Day 8

[Lisa] We left Seeley Lake to meet my college suite-mate, Carolyn and her husband Ian at Sandpoint, Idaho. It was very chilly, but a nice ride nonetheless. We enjoyed seeing some deer on the hillsides beside the road, as well as lots of birds.

[Craig] Shortly out of Seeley, as we proceeded relatively slowly due to the deer warnings we had from the hotel manager the night before (a fellow rider) a Bald Eagle took flight right alongside us! We doubled back and saw that it had been feasting on... a deer carcass. It was a good morning to ride easy!

Craig and Lisa watch the Bald Eagle fly off into the trees.
Another beautiful mysterious morning in the clouds.

[Craig] SR-200 through Montana was fantastic. Miles and miles of chasing a river winding through the valley -- along with a set of railroad tracks doing the same! 

Reminders of Huckleberry. Storm closing in near Flathead Lake.

[Lisa] It was another short riding day, and we checked in to our room at the Quality Inn early in the afternoon and rested. The motel had an enclosed stairwell with clear glass that looked out onto the parking lot, which felt like a long way from the bike. Craig covered it up and locked it down, since we were here for a couple of days.

[Lisa] We had a wonderful upscale Italian dinner. Carolyn and Ian told us about their trip from Enumclaw, and we told them about ours from San Diego! It was a very fun and relaxing evening.

Day 9

[Lisa] We rode with Carolyn and Ian in their SUV to Priest Lake for our boat tour. It was fabulous! The boat's captain was Dan and he was accompanied by his dog, a gorgeous German shorthair named Rip.

Ian, Carolyn, & Lisa out on Priest Lake

[Lisa] Dan's family had settled the area with a few other families. We got to see his house from the lake, as well as some of the other early homes. It was a ride filled with beautiful landscapes and brisk breezes. We saw some huge homes that were built on the lake, much newer and grander. There was also 8 mile Island, and 4 mile Island that were mostly natural and untouched. It rained a bit off and on during the morning, but it was very light. It was beautiful and wild around the lake, and a wonderful ride.

Priest Lake Excurisions Dan and Rip gave us a morning tour of Priest lake. Dan is also a 
BMW GS owner and had recently done the same Continental Divide segment between
Helena and Lincoln as we had done. He was impressed that we had done it 2UP.

[Lisa] After the boat tour, we took in the local Memorial Day parade. It was first down the street, then turned around and back up the street. Very small town. Then we went to the crafts fair, and Carolyn did some shopping. The one nice thing on a motorcycle is that you don't do nearly as much shopping -- nowhere to put the extra stuff!

Some parade scenes from Coolin, ID

[Lisa] We returned to the rooms late in the afternoon and had a unhurried dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Day 10

[Lisa] We had breakfast with Carolyn & Ian, then left to head to my sister's home in Cheney, WA. It was a very picturesque with lots of migratory birds flying by.

[Lisa] Spokane had a detour that turned out to be the most hair-raising part of the trip. It took us through downtown, and it was hard for car-drivers to see us. Good thing Craig is a careful driver, but it was tough to get through. We arrived at Karen and Ken's by lunch.

Day 11

[Lisa] We got dressed and went to Connell with Karen & Ken and with my Bmom and Bdad. First we went to the Memorial Day annual decorating of family gravestones. Then, we went to my cousin Gavin's home for the Finkbeiner family reunion. We told everyone about Huckleberry, and they were sad to hear the news. My cousin Bruce and his wife Val were there, and Bruce had gone blonde! Just like me! Funny how those things happen. It was a nice day, and good to see the family.

Lisa and family on Memorial Day

[Lisa] We returned to Karen & Ken's home to enjoy a quiet evening watching movies and playing with their cat, Calvin, and their dog, Hobbs.

Day 12

[Craig] We made our way down from the rolling hill of eastern Washington State to John Day (OR) via Colfax (home of the largest chain-sawed sculpture -- a totem pole), the "Old Spiral Highway" dropping down to Lewiston (ID), Rattlesnake Canyon (SR129, WA & SR-3, OR), Hells Canyon Overlook (OR), 

Rolling hills of southeast Washington State. Buffalo just 
north of Enterprise, OR.

[Craig] The Hells Canyon area was recommended by hutchman on ADVrider and vstrom.info. It was a good alternative to have at the ready, as the road between Joseph (OR) and Halfway (OR) had just opened up the week prior and was well worth the ride. From Halfway we cut west to SR-7 (Umatilla & Wallowa-Whitman National Forests, OR) and finally to John Day (OR) for the night.

Cattle drive near Halfway, OR. Lisa near Sumpter, OR.

Next: Day 13