the highway (3 at this point) and saw a faded sign at the side of the road [that says 15 miles to the... loooove... shack!], advertising the Frog Peak Cafe - looked funky I thought, so kept an eye out for it, and sure enough, overlooking the river north of Crescent Valley on hwy 6 was this delightfully quirky joint - staying just this side of contrived perhaps, but fundamentally serving excellent food and coffee and smoothies and cakes and... well yes, I did over indulge I admit!

Back on the road, it was less than an hour to Nakusp now - but the smoke was still thick in the air, and I was concerned that if it didn't clear, then it was likely to be chilly camping by the lake over the next few days... as it was, you could barely see the water's edge just a few hundred yards away all weekend - the sky simply merged with the water like it was shrouded in mist. Eerie!


Day 7/8: Friday 24th and Saturday 25th August: Nakusp BC - Horizons Unlimited Can-West

I'd arrived in plenty of time on Thursday to say my hellos, set up camp, and then rush around trying to sort the tech for the first of my series of presentations this weekend (come on HU... VGA is so last century - every projector uses HDMI these days you know!) - fortunately all my slideshows and AV presentations are in MP4 format, so can be played on any PC with a media player - so I was able to use their equipment instead.

It was a fun weekend - I'd offered them a choice of three presentations, and they'd taken me at my word - scheduling a different one for each day, which meant I was pretty busy most of the time... however, I didn't mind, as I knew a lot of people would be interested in the G310GS I was riding - so that was a given; while I am especially proud of the 'Northern eXposure' video I put together from last-year's big trip which really highlights some of the best dual-sport and adventure riding in the US and Canada; and of course the 'Packing Light' show-and-tell is always popular at events like these...


photo. looning with my campsite buddies (photo by Eric - thank you!)

I did manage to attend a couple of excellent and inspirational presentations too - including the event hosts Ekke and Audrey who have been all around the world in recent years: Ekke-Audrey.ca and two presentations by the awesome photographer and travel V-logger Rosie Gabrielle - wonderful stuff!

cont.

cont.

Day 9: Sunday 26th August: Nakusp BC to Omak WA

218 miles

By the time I'd messed around with silly photos (see above), said my goodbyes, had breakfast (at the third and arguably best of the cafe's I'd tried over the past three days) and fuelled up the bike, it was almost midday before I hit the road south for the border once more. I have to say, I do feel a bit of a fraud this year (compared to last summer) with regard to Canada - while it's true I'd milked the most out of Ontario a few weeks earlier (including a broken toe to show for it), I had only just dipped into British Columbia this time - and so far, only on paved roads - so was itching to get a few dirt-miles in before re-entering the USA for the final time this trip.


photo. the smoke was still terrible as I waited to board the Fauquier-Needles ferry across Upper Arrow Lake.


photo. fortunately there are three ferries that cross the Upper Arrow Lake at various points - otherwise it would be hundreds of kilometres to drive/ride around to cross from one side to the other.

The reason I'd chosen to cross at this particular point (other than it was on the way south anyway, rather than simply retracing my steps via Castlegar) was that on the west side, there appeared to be a long dirt-road alongside Burrell Creek through the forest, that popped out close to my intended boarder crossing between Grand Forks BC and Danville WA.


photo. The BC Mafia would have to find another location...


photo. That's not moody mist, it's forest-fire smoke.


photo. plenty of trails to explore if you had the time. I didn't unfortunately.


photo. a hint of blue skies once I got closer to the Washington border.

I have to say, the Danville border crossing was the most straightforward I've ever encountered - and in complete contrast to the last time I crossed back into the US from Canada (where, as you might recall, I was given a secondary inspection and the third degree by a bored border guard at 11pm at Port Huron MI) - there wasn't even a single vehicle ahead of me - just a cheery HSO who I momentary had to distract from his crossword (I say crossword, I mean the internet of course).


photo. It's good to be back... especially as it's not raining this time!

I have to say, as I was chowing on a burger and shake at a roadside cafe 'Tugboats' in Curlew WA, I did feel like this was the last leg now - even though I was still the best part of 1000 miles from San Jose CA (and that was the most direct route), and still wanted to explore a little more rather than head straight home now.

In that regard, while I had the BDR map for Washington state with me, I'd not got the regular Butler G1 map - although fortunately one of my camping buddies in Nakusp had, so I'd taken a few snaps with my phone to help me route plan on the fly...


photo. I love the Butler Maps - they are clear and concise, and always throw up a doozy when you follow their recommended roads (and trails).

A glance at both versions showed a series of unpaved roads/trails that would cut diagonally from Curlew, via Republic (fuel) and Aeneas to Disautel on highway 155 - which in turn would lead to Omak, where I could pick up the official BDR route as I continued my way south and west. That would do for me. A few intermediate waypoints manually inputted on my GPS screen that coincided with the paper maps, and I was good to go - trusting the Garmin to navigate me through the myriad of alternative and side-trails, while I concentrated on the scenery.


photo. backwoods backyard - cute if somewhat precarious tree house!

There would have been plenty of opportunities to camp along this route if I'd wished, but I'd been fortunate to pack all my gear away bone-dry for once, and not really wanted to embark on the BDR until the morning anyway now, elected to find an affordable motel in Omak... it was good to be back in the land of the sub-sixty-buck hotel - especially one that offered a hot breakfast, free wifi, in-room coffee, and even a laundry (although the dryer wasn't working - dammit!)


photo. You pick your own caption for this one, I'm saying nothing... ;o)

Tomorrow we'd hit a good chunk of the BDR on a mission - aiming to circumnavigate any forest fires, and detour west to Seattle to overnight with some friends in the city. This week would be the last hurrah, and I was going to make the most of it!

cont.