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To Moscow and back....

1K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  Brendan 
#1 ·
Friday was my B-day.... and no one here even bothered to say happy b-day.... so naturally I was very offended and started to think about things... and since I do my best thinking on a bike, and since this question deserves only the seat time an Iron Butt ride could give, I headed out saturday morning to ponder:

Did no one wish me a happy B-day because no one on this forum knows who the hell I am, or are you all just a bunch of jerks??

4am... leaving the depths of Surrey for a cold morning scoot down the I-5 to Seattle.. turn onto the I-90 and YEAH!! Is there anything cooler than express lanes open at 5:30am on a saturday?? Crank it up!

7am... Over a rise and DAMN!! blow by a cop.... slam the throttle off and wait for it... wait for it.... wait for it..... take turn off for I-82 and guess he's not coming! Crank it up!

8am... Over a rise and DAMN!! another cop.... slam the throttle off and wait for it.... wait for it.... wait for... cherries!!

Cop: I got you on radar at 95.
Thought Bubble: hmmm.. must have slow reactions because I could have swore I was well over 100....
Me: 95!!?? Damn I've been trying to work out the conversion but didn't think I got it that wrong.
Cop: Your speedometer doesn't have mph?
Me: Nope.

Cop takes a look, grunts, and then returns to vehicle... I start hoping my excuse will save me again...

Cop: 70mph is about 115kph... but if your having trouble just remember that if your passing everyone else, your going to fast. I reduced your ticket to 90 in a 70... sign here.
Me: $153!? Damn....
Thought Bubble: Not bad... back home that would be $389....

Continue on my way and turn onto Hwy 12 towards Walla Walla... all is good until the outskirts of Walla Walla where overloaded onion and corn trucks clog the roads and then there it is.... the weirdest site of the trip....

The mother from Whats Eating Gilbert Grape, or a damn close resemblance, is pedalling an oversized trike down the shoulder of the highway... in the end I have to tip my head, because its damn hot out and you wouldn't catch my doing anything like that in this heat....

Continue on and after Walla Walla, Hwy 12 becomes a road meant for high speed touring. The perfect mixture of great pavement, long straights for passing that are conected by sweeping corners, and an interesting and changing scenery. Too bad Lewiston has to come along and spoil everything.

Turn up the I-95 in Idaho and before you could shuck a pea.. there it is.. Moscow, the legume capital of America, and the home of my favorite NCAA football team, the Idaho Vandals! I quickly make my way to the fabled Kibbie Dome and make sure that it is real. Take some pics, vow to return on a game day, and continue on my way.

An uneventful and unexciting ride up to Coeur d'Alene and then back on the I-90 for the trip back home. Now normally a ride down a hwy such as this in this heat would make me want to shoot myself, but this ride isn't about the scenery, its about the miles and the bigger questions. Time and the road slip by and before I know it I'm back across the border and finished at 10pm.

I'm done... 1070 miles in 18 hours... the newest Iron Butt member... and the knowledge that I have gained??
  • Time to invest in an electric vest
  • A radar detector would be helpful
  • My highway pegs work allright, but need adjustment
  • When I'm on the highway pegs and then crack the throttle.... thats how V-Max riders must feel
  • My throttlemeister works well.... and passing people while pretending to read a map book is good for laughs
  • Eastern Whashington is damn hot for an Eskimo
  • Americans might know shit about medicare or good beer, but they know how to build a fine road
  • If you plan a good route and take care of yourself, the miles and sites will just come
And as for the big question...

Well.. most of you didn't say happy b-day because you don't know who the hell I am, but some of you, and we all know who, well, your just jerks.
 
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#2 ·
Oh... and the bike performed flawlessly.... except when it was trying to get me in trouble....

Bike: Psssssstttt.... hey....I can faster than this....
Me: I dunno... already got one ticket...
Bike: pffffttttt... c'mon you wussy.... theres no cops around here...
Me: What about that white car down the road there?
Bike: Hey! A team of engineers didn't spend countless sleepless nights putting me together so that you could worry about every car that MIGHT be a cop!!... now hit it!!
Me: Well okay..... guess you have a point....

10 minutes later

Bike: Psssssssstttt.... hey.... I can go faster than this......


In the end though as I'm enjoying more and more of the long touring... I'm thinking I need to split the bike into its two split personalities and buy a R6 and a FJR1300 just to have it all.
 
#6 ·
OH my god, you went down to the Palouse and didn't ride any of the grades?

It's one of the most amazing riding gems in the PNW, ride along the rolling hills of grain and all of a sudden you hit a winding canyon road in the middle of nowhere.

Run the grade both sides, pop back up in the rolling hills, and ride for another 20 minutes and damn, there's another one!

For variety, or the heat of the day, head down to one of the river valley's like the St. Joe or Elk River and cruise along the twisties.

A bunch of us go riding up there every spring, it's not to be missed.
 
#9 ·
Commuter Boy said:
OH my god, you went down to the Palouse and didn't ride any of the grades?
Ya... my route changed twice in the last few hours so I didn't have time to do much research about the roads. Was my first time in the Palouse and it definetly is worth a return trip to explore some more.
 
#10 ·
Aahh ... there's nothing like the Palouse, especially in the spring when everything is green. Stay at the Moscow Inn for $40/night.
 
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