Well day 2 started (and ended) not with a bang, but with a wimper!
That was us as we both woke up at 4:45 am. We were wide awake and it was not possible to go back to sleep. We laid around for about ½ an hour and decided we might as well get up and go.
We left Lewiston just as the sun was rising. It was beautiful, but hard to see anything with the sun in your eyes.
Hwy 12 up and over LOLO pass is one of the best and most scenic drives we have found. We followed the river for about 60 miles, winding back and forth on 35 mph curves that are very comfortable at 50, when we passed a sign that said there was another 100 miles of the same. There is rarely more than a couple of hundred yards of straight road. After a while you find yourself wandering on the short straights because it does not seem natural to be upright.
When I was driving along and listening to my favorite music playing softly in the background, sweeping through the curves and watching Lori driving behind me in the rear view mirror, I was thinking “it just doesn’t get any better than this!”
And then…
The killer attack chipmunks! They started darting out from every side. One ran out and sat on the center yellow line and was mocking me as I went by! Other ran out and just when you think you are going to hit one, they dart back to safety.
We finally got through them and settle back down to riding, when the state decided, in the middle of a corner, with no warning, to start doing road work. The center line went away and we were instantly on fresh chipseal.
Not a good thing to have happen in a corner. After a little sliding and a quick adrenaline rush we slowed down and took it easy for the next 25 miles until they finally left the road alone, right before LOLO summit.
We stopped at the top and Lori saw a mother and baby Moose and went to have a look and to get a picture.
We got into Missoula, Mt and topped off the gas and started east.
I let Lori lead on I-90 for a while because she says she does not like to go fast, so I figured with her in front she could go at a comfortable speed for her…
Well she took off and I had a heck of a time catching up to her. When I did, we settled into a nice comfortable 80+ mph on the speedo. When she finally stopped after 150 miles, I asked her about her lack of comfort at speed, to which she replied “ I got over it!”
We had to make some miles today, so tomorrow will be more of a laid back day. Other that a quick downpour, the rest of the was pretty uneventful. We got into Billings at 7:00.
With 910 miles on our trip, we were both sore and tired. We had a quick dinner, did the update to the web site and time for bed.
Tomorrow we head for Mt Rushmore.
September 6, 2010- -
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