We ended up chatting with another group of riders from Canada for probably 45 minutes. It was pretty interesting comparing notes on bikes and equipment. One of the riders was originally from the UK and moved to British Columbia to raise his family in a better environment. He had a bit of a comment on the failed socialistic government policies in Great Britain and we agreed with him.
By the time we were done gabbing, they needed to leave too, so all 12 of us took off together. That must have been quite a site for people heading up the road.
We came back to camp a very happy group of riders. Jay and Mike went off to partake of the park's steak dinner, while the rest of us cooked our dinner at camp. Grant deserted us to stay with some relatives (I would have too!) so that just left five of us to sit around the campfire. But it was a very nice camp and we had another relaxing time just chatting about life.
Friday, July 12th
This day marked the breaking of the fellowship as J.R.R. Tokien once wrote. Several of the group had commitments for Saturday and wanted to arrive home today so they wouldn't be rushed the next day. Grant headed home from Columbia Falls and was followed soon after by Jay and Mike. Mike still had a ride from Spokane to his home in Olympia. Tim, Dave, and I decided not to go back to the park like we had originally planned. Instead we headed to Eureka for lunch then a nice ride past Lake Koocanusa, which is the resevoir behind Libby Dam. The road on the west side of the lake is a very nice ride, but not too smooth.
The road doesn't get maintained during the winter and suffers from it. Still, it's a fun road and I even got to chase a coyote that decided to dart in front of me. After that we rode west on Highway 2 a bit until the junction with route 56 which, after riding south about an hour, connected us to 200 and the road to Sandpoint, Idaho. After that it was through Priest River and Newport where Tim dropped off to head home, then Spokane where Dave and I went our separate ways.
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.
