Continental Divide Ride 2013

Day 10



172 km for the day

We once again enjoyed the roller coaster #5 east into St. Maries (and the morning sun) to a breakfast stop on the main drag. It was the only one open early and you know what that means… There were some entertaining locals inside including the local law man ("you boys ain't from around here are ya'?"), who was able to offer insight into our intended trail. Baldy Mountain road, “it’s a bit steep and rocky up top but you’ll have no trouble on those”, motioning to the bikes parked outside. Our goal today was just to get to Bayview at the south end of Lake Pend Oreille but it was almost all off pavement.


Photo courtesy of Ian. A bike clean before chain clean (I only did the bottom half of the bike, I swear).



The heat was pushing up the mercury fast so it would be a warm one. We headed out on St. Joe River road to Baldy Mountain road which was entertaining right from the start. Steep and full of tight switch backs that went on for a long time. On one steep dusty bit I took the wrong track and had to muscle the bike around to get pointed in the correct direction. There was a short break from the action at Cataldo and the Kwik stop there. We talked to another rider on BMW road bike coming back from a Rally out west. Up Coeur D’Alene River road to Little North Fork Rd. until a detour sign made us take a break to re-plot our course. In the end, following the detour signs took us on the same path as my careful, quick re-ploy did. We did come into a rather dead end section on NF-209, but after a little recon, decided to listen to the advice of a local (this could be scary) and go back to Bunco road which took us all the rest of the way in to the south end of Farragut State Park. We went into the park and got a campspot then carried on to Ralph’s Café in Bayview (should “Ralph” be in a restaurant name? I think not) for food. The food was better than the name suggested, but the place is tiny, also serving as an internet hotspot.















Other than the kids and dogs the “Whitetail” campground, one of a few in the park, was quite nice, with full wash and bath facilities within site of our spot. The spot had well groomed pea gravel over the whole site and lots of large tree coverage. It was another short and relaxing day.

 
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Day 11



181 km for the day.



This particular run was a track provided by one of the local riders (I can't remember who on the site on ADV Rider) and it had a really interesting mix of tracks, including one that may have been a test, or an attempt to rid Idaho of outside riders (hmmmm?).

Athol, do you have a lisp? and that’s not nice. OK, I had to get that out of my system so now I’ll carry on.



After another early morning departure (they say as you get older you don’t sleep as long, probably because you have to pee more often) we headed over to Athol (the town), as it was reported to be the closest fuel. We fueled and I again talked to a local about food (here we go) who knew where not to eat, but not where to. We explored all 2 blocks of town west to the tracks and Ian found the Saddle Up Grill which opened (the sign said so) in minutes. The food was on the better side of early morning experiences thus far so it was a good start to the day.




In order to hit the track we had to run back up Bunco road a short ways dodging log trucks to get to the track provided by a local (member here). Thanks by the way, it was probably one of my favorite overall runs for the trip. Turning off Bunco road onto NF-278 for the run north to Clark Fork we quickly ran up against a Cutting Crew logging over the hill side, with a feller-buncher and a cable drag rig. I stopped about a 100 feet from the Feller, and took off my helmet to go talk to him. Without their co-operation we would not make it past on the narrow road. The young guy running the first rig was really personable and said no problem he would let the other guys know and would make sure we could get by. I should have ran the Go-Pro but didn’t want to hold up the crew any longer than necessary (they weren’t on holidays like us). We weaved to the left around the Buncher and to the left around the Cable Drag, under its boom and were past with a wave of thanks.







The trail was uneventful but very pretty, looking so like the west coast of B.C. as we travelled down to the next direction change and cute little bay side village. The road twisted down to the bay on nothing more than a quad track, across a bridge and up a quad track on the other side. After awhile it widened up a bit, but was still narrow by car standards, becoming very silt based (and dusty) as it wound north.





It again widened but was very rocky along with the dirt and care was need not to get deflected off course alternating between long dark tree lined sections and bright, wide open cut lines. The trail would then climb and twist up and over the next hill, eventually dropping us onto hard packed logging roads with great views again south of Clark Fork. Johnson Creek road took us the last stretch in Clark Fork and joined up to highway 200 into Sandpoint.











