Day 25: Monterey Bay Aquarium

After an amazing night's sleep in a real bed, we went downstairs for a continental breakfast. We took our time getting ready, enjoying the time we had to use the room. Packing up was easy since we didn't have to tear down the tent and everything else. We started out by going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is supposed to be one of the best in the country. It was a short drive to the aquarium where we found a parking garage close by. When we pulled in, the attendant said we couldn't park because of the trailer. I told them that I fit into a regular space and the attendant said the city would still give us a ticket. So we went out on the street and were going to park at a meter but we didn't have enough change. I went into a hotel nearby to get change and the lady there ended up letting us park in their private garage for free! So we went from getting kicked out of the $10 parking to getting even better parking for free.

We had to walk a few blocks to the aquarium through the harbor area, it is mostly shops and restaurants now. The aquarium is located inside of an old sardine cannery building. Some of the old canning equipment is left for display inside the building with lots of pictures and history about the cannery.

It was kind of crowded when we got there, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. We got to see everything without too much hassle. The aquarium is separated into sections, which makes it easier to make sure you see everything. I don't remember what we started with, but apparently there was an octopus involved(I'm trying to remember everything from several days ago....)and I got my picture with it. He is in the upper left corner of the pic, next to the no camera flash sign.

There was a huge tank in the center of the place that housed a lot of different fish and several types of sharks. We did our best to get pictures in front of them. We had to try about 400 times because the sharks are pretty fast and we had to figure out the timing.

Erin's pose:

I put a little more effort into my shark picture....

 After the sharks, we went to the touch tanks, where you can touch starfish, kelp, and other weird junk. I think this picture is of me touching a crab. The crabs were kind of pokey, and they weren't much fun. The starfish were pretty awesome. Some were like rocks and others were like leather.

The night before we came, we were checking out the aquarium website and they mentioned a bat ray touch tank. That instantly became the only thing I wanted to do. Well, before we played tag with the starfish, we tried to touch bat rays, but they were all hiding in the corner. After the starfish, I wasn't ready to give up yet. I went back over to the bat ray tank and just as I stepped up, one came flying by. I think he saw my hand and tried to flip up his side and avoid me, but I was ready for him.

Erin stood by and got the action shot just at the moment of sweet bat ray touching bliss:

I had to beat down a 4-year old to get that touch, so enjoy it!

 In the open ocean section, there were huge schools of sardines and anchovies. Its crazy how they all just swim the same way and same speed, except for the ones that are about to die, they swim kinda sideways and they stand out from the crowd. The aquarium has a whole exhibit on jellyfish and it was awesome. They actually grow their own jellyfish for display at the aquarium. After the jellyfish, we went through the seahorse exhibit. Seahorses are wild. They need some arms or something to look somewhat normal. They just float around with little fins flapping like wings on their backs. It just doesn't look natural. I should ask Dr. Miles(dad) what a seahorse farm call charge would be......(Ha!)

We got to see every exhibit in the aquarium, and it took us about 2 and a half hours or so. On the way out, we posed for some logo shots.

I feel like my arms look really long and weird here, like a Stretch Armstrong or something...

Seeing all those fish made us want to eat them, but we weren't allowed. We had to settle for a little fish market/restaurant a few blocks away. I ordered fish and chips, and Erin ordered a combo and chips that had fried prawns, halibut and calamari(amazing). Lunch was really good, and after that we loaded up and set off towards Yosemite. It was a really hot ride, it kept getting worse the farther inland we went. About the time we needed a break, a Dollar Tree appeared out of the desert like a mirage. But this was no mirage, it was the real deal. We were about out of soap and shampoo, so we picked that up along with a couple of sodas. Erin, as always, wanted to walk up and down every single aisle in the store. We can go to the Dollar Tree in Carbondale three times in one day, and she will walk every aisle every time... I don't get it, but I usually just cruise the candy aisle and let her do her thing.

