Lewiston to Missoula

Day nine is in the books.  And like every day preceding this one, the ride today was as completely different as any we've done.  The weather was mostly overcast, though the sun poked through occasionally.  Temps were cool (OK, at times, cold) but with the right combination of layers, including heated jackets, we were both well protected.

Our route was roughly 220 miles and it was basically Hwy 12 all the way from Lewiston to Missoula.  The route was highly graded by Butler maps, but I think we both grew a bit tired of it.  I'm struggling a bit to characterize the scenery...but here's my best effort.  It was four things.   River, trees, mountains and curvy.  If that sounds like a dream motorcycle route I suppose it was.  But damn it, it got tedious.

River, trees, turn right, turn left.
River, trees, turn right, turn left.
River, trees, turn right, turn left.

Repeat for five hours.

The best rides we've done had all those things, but there was diversity in the terrain that was missing today.  Today's ride was flawed by sameness. 

Oh yeah, there was a ton of construction.  Three times, at least, we were stopped with engines off, staring at the rear end of the car in front of me.  All these stops caused traffic, especially vehicles that were slow moving to bunch up with pretty limited places to pass two, three, four cars at a time.

So because of the sameness of the route and the bunched up traffic, I was not inclined to take many pictures.  In fact, I took exactly one shot with my Fuji, no drone shots and a handful of iPhone pics.

The route followed the Clearwater river,  a well known destination for Steelhead and Trout, for about 80 miles along its entire course from its beginning at the confluence of the Selway and Lochsa Rivers to the point at which the Clearwater empties into the Snake River.  The river was clear and low and we saw numerous people fishing along its length.

At Lowell we clearly saw the confluence of the Selway and Lochsa Rivers and Hwy 12 entered the Selway-Bitteroot Wilderness as it traced the Lochsa River all the way to Lolo Pass at around 5,200'.

Before we reached Lolo Pass we'd gotten a tip about a place to grab a quick bite, called Jack's Saloon.The signs for Jack's took us off Hwy 12 and down a dirt road for several miles. 

And sure enough, like a desert mirage, Jack's Saloon materialized. 

Built from huge cedar logs the place was a true one of a kind. 

Entering the building it took several minutes for our eyes to adjust to the dark interior and to begin to drink in the details.  Old lumberjack equipment, stapled and signed dollar bills and bar "stools" carved out of cedar logs highlighted the "decor".  Service was deadly slow (it appeared the place was run by a single employee), food was OK.

Leaving Jacks we were both chilled and layered up with out heated jackets for the final 30 miles to our hotel, over Lolo Summit at 5,233' to Hwy 93, into Missoula and our hotel ...the worst Hampton Inn I've ever been in. 

Time for a total remodel guys.

And that, dear readers is about all I have to offer today.  I'm tired, cold and ready for a hot shower and an early to bed.