Thursday, June 20, 2013

Thursday June 20th - Missoula, MT to home – 498 miles



I think Mother Nature had decided enough of that warm sunshine for you my son. Cop hold of this. Although it wasn’t raining when I left the motel about 6AM, it wasn’t sunshine either. I actually had a dry road at times, with just a few sprinkles the first 50 miles, and then it all changed as I hit the mountains. And I was thinking I might have a decent run home. As well as rain, it became very cold. Waterproof my new super duper gloves might be, warm they ain’t.  I had checked the web weather for waypoints on the way home, and light showers, with really cool temperatures was the theme. So I dressed accordingly, which was smart as crossing over Lookout Pass into Idaho  I wouldn’t have been surprised to see snow. One good thing was that traffic was light, and the road work crews hadn’t started up, so it was a fairly reasonable ride to Coeur d’Alene. That road has some serious twisties, so caution and focus was the play of the day. Traffic picked up near the city, as did the spray, and I wasn’t aware I had crossed into Washington until I realized I was passing through Spokane.
The rain continued, with added wind gusts, until after Moses Lake, where the road became dry, and it looked a decent day. Then at Easton, it changed again, heavy rain and cool over Snoqualmie Pass, and rain all the way home. One good thing was that apart from the works near Keechelus Dam, there were no hold ups in Washington. Which is more than can be said for those heading east. There was a huge backup near Cle Elum, and it would get worse as there seemed to be a large amount of traffic heading that way, and in convoys. I was lucky, as about an hour after I arrived home, the heavens opened, and it has poured since. I have to admit, to-day was the wettest and coldest ride I have ever experienced, period.
So my summer ride for 2013 has come to an end. New experiences and some new places seen. The master plan did not work out as originally defined, but that is life. We move on, and who knows what will be the theme for 2014. A short trip this year, out and home, 6938 miles.

Once again, thanks for listening. I’ll get the missing write ups and photos posted asap.

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