2012 Deer Hunt Part II

Today is the last day of the "normal" 2012 Indiana Deer Hunting Season.
Normal, because this year Indiana instituted a late doe only firearm season starting immediately after Christmas.  And, there is still muzzle loader season.

After hunting a lot during the first week of the season, I really wanted to get out a little more after a long stressful week at work.  The area was blessed with near perfect temperatures on Saturday morning.  I woke up early enough to have a cup of coffee and a quick bite to eat and still have enough time after a slow start to get into the field.
I headed out with plenty of time to drive, walk, set up the stand, climb and get settled before daylight; there was no reason to rush.  I got set up and for the first time since buying it over two years ago tried my LED headlight instead of my flashlight.  I have no idea why it took me so long to try this, no more holding my flashlight between my teeth, this thing is great.

I was set up in the tree with 45 minutes of darkness to spare.  Since temperatures were near 45F, I thoroughly enjoyed the time in the dark. People who don't hunt, or who don't hunt in treestands simply can not understand what this time is like, sitting in absolute quiet in near pure dark in the middle of the woods.  Although mostly cloudy, the moon brightly shown for only brief periods, casting eery shadows through the trees and brush.  The wind was predicted to pick up, but the early morning was nearly complete stillness.

As it got light, squirrels started moving, but very little else.  I heard a few gun shots in the distance, none close by.  This was more shooting that I heard toward the end of the first week of the gun season, suggesting deer movement might be returning after the crush of opening day, but I did not see any deer all morning.  Given how quiet it was, I'm a little surprised by this.  I sat calmly until late morning and then had to work to sit still for a final half hour until I climbed out of the stand, walked the south end of the Mike's property before heading back to the truck.  For the second year in a row, I am skunked out of Indiana's gun season.  Like I remarked earlier, after years of shooting a deer on opening day or the second day, I am relearning venison humility.  However, I think I overall enjoyed this season more than many of the last few years.

Today, the last day of the season opened with torrential rain at daylight.  I often like hunting in the rain since many other people sit it out, as long as I can stop that annoying drip of rain that always seems to find a path to the back of my neck.  Having the right waterproof clothes helps.  But hunting in heavy rain on the last day of the season reeks of desperation.

A recent article in American Hunter (I think it was this magazine) suggested a deer population crash was imminent and only drastic action could save it.  This seems odd at best given many states are pushing doe hunting to help control the current population levels.  I'm not sure I believe population declines are at hand and if it is close, a solution is easy - a rarity in government policy.  Decrease the doe hunting opportunities.  The county I'm hunting in allows seven does to be shot per hunter.  Most don't, but gosh that is a lot of deer.  When I started hunting two decades ago, Michigan handed out doe permits like snake bite serum.  Now states are practically begging us to shoot does.  I wish I could have obliged.
Does two years without a deer on some fairly decent property suggest we're seeing a deer population crash?  Not remotely, that is why it is called hunting.  Thanks for the extra time in the field and thanks for the Bundle License.  Please use my non-resident license fees wisely for the intended use of conservation.  Kroger is only about 10 miles away.

I've been experimenting with muzzle loader loads recently.  I've been playing with IMR White Hots and PowerBelt Platinum bullets.  I'm not sure if my muzzle loader does not like one, or both, of these; since the gun must be disassembled for proper cleaning something else may be going on as well.  My last shooting range outing was disappointing.  I'm probably going to sit out the muzzle loader season and continue to experiment.  I can always return to my  old standby of Pyrodex and "normal" PowerBelts.  These have served me well for quite a while - maybe I won't sit out the black powder season after all.

And then there is the late doe season.  I hope to get out for a day or so then, but we'll have to see.  With a crushing population decline right on the horizon, maybe I better not.

Good Hunting.

2012 Deer Hunt

Getting up for deer hunting actually means sleeping in a little bit since I typically get up very early anyway.  I did set an alarm just in case, but woke up before it went off.

November 17, 2012, Opening Day!
After a quick shower and a small bite to eat, I was out the door.  It was a very frosty morning at Mike's.  It took a few minutes to gather all my stuff including my treestand and make my way to my "usual" tree.

It had been a while since it rained, so it was impossible to walk quietly through the leaves.  I made my way carefully to my tree and set up my treestand - also an operation hard to be quiet with in the dark.
I was up in my stand about 45 minutes before light.  Perfect.

As it got light, a turkey flew into a tree to the west.  Turkeys are just beginning to become more prevalent in the area so it was neat to see.  Another year or two and there could be a population worth hunting.  A while later, it flew down to the ground right near the creek.

As it started to get light, I saw a smaller 4-point walking behind me.  He went down the ridge to the east into the creek bed and towards the neighbor's property.  Also as it started to get light, there was a significant amount of shooting to be heard, as is usually the case on opening morning.

A few minutes after hearing shooting to the east, there was some ruckus around 200 yards in that general direction.  It appeared that a shot deer had died right in the creek bed in line of sight.  Shortly after that, a doe and a very impressive buck walked behind me toward the west.  The buck didn't have super long tines, but the rack was massive, very heavy.  They were skylined and it was not an ideal shot with brush in the way, etc. so they continued on.  Shortly after this, there was significant shooting to the west.  I can only assume the neighbor to the west shot the very nice buck (other sounds later on support this).