A little farther down the road at our exit from the freeway, we stopped into a walmart and a grocery store to grab some veggies for dinner. We wanted to grill potatoes, corn, and zucchini, and slice up some tomatoes to go with it. We milled around Safeway for a while enjoying the AC and picking up stuff for dinner and lunch the next day. Safeway has a value savings card (like a Kroger card) and we have one from when we went on our honeymoon to Hawaii, but we forgot it and none of our phone numbers worked to pull it up and a nice lady in line let us use her card and it saved us a lot of money. About five miles down the road after we left, Erin leaned up to me and said "We forgot the corn!" So we went without corn with dinner.

We had to invent room in the bike to fit everything, but we still couldn't get it all in. Erin took this amazing picture.

The bread got to ride between us like a little wheat baby. We kept on going, I think we were 35ish miles out from the campground at this point. We got to the campground right at about 8:15, and they had closed at 8. The employees were still there and got us some ice and firewood, and said we could pay for it in the morning. Here is where the fun begins.... They showed us our campsite, the whole thing was an incline. I couldn't pull the bike in, I would never be able to get the bike out, so I tried to circle around through the site next to it and park facing out of the site. Well that didn't work either, it was too steep and too much of a sideways angle. I set the bike down on the kickstand and couldn't get it back up, Erin and the employee had to help me. I was pretty frustrated, so I tossed my helmet off and asked if I could park up on the hill about 20 feet away where it was level. I went up there and found a spot and parked. I was getting off the bike and was about to go down to the original site when the employee was yelling something about all the camping in this area being dusty and that's what we should expect, and this site was ours now, yadda yadda yadda. I didn't pick up on his 'tude problem until after he took off, it happened really fast, but I was ticked about it. I guess he had said the same thing to Erin while I was moving the bike. It wasn't a dust problem, it was a levelness problem! More on the levelness in tomorrow's post......

Oh, this was the Yosemite South/Coarsegold, CA KOA. Don't stay there. Ever.

I made a small fire and we ate foil-pouch potatoes and sliced tomato for dinner. When we got back from the showers, Erin had had an interesting experience. She took a shower with a frog. He just hung out on the shower curtain and soaked up some steam. When she got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night she opened the tent up to a deer walking through what was supposed to be our campground. Must be a KOA zoo or something with real-life experiences. We had gotten all of our bags packed up and our clothes we needed for the next day all laid out so that in the morning, we could just pack up and get far away from that place fast. Then we went to sleep.

Today we traveled miles 176.4 miles for a total of 7069.8 miles across America.

Day 24: Golden Gate Bridge

It was freezing cold all night. We got up at a decent hour and started to pack up quick. It was then that we realized something was off. We left a few things on our picnic table the night before, like an empty bottle, the dirty pot, and a loaf of bre... Wait. where's our bread? That's right, our loaf of bread was gone. We'd been fighting the birds all morning to stay off our table (from inside our tent) and our best guess is they took off with it. A half of a loaf; not something light. It was actually ok because the bread we bought really wasn't that good, but it was still pretty funny.

I got a lot of work done (out of necessity) while we packed up. The whole day pretty much centered around Devin so he's going to take the blog reins:

So my day started out pretty good. It was a little chilly, but Erin thought it was arctic. If it is 99 instead of 100 degrees out, she gets a sweater. Anyways, I was packing up things while she worked and I accomplished this:

That is a perfectly rolled tent. The amount of material was evenly distributed throughout the length of it and I got all the air out and it was so amazing I thought I would share my glory with you. Aside from the birds, the day started out good. We packed up easily and left at a decent hour. We didn't really research the campground much before we reserved the site, so we ended up in the middle of nowhere. It was about a 15 mile ride into Fort Bragg, CA where we stopped at a Safeway to get some donuts for breakfast. We were just going to get a couple each, but they ended up being $1.19 each or a dozen for $6.something less than 50. (We got the dozen, which was a hassle later on). So we got our donuts and went across the street for gas and coffee.  

