From here we'd start getting into some good roads. Thirty minutes later we were turning off of SR120 and on to SR296, otherwise known as Chief Joseph Scenic Byway which would take through Dead Indian Summit. The interpretive sign at the summit doesn't tell how the area got its name, but it was a path through which the Nez Pierce passed, being pursued by the US Army. Regardless, the road is a great one and we heartily enjoyed it. Reaching the bottom, we turned northeast on US212 taking us through Beartooth Pass which runs along the Absaroka Range.
In good weather I'm told this is very beautiful road with stunning views. Our day was not so good. Cold fog covered everything and made our visibility due to water and fogging visors pretty limited, so our speed was low. It was one of those trips where you know this will make a good story to tell others. At one point the fog was so thick that I lost site of Bill in front of me and he wasn't more than 30 yards or so away.
My brother behind me told me he couldn't see me until I touched my brakes. So we inched along until starting down the Montana side we came across a rest area. The road below was clear at that moment and we stopped to chat and use the facilities. By the time we got back on our bikes, the dew point changed and turned instantly into fog again.
Discretion being the better part of valor, we decided to head downhill. That led us through Red Lodge, Fox, Roberts, and then just short of Joliet, we took a shortcut to I-90 and rode uneventfully to Bozeman, Montana.
Just as we got there it started to rain, so we upgraded from a couple tent sites to a cabin. Better dry than wet! So with the dinner items that we bought before getting to the KOA, we cooked inside the cabin and had a decent meal. The nice thing about KOA campgrounds is that they have showers and we all needed one. This would be the last night of the trip and all of us were looking forward to getting home. Today's mileage was 451 miles.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
After talking things over last night we knew we'd be splitting up today. Dan had decided to head south at Missoula to cross over at Oxbow. Bill would be heading with him and make his own way home, possibly over Lolo Pass. Tim, Dave, and I decided that with the weather being so iffy that we'd just take I-90 home so we could get there in good time. My GPS said it'd be 424 miles and Tim had another 50 to go past that. We didn't get a particularly early start, but by 9:30am we were on our way. There were pretty stiff headwinds all the way as we headed west. I'd like to say the trip was uneventful, but about 12 miles east of Missoula, my bike up and quit. It couldn't be gas - I only had 195 miles on my tank. Unfortunately it was gas - as in ran out of. This marked the worst gas mileage I'd ever had: 34.7mpg. Tim had some in a little liter can that got me back on the road again. Dave was on fumes too. While we were putting spare gas in, Dan and Bill passed us. They originally left before us, so they had obviously stopped for some reason. We filled up a few more miles down the road and then stopped in Missoula for lunch.
Tom Clark
I'm a Senior Software Engineer at Intellitect, living in Spokane, Washington. I also do a little development work on the side. And I love riding motorcycles all over the country with my friends.
