This is Us: 2000 Mile Trip through Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Washington

The plan… try and stay stateside for vacation this year.  We left Seattle… Snohomish actually… on a Friday and returned 10 days later. Along the way we toured through the Palouse country in Washington on our way to Lewiston Idaho. From there we headed over to Grangeville and McCall. An attempt to travel to Yellow Pine was made, but we were turned back by snow. So off to Lowman we went, zig-zagging narrow river canyons along the way. We spent a wonderful night in Stanley, Idaho and then proceeded to go up through a couple of ghost towns (old mining towns). The plan there was to traverse the mountain over to a town called Challis. Again we got turned back by snow at 8000 feet of elevation. It was long ride over and up to Salmon, Idaho. From there we traversed south to Rexburg and then over to Jackson Wyo. We camped in the Tetons National Park. An evening ride where we reveled in sightings of Elk, Pronghorns and a mother Grizzly bear and cub. Next we passed through Yellowstone on our way to Red Lodge Montana. We crossed over the Bear Tooth Pass at 11,000 feet. ... The Bear Tooth highway is amazing ... While we were there it was snowing at the summit. But the climb up and the drop in elevation afforded great views and were well worth any hardship we endured. After a night in Red Lodge, we headed over to Cody, Wyo and then re-entered Yellowstone. It was at this point that we encountered the most adverse weather of the trip. We fought heavy winds and then while in Yellowstone it poured buckets of rain. It was all good, as the rain was not that cold. We spent the night in West Yellowstone and spent next day going to Ennis, Montana and then over to Hamilton, Montana. We rode through Lolo Pass and ended back up in Lewiston. At this point the temperatures had peaked to 100 degs. Having limited lightweight gear, we stopped in the BMW shop and purchased some mesh jackets and such to get us home. WHAT A RIDE!!

Ribs at West Yellowstone

Lori trying to hide the fact that she was more health conscious.

In the end, her animal tendencies showed though

Palouse Falls in Eastern Wa.

Looking south from the falls, the Palouse River carved a gorge.

Canoe art sculpture in Clarkston, Idaho

Thistle

Camp on the Snake River

The Road to Elk City, Idaho

An arm of the Salmon River

Somewhere near the Sawtooth Mountain Range

This is Us

An excited Lori

The Sawtooths are getting bigger

A tired Looksha Lori

Leaving Stanley Idaho... GORGEOUS

Ghost Town (Bonanaza?)

Dredge along the way

Lori eating donuts??

Those are no donuts... Large Onion Rings!!

I present to you... the Grand Tetons

They are Grand INDEED!

Momma grizzly and her cub. No petting allowed

More Tetons

Lori

The Grizz

Lori excited as can be. Her first big road trip on her new bike.

Yellowstone Falls

Lori at the summit of the Beartooth Hwy... It was snowing

11,000 Feet... No Problem

Jumping up and down for joy

Gretchen... The highest this girl has ever been

Beautiful Vistas off the Beartooth

One of the windiest roads eva...

More Yellowstone Canyon

View from the top of Yellowstone Falls

Reynolds Pass (Continental Divide)

All in all, a wonderful trip. Lots of video was taken. We did some off road riding in the mountains of Idaho and Montana. A video production of the trip is sure to follow as soon as time allows.

Until Next Time...

Log Home Living: New Deck and Patio

Old vs new

I needed a new front deck. Upon purchasing the home, one of the things I knew I would need to replace was the front deck. It was 30 years old and in a state of deterioration. 

I did my research and decided on 3 things for the replacement deck. (1) Use of composite decking material to fiend off the infamous PacNw wet weather and make it a low maintenance affair; (2) Log railing to compliment the house; (3) Pour a concrete pad underneath, complete with walkway to the side door and a concrete planter box to add to the continuous look of the back of the cabin. I designed a new landing, and stairway. I simply didn't like how the old stairs jutted out into the drive. Instead, I had them wrap around and come down to the garage underneath the cabin, out onto the concrete pad. Additionally, I used 2 colors of decking. It is amazing what they can do with composite wood decks these days. Not only does it look like wood, but you can choose your colors. I designed the deck with a lighter color for the main walk areas and trimmed in a darker (think walnut). Although, I don;t have pics showing this, it came out really, really nice. On the first landing a I designed it so that access to the back is easy by making it a pass through to the back of the house.

The composite decking and log railings don't come cheap. But in the end, I think it added more than just purpose and convenience. It also added aesthetic value that one cannot put a price tag on. 

Main Deck demolished and the new framing installed

Setting up forms for the concrete pour.

Here we see them spreading the concrete in front of the garage

That's right, make it nice and smooth

Let it cure a bit, and then add sugar on top so that they can exposed the aggregate.

Concrete work done!

Finish the decking and added the railings.

NICE!!

Looks much better than the old shown here....

Next on the list. Ad faux rock around the foundation. Give it that rustic feel and hide the unsightly concrete foundation.

Until next time...

Exploring Washington State: Weekend Moto Camp in Conconully

Spring time in Washington means dusting off the bikes and exercising them a bit.
Even better when the North Cascades Highway opens and the temps are in the 70's. 

A road trip was in order.
Destination: Conconully Wa. Pop 210 people.

Leaving home we take the long way up... The Mountain Loop Highway

Looksha Lori and her new steed.

North Cascades Highway and Lori's bike she named Jethro

Great weather and great views

GrizzLee and Dazee (an F650GS Dakar)

Looking good... The bike that is.

The happy biker couple

Along the way, a 1936 Indian appears out of nowhere. A classic.

We rented a cabin at Conconully State Park

Lori putting the bikes to bed and tucking them in

Heading up to the Canadian Boarder we meet a big obstacle

Lori deems it unsafe

GrizzLee attempts to hold the boulder so that riders can pass safely

There, that's better, pushed it up and out of the way. Now motorists can safely pass.

Palmer lake just south of Loomis, Wa

More Palmer Lake

Return ride home... more snow in the passes

Looksha looking good. Say that 5 times really fast

We wanted to try out the new soft luggage from Wolfman. It all worked better than expected. It even made the bikes look more aggressive for the off road.

Out time was too short.. a weekend is not enough to explore this area. As it was, we wanted to explore more of the Washington Back Country Discover route. But severe fires from the past 2 years have made the roads un-passable at the moment with downed trees from the burns. Also, the good snow pack we got this year still had much of the route snowed it. As it was, we were able to ride some of the northern route up to the Canadian border. However, we vow to return with more time and clear roads in the near future.  

Until next time.... Keep the shiny side up.

Solo Beyond the Northern Hinterlands: The Dempster Highway and Beyond

Enjoy this episode as I travel to north on the Dempster highway and then cut over through Dawson City and end up on the Top of the World Highway, arriving in Alaska. Along the way I meet interesting people living their own adventures.

Solo Beyond The Northern Hinterlands: The Salmon Glacier

The Salmon Glacier

Enjoy this episode as I travel to Stewart, British Columbia, passing through Hyder, Alaska, on my way to one of the largest glaciers in North America, the Salmon Glacier. Although I had been here before, it is like a first kiss. A breathtaking experience that is not forgotten.

Solo Beyond the Northern Hinterlands: The Nahanni Range Road

The Nahanni Range Road
Enjoy this episode as I travel to north on the very remote Nahanni Range Road. Starting in the Yukon, I end up in the NorthWest Territories. I witness the northern terminus of the Rocky Mountains and experience splendid beauty. I see wolves and have a startling experience in my tent as loneliness and unmitigated fears set in. All ends well, but it is an adventure to remember.