About the gas pumps in CA.... They all have a vapor recovery thingy on the nozzle that has to be pressed down when you put the nozzle in the tank or it won't pump. It would be great for cars, it is just a hassle on a bike. I haven't been able to get a full tank of gas since we have been in this state....

So we went down the road wanting to find a small pulloff or scenic area to eat breakfast and we tried a few places that ended up not being good for stopping (unpaved, no place to park with the trailer, etc.) when we found a small beach with some good logs. We went out and sat and it didn't take long for the birds to see the bright sprinkles and crowd around us. Erin, being the wildlife ambassador she is, picked up a small rock and tossed it towards the birds and hit one! That did the trick and we ate in peace. We got on the road again and started on towards San Fransisco. The road was amazing for riding. The corners just kept coming and coming. After about 100 miles, my hands were worn out from all the clutching and braking I was doing. I bet I shifted the bike close to 1000 times today, it was insane. I got some (bad) coffee and Erin got hot chocolate. I filled up the bike and we sat on the curb and took a break. 

I almost forgot, before we stopped for gas, we pulled off on an overlook and saw a few seals playing in the water. They were a lot of fun to watch, but with the distance and clouds, it was impossible to get a picture. 

Although the day was very entertaining for me, it must have been a bit boring for Erin. You can only see so much coastline and curves before it gets tiring. I could tell she was falling asleep because every once in while, her head would fall forward and her helmet would hit the back of mine. She would also lean up and ask where we were and how long she had been asleep from time to time. 

We FINALLY made it to the Golden Gate Bridge and got ready to go across. I stayed in the far right lane, staying out of the way of the speed demons. It was really cool. There were some clouds over the top, so we couldn't see the whole thing at once, it just appeared a bit at a time as we rode along. 

 I didn't get to look around as much as I would have liked, I had to stay in my lane and keep a steady speed... But I did catch a glimpse of Alcatraz and that was pretty neat. When we were coming up to the bridge, a sign said the toll was $6 for autos, not too bad. Well we got across the bridge and pulled up to the toll booth. The lady inside looked at us, then peered out the window and looked at the trailer, then looked at us again. She then said "You have three axles, I have to charge you $18." I tried to argue that the trailer hardly weighed anything, but she wasn't hearing any of it. I voiced my displeasure with the loud pipes and a very loud (but not very fast, that trailer really drags us down) takeoff.

I was pretty ticked off, but Erin jumped online on her phone and checked the bridge website and sure enough, three axles was 18 bucks....... I guess it counts, even though its only 4 wheels total! So the traffic in the city was pretty heavy and I was a bit nervous about it at first. The other drivers were giving me plenty of space, and I calmed down a lot. The only thing I couldn't get used to is the motorcycles splitting lanes. I guess in California it is legal for motorcycles to cut between the lanes of traffic during traffic jams and keep on going. If I tried that with the trailer, there would be some very unhappy people! So we made it out of the city and right back into more twisty roads. By now, they were more exhausting than entertaining. Luckily it was only about 10 miles or so of them before it turned back into a freeway. 

Erin was searching around on the Internet for a good place to eat and found one near where we were, so I got off of the freeway and headed into a town, but I can't remember the name. Both sides of the road on the way in were strawberry fields as far as we could see, which wasn't very far because it was almost dark but you get the point. It smelled amazing all the way into town. The town started out nice, with some upscale car dealers and other nice businesses, then went downhill from there. We got to the restaurant and just didn't feel safe being in the area, so I circled around a block and we got back on the freeway. A short way down the road brought us to a place called The Whole Enchilada. It was a seafood/mexican restaurant that looked nice. Erin had handmade lobster ravioli with prawns, and I had grilled snapper fish tacos. Both dishes were excellent. 

By this time it was dark and getting colder. I think we were maybe about 15 miles out from the hotel, so we hightailed it there and got checked in. We stayed at a travelodge in Monterey, and it ended up being extremely nice, especially for how cheap it was for the night. It was nice to have a hot shower, warm bed,our own bathroom, carpet, a heater, hard walls, a lamp, a door, etc, etc.........

