On the Road – Montana to Oregon

The time had to come for me to move on from Montana, but not before leaving me more wonderful memories. Libby, MT is called the City of Eagles because of the large number of resident eagles who live along the Kootenai River. Although this is the most impressive sculpture, the town is full of them! And you’ll see many live ones, cruising the thermals.  (Route map below)

The Kootenai Fall is just outside the town of Libby and well worth the hike for a view. They’re mesmerizing and it would be  easy to sit and watch for hours.

Not far downstream from the falls is a swing bridge – more aptly a swinging bridge, especially when a few people get on it (there’s a 5 person limit).  The view from it is fantastic, and there are more hiking trails on the other side.

Ross Creek Cedar Grove is the most spiritual place I’ve visited in a long time. Beginning at the 4+ mile road leading in, entering the old growth cedar forest is like entering a sanctuary. Awesome in the truest sense of the word.

Then it was across the Idaho Panhandle to Washington State. As soon as I was south of Spokane, I was struck by the hot, flat, seemingly barren countryside.  It continued like that until I got to the massive Columbia River, here wide and lazy looking. But don’t be fooled; it’s very strong, gathering even more power and cutting canyons as it moves towards the Pacific.

This photo was taken from the same spot as the one above. This time I took WA Highway 14 along the gorge, following the Lewis and Clark Trail rather than the OR Interstate and it was a MUCH better ride. Less wind, fewer trucks and after about a hundred miles of flat land, the same stunning gorge. I could see the Interstate and all the trucks and traffic on the other side of the river, while often not meeting another vehicle for miles on good pavement on Highway 14.

I spent Saturday night in the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon, with new friends including Rob G. and Linnea Alvord.  Linnea’s been riding just a year but you’d never guess it to see her ride.

Then it was on to the Pacific Coast highway. While there are coastal towns to go through, much of the road is just like you see here, bordered on both sides by tall green pines.  With regularity, the road borders the coast, with turn-offs to stop and view scenes like the one below. Each one is just as captivating as the one before.

I had said I wasn’t going to go as far as the coast. But my bike had other plans for me!  And now I’ve stopped at about the halfway mark for a couple of nights, before heading down the coast a bit further, and then inland. Later this week, I’ll travel to Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Adventure Ride and Rendezvous, where I’ll meet up with great friends!!