After walking by it, Mike's neighbor to the east came back on his four-wheeler to retrieve the deer that had died just down the creek bed from me.  Thankfully, he did not stop to field dress it, but just got it out of there, allowing me to sit in peace (and continue hunting). 
About a half hour later, another buck came from the north.  It walked toward me for a while, then headed back to the northeast.  It was never within shooting distance and its body language was calm suggesting he wasn't aware he was nearing range or was near where the neighbor had been. 
I'm sure the deer in this area are so used to people that unless they are very close, they are no more cautious than they would be normally.  Opening day aside of course.

Since it was opening day, I sat out all day with no break, eating only what I carried in my pockets.  Unfortunately, after the mayhem of the first few hours, I saw no more deer.  Surprisingly, I didn't hear very much shooting in the evening, and none nearby.
As I pulled in to the driveway at home that night and got out, I could hear a large pack of coyotes to the northeast yipping away.  It was a nice way to end the evening.

Sunday started cold and frosty again.  And I was in the stand well before light again.
After opening day, things usually quiet down pretty quickly.  Day two was surprisingly quiet though.  I heard virtually no shooting all morning.  Unfortunately, I did not see any deer either.
All that time in the stand allows for lots of time to think.  I realized that I was consistently year-on-year seeing deer on the ridge above where I normally sit.  Since there are several deer trails up there and it is more open as well, I moved my stand up on the ridge at about 10:00.  Then I headed home for a bit to walk the dog, eat, relax before heading out.

The evening was as quiet as the morning deer-wise.  The squirrels were very active however.  At one point, a small hawk landed on a tree next to mine which had two very young squirrels in it.  The young squirrels hightailed it to safety as the bird came down, one ran into a hole in a knot in the tree facing me.  It sat there for most of the evening staring out until the other squirrels joined it.  Then they both stared at me through the knot for a while.  I really wished I had a camera.

Monday started a little warmer and I went to my stand on the ridge.  I was facing east and it was a pretty sunrise.
Shortly after sunrise, I heard the distinctive clatter of the creek rocks banging into each other.  The creek is a couple hundred yards away, but clearly within sight since it is a steep drop down.  I was assuming a deer was in the ravine, but shortly saw a coyote walking through the creek bed.  This is not the first year that I've seen coyotes walking around in broad daylight on this property.

After several hours on the stand, I decided there just was not enough moving to warrant staying out all day and headed back to the truck. 
As I neared the truck, I heard crashing to the left.  It was not deer running away from me, but toward.  One stopped about 30 yards away behind a thin bush and stared at me.  I had my gun cocked and ready as we stared at each other.  I was quickly thinking the pros and cons about the shot (close, but frontal and through some bush), when the decision was made for me.  Apparently, I was not thinking quickly enough.  She bound away, hopefully to be seen another day.  I had plenty of time and after further thinking, I should have pulled the trigger.

That night I went back out but did not see anything else.  The temperatures were getting warmer, lower 60s for the day.

Tuesday started a little warmer with no frost on the truck.  I got back out and with the leaves damp instead of frozen, it was easier to be quiet.
I was up in my treestand well before light again.  As it started to get light, a few squirrels were running around, then quiet.  Around 8:00 I heard more scurrying to my right.  Looking behind myself and to the right, I saw two does running to the east.  As the larger one cleared a brush pile, she stopped and looked right at me.  BUSTED!  I shoot right handed so shooting to my right is a little tricky.  My gun was generally pointed toward the left and with Mrs. Deer staring right at me, I could not move.  After a few seconds, she huffed a loud snort-wheeze and took off running.  The smaller deer with her moved slowly back the way she came and to the south, out of the woods.  It was then that I noticed three more deer, all appeared to be does and they also moved on to the south.

About an hour and a half later, a coyote meandered by my stand.  This was definitely not the same animal as Monday as it was much darker, especially in the tail.  As it got out of view, I made squeaky sounds with my mouth.  It stopped and stared in my direction for quite some time at the sound, but eventually continued on its way.  Likely, it had a full belly of offal from the field-dressing of shot deer.

After going home I went back out for the afternoon.  All morning, the din of traffic and some nearby construction had been a constant in the background.  When I got out in the afternoon, it was nearly completely quiet.  It is hard to overvalue what true quiet is like.  This is hunting.

Not much was moving in the evening, but as it got dark a buck was seen walking the south end of the property.  I grunted a few times on my grunt tube, but it could not have cared less and continued on.  This might have been the same smaller buck I saw coming from the north on opening day, although it looked a little larger.

Wednesday started very warm, with temperatures in the mid 40s.  I went out again well before light.  I know Mike has a driveway alarm and I can't help wonder if I am overusing my welcome. Usually I hunt a day or two and have a deer by then.  I am relearning venison humility I guess.

Absolutely nothing was moving all morning.  Even the squirrels seemed to stay put.  I did hear shooting in the distance, but some of it sounded like target practice and not hunting - at least I hope it was just target practice.

At about 10:00 I locked up my treestand as I decided to take the afternoon and Thursday (Thanksgiving) off.  I figure Mike and his wife don't need to be woken up on the holiday.