Today we traveled 327.5 miles for a total of 6893.4 miles across America.....

Day 23: Drive-Thru Tree, Redwood National Park & Westport CA

We had a chilly night last night but woke up on time at 8. The laundry opened at 8 and we had no option but to do some. This KOA is really nice, the bathroom are clean and new. The laundry was great too, cheap and I got a lot of work done while Devin picked up camp. We were a little nervous because everything packed away so easily and quickly...we hoped it wasn't an omen. We didn't get away until noon. It was hot standing in the sun but perfect once we were on the bike. We got sodas at the campground and headed on. How do you keep your soda cold when your coozie is packed away? Bandana of course...

We continued to travel into California. Is was about the same time that it got instantly cold. We made it to Crescent City and boom there was ocean. It was really nice. We then headed into the Redwood National Park. The trees in there were huge! The road was winding and curvy. After a short ride through the trees, it opened back up and turned into freeway for a little while. We started to get hungry, so we started to look for a place to stop and picnic. We couldn't find one. Before long we saw a sign for a 'tour-thru tree.' We were planning on going to the 'drive-thru tree' which was much farther away but we stopped at this one to see what it was all about. We were a little unsure about it so we got back on the freeway and within a few miles (and a little quick internet research) decided to go back to the tour-thru tree. (the difference between drive-thru and tour-thru? Legailty in names and, from what I understand, tourist-y-ness). It was a very, very short ride up to the tree and when we got up there someone was nice enough to offer to take our picture.

 Devin wanted an action shot as we went through the tree so we went back around and through again. But my camera went off too fast and it didn't do a good photo, so we went through a third time (really getting our $3 worth there) and got it.

The tree is a redwood, is apx 700 years old, and was cut in the mid-70s for drive through purposes.

We continued on until we found a picnic area. It was way far back in the woods on some gravel road but it was nice to be secluded for a change. I really wanted to eat with the giant redwoods and we did (just check out that tree behind Devin!) We ate our packed lunch and didn't feed the animals like we were told.

Just as we were leaving a truck comes down the road behind where Devin was sitting. This was a blocked off road for park works only. They were there to inspect the small bridge near us. It was funny that even in the middle of nowhere in an effort to be secluded we found people.

We kept going and going and going. Eventually we came to a spot of "Avenue of the Giants," a scenic bypass to the road we were on. We figured 'what the heck?' and took it. Good move. As soon as we exited there was a small information pull-off and across from that some GINORMOUS trees:

 We took the road the whole 33 miles, stopping when found a tree we thought was one of the biggest (until we saw a bigger one across the road).

 Even mini-B got in on the action:

And so did the bike:

Our campground was right off Hwy 1 (part of the Pacific Coast Highway). Up to this point we'd been on the 101 and had some pretty good riding. 101 runs into the 1, and when we got off the 101 it was instant craziness, the road going back and forth and winding every which way. I'm not sure we made it above 30 mph. It was this way for nearly 25 miles. The only problem was it was getting darker and colder. We eventually made it to the campsite, just as the sun set. Our KOA was on the beach but we had a tent site off in the grassy area (I couldn't imagine trying to deal with a tent covered in sand!) We set up camp and Devin started a fire to boil water. With that we made potato soup and had a deliciously warm dinner. It was very cold out. We took showers that were also pretty chilly and tried to bundle up as much as we could for the night.

 Today we traveled 325.1 miles for a total of 6565.9 miles across America.

Day 22: Crater Lake & Central Point, OR

We slept in late today and mosey'd around until check-out. Today was supposed to be a long riding day and it was! I think Oregon miles are equal to 2 regular miles because they just seem to never end! We got about an hour down the road and realized we missed our turn. It added about 15 miles but it wasn't really a big deal...we just missed a short cut to the road we were going to. We eventually got to Eugene, OR where we stopped and had a Subway lunch. Just a mile or so after that we got on the interstate. Now, google maps had told us to take exit 188A, but all we saw was 188. So thinking it was just past that we kept going. It wasn't. And the next exit was 182 (5 miles). We stopped for gas at that exit.

