Motorcycles

Montana Road Trip 2007

Day 6 - Friday

My plan for the last chapter of my journey was to follow the Salmon River for a ways headed due south, then cut over to Boise, then due south out of Mountain Home to intersect with Highway 50 in Nevada. I have heard many times about 50, often referred to as the loneliest road in America. It intrigued me but I never found the time to ride it. It really wasn't out of the way so I figured now was as good a time as any to ride it.

I had packed everything before going to sleep on Thursday night so after I awoke at 5am, showered, and got dressed, I was off. By the most direct route I was just over 1,000 miles from home. I continued to avoid the Interstate and stick to passing through forested areas. Today would see a number of them.

Hitting the road this early came at a price. Although there was almost no one on the roads anywhere, I had to be mindful of deer and that limited my speed. Worse was the cold. Passing through low-lying areas would drop the temperature noticeably. An hour into the ride my lower body was shivering violently. Thankfully I still felt fine and the sun was slooooowly climbing off to my left, occasionally making an appearance behind the hills and mountains. It would warm up soon I kept telling myself....for the next four hours.

Soon the road turned to the west for a while, taking me into the Sawtooth National Forest. As I neared the small town of Stanley there was a road sign stating 'Low Visibility Next 2 Miles'. That was a new one to me. Why would there be a permanent sign for this and what could be causing the low visibility?

I found my answer: hot springs. At the moment visibility was fine but the springs percolated up to the surface not 2 feet from the edge of the road. I could see how with the right conditions visibility would be nil through here. It was probably 55 degrees outside when I stopped so I stood next to the steam for a while to warm up. It didn't work.

The Sawtooth Mountains. I still wasn't free of the smoke-filled skies.

Highway 21 through the Boise National Forest

I refueled in Boise around 10:30am. Home was now about 600 miles away. I decided to try and make it back by the end of the day since I had until around 9pm before it got dark out. If I got really tired towards the end there would be plenty of places to stop.

Decision time for you, dear reader. Do you think this was really the end of my journey? Was it just an uneventful last half-day on the bike? Choose wisely:

Yes, it was probably a long, painful ride but no doubt you were home before midnight.

Heck no. I've read the story so far and I know your luck. What, did you run out of gas in the desert for real this time? Arrested for speeding? Attacked by a roving band of angry clowns? Whatever the case, I'm sure there's a day 7 to this ride.

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