Thanksgiving came cool with the outdoor thermometer showing near the mid 30s.  I was surprised when I went outside and saw everything covered with a thick layer of frost.  While hunting, the pattern was usually wake up and out the door.  It was nice to get up early with a pot of coffee.  I read Eating Aliens by Jackson Landers.  It is a book about hunting and eating invasive species.  His writing style is great - very conversational and with the exception of one short passage when he extols a my-hunting-method-is-better-than-xx ethic, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Rarely do I sit down and read a book cover to cover without stopping.  I can't wait for my next trip to hunt wild boar (only a little more than two months away).

As it got light on Thanksgiving morning, I felt something near guilt for not hunting on a near-perfect morning.  This is not a good quality of my personality, but because I can hunt and I have a hunting tag, part of me feels I MUST hunt - my goal-driven self.
I've heard many hunters say they could hunt all day every day.  I could too, but not with the same intensity; the focus and clarity.  I've spent around 44 hours in my treestand so far at this point and less than an hour of that has there been deer in my line of sight.  But, I wouldn't trade any of it.  There really is a Zen-like state in hunting, where hours pass and feel like minutes spent thinking about everything and nothing at the same time.  While brief periods can feel tedious, it can all change in an instant when a game animal walks into view, even if too far away to shoot.  Even a coyote I have no intention to shoot.
I enjoy seeing frost form on my gunstock in the morning, and watch it then seemingly sublime away.  I like the cold feeling sitting snug in a treestand, and realize hours later that the cold is gone without knowing it.  I'm the frog in the cooking pot.
However the reality is my time on the stand is coming to a close unless I get some more opportunities shortly - my goal-driven self.

Friday morning came with a bit of rain.  As I got ready to head back out into the bush, the rain moved east and the wind picked up a little bit.  Temperatures as I left for the morning where very warm for this time of the year in the mid 50s.
I got to the stand again well before light, especially since it was still cloudy.  I was happy that after sitting out for a day and a half nothing had happened to my treestand.  Mike's property is surrounded by a group of land owners who all know each other so the chances of anything happening were not really great, but you never know.  I had locked it up just in case.  Trust Allah, but tie your camel tight.

As it started to get light, the wind picked up more.  Unlike previous mornings, there was no glorious sunrise.  Temperatures were noticeably dropping and the wind was picking up.  With the wind howling, it was impossible to hear anything.  The only bright side is movement on the stand isn't quite so heinous with all the noise of the wind and tree limb movement affecting the animals as well.

With the wind and dropping temperatures, I was done well before I got out of the stand near 10:00.  I walked the south end of the property a bit before heading back to the truck.  Windy conditions don't make for great stand hunting, but do allow easier still hunting (not easy, but easier)  The wind was supposed to pick up through the day and the temperatures were predicted to drop.  I decided not to come back out in the afternoon.  As it was, the temperature had already dropped over 10 degrees by the time I got home.

Deer movement decreased from the opening day, likely from both a decrease in the amount of live deer and more nocturnal movement brought on by the disruption of hunting.  There was a bit of regret, but the rest of the weekend was spent doing things other than hunting.  I still have vacation left and thanks to Indiana's new "Bundle" License and a late doe season, I have more opportunities this year.
Will I have the energy as well?

West by Northwest Day 14

The last day of the trip part of vacation.
Woke up after a good nights rest.  Had hotel breakfast (Waffles!!) and got packed up and ready.

Headed out for the day around 7:30 local time.  Temperature was about perfect and the skies were very clear.

We crossed the Mississippi for the 16th time on two wheels and headed into one of the less pleasant states to cross.  Although, Interstate-74 was light on traffic even compared to usual and we only had one real jack-ass IL driver through the whole state.  It is curious how nice the traffic usually is on I-74 compared to I-70 and 80 not that far away.

Illinois went by fast and we crossed into Indiana at Danville.  The temperature warmed considerably with humidity going up as well.  As we went through Indiana, we realized we would probably be home in time to get the dogs today.  Without the beagles at the house, it just doesn't feel like home so we called the kennel, knowing that at this late time they would not get baths.

Past Indianapolis, we took a way home we've never taken before, taking US52.  This was a pretty nice way to get through Eastern Indiana even with a very long construction area.

As we were gettting close to home, we did not bother stopping for lunch, although we talked about it.  In short order, we were home.

The Goldwing was very buggy, but not near as bad as it has been on previous trips considering there had been no rain since Wendover, UT.  Although the dry weather probably resulted in less bugs than usual, things had greened up considerably from several inches of rain while we were gone.  The lawn may even have to be mowed this weekend.

Mileage for the day was 419.8.

Total mileage for the trip was 5694.6 miles.  It has been a great trip.  I love traveling through the midwest with the friendly people and hearty food.  People loath the big empty, but South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Nevada, Nebraska, etc. all have unique and pretty scenery coupled with endless miles of low traffic.

We've had great food and met some interesting people on the trip, traveling through three states I haven't been through yet on the motorcycle.  It has been great to see family we don't see often as well.  We'll have a gigantic credit card bill when it comes, but there is no doubt it is worth it.

Traveling by motorcycle is totally different than traveling by car.  There are no frames around any vision and we are part of the scenery, not removed from it.  We enjoy the sights, smells and weather in a more intimate way.  I can't wait for the next one.

West by Northwest Day 13

Got ready with the kids in the morning to head out relatively early.

Packed up, said goodbye and hit the road.  One odd thing about Alliance is that many of the side streets have no traffic control (lights, signs, etc.) in either direction.  To avoid confusion, we went back to the main drag and headed out on State Route 2.

