Washington Nitro National Hillclimb

In Kamiah, Idaho

Well it was another great day of riding, but a long one! We were on the road by 07:00 and arrived here in Kamiah Idaho at 18:30. We booked it on Highway 12 to Walla Walla this morning to Tom's Cycle so that I could Pick up my new face shields for my Shoei Hornet. I had been trying for years to get the dark tinted ones in Canada to no avail, so before the trip I called Tom's and they ordered them in for me. Great shop and people, so go see them if you are ever passing through and need something.

On the advice of on of the member on this site we then headed up to Palouse Falls, north of Walla Walla. We used a great mix of gravel and pavement to get there and the falls were spectacular. I only wished that my leg was 100 % so that I could have hiked around the north side of the falls.

The rest of the day we alternated between Gravel, Dirt and paved roads and every one was fantastic, including a spectacular one west of Lewiston that ran along a ridge line that was curve after fantastic curve of narrow pavement. I would like to shake the hand of the person that designed that road! After fueling in Lewiston, we stayed on back roads and found some truly inspiring gravel roads to wind up and over the hills into Kamiah.

We had dinner at the Hub on Kamiah's main drag, after which I pulled a fairly big wheely down the street on the way back to the Hotel before putting the leg on ice and typing this.

Pics from the day.


The tracks that run along the river near Palouse Falls.


The Park gates.

The Falls

Looking south from the falls




Lyons Ferry Bridge and Trestle.


Andy and Brian.


Cool Train Trestle.



High above Kamiah on a spectacular twisty gravel road!




Bikes secured for the night.
 
Snow day

Well, the Clearwater motel in Kamiah, Idaho was the best of the trip and truly first class inside. Huge rooms with modern decore and super clean, with the best bed I have ever slept in. The outside didn't tell that story.

Link: Clearwater 12 Motel Kamiah, Idaho





They put on an early and very nice breakfast spread in the lobby, so we got a misty cool start to the day. It only took half an hour and the fog had burnt off to reveal a gorgeous day. We took a minor detour off 12 to see if we could get to the Lolo Motorway. Snow stops us a couple of miles.






Lachosa Lodge stop before exploring up toward the Lolo Motorway.




The Highway 12 Summit at the Montana Border.

We stopped for a photo-op at an old homestead in Montana.


We kept on past Missoula and up to Condon, MT on pavement before jumping onto the Continental Divide Trail. It was a bit early, considering the elevations we would be doing, and at 4400 feet we found snow. Brian, the guy on the white KTM did recon and said it was clear further ahead so we squeezed past the snow and again were stopped at 4700 feet without any end of snow in site. reluctantly we turned around and bailed back to the highway, to pick up the trail again about 15 miles further north.









Return from Recon.


A few hundred feet later (in elevation) stopped again.


Just too deep.

After a true test of my navigation skills and one defunct but passable trail we wound our way into Columbia Falls for the night.

 
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You Shall not Pass!



Last day jumpiness or maybe the last afternoon’s Monster Energy drink (senior citizen crack) who knows, but I was awake at 04:00 and so was Andy. We sat on our respective beds with faces illuminated by the glow of our tech, while we listened to Brian snore. By 6 a.m. we were all on the move and ready to head over to The Montana Coffee House for breakfast, before heading north up Northfork Road to Polebridge. The breakfast was huge (and good) and the coffee great. Bikes and riders fueled we headed out in the chill air eager to get going. The south piece of Northfork road was new to me since we had crossed the eastern range near Polebridge as part of the C.D.T. ride last year on Red Meadow road. Northfork road runs in the valley between two mountain ranges between Highway 2 in the south and the Canadian Border in the north where there is a long defunct border crossing.





We could see snow in abundance on the tops of both ranges, Glacier National Park the one to the east. The morning was slowly warming and the sun bright as we reached the Polebridge Mercantile for a quick coffee and fresh Pastry. The Polebridge store is over a hundred years old and has never had power lines to it; they stop twenty miles to the south. They get by on a generator as they always have. After a fresh Cinnamon roll (for me) and a Huckleberry Bearclaw for the other two, we carried on north to check out the Canadian Border that we were not allowed to cross. I’m sure we were being watched although there were no signs of human activity.










That adventure done we headed south to join the C.D.T. and head west with Eureka in mind. We got about 10 miles in on a familiar section that had been under repair last year when Ian and I had come across. We stopped for pictures, which I had not done last time. Not long after that as elevation started to climb we started encountering snow patches but managed to squeeze through. Then another few corners and the snow was tree line to tree line and with no end in sight. We were beat and had to turn back. We went all the way back to the store and Andy asked if any of the passes to the west were open and none were. This was information we could have used a couple of hours before but it was what it was, and the trail had been fun.









We retraced our steps as far back as Camas Road that led into Glacier National Park and headed east toward East Glacier along highway 2, having decided that we needed the shortest way home now. I led the way along 2 east and then highway 49 north to meet 89 near St. Mary’s. It was a great twisty pavement run to the border north of Babb, Montana.







The rest of the ride was a fight with brutal, tiring winds that didn’t let up the whole way to Calgary. The trip was fun, and with great company, but it was great to roll into the driveway at home. My first ride of the season was a memorable one.

 
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Good To Be Back

[video=youtube;U3RM2qoqzVI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3RM2qoqzVI[/video]

This was coming back down the hill from 4700 feet, 200 from the top (in elevation) . The section that is slowed down in the video, just before it speeds up you might catch a glimpse of a dark brown dot on the left side of the trail. The wide angle lens and vibration nearly erased it. It was a Grizzly cub and I thought that I might have driven between mom and baby, so I absolutely gassed it since I wanted no part of that!
 
Andy's Pictures

Relaxing at the Motel in Metaline Falls the first night.



The Elephant Room at the Motel, Good Karma.



Cathy's Cafe on Main Street, Metaline Falls, WA.



North of Sunnyside WA, and south of Grande Coulee.



The Bikers upstairs at Sunnyside. The Lady with the Vodka and Wii.


KTM 990 motor. Loud Pipes make people Deaf.



Hows this for a dirt bike?!


Launch Time!


Hooking up his tether.


Nitro 990 checking his chains.





KTM 1190 motor.



Yamaha.



Aprillia.



Gas Station Selling BONGS! Wow Washington.



Tired and happy after a long day.

 
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What a HOOT Lee, I'll be in Montana mid June with my Kodiak ATV. Didn't see the cub, but you did right by gassing it. My brother was in Eastern Washington on his ATV, went up some dirt road and when he came down he seen a cub on the left side of the road. He went OH NO, looked to his right, there was a BIG BEAR full tilt at him, was close to getting him.

I keep thinking ADV Bike my self, maybe next year ? Thanks for the Great report, and 420 Ya Baby.
 
tombraider2 said:
What a HOOT Lee, I'll be in Montana mid June with my Kodiak ATV. Didn't see the cub, but you did right by gassing it. My brother was in Eastern Washington on his ATV, went up some dirt road and when he came down he seen a cub on the left side of the road. He went OH NO, looked to his right, there was a BIG BEAR full tilt at him, was close to getting him.

I keep thinking ADV Bike my self, maybe next year ? Thanks for the Great report, and 420 Ya Baby.
Click to expand...

I still have a few more of my own pictures to post, plus I'm waiting for Brian's pictures and video. I will post them as they come in.

Here is one I took of Andy, doing his best "Price is right, prize person"

 
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GPS Track Of Trip

For you Basecamp users, here is the actual track we rode.


Bear Cub from Video.
 

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