Picto Diary - 25, 26 August 2015 - Lost Trail Pass
Above: Fay Wray fountain. Cardston, Alberta, Canada. 25 August 2015.
Native Fay Wray. Cardston's claim to fame, along with the Alberta Canada LDS Temple.
How many know today that Fay Wray was the female lead in the first King Kong movie?
On the sign beyond the fountain is a sculpted representation of Fay being held in King Kong's hand.
Note: After a 7:00 AM breakfast at the Calgary Hyatt with John Galt and Earp, we parted company for this ride. I hung back at the hotel until noon... catching up on correspondence, paying bills, and updating my diary. Galt and Earp left immediately after breakfast hoping to reach Missoula... over 400 miles. Their objective for tomorrow would be to ride, from Missoula, US 12, the famed Lolo Pass road, US 12, back to Walla Walla.
I would take two nights to get back to Park City.... Kalispell, MT the first night, and Salmon, ID the second night.
Above: Fay Wray. Cardston, AB denizen. File image.
Above: Glacier National Park, MT. Going to the Sun Highway. 25 August 2015.
Smoke from local fires occluded the atmosphere. I felt sorry for the many vacationers I saw in the park today. They would not see the fullness of Glacier's scenery.
Between mile marker four and ten riding into the park (from the east) was a wholly burnt out area ravaged by fire earlier this summer.
The ranger at the entrance gate reported that there were three active fires in the park, but, that I could ride through safely.
Earp's Teachings and Reflections on Geezers Gaining Knowledge
British Columbia and Alberta were epicenter to smoke emanating from fires in central Washington State. Our "vistas" riding through BC and AB over the last two days looked much like that seen in this image.
Notwithstanding, its always fun being on a motorcycle, even in smokey atmosphere. I had seen much of the Canadian Rockies on previous motorcycle journeys. So I knew what the ghostly outlines of peaks actually looked like when smoke free. But, I felt sorry for Earp who was visiting western Canada for the first time.
A day or two ago, I asked Earp what his impressions were of Canada, him being a first time visitor. Two that I recall: Abundance of blueberries along the side of the road. Different irrigation equipment used by Canadian farmers.
Its amazing how one can go to a place and not be aware of or sensitive to a lot of very real, important features of the area. I've been through BC a number of times and never noticed the blueberries or the irrigation equipment.
In retirement I've had a lot of time to learn new stuff. Meeting new people, like Earp, a farmer, adds new dimensions to my knowledge base even at 70 years of age.
I ask myself, what good is all this knowledge doing me when I have a constantly shrinking window in which to put it to use?
In the end, I enjoy being curious, and learning new stuff for the sake of doing it, particularly if it comes from solid, knowledgeable like Earp... and, for now, that is enough.
But, yes. Lot's of blueberries in BC. How about that!? How did I miss that before?
Above: Mwah (sic) checks out ScottiBelli's Restaurant, Kalispell, MT. 25 August 2015.
I rode Canada 2 from Calgary, via Cardson, to the US frontier. 140 miles. I then rode through Glacier National Park on the Going to the Sun road to Kalispell... arriving at 5:00 PM. Total miles, pushing 300.
Galt texted shortly after my arrival in Kalispell. He and Earp had just arrived safely in Missoula, 120 miles further down the road.
I called Galt to confirm my own arrival in Kalispell.
Galt and Earp reached Missoula...by taking US 89 and US 2 to bypass Glacier National Park, before joining US 93 to ride to Missoula. After receiving the text, I telephoned Galt after I arrived in Kalispel. I told him I would pay for his and Earp's gas and dinner... plus an additional $100 payment to Earp... if they back tracked 120 miles to Kalispell to join me for dinner. After giving the idea serious consideration (cough), both declined. On 26 August 2015 they would ride the Lolo Pass, US 12, from Missoula back to Walla Walla.
I dined alone at ScottiBelli's in Kalispell. It was OK. I ordered a rigatoni sausage dish, which was served as penne. I pointed out to the bartender (I was seated alone at the bar) that the dish came with wrong pasta, but, that it wasn't a big deal, I'd eat it. The waiter said, "well, its the same sauce." Some people might have made a big deal of this... but, not Mwah (sic). Life's too short. Pasta is pasta. But, I still mentioned it. After all, I didn't want the bar tender to think that I was some rube. I didn't undertip.
With Charles Atlas in Glacier National Park... circa 1998.
15 years or so ago, in early retirement years, Charles Atlas and Mwah (sic) were riding motorcycles on the Going to the Sun road in Glacier. It was late and we decided, hoping for a cancellation, to take a chance on a room at one of the national park lodges along the route. We succeeded in getting a room due to a cancellation.
Charles Atlas and Mwah (sic) were two in the same room... two queen beds. At about 2:00 AM in the morning, the room's smoke alarm started to chirp. Atlas didn't seem to mind as he slept away, but, the chirping was driving me crazy.
The alarm was on the ceiling above Atlas' bed. I pulled a chair to the foot of Atlas' bed, and, using the dimmed lighting from the bathroom, mounted the chair and reached to the ceiling to disable the chirping alarm. I reached too far, lost my footing, and fell directly on the sleeping Charles Atlas. Atlas awoke with a start. "What the hell are you doing?" he screamed.