"Hell, I even thought I was dead 'til I found out it was just that I was in Nebraska." - Little Bill Daggot from Unforgiven
The drive started out very pretty with perfect temperatures as we continued through the Nebraska Sandhill region.  Nebraska is a long state east-west.  Around the time we got on State-91, the drive started to get monotonous.  This was made worse by a few construction zones with pilot cars and one of the most painful fuel stops ever encountered.  I won't list the gas station, but Mullen, Nebraska has only one station on State 2 and apparently, slow motion is even too fast.

We continued through Nebraska as the Sand Hill region gave way to flatter hills with more trees.  Beef ranches gave way to agriculture fields.  By the time we approached Blair, Nebraska, the interstate was looking like a welcome change.  This is atypical since normally the interstate is avoided.

We got on the interstate shortly after entering Iowa.  There was no lunch stop as we wanted to pour on the miles, but snacked at gas stations along the way.
Passing through Des Moines, I-235 was a parking lot due to an accident, but luckily I-80 remained relatively free flowing.

As we got to Iowa City, it started to get dark to the point that shortly after the construction on I-80 in Iowa City, I had to trade the dark glasses for clear lenses.  The sunset in the rear view mirror was a pretty orange.

As we approached Davenport, we stopped at an exit with a few hotels, but the intersection was unpleasant with trucks and no good restaurants easily seen.  We went a few exits down and found a Days Inn with reasonable rates right next to a restaurant called The Shed.
After checking in we walked to The Shed for a pork tenderloin and all-I-can-eat ribs.  The food was phenomenal.  The food would have been good anyway, but everything tastes better after more than 700 miles.

Finished the evening with...Oreo Cakesters!
Mileage for the day was 718.8.

West by Northwest Day 12

Woke up to more trains across the way and headed out for a few hours on the bike to Alliance, Nebraska.

The drive from Cheyenne was pleasant, taking mostly state roads.  Predictably in this area, traffic was nonexistent.

The ride took us through the Sand Hills region of Wyoming and Nebraska.  The scenery is an arid landscape of rolling hills and towering bluffs.  This area is near the Black Hills and the badlands and is  somewhat similar in nature.  It really is a pretty area of the Country.

At one point, we passed a field of mobile homes, looking worse for age.  I always wondered what eventually happened to mobile homes once they reach the death stage.

We got to Alliance and found Troy and Sherri's house.  We unpacked and talked for a bit before dropping Cole off to school.  Alliance seems like a very nice small-town midwest city.  You could walk just about anywhere if desired, but it is still large enough to have many businesses.  It is the county seat for Box Butte County and has significant jobs in agriculture and the railroad.

Unfortunately, we got to see the local repair shop as Sherri got a flat tire.

After getting the car roadworthy, we toured through a local museum.  This is the kind of small-town museum that locals probably rarely go to, but as outsiders, it was interesting to see some of the local history.  The area is home to some interesting events and carries much in its history.  As with any place on the planet, there were sad episodes as well.

We picked children up from the zoo - I mean school and after a stop at the house to unload school stuff, headed to Car Henge.  Car Henge is a facsimile of the less-important British Stone Henge made out of old American Cars.  Originally, gearhead druids were thought to have built it, but the sculpture was actually created by Jim Reinders as a memorial to his father.  It is now operated by the Freinds of Carhenge.  This is a must-see of American kitsch.  It sits on 10 Acres just outside of Alliance, Nebraska.  It is currently for sale for a mere $300,000.  Hmmmmmm.

After a short visit to a park in downtown Alliance, Zane had a football game.  I'm not sure there were any strict rules but the kids seemed to have fun.  Pizza and catching up ended the night before turning in.

Next we really begin to head home.
The day's mileage was 165.9.

West by Northwest Day 11

Got a bit of a late start this morning and missed Karl as he was heading to work.
We had thought about going to Preston to still see Napoleon Dynamite sites, but it was a few hours out of the way, on 2-lane roads, past national forests on a vacation weekend.  The deck was stacked against this as a good idea.  More directly east is a better idea, and we are now starting to get in go-home mode.

Got ready and packed the bike.  The last few days seeing family was wonderful and the cabin is an almost perfect place rest and have fun, but it is good to get back on the bike.

Left a little later than expected but we weren't in a hurry today.  Headed out of Salt Lake City.  When leaving by the interstate, the salt lake valley can be seen spread out to the west.  It is easy to see why the Mormons chose this as their home after being chased out of previous locations in the east.  The area is beautiful.

Headed out of Utah and into Wyoming.  The southern part of Wyoming is very scenic with mountains, canyons, eroded buttes, etc.  Normally we would go through Flaming Gorge, but we are headed to Nebraska to visit more family and the Flaming Gorge area is likely very busy with the holiday weekend.

The scenery along Interstate 80 continues to be nice.  Traffic is light and temperatures are perfect.  We have a great lunch in Green River at Penny's Diner.

We quit a bit early so we can get to Alliance at an appropriate time, stopping in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  A Motel6 is our quarters from the night, right down the hill from a train.  Hope there is not a derailment in Wyoming tonight.

Dinner is better than average for an Outback Steakhouse.  Now back on the road, Zingers fill the dessert bill.

Mileage for the day was 473.9.

