Roaming Cage Free

Buckley (WA) to Boise (ID)
(696mi)

Except for one bike, my others took a lengthy road trip to their new stable in Tennessee via truck. My Ultra Limited (aka “Apex”) remained in Washington up until this very day, end of July (24th) …. weather looking great, with some scattered thunderstorms in Idaho in the late evening.  Rising and shining at 3 in the morning and planned to hit the road via Chinook Pass and Mt Rainier at 4:30am.
All good – and although it is always hard leaving a loved one behind for a few days (we will meet again in Arizona in 4 days), it is exciting to see some sites I had in my bucket list. Off we go…..

I’m in a somber mood on these first 50 miles, knowing this will likely be the last time riding this pass with my bike, and likely not coming back riding here for a long time. That said – excited about the “exploring” part ahead of me. 
Chinook Pass was a chilly start, yet without traffic and Deers a wonderful stretch into Yakima for a coffee stop.

Yakima to Walla Walla was uneventful (I’d call riding major highways “boring”), slapping it to get it over with. It’s warming up…..
Going South from Walla Walla towards Enterprise, a needed stop for gas and coffee; and ditching the jacket for a riding shirt; I haven’t been on any of these smaller roads yet, I am excited…as long as there’s some pavement, I’m good…. Hells Canyon, here I come!

WA NF-490 to Hells Canyon Overlook

What started off as some haze when riding towards Idaho, is now an increasingly thicker layer of smoke from nearby wildfires. Sadly, when up at the overlook, there wasn’t really much to look at. I been riding the Hells Canyon Valley several times, would have been a treat to see the Snake River from above, but: What the heck.

Back to business: snapping a picture for the Harley Davidson “10 for 24” Challenge, and then the final 3rd to Boise….looking forward to some twisty roads I am familiar with from previous rides…yeah!
Back in the valley, temperatures are now at 105F (40C), so “Hell” is a fair name for that region.

Leaving the canyon behind, and filling up in Cambridge ID, dark clouds are catching up with me. I was hoping I can stay ahead of them and at least made it that far through the higher elevations, but it’s a touch call. My weather radar tells me it’s all around me and moving in fast…. decision: I’ll take a longer route to stay outside the heavy downpours, and deal with wet roads in some areas…. alright – turning north towards McCall, then south towards Boise. Finger’s crossed….

It helped, minus the wet spots on the road. the finish line for the day in sight, and as the sun sets, I decided for a slightly faster route…..still dark clouds on the horizon, but my planned path should get me just by….until I see a fire truck blocking the road, and per the fire fighter, a flooded road on the final stretch causes me to turn SW and away from Boise, initially. Sprinkles hitting my face while negotiating deviated traffic and small zig-zag roads (thanks GPS!) towards Boise, which I finally reach around 9pm, and while quite windy and thunderstorms still visible, I made it to my place for the night; 718 miles. 

Note: finding a place to eat in the evening turned out to be a lot more challenging than expected! Thanks to Uber Eats, some Thai take-out; and after fixing the light in the bathroom, I was even able to take the much-needed shower (glad it’s a solo ride….)

Day in the books. Coin challenge for Hells Canyon complete. Shiny side up, rubber looks good – turning in for the night, finalizing the route for Day 2….

[Day 1 as it was planned]