A potpourri of weather

I started the day at the gas station, filling up and taking a picture of the clouds to the northwest, where I was headed. I'd like to say I managed to stay dry despite the ominous cloud cover.

I'd like to say that but... it started to rain within 5blocks of the gas station. Because I had put my rain suit on I was able to continue on my way. The rain never developed into a downpour o my advance was cautious but still at about 50 mph. After a half hour the rain ceased and I rode under cloudy, threatening, partly clouded and sunny skies the rest of the day.

The ride west from Kalispell was primarily along Highway 2, headed toward Libby. 

I found a unique restaurant a couple of blocks off the route in the City of Eagles. 

The Libby Cafe (deduct .2 points for creative name) had an eclectic gathering of decorations, stuffed in every corner, right down to a parking meter mounted in the corner of the "L" shaped lunch counter. The food was good but, even better was the menu. I think this is the first time I took pictures of a menu.

Sorry they're sideways. I may be able to rotate them but don't know how

I noticed when I got off the bike that I could not walk normally. My ankles did not want to bend or support me properly, almost as if they were falling asleep. I guess you could say my ankles quit on me.

On the road after lunch I crossed into the Idaho panhandle and soon drew into Bonners Ferry. 

I elected to take another break at the Three Mile Diner, giving my ankles a rest. While sitting inside drinking a Pepsi and munching on a bag of M&Ms (see Lisa, you can still eat well on the road!) a chap walked in. He was dressed in leather and had just hopped off of his BMW touring bike. I talked to him briefly, as I was about finished, then kicked myself later for not sitting and talking further.

He was from the U.K. and was touring the U.S. by motorcycle. He had started in San Fran and cross-crossed the country several times. He intended to ride in all 48 states in 6 months, compiling about 20,000 miles. He had spent the night in Spokane and was still trying to figure out why it was pronounced Spo-can, instead of spo-cain. He too was taking it slow covering only a couple hundred miles a day and he was headed toward Kalispell, where I had started my day. I don't know why we didn't exchange names or email addresses.

My time in Idaho was brief. I took Highway 2/95 south to Sandpoint, then west through Priest Lake on my way into Washington. Along the way I stopped and took a picture that Ron will recognize. 

It was in this area that the two of us ran nearly out of water and lost the trail while hiking the Idaho Centennial Trail, resulting in our having to spend an extra night out in Grizzly bear territory, sleeping on a steep hillside, not knowing where we were or how we were going to locate a trail out of there. I recall specifically that I had my only spare meal that night, a pack of smelly (but delicious) Salmon, while wondering how far away the closest Grizz was! Ah, good times!

Because the route through Idaho required me to go south around Priest Lake, I crossed into Washington at Newport, 

then began looking for a route that would take me closer to the 49th parallel while traveling west also. The Girls did good, apparently learning my tastes. 

I had not been using GPS today until I crossed into Washington. They put me on Higway 20, then had me turn onto a road with a name like Flowerly Lane. It took me up a winding road that climbed until I was riding past a (closed) ski area named 40 degrees North; an area I had never heard of. Because it was heavily travelled in the winter it was in excellent shape, making for a very pleasant ride up and over. 

I came out on Highway U.S. 395. I believe this highway is one and the same with the route past Mt. Whitney in So. Cal/Nevada. From there I went north and west until I found myself in Kettle Falls, WA.

Thinking it was time to stop and seeing I had travelled 280 miles already, I selected the Grandview Motel.

After getting my room I discovered A) I was in the Pacific Time Zone and it was only 4 o'clock, B) their free Wi-Fi was worth exactly what I paid for it C) Riding in the rain does not clean your vehicle. Quite the opposite. I stopped mid-way through cleaning to take a picture. Can you tell where I had already cleaned?