West by Northwest Day 10

(No Map since not time on the bike today)

Woke up early and read a kids book for a while as coffee was brewing.  Karl had to leave for work and the rest of the cabin came to life.

In contrast to the previous days, the sky was clear and there was an absolutely stunning sunrise, casting shadows over Dead Man Mountain.  Breakfast consisted of yeast raised waffles and eggs as the entire group visited some more.

After breakfast, I took Jon and Joe up to the end of the ATV trail on Dead Man Mountain.  The trail used to go farther, but it now stops two miles form the main (dirt) road.  Once at the trail head we hiked up the mountain to the top of the first crest (or knoll or whatever it is called).  This took quite a while and the elevation change was significant.  From this vantage, it was possible to look miles away and make out the cabin.

The other views from Dead Man Mountain where also stunning in the bright morning sunlight casting shadows across the few clouds.

We made it back to the cabin in one piece as the group was starting to disband to go separate ways.  We stayed at the cabin a few more hours, playing games and eating lunch.  Then it was time finish cleaning, packing and head back to the house.  The cabin is a perfect place to relax and catch-up for a few days after 4000 miles on the bike.  We are ready for the next few legs on 2-wheels.

Once back at the house, we unpacked and did a few chores.  Dinner and a movie with the boys rounded out the night.

West by Northwest Day 9

(No Map since no time on the bike for this day)

Karl, Rich and I got up early to go out hunting, with them carrying their bows and me mostly being a tag-a-long.  As we got up, the sky was beginning to lighten and it appeared mostly clear with a few clouds.

We got on the 4-wheelers and made our way up Dead Man Mountain.  After parking, a plan was formed where Karl and Rich would go to the top of the mountain.  I would hang back for 20 minutes and slowly make my way towards them by a different route.

As they left, it began to sprinkle.  I settled in to wait.  It began to rain harder and the lightning and thunder started.  For about 10 minutes, there was a rainbow in the distance, at times with lightning firing behind it, the scene looked almost surreal.  The rain showed no sign of letting up.
  As long as they were in for it, I was too.  After 20 minutes I began walking.  I got about ¼ mile down the road and Karl and Rich were already making their way towards me.  We were all extremely wet.  The hunting was not to be this morning.
We made our way back to the 4-wheelers and headed down the mountain.  It continued to rain, and rain harder at times.  By the time we made it back to the cabin, we were exceedingly cold and wet.

After drying and warming, we visited for a while, followed by lunch and general goofing around by the cabin.  A group of us went exploring down by a river for a while and Rich went fishing (he got drenched again on the way back later in another thundershower).  Compared to most of the previous days racking up miles on the bike, it was a day of rest and relaxation.

One oddity of staying in this pristine area is the din of ATVs pervades.  This isn't a bad thing as they are a great recreation source.  It is pretty easy to get away from the noise, but the easiest way to get away is by ATV.  Still, mornings are crystal quiet.

Gourmet dinner that night was excellent and consisted of fish, fresh veggies, finger potatoes  and lot of conversation.

West by Northwest Day 8

Woke up at the Casino and slowly got ready as we were not in a hurry.  Packed up the bike and got ready to leave.

The parking lot had emptied out of a lot of the gearheads overnight.  There were many piles of salt left marking the spots of the cars that had been on the salt.  As we got ready to leave, we saw Dave Perowitz walking toward the vehicle next to ours.

Left Wendover and headed east on I-80.  It has to be the straightest interstate ever seen.  The salt flats go on for about 40 miles.   Places can be seen where people have driven in them and some of the places appear to be more mud covered with a thin crust of salt.

Drove by the Great (stinky) Salt Lake and into the Salt Lake City area and headed to Dort and Karl’s.  Got turned around near their house since so much construction has been done in the area in the last three years.  Got to Karl’s as he was getting ready.  Parked the bike and packed the truck to head to the cabin.
The trip to the cabin was nice, with a stop for Subway in Evanston.

Got to the cabin and unpacked.  Rain was in the area, but the area immediately around the cabin was nice.  Took the 4-wheelers out with Karl on a bike ride.  The terrain was rough, but both of us got through it (one person got stuck once).  The ride took us through gorgeous treed trails and up mountains.  In one place, the trail went through a burned out area that has since started to regrow.

Near the half way point, it started to rain.  Then it rained more.  We got quite cold and wet but made it back to the cabin in one piece and not too cold.  Diane and Rich were here unpacking when we got here.
Got changed and dried as we talked in the cabin.  Ate elk steaks and many other good food as we caught up for the night.

Mileage on the bike for the day was 148.4.

West by Northwest Day 7

The original plan for the day was to head to Preston, Idaho.  Preston is where the movie Napoleon Dynamite was filmed and I thought it might be funny to see some of the places from the movie.  It is only about five hours away from Ontario, Oregon so I wasn't sure what we would do for the rest of the day.
After waking up and relooking at maps and thinking about it, a last minute change of plans was made.  I really wanted to see the Bonneville Salt Flats and it was in a good direction for where we are headed.

After getting ready and packing up the bike, we hit the road.  Once again, temperatures were comfortable as we began to cross Idaho.  The scenery is pretty, but nothing different from what we've seen the last week (or last day).

We headed south on Interstate 84.  Traffic around Boise was heavy, but lite other than that.  We took US93 south into Nevada.  The terrain in Nevada was more desert like, but what was very surprising was the elevation.

