Day 2, Saturday, started off later than the usual 7:00AM “follies” which was very nice for a change. Roy and Al had worn themselves out with their lightning ride of yesterday so we all finally rolled out of the sack about 8:00AM or thereabouts. Our neighbour Reinhold was up early and greeted us with a zillion questions about where we were headed, how long it would take, etc etc. We finally checked out of the motel and headed out to our favourite breakfast stop in Kalispell, about 20 minutes away. We dined hearty and then took a short hop to the local....... yes, .......HD shop where the OTHER guys checked the place out for “bargains”. I, OTOH, stayed in the parking lot with my Bandit as far away from the place as physically possible while the boys checked things out. A guy can’t be too careful, ya know.
Amazingly, there were other brands of cruisers in the parking lot besides HD’s. I saw at least one Vulcan and one of those large Victory things with all the fairings and uniquely-shaped bags, etc.
The boys came out empty-handed after about 15 minutes or so. I guess the distress-sale items had already been scooped up earlier in the season.
Headed south on Highway 93 alongside beautiful Flathead Lake in the morning sunshine, we aimed for the turnoff to Highway #28 at Elmo. Around the corner on #28, we were greeted by a large sign courtesy of the Montana Highways Department folks that there was construction ahead and that the road was not really suitable for motorcycles. Being the risk-takers that we are, we rode past the sign, headed for Plains, MT, our next waypoint. Sho ‘nuff, after about 15 minutes or so, we came to the construction area with another warning sign regarding the unsuitability of the road surface for motorcycles. The road was being TOTALLY rebuilt with much wider ditches/shoulders/roadway, etc......and a gravel surface as far as we could see. We stopped for a quick conference where Al and Roy decided to backtrack and take the long way around and meet us in Plains......much later.
Frank and I, OTOH, knew our Bandits were reasonably competent as rough-surface machines so we headed off at a reasonable clip on the gravel with me in the lead.
Har, har, har......after about 10 minutes, the road was brand new pavement with nary a soul in site. We stopped for some pics of the new highway so we could have a few laughs on Al and Roy when we met up in Plains.
Taking some pics, we heard a roar from back the way we’d come......and here come two dresser HD’s and one of those stretched out Iron horse/Saxon/Big Bear choppery things......and Al and Roy close behind!!! It was later revealed by Al that he and Roy had still been stopped at the beginning of the gravel examining their options when these other three guys roared past them and into the gravel. Al and Roy figured if that choppery thing could handle the gravel, the Duc and the Connie should have no probs, so promptly followed along behind the HD guys. By the time they caught up to us, they’d already been dicing it up with the choppery thing in passing and repassing manoeuvres with speeds as high as 180 KPH (~110MPH) on the nice new pavement!!! The boys were amazed that something that looked as unstable as the chopper could actually attain speeds like that and still stay between the ditches !!! The kicker in the whole thing was that NONE of the three HD guys was wearing a helmet !!!!
Frank and I caught up to the three “brand loyalists”and promptly blew them off. We pulled into a gas stop after spying Al’s and Roy’s bikes at the turnoff to Hot Springs. About 5 minutes later, the “brand loyalists” pulled into the gas station with ferocious scowls on their faces......but I’m still not sure whether that was their typical “game faces”....or they were PO’d that they’d been passed by “non-brand loyalists”.....in a straight line contest, yet.
Regardless, they roared off in a cloud of unburned hydrocarbons ejected from their non-DOT-approved “mufflers”, headed for Plains. Meanwhile, we finally quit taking pics, Al finally got the Duc gassed up and WE headed for Plains, too. We caught up with the “brand loyalists” who were nicely into the swervery at the top of the 2 mile descent into Plains.....and blew them off one more time in all the twists and turns. Mr. Chopper Guy was taking it VERY slow and easy down the hill so there was no honour in passing him.....but MY “satisfaction meter” was off the scale.
