Rivers and Lakes

Today was one of the most beautiful rides possible. I had the pleasure of driving two of my favorite roads in all the United States. Washington highway 14 and Idaho highway 97.

I left Salem, Oregon at 5:30 AM, once again it was very cold. I had good gear so it was bearable. I headed north on Interstate 5 into the southern part of Washington. The Columbia river splits the boarder between Oregon and Washington. There is a major highway on the south, or Oregon side of the river, and on the north or Washington side is a small two lane highway, 14. This road runs along the Columbia River Gorge for about 100 miles and it is breathtaking. When you get on the highway, a few miles down the road you come around a corner and you are at Cape Horn...it literally took my breath away. It was actually hard to focus on the road it is so beautiful. The highway winds and molds to the topography of the gorge. It flows up hundreds of feet above the river, then drops down to water level going in and out...and through in some sections. It is truly one of the greatest "Harley Roads" in America. As you drive along this road there are spectacular views of Mt. Hood along the way, it's completely snow capped right now.


After about 100 miles, I slanted off the river and head north east on 395, eventually connecting with Interstate 90 to Spokane. In this part of Washington the land turns into vast rolling meadows of golden grain. There is no way a picture can capture the beauty of these fields because much of my fascination with them was their size...but more the movement of the grain in the wind. It was like waves of a golden sheet being put on a bed. They just flowed back and forth in the wind. Also, they were the larges fields I've ever seen. They went on for almost 100 miles...just massive.


I crossed over into Idaho and into Coeur d'Alene, one of my favorite spots in this country. The lake is amazing, but the road (highway 97) ranks at the top of my list for favorite roads. This is the second time I've had the opportunity to drive this road and if you've never done it you are missing out on one of the most beautiful roads in America. The area reminds me a lot of Lake Como in Italy. It is very secluded with small cities, more like villages spotting the shoreline. There is a single road that goes around the south side of the lake. I had the great pleasure of meeting good friends from Dallas, Tom, Dawn and their kids, that are spending a few weeks here. They hosted me for a wonderful dinner and one of the nicest places I've stayed on this journey.



I'm in the home stretch now. The end of this odyssey is in sight. I've got some stuff I've got to take care of back in Dallas, so I'm going to attempt some monster day's of driving over the next few days. Please keep checking the blog as we count down the last remaining states on this long journey. Blessings...