In Oregon they don't let you pump your own gas. It's against the law. There is some wiggle room for motorcycles and fortunately Devin has been able to pump his own this whole time. However, the attendants have to do the paying. At this gas station it was, well, weird. It didn't want to take my card so we had to do cash and the cash we had readily available wasn't enough and we didn't want to overpay because then you have to go back in the store to get your change... So we filled up half-way and started back-tracking to the right exit (which, going north, WAS 188A)...

We found a gas station a little further down the road that was more user-friendly and topped off. We headed towards Crater Lake National Park. We made it up to the lake about 6:30. It was really spectacular.

It was cool and there was still quite a bit of snow around. Thankfully it wasn't very crowded. The only thing was the sun wasn't hitting the lake so we didn't get to see the blue as well, but it is still really impressive.

We had excellent riding all day. We set up camp and let our tent dry out; it was still wet from the rain a couple days ago. I ate the rest of my Subway and Devin made chili. Before we left we bought dried soups and that was one. He had a wood fire this time and no problems boiling water. After we ate we had coffee and hot chocolate. The internet had a solid connection so I worked to make reservations for the next several days, then got quite a bit of other work done too. Devin worked on the blog while I took a shower.

The shower is an interesting story. They had navy shower heads, the tiny ones that spray hard. The first shower I went in it only sprayed out halfway, basically misting, and I was freezing. So I went into the second, which was a good shower head but the handle wouldn't turn all the way so it didn't get very hot. Now I was shaking hard because I was wet and cold. Like the three little bears, the third one was juuuuust right. After all that I stopped and thanked God that I was lucky enough to have a soft bed, a full belly, a warm shower, and someone to spend my time with on this amazing trip. Sometimes its easy to get frustrated with things that are actually blessings.

Today we traveled 374.6 miles for a total of 6240.8 miles across America.

Day 21: Mt. St. Helens & Otis,OR

For a change of pace(and by request of my big bubby), I am going to try my hand at one of these posts and give Erin a break......

We forgot to post yesterday about how we were the hit of the KOA. After we had registered an old couple came up to us (part of an RV caravan) and went on and on about how they used to travel like that and they miss it so much and how great they think it is we were doing it. They were really nice and kept pulling their caravan friends over saying "oh we used to do this!"

We've also forgot to post that we've abandoned the 4 corners of the U.S. idea (for this trip anyway). It's still on our bucket list and I'm sure we'll do it someday but for this trip it was just too much; it was going to take too many days and there are other things we'd rather see more. We will still go to Key West this year though...

Today we woke up to a wet, chilly, misty morning. I think it got down in the upper 50s, so it wasn't too cold for sleeping. The KOA had a kitchen so we heated up water for an oatmeal and coffee breakfast. After breakfast and packing up a very wet everything, we left the trailer at the campground and headed out towards Mt. St. Helens. The campground ended up being only about 50 miles away from the visitor center closest to the volcano. The closest place to see the volcano was only about 5 miles from us. We just wanted to see it from a distance and get a couple of pictures and be on our way, but the cloudy morning had other ideas. We stopped at a visitor center that focused mainly on the forestry in the area and the impact the eruption had on the surrounding forests. There were signs there advertising views of the volcano and elk, but it was too cloudy(we were literally inside the cloud) and misty to see either of them. We decided to go farther hoping to see the volcano. We went about another 10-15 miles and then all of a sudden, we rode out of the clouds into the warm sun with the volcano sitting right in front of us. It was pretty amazing, so we stopped for pictures and decided to get even closer. We rode probably another 10 miles to one of the closest viewing points and took some more pictures.

The area around the volcano still shows the effects over 30 years later. In the river are trees sticking out of the bank side. When it blew, it melted all the snow and ice which sent a wall of ashy slurry down. The trees near the top are still all blown down the same way and there are lots of trees sticking out of the ash/dirt in lower areas. They said they had been watching it bulge for a while before that. On our way back to town we had to stop and hang out with Bigfoot before picking up the trailer. He seemed nice enough, but wasn't very talkative....