Northern Nevada has many mountains, but the plateau that they sit on is also very high.  From a distance, the mountains looked shrowded in haze.  As we continued south on US93, the overall elevation rose.  The highest elevation we have been through on the trip was on US93 and Interstate80 in Nevada.  Once pass was just under 7000 feet.

Other than that, the Nevada Big Empty was just that.

For the second time on this trip, we saw the Google Streetview Car right as we were coming in to Wendover.

Interstate 80 took us east to Wendover, a town bordering Utah and Nevada.  Since the Nevada side has Casinos, which means expensive entertainment and cheap rooms, we got a room at the Rainbow.  The room was cheaper than the room from the night before, but nicer than the more expensive room at Seaside.  Even though we've passed many casinos on this trip, there is something decadent about staying in a Nevada Casino Hotel.

Once checked in we went out to the Bonneville Salt Flats.  Initially we took Frontage Road, a non-maintained road.  It was non-maintained and very rough, so we turned around and headed to the speed trials area.
Happily, the BUB Speed Trials were just wrapping up.  We stopped for a while and talked to some of the racers and took several pictures.  It was probably a zoo a day or so earlier.

The salt flats themselves are surreal.  I had pictured sandy salt, but what it actually is is sticky salt and not exactly dry, with more water around than would be hoped.  With rain storms in the distance, the view was pretty dramatic.  People coming from the time trials were absolutely covered in salt.

Many of the time trial people were at the hotel as well.  The salty footprints were evidence, but the hotel vacuumed them up very quickly.  The people at the hotel were an odd mix of gearheads and gambling grandmas.  To paraphrase Hunter Thompson:  A motorcyclist can learn to cope with things like seeing their dead grandmother crawling up their leg with a knife in her teeth, but nobody should be asked to handle this trip.  That might only make sense if you've seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a few hundred times.

On the way back to the hotel we ate at the Salt Flats Cafe.  Great food at incredible prices and pictures of the salt flats racers all over the walls.  Neat.

We headed back to the hotel and relaxed for a few minutes.  Then we headed down to the casino to waste some money.  The impossible happened and I hit big (for me) on video poker and ended up $50 ahead.  I lost $20 of that, but was happy to stop ahead.  The buffet dinner was better than average and we called it a day early.

Mileage for the day was 397.3.

Post Script:  After finishing this, the casino ploy to only have crappy tv stations worked and I lost another five clams to the gamble deamon.  We did get heavy rain overnight though helping to wash bonneville salt off the bike.

West by Northwest Day 6

Woke up to a moist morning.  Got the bike ready and packed for the day's trip.  We can't go any farther west, and have no desire to go farther north (we already started heading south), so east it is.  But, that doesn't mean we are heading home as the adventure continues.

It was cool and very humid as we left Seaside.  It was amazing how the craziness of a tourist town calms to absolutely nothing in the morning.  It probably would have been nice to walk down to the beach.

We headed east, with the plan to mostly stay on US26 all day.  As we started to gain elevation, it got even colder and started to mist, then rain.  We unwisely decided not to stop and put on rain suits since radar before we left indicated little to no rain.  We suffered no ill effects from this poor decision as the rain did quickly stop.  We continued to gain elevation and it continued to get colder.  The humidity persisted.
We entered Portland at the tail end of rush hour.  Getting through it was not very much fun.  The layout of the city is not very difficult, but the signs were very poor at best.  I don't understand the signage in Oregon.  As we made our way across the state, every mountain, hill or knoll had a sign marking it as "pass" along with the elevation, but signs marking non-obvious road transitions are not where they would be helpful.
Once through portland, the temperature went up and down with the elevation until we descended from the Cascades.  Once out of the mountains, the sky cleared.  Temperature still varied but the rest of the day was very nice.

I don't know what I expected for the middle of Oregon terrain, but what I saw wasn't what I expected.  I really didn't know that much about Oregon but I expected harsh coastline, not the beach at Seaside.  I also expected more agriculture in Oregon, but what we drove through until the last hour or so was mountains and open range land.  It was much more arid than I would have thought.

The mountains were nice to go through.  It didn't compare to Lolo Pass, but it was similar in condition, with good roads and plenty of opportunities to pass to avoid frustration.

The terrain did vary a lot including canyons, mountains and the whole area we rode through was much higher in elevation than US12 in Washington.  The area more resembles the neighboring Idaho than Washington.

We at lunch in the town of John Day at The Outpost.  It was excellent.  I kept seeing things called John Day and was wondering who he was as we rode along.  The menu at the Outpost told the story.  He was an adventurer who went with a westward expedition as a hunter.  He got sick along the way and was left.  After regaining health, he continued on and was attacked by Indians who stole his belongings.  Apparently, he may never have set foot near the town of John Day, but was left for dead somewhere along the river that now bears his name and may have gone insane due to hardships.  I may have got the story wrong, and/or a menu may not be the right place to get historical facts.  I'll have to see if there is a book about this man at some later date.

We continued on; at times it felt like we weren't getting anywhere.  There was evidence of recent wild fires on a few occasion.  Smoke could be seen on covering the horizon a few times and we did see one wildfire not too far in the distance.

Much of the day was through the Oregon edition of the Big Empty.  I still like the open, hot hilly terrain, and Oregon breaks this up with many passes, even if some of them are more like hills.