The Panhandler Pie shop served as lunch and I enjoyed (and recommend) it. After a bit of running around for food, and maintenance (Ian had to change oil) I led us to a known camp spot (from last year) out at Springy Point State campground. I don’t remember them taking reservations last year, but apparently they do and we didn’t have any. They were full and we were SOL, so on to plan “F”. an RV park 2 miles south from where we had turned in at highway 95 south of the causeway. Conveniently located between the highway (a truck stop), the Main Rail line (and obvious level crossings), a trailer park and (apparently) a gun range, it was a cosy little respite. If you are deaf, extremely tired, or out of options it’s quite nice….. but it has showers. We found an acceptably spot with a tree or two for shade and settled in for the afternoon, entertaining ourselves with the local fauna. Did I mention the truck stop had cold beer, what more could a man ask for? Life was good

 
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Day 12



181 km for the day (again)



Day broke in our little piece of Americana, and after a quite, peaceful sleep (sarcasm is just one of the many services I provide) we set off back to Sandpoint to fuel ourselves and our machines for the day ahead. Connie’s Café (after a time) provided a good breakfast and quick service, and was nicer on the inside than out.



Another Baldy Mountain road took us toward the Washington state line toward Metaline Falls. The road at one point had a sign saying “road closed for maintenance” (bah) but I carried on and it just meant that the road got somewhat more interesting for a time. Eventually we connected with the main north-south road up past Priest Lake’s west side. Ian stopped to scoop up another wasp and in his haste (who can blame him) managed to tangle a foot in some orange marker tape serving as a fence along the gas station’s (Conoco) east boundary. After allowing that bio-terror suspect to flee and extricating Ian’s extremity (without pictures I might add) we carried on north into the western most part of Idaho.





The Washington State line was un-dramatic and barely marked with a small brown metal post with Washington stenciled on it (not sure what I was expecting, but more than that). The route carried on over NF-302 (just follow the bouncing ball, or signs for Metaline). I met a nice friendly Border patrol and thought I would stop and say hello. He was extremely friendly and assured me that the trail was “all good, just a bit rocky up top, but you’ll have no trouble on those things”, now where have I heard that before? “I haven’t seen a KTM up here before, nice” he commented. With a wave we carried on and the ride was fairly easy with really nice views in spots eventually turning into pavement past Sullivan Lake on its way to connecting with Highway 31.



I had just done an illegal u-turn to get this shot and it turned out (as I stopped and looked around), I had done it right in front of the local sheriff. Maybe he was feeling gracious, or saw my Alberta plate and decided to cut the silly tourist some slack. Either way I was grateful to not get a ticket for my indiscretion.





The town of Metaline Falls is small and shy of services, you need to carry on south a few miles to Metaline for gas. The Village does have a Café and a Bar, as well as a small grocery store which we made use of (not the bar). After stocking up, and on the advice of a local we made our way about 12 miles further to the (famous) Boundary Dam to camp. Tours were not happening that day, but one of the staff (contractors) was happy to give Ian the run down on the workings and a bit of history. The movie The Postman was shot (part of) on this location (the cliff side dwelling run by Tom Petty’s character).









We then returned up top to the small (free) camp area to enjoy the heat of the day, as well as a swim in the lake. Not long after our arrival a couple of fellow adventurers made an appearance with the same idea of camping, setting up shop right next door. They were; Ollie on his BMW, 1150 GS, and Dave on his 1000 V-Strom. Nice guys with a good sense of humor. We sat on the dock having a drink in our camp chairs later that afternoon watching a bald eagle (hoping to see it catch a fish, in vain) and making Hill Billy jokes. We shared a camp fire later before turning in at a truly peaceful campground (after the damn RV’s generators were shut off).







 
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Day 13

Day 13: (In more ways than 1…):



253 km for the day





Note: the Fallout Shelter sign (carved in stone) to the left. Simpler times....




Like Me, Ollie was an early riser, and he was up at first light for coffee, which I was out of (coffee),and he had, so thanks again Ollie. We sat and talked quietly (I hope) and had coffee as the sun moved higher toward the horizon. Once Ian was ready we said our farewells (to Ollie and Dave), Ian and I headed to Metaline Falls for an early breakfast (in the usual style and results of such) before making our way to our home country.



We (I) had forgot that the smaller crossings are not 24 hour and we could have lingered longer at breakfast, rather than sit an hour at the boundary of the two nations. Ian had an interesting if somewhat bizarre conversation with an individual of the same description across the metal divider between countries. I repaid him the favor from our campsite in Salmon,ID (and our other unusual character) and left him to hold the attention of the soon-to-be-returned USA citizen (thanks for taking him back, I hope). Then, once through a brief stop at Canada Customs, we cruised to Salmo for a brief chocolate stop (for Ian), and onward past Nelson (my second favorite Hippy town) to the Balfour Ferry.





From Kootenay Bay we headed for Grey Creek for fuel and the store to ask about the Pass. A lunch break would have been nice, but we were an hour too early, for the only game in town.











