So Monday was a normal day in some respects, motor back to Thompson Falls along a path I have taken a number of times. Mount Vernon, WA south to Snohomish & turn east on Hwy 2 over Stevens Pass and onward.
As I am learning is common in the coastal rain forest of the Pcific Northwest, the skies were low and threatening. Tooling down hwy 9 the winds were gusty and a sprinkle felt at times. Glancing to the east I could sipher heavy clouds banked up against the Cascade range. Once on hwy 2, I reconciled myself to getting very wet heading up the 65 or so miles to Stevens Pass, but knew I'd have 300 miles after cresting the top to blow-dry. A stiff tailwind blew me through the canyon onward & upward, clouds keeping pace with every mile. For some reason with all that threatening, I got through with nary a drop. Did see 3 Washington motor-patrol cops with various drivers pulled over for flagrantly disregarding the local speed laws. Trees were whipping back and forth pretty good.
Dropping down the Wenatchee side into the Columbia river basin, it got warmer and warmer, but again I planned to quickly zoom back up the other side to Waterville and lunch at the Coyote Pass cafe'. I have learned this Triumph has an affinity for
Bohemian food stops, like the Hope Icehouse & Pizzaria in Hope, ID or the Music Cafe in Troy, MT or Worden's Restaurant in Miss-Zoola. Pulled pork, cole slaw and bean lunch pretty tasty, but not quite like what is served in Memphis, TN or parts of
that country. Now the wind was blowing a steady 30 mph and gusting higher as I crossed the 160 or so miles of wheat country to Spokane. Miles of endlesss fallowed fields caused a lot of dust to cloud the sky, the cool wet winds of western Washington were replaced by visions of the dust bowl. At times vision was shortened considerably. Moki Larry of British Columbia used to say those hot dry winds messed up the electrons and got our equilibrium out of synch. I felt out of synch. Fortunately it was another tailwind and I felt like a tumbleweed. Periodically pulled over to drink water and collect my dimishing wits. A couple HD guys pulled out ahead of me in one small burg, but quickly disappeared into the dusty haze, though I was cruising at ~80 mph. Guess they don't all ride at parade speed.
I eventually made Spokane, at rush hour, successfully navigating the Interstate system. The final 60 miles of mountain road from Kingston, ID to T. Falls were two-laned, twisty and I met one car.
So it wasn't a trip on the scale of those previously posted, but it sure reminded me of rain forests, miles of dry old farm land and electrons. And I was glad to pull up in front of the garage in the protected valleys of NW Montana and I'm ready to head out again
jh