Can you find Mini-B? He's really dwarfed by Big Foot:

At the bigfoot spot was an a-frame house that was 3 days from being finished when it blew. they had dug out in front and inside but we were standing 5 feet higher. The sign said the flood "water"had the consistency of cement mix and was 100°. Near the top of the mountain it was traveling at 70 mph but close to 30 by the time it hit. They heard the blast over 600 miles away and had ash over 250 miles away. We picked up lunch and dinner at the local grocery store and ate in a park before getting on our way.

At this point we were several hours behind where we wanted to be, but it was worth it to see the volcano as close as we did. When planning the ride, I read that US101 in Oregon was a great motorcycle road and had great ocean views. Well it doesn't. It takes you through small coastal towns and only gives a few short ocean views. The road surface is rough and there were a lot of RVs slowing the traffic down. Eventually we made it to the beach. We were a little road weary by then:

We stopped at a KOA a lot closer in distance than we wanted to for the day, but it ended up being better. It was supposed to get into the low 50s, so we got another kamping kabin, which was a lot warmer than the tent. We had bought spaghetti for dinner (easy right? boil water, add sauce), so we fired up some charcoal to boil some water. I think that when the lighter fluid bottle leaked in the trailer, the charcoal must have soaked up some of it. When I lit the coals, they were flaming up pretty high and I hadn't put anything on them. My experiences with charcoal so far on this trip have given me a renewed appreciation for propane and all of its magical bliss. It lights instantly, is easily adjustable, and is CLEAN.... I think I'm going to get a propane stove for the next leg of the trip, or just borrow Dad's...... I should have listened to Hank Hill, he has been right all along. It took forever to boil the water. Eventually we had mostly cooked spaghetti. It had been such a long day that anything was good at that point. The kabin only had one bunk bed and one full size bed, so we weren't hitting our heads like in Montana. We put our air mattress on the frame again. It was awesome to sleep in a warm bed.

Today we traveled 284.9 miles for a total of 5866.2 miles across America.

Day 20: Mt. Ranier, & Castle Rock, WA

Last night was pretty chilly. The best part of last night was when we heard the kid across the way yell "ye, ye, ye, ye, ye Live Action!" (Call of the Wildman on Animal Planet; you should watch it if you are unfamiliar). We got up quickly this morning and packed up quick. The KOA we were at wasn't ideal. There were a lot of families (not a problem) and the bathroom was far away (more of a problem). We are on pacific time now but it hasn't seemed to throw us off. We woke up around 8:30. We were in a full sun spot so the inside of the tent got hot really quickly. We packed up and were gone by 9:45. The first section of riding was nice, until Devin took a huge bee to the forehead. When he looked back he had a big black goo mark right where it hit. It wasn't long after that incident that a yellow jacket somehow swooped into Devin and bit him (or stung him) on his arm. Of course he moved to get it off, and within a few seconds he saw that the thing was riding in between his legs on the seat. He swatted again and it finally got swept out. 

It was still pretty mundane until we stopped for gas and Devin picked the leaky gas pump that leaked all over the bike. Not a biggie but there isn't much to tell up to this point. We drove another 45 miles before stopping for lunch. We agreed on Subway and after seeing and exit I said 'no' because I didn't see the Subway logo on the Food interstate sign. About 1/2 mi later it was there. So we took the next exit but couldn't find a way back. I tried to Mapquest it but it wasn't doing the job so we just decided to stop at McDonalds. It was starting to get hot anyway. It was the nicest McD's I'd been to... faux marble and mahogany, with a couch sitting area in front of a fake fireplace....crazy...

It was pretty warm but we were headed to the mountains. We were lucky to get away early and be riding away from the sun. The further we went towards and in the mountains the more clouds and the more it cooled down. We had excellent riding on great roads. Eventually we came to a lookout point for Mount Ranier.