As we neared Idaho, there was more agriculture including huge fields of onions that could be seen and smelled.  Really.  We also passed a huge field packed with goats.  Wonder what they do with all those goats and onions?

Eventually we made it to Ontario, Oregon.  This was not a strenuous day, but at times it felt like we weren't getting anywhere.  Dinner that night was at Mackey's and it was very tasty.  On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a convenience store and bought...Oreo Cakesters (chocolate, not blonde).
The WiFi in this hotel is stupendous, even though the room is not as nice and one third the price of Seaside.  I love it.

Mileage today was 497.1.

West by Northwest day 5

Woke up early but putzed around the hotel and made a plan of attack for the day.  Objective 1 was to see the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  The bridge was completed in the summer of 1940 and collapsed during that fall during a time of high but not unusual winds.  This historic event is used by many schools and colleges in physics class to demonstrate the importance of harmonic motion and natural frequencies.  No human life was lost in the bridge destruction, but a dog in a car did die during the collapse.  A new bridge was completed in 1950 and the parallel bridge seen today was completed in 2007.
A video of the collapse can be seen here:Youtube Tacoma Narrow Collapse

After planning the day and eating complimentary waffles, we headed north.  Traffic was heavy but not bad considering that we were heading through the state capitol.  Roads were well marked and there was a surprising lack of mean driving.

We went over the Tacoma Narrow Bridge which was a pretty impressive structure to drive over.  Just past the bridge, online maps showed a small park nearby where the bridge could be seen.  I found a guy walking his dog and asked him where the park was.  He gave directions and after a bit more looking, we found the park.  The park is down a long tree covered drive; almost hidden.
The park itself is very nice and has great views of the water and bridge.  We spent some time there looking around and taking pictures, all under the watchful eye of a Sheriff, who I hope wasn't called by someone just because I was motoring around the neighborhood looking for the park.  Oh well, I was harmless.
Heading over the bridge was free.  However, if we wanted to return across it, it cost $5.  A little bit of a racket if you ask me.

After seeing the bridge, we headed back south and west to US101 to drive down the coast.  US101 was pretty (I guess), but very anticlimactic.  I was expecting more than fleeting views of the actual coast line.  The drive was more like any other hilly tree lined drive, with the occasional view of the water, and then only of various bays, not the actual ocean.

We crossed into Oregon by US101 which enters the state by a very long bridge.  Once in Oregon, I can proudly say that I have been in every state west of the Mississippi.  A minor footnote in my life's goals, and a baby step toward my goal of riding my motorcycle through the 49 states accessible by land.

Once into Oregon, the traffic turned crazy crowded.  I can't imagine what it must be like in the height of the tourism season.  As we went south, I found a small park where I was able to have my picture taken with the Pacific Ocean in the background.  My Goldwing has now been to both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

We got to Seaside, OR and got gas and found a Hotel.  We had made reservations for this hotel as there are many in the area, and many are extremely expensive.  The Inn at Seaside was a nice hotel if not a little expensive compared to where we normally stay.  It had the absolute worst wireless internet service I have ever seen.  A dedicated 56k dial-up line for each room would likely be faster, perhaps even a bell-boy to courier all internet packets by bicycle.
The town of Seaside defines what a Northwest tourist town is.  Bumper cars, indoor minnie golf, shops with ceramic beach themed crap.  I guess we have to do these thing once in a while.  We ate a lite lunch and then walked around town a bit.  We entered one free exhibit about sharks.  I was a little apprehensive as nothing is free and I was worried this was a time share sales pitch.  It was.  The woman laughed about it and said that she was just like the sharks in her exhibits but with smaller teeth.  It was refreshing to see her sense of humor and realism about it.

The beach area at Seaside is one of the theoretical turn-around points for Lewis and Clark.  While that may or may not be true, the beach is pretty nice once you get away from the masses; this is easy to do since they all stay in the main area.  The views are pretty decent as well.
This has to be one of the most pet friendly areas I've ever seen.  Most hotels have a dog policy and many of the shops allow dogs as well.  Several businesses had dog water bowls outside of them for the furry friends.  I didn't see any cats though.

Dinner that night was local seafood including Oysters on the halfshell.  Ice cream on the way back to the hotel rounded out the day nicely.

Mileage for the day was a mere 256 miles.

West by Northwest Day 4

Once again, left at daybreak.  Another glorious sunrise pushed us along the road.  Weather was cool to cold with temperatures ranging from the 50s to the low 40s depending on location.  We almost didn't have enough clothes when we left.  By the time we stopped though, we were very warm as the day was sunny and dry.

Headed north into Missoula.  Missoula seemed like a pretty nice college town, but 97% of the cars we saw were Subarus and 99% of those had a bike rack on them.  Those not driving Subarus were riding their bikes.  Ahhh, the granola lifestyle.  Don't get me wrong, I do admire the bike riding.  I even considered buying a Subaru once, but they quit making the one I wanted.

We headed out on US12 through Lolo and Lolo Pass.  The first half of the day, the smell of smoke from the many large wildfires ranged from minor to overpowering.  Many times, smoke could be seen as a haze covering the horizon.  Many motorcycle roads are great until you get behind the dreaded RV.  Lolo Pass has to be one of the best motorcycle roads since the road is in great condition, turns are a mix of sweeping and hard, but with ample passing opportunities so getting behind a truck or RV is not a big issue.  Switchbacks and technical riding is fun, but not what I'm looking for when I'm thousands of miles from home in a fully loaded touring bike.