Thinking it would be a fairly fast run over to St. Mary’s we headed up the pass (assured that it was open at the store). The west side is dusty and fairly smooth and fast, other than the switchbacks. Most of the damage has been erased by hard working crews, one of which we passed along the way. From the top down the St. Mary’s side there was a lot more damage, but all had been cleared off the road, if not completely erased. Somewhere along the way and about 40 km from the junction with St. Mary’s road I picked up a small nail in my nice new rear Heidenau, so the day was about to get longer. I had tried to change the rear myself just before the trip and failed, so I was a bit concerned.





It turns out you just need the proper motivation, and lack of other options to get one of theses monsters done. Using the side-stand bead breaking method had the tube out in very little time. A patch would have been a problem as the nial had put a nearly 3 inch slit in the nice new (ultra heavy duty) tube. Ian supplied a rear tube of similar dimensions if not thickness, thank you Ian! Getting the tire on was much tougher since the sidewalls are so stiff that the opposite side does not want to stay in the groove while you pop the opposite bead back in. This is where clamps would come in handy (note for next trip). What I did was use my side cases, with the tire positioned between them helping push the opposite sidewall up while Me, Ian and a kindly passing local, worked the tire irons (me on the long one). For information sake, a standard “Bead Buddy” is too small for the rear rim on a 990. lots of tire lube and all the CO2 that Ian had (in my gun)(I used mine up on a stranger’s tire) and the bead finally popped. Clean up seals, remember right spacer, adjust chain, and we were back in business a couple of hours (?) later.
Ian Journal Entry:

Damn Nail
This little roofing nail was all it took to stop us for a while. I didn't accurately time how long we were stopped - but it was just over an hour. Lee, working at his typical hyperspeed, had the tube out within 5 minutes of stopping. Our method of putting the tire back on with 2 sets of hands was not working. We had one more combination that I was about to suggest when someone with a cabin nearby stopped so we put him to work. The third set of hands allowed Lee to concentrate his efforts on the heavy work with his monster tire iron. Where the heck did you store that thing?!

A BC Hydro service truck also appeared out of nowhere and offered hand wipes and support. It is always a welcome sight to see a vehicle with an organization's name on the door.

Lee parked the bike in the shade. Had we done the work without shade we probably would have melted, but the tire may have gone on a bit easier. That was a beast of a tire to replace. I want to reinforce that a substitute for a Bead Buddy is required if you want any chance of replacing the tire single-handedly.

I'm a firm believer in paying it forward so there are no debts to be paid after doing repairs on the trail. Lee graciously paid for lunch/dinner at Montanas (logistical issues kept us from having lunch) so I was sure to pig-out including a decadent dessert (skillet cookies with ice cream).

Ian


Photo Courtesy of Ian.







It was smoking hot by now and we hit Montana’s up at the ski hill when we got to Kimberley. It was a little off my track but with a purpose. My boss has a nice place in Kimberley that he has encouraged me to use in the past to no avail. It was time to call in that marker, and he was gracious enough to let me use his amazing Chalet. Other than no air conditioning (that I could figure how to turn on) we stayed in luxury that night. A TV, nice single malt, laundry, and wonderful, luxurious bathroom at our disposal. It was nice to see how the other half lives if only for a night, Thank you Mr. Meaney!

 
Day 14

The Run Home:



398 km. Mileage for the day



I think both Ian and I were in agreement that since we were so close to home, to push all the way through. All Good things must come to an end and as much as I had enjoyed this run, only more riders and more time could have made it better. This is no slight to Ian at all, just that larger groups tend to slow things down and make for more entertainment at days end. It was a learning experience in many ways and about a great many things. I am a more confident rider as a result, and have already decided what not to take next trip. I really missed nothing save for a nail clipper (thanks Ian), but had a few things that were never used. High tech clothes that dry fast mean very little extra in the apparel department is required. A Micro-fiber face cloth is all that is needed as it works well as a towel, eliminating the need for that bulky item. A single gas canister for the Jet boil was more than enough, even for 2 weeks assuming some meals will be had in restaurants. I have said before, I like cooking at the campsite. Being able to eat, should a outlet not be found due to a problem along the trail is important, so having no food or equipment to cook isn't an option for me (just to save a little weight). I have already started to plan what I need to make tire (monster rear) changes easier, and I know it can be done without a machine (something I was not sure about as of late).

Despite an unforeseen illness along the way, I was glad that neither of us was injured, but was glad that we had backup (in the friends watching) on my Spot Tracker. Once again my KTM and Ian’s Suzuki proved reliable (other than normal high elevation carb issues). We had what we needed for the lone tire (tube) repair, and even enough to help a stranger along the way.

More options for camping are going to be marked (waypointed) the next time as well as a state “back roads map book” being in the inventory. I always have an Alberta one with me or a B.C. when I head there. Machines (GPS) are not infallible so it is good to have the old fashion alternative along.