 

I had been to Tacoma before and saw Mt. Ranier everywhere I went. I was still as awed today as I was then. It is truly a spectacular sight and the picture doesn't even capture an inkling of that. It is so picturesque and majestic.

We had more great riding all the way down the mountain and through the National Parks we were in. We hit a little bit of rain but nothing bad. We stopped and put on our leather for it but it didn't last long. It was really uneventful all the way to our campground. We are staying at the Mount Saint Helens KOA, just south of the Mt. St. Helens volcano. We'll go see it tomorrow; it was a hair too late by the time we  made it here. The people here at the KOA are really nice.

We went into town and got a small diner dinner, went to the grocery to get hot chocolate mix and came back. We started a fire and made coffee & hot chocolate and sat around the fire while I did some work. Devin talked with a biker from Ohio who just came from So. Cal. and said the ride along the coast was amazing. We'll start that tomorrow too. Eventually it started to mist so we took our showers and went to bed.

Today we rode 318.2 miles for a total of 5581.3 miles across America

Day 19: Starbuck, WA

We enjoyed a very nice night in the cabin, sleeping in until about 8:45. Our little cabin was nice, I can see us doing that again soon (and the Missoula KOA and staff there was amazing)!

 

Devin quickly got ready and took his bike to the dealer to get an oil change while I stayed behind and packed things up. When we arrived in Missoula I thought I smelled lighter fluid when we opened the trailer. We chalked it up to probably a little spilled and shut it up for the two days we were there. When I opened it this morning the smell was overwhelming. I promptly removed the bottle of lighter fluid only to find it was nearly empty. I called Devin to ask how much he had used. Long story short, there was a crack in the bottom of the bottle that leaked out nearly an entire bottle and we are in the process of airing everything that was in the trailer out…

Before Devin had made it to the dealer he stopped at a gas station to get coffee. At the dealer he was really enjoying it until about the last 3 drinks when he took a swig and got a mouthful of coffee grounds. The bottom of his cup was full of grounds.

After Devin returned we loaded up and headed to get gas and then Wal-Mart to get new backs for my earrings and something for lunch. Wal-Mart is always a hassling mess of people no matter where you go. We were excited when we finally got on the road. Today was looking to be a short, easy, relaxing day.

We had some easy riding and came upon a very exciting sign for a biker:

We enjoyed the riding despite getting behind a few slow-pokes. And it got hotter. And hotter. And hotter. The road was rough and vibrating the handle-bars making it tiring for Devin, making his hands sore. Between that and the blazing sun we were beat by half-way. We stopped to eat lunch at a picnic area alongside the river. It was a welcome break:

We kept going. And it kept getting hotter. The sun was in our faces and it seemed like every mile we went we had double to go til we got where we were going. Which we weren’t even sure where we were going… Anyway, we finally gave in and found a rest stop. We stopped there and agreed to take a nap and wait at least an hour to attempt to kill off some of the heat of the day. We napped on the picnic benches for at least 45 minutes. The next town, Lewiston, ID,  was only 24 miles away. When we got back on the bike it was still as hot and miserable. Luckily on our way into town we hit construction in which the road was torn up and we were riding on gravel…wouldn’t want to miss one day of no-pavement road construction! We finally made it to town and stopped at a Dairy Queen. When we sat down Devin said that the Winding Road Next 99 Miles sign should have said “Welcome to the gates of hell.” Ironically he didn’t know that “Hell’s Gate State Park” is just south of Lewiston, which explains our day…

We found a nearby campground and made a reservation. We were too tired and hot to do anything so we had dinner at DQ (which was not that great). Then we tried to leave the town. We ended up doing the Lewiston 500 getting lost several times trying to get back on the highway. 

As we were leaving the sun was just going down. We made it to our final stop, Starbuck, WA, set up camp and took our showers. We are laying in bed now laughing about the whole day. This trip has not failed to be interesting and at the end of the day we are still glad we are able to do this.

Today we traveled 306.9 miles for a total of 5263.1 miles across America.