The weather was absolutely fantastic as we headed for Thompson Falls on Highway #200 which is quite scenic, especially alongside the Clark Fork River. We rolled into Thompson Falls, had a quick stop to rehydrate and shucked off some gear because the day had turned quite a bit warmer. Headed north on Highway #200, we then turned off onto Highway #471 and headed west to Thompson Pass.
#471 is quite deceptive because lower down it is a high speed road with gentle curves and a good surface......but as the elevation increases, the corners get tighter and the surface deteriorates....so it’s VERY easy to get “behind the curve” sooner than you’d imagine, no pun intended.
Dangers dodged, we reached the top of the pass at 1470 metres (4800') ASL. The view from the lookout point is spectacular, allowing you to look waaaayyyyy into the Idaho “panhandle” to the west and north with a sheer dropoff into the valley far below right at the edge of the lookout.
The road down on the Idaho side of the pass is no piece of cake, either. 8% grades with decreasing radius curves of various sizes for 15 minutes or so WILL keep you covering your brakes and working the gearbox for all it’s worth.
Once down in the valley bottom, I convinced the guys that we really needed to ride over ANOTHER pass (this one unnamed) that will take us on a shortcut to Wallace, ID, where we’ll stop for a late lunch. After some warnings by me about the hazards on this route (no corner signage, no guard rails, gravel in the corners, etc., etc.) the boys could hardly back down, could they!!??!! Off we went and after a 30 minute adrenaline-filled ride of off-camber corners, sheer dropoffs of at least 300 metres (1000') with no guardrails, 180 degree hairpin turns and assorted other fun stuff, we arrived in Wallace, safe and sound......although I think the other guys WERE wondering about my sanity for suggesting such a route. I’ve been over that road three times, now, and I think it’s great....although I’m glad I “scouted” it twice on my KZ650 on our two previous rides and pretty much knew what to expect. I’m sure if I’d gone over it the first time on my Bandit, you might not be reading about THIS year’s ride.
We pulled into the Red Light Garage which is one of those funky back-road café places with a great menu full of good food. We finished lunch with huckleberry shakes that are to die for. The owners, a husband and wife team, are getting to recognize the crazy Canadian riders who come down there every September for the great weather and excellent riding roads.
Lunch completed, we ride through downtown Wallace to....wait for it.....”THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE”. Yes, it’s actually in downtown Wallace, Idaho and the pics prove this claim to be true. Who knew ?? (Pic to follow when available....it’s all Roy’s fault, ya know.)
We then jumped onto I-90, headed east for our next waypoint at St. Regis, MT. This Interstate in this part of the US is VERY challenging, what with the higher speeds involved, road curvatures, elevation changes, steep grades and the usual amount of traffic, especially 18 wheelers. One mistake here and they scrape you off the road. This is NOT the flats of the prairies, I can tell you that.
We made it to St. Regis, took a hydration break (and, honestly, a de-stress break) and then saddled up to head east on Highway #135 to the junction with our old friend, Highway #200. Nice scenery you can enjoy along the south part of the Clark Fork River because the road is not challenging and there’s very little traffic. Once on #200, we headed further east for Ravalli, MT to join up once more with Highway #93. #93 heads north towards our evening stopping point which is Polson, MT on the very south end of Flathead Lake.
We made a 30 minute stop in a wide spot on the road called Dixon. There is a vast collection of various pieces of very old industrial equipment and we walked through it trying to identify the various items. There’s a hand cranked blower for a blacksmith’s forge alongside a single bottom plow right next to a line driven pillar drill. Neat old stuff, for sure.
The sun now slid down the western sky quite rapidly so it was time to make tracks for Polson. We pulled into Polson just as dusk descended and got checked into our motel.
After a bite to eat, we relaxed on the benches outside our rooms with a few beers and Al had his once-a-trip cigarillo. The evening was absolutely calm and we had a nice view of the lake from our front-row seats while we yacked the evening away. End of Day 2.
Topic: Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....(Now With Pics!!) (Read 12674 times)