Finally, I called the front desk who sent someone with a ladder to disable the alarm.
I'm not sure, after that point, whether Charles Atlas ever again trusted my attentions.
On that ride, I remember that Atlas asked me... do you want to go on a hike? I said, "OK... where?" Atlas named the hike - I don't remember - but he said, "we'll its about 2000 vertical feet." Atlas then looked me up and down... paused... looked sheepishly away... than back again, and said, "well, on second thought, maybe we better not try it... I'm not sure you'll be able to make it."
Atlas was a spelunker, a rock climber, a hiker, and a long distance runner. He had reason to be concerned about Mwah (sic).
Over the years since I have hiked a bit and 1000 foot vertical hikes up to 6 miles are well within my capacity.
Above: Mwah (sic) and the Duc in Ronan, MT. 26 August 2015.
I departed Kalispell for Salmon, ID around 10:00 AM
"Can anything good come out of Ronan?" See Image.
Ronan, MT. Spook's birth and growing up place. Spook and Karen were up in this area a week or two ago... maybe they are still here??
Here's the thing... ever in the history of the world has their been any other marriage where the betrothed came from Ronan, MT and Koosharem, UT?
To be sure, a unique combination places and a unique couple.
Above: Matt Spencer and my Duc. Salmon, ID. 26 August 2015.
For years the Salt Lake City based "go to" Ducati mechanic (and part owner of Salt Lake Motor Sports) throughout the mountain west, Matt moved to Salmon, ID, his growing up place, about seven years ago.
I looked him up today in Salmon and we had a Mexican dinner together.
Duc owners from as far as New Mexico came to SLC to have Matt work on their bike.
For three or four years in the mid 'naughts, Matt was commandeered by KTM to mechanic for its US Paris Dakar rally entries. Matt traveled the world with the enduro racing crowd.
Matt was a three time attendee/rider (and sponsor) at Big Cat. We reminisced tonight about the great Big Cat Jarbidge ride. Matt and Joe Barker rode out to that ride together, Matt on an 1150 GS and Joe on a KTM 950 Adventure.
Matt still rides a KTM, but he left the motorcycle business for solar system sales and installations throughout central Idaho. Matt says most of his clients are in the sticks where they require off the grid systems. He says he is doing a thriving business.
Matt and his wife live on seven acres outside of Salmon and have 10 horses. Asked why he has ten horses, Matt responded, "ask my wife,."
Matt and Mrs, have a fifty acre property in Potlatch, ID, which is near Moscow. They may consider opening a second store in Potlatch, which is nearer "civilization" than Salmon. Moscow, Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, and Spokane are all within reach of Potlatch.
While he still rides a KTM himself, Matt said he didn't miss the motorcycle business. Here in Idaho he's more fit than ever, he says. He mountain bikes and does long back country runs.
It was good to catch up.
Corps of Discovery country
The ride from Missoula to Salmon is a terrific one. US 93 goes south over Lost Trail Pass, the MT/ID state line, and has limited traffic, sweeping curves on both the MT and ID side of the summit. A chance to wear down the sidewalls of the motorcycle tire. I forgot about the smoke and took full advantage of the push the envelope riding experience. The Duc performed perfectly. I've ridden this road (Lost Trail Pass) five or six times. It is not to be missed.
Lewis and Clark crossed Lost Trail Pass in the opposite direction. They first came over Lemhi Pass, of the Bitterroot Range, which is forty miles south of Lost Trail Pass, near Salmon... my destination for the evening. They explored a bit continuing on the Salmon River, first north, then west, to reach the Pacific Ocean, but Sacajawea's brother, Cameahwait, chief of the Lemhi tribe, said, "no way you'll get through there." That is the "river of no return," the sobriquet by which the river is known today.
The Salmon River, indeed, passes through the central Idaho wilderness and would have been an impossible obstacle for the Corps of Discovery to accomplish.
Taking Cameahwait's advice, The Corps of Discovery headed north, over Lost Trail Pass, and made its way to Lolo, just south of Missoula. They portaged west up to the top of Lolo Pass and then re launched their boats into the Lochsa River near the summit. The Lochsa merges into the Clearwater River, near Kooskia, ID, which then flows into the Snake at Lewiston, ID. The Snake flows west for another one hundred miles or so and enters the Columbia, near Walla Walla. Earp and Galt followed this very Corps of Discovery route from Missoula/Lolo to Walla Walla today. Today the route is known as US 12. I got a note from Galt at the end of the day announcing that both he and Earp had arrived home safely... that, riding in the smoke, they had set a speed record going from Lolo to Kooskia, 99 miles of curves (another great motorcycle road) having passed only one car going in the opposite direction for the whole 99 mile distance.
Addendum:
It is great you have so much fun with you bikes, and lots of adventures. Keep on trucking.
Bridge,
Palm Beach, FL
Above: Bronx Girl and TIMDT from Bronx Girl's deck in Long Beach, NY 26 August 2015.
Cool! Thanks for coming!
Enfield Goat,
Tacoma, WA
Hi Steve,
We should tell your MEET guys about the moto film fest in NYC - or did you already? If you get me emails, I can pass them to the founder of the film fest. it’s in Sept.
Thanks,
Inventor,
Park City, UT