MtnMax/Magniac
Well-Known Member
Val on her trike, and I on the VMax, set out Tuesday morning, July 5th, with 3 other guys, 2 solo and one with spouse. We left the Sacramento area headed east on Hwy 50. Went across Nevada To Eureka where we had lunch, then turned north on Hwy 178 to I-80 and stayed the night in Elko. Ran into a short rainstorm on 50 just before lunch, but we were dry 5 miles after leaving the rain.
Next morning we went east to Wells, NV and turned north on hwy 93 to Jerome, ID, just out of Twin Falls, where we spent the afternoon visiting with one of Val's old classmates. As it was getting late, we decided to stay over, so it was cocktails and dinner, making a very enjoyable day for all.
Next day we took hwy 75 up through the Ketchum/Sun Valley area, and the Sawtooth Nat'l Rec Area. One of the best roads and scenic parts of the trip. We rejoined hwy 93 at Challis and rode north to Salmon, ID where we stopped to go through the Sacajaweah Interpretive Center. Lots of history regarding the Lewis & Clark expedition. Spent the night in Salmon, then rode up through Missoula, MT and around the east (more scenic) side of Flathead Lake to Kalispell, where we spent the next 2 nights.
In the morning, we rode into Glacier Park, only to find out that the Going To The Sun road was closed at the top due to snow. They were running shuttles as far as avalanche Creek, about halfway up, so we at least got to see part of the Park. We came back out of the park and rode around the southern perimeter road, where we got some pics of mountain goats traversing a sheer rock wall down to the river. Back in Kalispell that evening we ran into a lady from Arizona on a GoldWing trike, traveling alone. We found out she was taking the same route we were for the next 2 days, so we invited her to join our group, which she did. Val was happy to have another trike along, and our new friend, Chris, was a real kick to be around.
Next morning we went west on hwy 2 from Kalispell to Libby and turned right on hwy 37, riding alongside Lake Koocanusa for over 40 miles, to rejoin hwy 93 at Eureka. Left turn and 7 miles later we entered Canada. Hwy 3 across the southern part of BC is Motorcyclist Heaven. It twists and turns with many elevation changes and spectacular views. We spent the next night in Creston,BC. When the lady at the motel desk heard where we were going, she asked if we were in a hurry, and we of course said no. She suggested we go north alongside Lake Kootenay, and take the ferry across for lunch in Nelson. Great advice! After lunch we picked up hwy 3 again at Castlegar and continued west to Osoyoos, where we spent the next night before re-entering the US in the morning.
Coming down hwy 97 in Washington, we said goodbye at Omak to our new friend, Chris, as she turned west on hwy 20 to go through North Cascades Nat'l Park on her way to Seattle to visit family. A little farther along, I blew the fuse to my fuel pump. I will never hear the end of this from Val, as her first question was "Did you check your fuses?" My experience with fuses has always been a sudden stoppage of whatever the fuse controls. The bike stumbled, caught, stumbled, caught, died. Almost full tank, that's not it. Strong battery, that's not it. Engine spins, tries to catch. I thought it must be a fuel problem. Right and wrong. It was the fuse to the fuel pump. The pump stopped, but the bike ran on until the float bowls started going empty. Had it towed to the Yamaha/Kawasaki/Harley dealer in Wenatchee, who checked the fuel pump and filter and discovered the blown fuse. While there, I had them put on a new rear tire, since I was seeing wear bars on the Dunlop. The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful, as one of the guys had the "horse headed for the barn" syndrome, so we pretty much just rode straight through Oregon and Nor Cal to get home. It's a trip I wouldn't hesitate to take again. Great roads and truly spectacular scenery.
Here's a link to a few of the pics.
http://rides.webshots.com/slideshow/580553206JtiXny
Next morning we went east to Wells, NV and turned north on hwy 93 to Jerome, ID, just out of Twin Falls, where we spent the afternoon visiting with one of Val's old classmates. As it was getting late, we decided to stay over, so it was cocktails and dinner, making a very enjoyable day for all.
Next day we took hwy 75 up through the Ketchum/Sun Valley area, and the Sawtooth Nat'l Rec Area. One of the best roads and scenic parts of the trip. We rejoined hwy 93 at Challis and rode north to Salmon, ID where we stopped to go through the Sacajaweah Interpretive Center. Lots of history regarding the Lewis & Clark expedition. Spent the night in Salmon, then rode up through Missoula, MT and around the east (more scenic) side of Flathead Lake to Kalispell, where we spent the next 2 nights.
In the morning, we rode into Glacier Park, only to find out that the Going To The Sun road was closed at the top due to snow. They were running shuttles as far as avalanche Creek, about halfway up, so we at least got to see part of the Park. We came back out of the park and rode around the southern perimeter road, where we got some pics of mountain goats traversing a sheer rock wall down to the river. Back in Kalispell that evening we ran into a lady from Arizona on a GoldWing trike, traveling alone. We found out she was taking the same route we were for the next 2 days, so we invited her to join our group, which she did. Val was happy to have another trike along, and our new friend, Chris, was a real kick to be around.
Next morning we went west on hwy 2 from Kalispell to Libby and turned right on hwy 37, riding alongside Lake Koocanusa for over 40 miles, to rejoin hwy 93 at Eureka. Left turn and 7 miles later we entered Canada. Hwy 3 across the southern part of BC is Motorcyclist Heaven. It twists and turns with many elevation changes and spectacular views. We spent the next night in Creston,BC. When the lady at the motel desk heard where we were going, she asked if we were in a hurry, and we of course said no. She suggested we go north alongside Lake Kootenay, and take the ferry across for lunch in Nelson. Great advice! After lunch we picked up hwy 3 again at Castlegar and continued west to Osoyoos, where we spent the next night before re-entering the US in the morning.
Coming down hwy 97 in Washington, we said goodbye at Omak to our new friend, Chris, as she turned west on hwy 20 to go through North Cascades Nat'l Park on her way to Seattle to visit family. A little farther along, I blew the fuse to my fuel pump. I will never hear the end of this from Val, as her first question was "Did you check your fuses?" My experience with fuses has always been a sudden stoppage of whatever the fuse controls. The bike stumbled, caught, stumbled, caught, died. Almost full tank, that's not it. Strong battery, that's not it. Engine spins, tries to catch. I thought it must be a fuel problem. Right and wrong. It was the fuse to the fuel pump. The pump stopped, but the bike ran on until the float bowls started going empty. Had it towed to the Yamaha/Kawasaki/Harley dealer in Wenatchee, who checked the fuel pump and filter and discovered the blown fuse. While there, I had them put on a new rear tire, since I was seeing wear bars on the Dunlop. The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful, as one of the guys had the "horse headed for the barn" syndrome, so we pretty much just rode straight through Oregon and Nor Cal to get home. It's a trip I wouldn't hesitate to take again. Great roads and truly spectacular scenery.
Here's a link to a few of the pics.
http://rides.webshots.com/slideshow/580553206JtiXny
