Hells Canyon- Memorial Weekend

[Netnorske]

Well my Hell’s Canyon ride was a smashing success! We rode about 1200 miles over the three-day Memorial Weekend. The weather was awesome and ranged between 65-83 degrees for all of the three days... !

Starting in Everett we rode over I-90 and took the Canyon Road along the Yakima River into Selah, then on down through Tri-Cities to Walla Walla. I was joined by Keith Stratton riding his Honda 1800 VTX and Larry Lee on his 2005 (I think) Nomad. Hopefully Larry will join us here at KawaNOW soon! Anyways, Larry only rode with us as far as Walla Walla, where he peeled off to another event he was attending.

Larry Lee....





Tricia and I near Tri-Cities....





From there, Keith and I rode south into Oregon and into the Wallowa Mountains….very beautiful riding…ending up in rural Enterprise, OR., where we spent the evening.

Sunday May 24 was spectacular as we left Enterprise and took FS 39 south into Hell’s Canyon National Rec Area. There were deer and elk all over in there so we could only ride safely on the small Forest Service road at about 30 mph for fear of critters! FS 39 is a 50+ mile ride through total wilderness, but paved and in good shape. Once on top of the pass, we stopped at the Hell’s Canyon Overlook viewpoint which was phenomenal… :)!!

Hells Canyon Overlook.....





Keith Stratton....





Then it was down to the Oxbow and Brownlee Dams along the Snake River into Idaho where we followed Hwy 71 south along the river then east into Cambridge, ID. At Cambridge, we stopped for fuel and ran into a bunch of Kawi Vulcan’s…including a new 2009 Nomad! Two others were 1600 Classic’s and one was a 900, and it was fun to stop and BS. Of course I handed over a KawaNOW business card to the 09 Nomad owner who was from Spokane... ;)!


Vulcan's in Cambridge, ID....







We then took 95 northbound which was spectacular in its own right as we followed the Little Salmon and then the Salmon Rivers. At the town of Grangeville, we took Hwy 13 north to Kooskia, ID along the SF Clearwater until it met with Hwy 12. From there a right turn would have sent us up through Lolo Pass to Missoula, but we turned left and continued on 12 along the Clearwater River to Orofino, ID. Just incredible riding and scenery all throughout the day! Spent the night in Orofino and the Best Western at Rivers Edge.....very nice place!

The ride home on Monday was very pretty along the lower Clearwater into Lewiston, ID and as we passed back into Washington, the mountains turned quickly into open prairie and the rich farmland of the Palouse. From Colfax it was a straight shot west on 26 all the way to Vantage, WA., where we took the old Vantage Hwy back into Ellensburg and I-90.

Tricia and I locked and loaded.....





All was marvelous on this trip until Cle Elum, when holiday traffic made getting back over the Cascades a virtual nightmare. That said….the overall trip was a fabulous one and the bike ran flawlessly. It got put through all the paces with the wife and I, including a full load of gear. It was a great three day run and nice warm-up for the upcoming trip to Custer....three more weeks!

Hope everyone had a safe Holiday weekend and got in a few miles!

Cheers....Kris

[ballast]

I really wish I could have made it!!!! :(
Only 2 and a half weeks to Custer though.

[dabull]

very nice!

[schoeney]

Thanks for the tips + pics Kris. I will be riding some of that after we hook up in Missoula. Where did you stay in Enterprise? Good place?

[Netnorske]

Originally Posted by schoeney

Thanks for the tips + pics Kris. I will be riding some of that after we hook up in Missoula. Where did you stay in Enterprise? Good place?

We stayed at the Best Western in Enterprise as well. It was not quite as plush as the one in Orofino....but it was still nice. Bring a map with you to Missoula and we can go over your route. I will give you some more info when I see exactly where you are planning to ride....but you will like it for sure!

[trip]

Whoa!! Wish I could have been there Kris. Nice pics and very nice ride!

[pirate]

Man, that looks like a good time! Thank for sharing the pics and info, Kris!
I laughed when I saw the picture of you and Tricia standing in front of the "No Parking Any time" sign!!!