By now, save for changing the oil and coolant, my bike is cleaned up and checked over and seems to have taken the pounding without a hitch. I figured out why she was prone to overheating near the end of the trip (unless moving along with air through the rad.) and it was nothing major, and already remedied ( a bad thermostat switch). After all the ethanol fuel down south my fuel filters are getting swapped as soon as the parts come in for piece of mind. I had one lens of one signal light get broken by either a rock or a branch (most likely) and I had a spare in my shop so that is already repaired. The only thing hard to clean is whatever B.C. uses as dust stop, as it really baked on to my pipes and will take some “elbow grease” to remove. By the weekend I’ll be ready for the next adventure.



Our run back had the interesting bits at the start, heading south from Kimberley to Fort Steele onto Wardner / Fort Steele road to Bull River road up to Sulfur Creek road down to #3 near Fernie. There was a lot more damage along Sulfur Creek road this year, but it was all repaired already, and an easy run.















After that we cruised along highway 3 through Coleman with a stop at The Cinnamon Bear, which I strongly recommend. Forget Tim’s down the road, stop here for better coffee and better baking (by far). I had been past it many times but never knew it was there. Have a Cinnamon bun there and you’ll thank Ian (since he put me on to this place).



Well the rest is history as the saying goes, with well traveled roads back to Calgary. I did take Ian down to see Policeman Flats and its flood damage, then we each headed for our respective homes and families, a good trip in the books.





I hope you enjoyed the vitual journey as much as we did taking it. At least the wasps and heat you don't have to deal with.


"It's something unpredictable but in the end Is right I hope you've had the time of your life

So take the photographs and still frames in your mind Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time

I hope you had the time of your Life" Green Day

Lee
 
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No BigFoot

YZFRiderNY said:
Well, I've looked at your routes, and based on the roads your taking, if you make it through this trip and don't see a Sasquatch, I may have to reconsider my beliefs!!! Can't wait for the reports when you return!:tup:
Click to expand...

Sorry Billy, no Big Foot sightings! I saw Elk, Deer, Antelope (prong horns) Squirrels, Rabbits, a Wolf, cows (lots), mice, a Marmot (or something that looked like it) and a cougar (driving a Miata). :evillaugh:
 
Last 2 Videos

This one is once we were back in B.C. crossing Grey Creek Pass. This was shot on the east side of the pass, just before I picked up the nail in my rear tire.

Grey Creek Pass - YouTube

This Next one is just me being goofy after having a few drinks with some guy named Jack (who is no gentleman) : oops:

WARNING: It is not Work Safe Unless you are wearing a headset or have the office door closed. There is some bad language from the movie clips I used as a sound track. Bill Paxton has a dirty mouth!

idaho crazy take 2 - YouTube

After getting to the bottom of that trail Ian's rear brake was literally smoking, so it was far steeper than the angle that the camera indicates. Wide angle lens are my favorite, but they do have a way of flattening out hills. He told me he was honking at me trying to get me to turn around and get the hell out of there. I could see by my gps that we were 300m away from rejoining the main road so I figured I'd push on. I do have a few new scratches on my windshield and helmet from that little escapade. Honestly though it was the most entertaining bit of trail on the trip, but would have been hard to do had it been much longer. It is a real workout running across a chunky scree field with a heavy bike (and not falling down).

My oldest daughter, after seeing this video said,"That's not how you do a selfy . you shouldn't use a wide angle and shoot up your nose". "It's not very flattering". I could see what she meant, but whatever, all for entertainment sake hey....
 
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Very entertaining Lee! :popcorn:

The trees in some of the pics, even though they are burned out or beetle killed, still make for a pretty pic.
And poor Ian, I felt so bad for him. Being sick is the pits, but being sick on a bike trip has to be the worst! :ugh:
 
lytehouse said:
Very entertaining Lee! :popcorn:

The trees in some of the pics, even though they are burned out or beetle killed, still make for a pretty pic.
And poor Ian, I felt so bad for him. Being sick is the pits, but being sick on a bike trip has to be the worst! :ugh:
Click to expand...


Thank You.

The burnt trees did make for a interesting picture or two, I liked the contrast with the early morning (deep) blue sky and the bits of green and red in the returning undergrowth, and of course my favorite color...orange.:blowing_kisses:

You can see in the Selway falls video, Ian runs wide and into the grass as we leave the morning that he was sick. It hit him hard. Anyone that has had food poisoning knows how awful it can be. Wearing a helmet when you feel that sick is even worse.

This is the first time that during a trip I had people back home watching over us via the Spot Tracker. Had things gone really bad, we could at least call for help.



 
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