Day 31...Boy, I didn't see that coming!

Day 31…the most beautiful morning imaginable and the day goes downhill

 I was awakened this morning to the gentle sound of A FRICKIN FREIGHT TRAIN COMING THROUGH MY TENT!  When I set up camp last night I failed to do a thorough reconnaissance of the area.  About 50 yards away, on the other side of a row of beautiful trees, ran a railroad track.  Just at the end of the row of trees was a crossing that obliged the train to blow his whistle.  At 4AM a mile-long freight train with a whistle that blew at a volume twice the threshold of pain told me lovingly, ‘good morning’.  Good grief…try to get back to sleep after that.   Crazy Train

About the time I nearly got back to sleep the sun gave thought to coming over the horizon.  The birds in the trees between me and the railroad track began to welcome the day with a cacophony that reminded me of Hitchcock’s “The Birds”.  These were not song birds…they were angry, discordant, birds.  By  the time they flew away to go have breakfast it was fully light and it was time for me to get up.

Note to self.  Lesson learned:  When camping do not put your damp shirt and towel across the motorcycle to use as a clothes line.  The morning dew made them wetter than when I went to bed.  Good grief.  Then I had to get the moisture off the tent before I packed it up.  Luckily there was a roll of paper towels in the campsite’s bathroom and I was able to get the job done, get packed, and get on the road without too much delay.  It was a sweet camping spot and I'd go back again.

Montana has got to be my most favorite state so far.  The people I met were nice.  The terrain is dramatically varied.  It has a history that is really interesting.  And I’m here to tell you that Montana was absolutely beautiful this morning.  Steam came up off the water in places.  The morning sun saturated the hills, mountains, and trees with a pure warm light.  The air was clean and smelled of a warming pine forest.  Yup, in the summer, this is the place to be.  I haven’t been here in the winter, and I’m curious how painful it really is.  I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, for two years.  How bad can a winter be in Montana?

 

 

I crossed into Idaho and found Lake Pend Oreille and the area around it to be really beautiful as well.  Technically I suppose the border is a man made, arbitrary, line on a map so I shouldn't have been surprised that Idaho is also very nice.  This portion of the US is blessed with outstanding natural beauty. 

 

 

 

Of course, like everywhere else, the roads were under construction.  But this is the first place I've seen the highway department single out motorcycles for a warning.  I appreciated that they were thinking of my needs.

I sailed through Idaho quickly and found myself in Washington with Spokane looming on the horizon.  I’ve been concerned with my engine oil for a few days…it’s starting to show color and I’ve been working the engine pretty hard.  So with over 7K miles on it I am writing this portion of the blog at the BMW dealer’s waiting room in Spokane as my oil gets changed.

Break...
   
OK, Well it didn't take long for the idyllic ride through wooded and pastoral countryside to go to poop.

I left Spokane feeling really good about having clean motor oil and a safety inspection done by BMW specialists.  It was warming up to about 90 degrees, but I can live with that.  I reloaded my water bottle and hit the road looking forward to getting in the vicinity of Anacortes,WA for the night.

The tree studded slopes of the border region gave way to agriculture and waves of wheat growing or being ready to harvest.  Going by the mature fields I could smell the sweet smell of ripe grain ready for the harvest... it brought back memories of September in my home town of Tahoka, Texas, when the farmers all brought their grain harvest to the grain elevator managed by my dad.  Some smells you just never forget... and the smell of grain in the field takes me right back to my childhood.  It continued to get warmer and 'dust devils' were to be seen in every direction.

Let the horror begin.  I never thought of checking the news for Washington before I left Spokane.  If I had I would have changed my route to avoid THE SMOKE.  Evidently Washington is suffering from a series of wildfires and I drove directly into the heart of the smoke plume. 

I was oblivious.  Then I thought I smelled smoke... but put it off to either a campfire or someone burning slash somewhere.  Then I noticed the haze.  I could see a definite line in the sky as I passed the road to the Grand Coulee dam and Lake Roosevelt.  It got smoky smelling.  It then got smokier smelling and the air got hazy.  Then I could see waves of smoke and the sun became a red-orange ball that you could look at with your naked eye.

When I got to Waterville, WA, my eyes were burning and tearing up.  I didn't know how much worse it could get, but I gave thought to retracing the last 80 miles or so to get to some clear air.  I decided to give it to Wenatchee where I could take roads in different directions to get out of the smoke.  In Wenatchee  the air seemed better but the temperature skyrocketed.  I needed some relief so I stopped at an air conditioned Arby's for dinner.  Back on the bike I rode for another hour or so and, while it was mostly clear now, my eyes were really burning.  So I decided to call it a night early (I still had another hour for riding since I got an hour by going to Pacific time).  But I had already come 325 miles and I called that enough.

The first campsite I came too was the KOA in Leavenworth, WA.  I had never stayed in a KOA before and thought it would be a good time to try it out.  I now wish I'd kept going.  Compared to the sites I've stayed at on the trip this is the worst.  It's the worst value for the buck... for $10 more I could have got a room in a Motel 6 with air conditioning.  What I got was a miserable little tent site where the dirt was so packed that it is impossible to put a stake in the ground for the tent.  If the wind blows tonight it will suck.   The coke machine is broken.  Two of the four showers are broken.  The change machine is broken and the manager has no change for the laundry.  For me..I doubt I'll utilize KOA again on this trip.   If I had kids and needed a pool and playground it might be worth it, but not for me on this trip.  I should see the Pacific tomorrow.