After a hard day of driving on Thursday and a beautiful Friday drive along the Columbia River, we made it to Astoria, OR. This is where we transition from driving/interstate pace to biking/backroads pace.
Thursday was a long, but productive day of driving. We went from Whitehall, MT, across Idaho, through Washington, and to The Dalles, OR. Not a lot of pictures to post, but I will try to recall the memorable portions.
In MT, even the highway exit and on ramps have cattle grates (makes sense, you don't want cattle on the highway!)
Thursday was a long, but productive day of driving. We went from Whitehall, MT, across Idaho, through Washington, and to The Dalles, OR. Not a lot of pictures to post, but I will try to recall the memorable portions.
In MT, even the highway exit and on ramps have cattle grates (makes sense, you don't want cattle on the highway!)
Uneventful morning of driving. It was odd to drive through Missoula, MT and realize that we would be coming back through here on the bike in a couple of weeks. We stopped for lunch at Frenchtown Pond State Park, right off of the highway. There was a group of kids participating in a "Hooked on Fishing" day and having a good time. There were also some people on the pond doing stand-up paddle boarding.
Pushing on into Idaho along I-90 (known as The Mullan Road at that point), we were starting to get punchy from all the driving.
Pushing on into Idaho along I-90 (known as The Mullan Road at that point), we were starting to get punchy from all the driving.
An afternoon/evening street fair in Wallace, ID was just what we needed to stave-off insanity. Get out of the car, stretch the legs, and enjoy the quirky little town. We walked up and down a couple of streets and then stopped at the Red Light Garage for a huckleberry shake. They had antiques for sale, including many beer cans from the 70's. I guess that makes US antiques.
From there, we got some great advice from my dad to approach Astoria along the Columbia River, rather than the route suggested by Google Maps. We had a nice dinner in Boardman, OR with a great view of the river and then a beautiful sunset drive after dinner to finish in The Dalles, OR.
I will finish the Friday driving later today. Time for a bike ride (the start of the cross-country ride)!!!
I will finish the Friday driving later today. Time for a bike ride (the start of the cross-country ride)!!!