US12 itself follows along the Lochsa river.  The views are gorgeous and the road goes on for 10s of miles.  I thoroughly enjoyed this ride.  Probably one of the best motorcycle roads I have been on.  Not sure what it would look like in July, but near the off season it was wonderful.

After going through the mountains, we crossed into Washington and had a quick lunch at Sharps Burger Ranch.  It was billed as Lewiston's answer to fast food.  Overall, pretty good for a quick lunch.

After lunch we went through Washington's Central valley.  Scenery isn't much in comparison to Lolo Pass, but the ride was nice, if a little warm.  Some of the construction areas seemed to be done by Montana construction crews (see post from yesterday if that doesn't make sense).  It was surprising that the elevation of this part of Washington was below 1000 feet in places.  The valley was covered with fruit trees and many, many vineyards.  The range of agricultural species seen on this trip is staggering.  The huge fields of grapes and fruit trees were amazing in light of the fact that they are harvested by hand.  I couldn't help but think of the movie Sideways as we rode through the vineyards.

Once through the valley, we stayed on US12 through Cascades.  Traffic was tolerable and the views were again dramatic.  There was one long delay at a construction zone where we struck up a conversation with a couple who were in the car behind us.  They seemed very surprised we were in Washington only four days after leaving Ohio; we only have so much vacation.  They gave us some tips on things to see and places to stay.
After passing through the construction zone which was right at White Pass, we descended in elevation and stopped to see Mount Rainier. The couple we had been talking to laughed when I asked if we would be able to tell which one it was.  The view was stunning.

We continued on US 12 to Packwood.  There were several hotels there, but they must have been in cahoots since the high price was the same everywhere.  We continued on until Interstate-5 up to Chehalis where we found a room at a much better price.  When getting unpacked I noticed the front tire on the Goldwing was wearing in an odd way, which means in a normal way for a Goldwing.  Perhaps pushing the limits for hours on Lolo Pass was taking its toll.  Good thing we are nearing the turning around point.
Dinner was great at Kit Carson's followed by Zingers in the Hotel room.  There were no Cakesters available.

Mileage for the day was 653.8.

West by Northwest Day 3

We pushed it a bit too far today, Mobridge, SD to Drummond, MT.  But more on that later.

We were woken up at 11:00PM by the phone asking if we had a dog in the hotel room.  Nope, no room for the beagles on the bike.
Was able to get back to sleep and then wake up early to leave.  Temperature was very cool at near 50F and traffic was predictably light.  Saw a beautiful sunrise as we hit the road.

This was Sunday so we had church on the bike.  Enjoying His creation from the seat of a motorcycle and being thankful we are fortunate enough to go on these adventures.
One more picture of sunflowers as this field was in full yellow glory.  It was really nice to see early in the morning with all the flowers pointed at the sun.

We were on US12 all day today.  The highway skirts along the top op South Dakota and into North Dakota.  We got gas shortly before entering North Dakota so we went through the state without our feet ever touching the North Dakota ground.  The small section of North Dakota we were in had many large groups of motorcycles.  There was likely some event in the area, and as best I can figure out after searching online, it was the Bottoms Up Motorcycle Run centered in Bowman, ND.

From there, we moved into Montana.  US12 in Montana describes desolate.  I was expecting little traffic, but this road rivals the Alaska Highway.  I think there was even LESS traffic than the Alaska Highway.  The road is in good condition and the scenery changes many times.  From pure flat scrub land, to large hills, to eroded buttes.  The constant changes kept things interesting.
We also saw many deer and antelope throughout the day.  The deer were their skittish self, but the Pronghorn were happy to hide in the open.

After eating a great lunch at the Pioneer Cafe in Roundup Montana, we continued on the highway west.  Shortly after eating, smoke could be seen in the distance.  As we got closer and closer, we saw the forest just beyond the highway was on fire.  It was very dramatic to see the flames and the smoke covered the area for miles.  For well over an hour, we could smell the strong smell of smoke.

We hit several construction zones in Montana.  There was one by Forsyth, MT that there were warnings about online before leaving for the vacation.  However, it was nearly complete and was an almost new road.  One bridge was being redone which required a detour.  The detour consisted of a secondary bridge as there was no roads to detour on.

There were several more construction zones.  Most had warning signs that said motorcycles should seek alternate routes.  These warnings went unheeded.  Montana construction seems to be done by destroying the road, then doing nothing for some time leaving loose gravel.  At least it was dry.  In 2008 on the way back from Alaska, we went through this same type of construction in northern Montana, but it was deep mud.  Not fun on a Goldwing, but we were accustomed to this after the Alaska Highway construction.

We were making good time and decided to stop near Helena.  Once we got to Helena, for whatever reason we did not stop.  We ended up and I-90/US12 with no hotels found since Helena.  I was getting tired but we kept on by getting on the interstate.  Several exits with no services later, we were forced off the highway due to it being closed from a serious accident.  We exited at Drummond, MT and found a room for the night.  There were not many available since many were taken by helicopter pilots and other firefighters.

We ended the night at the Wagon Wheel Cafe for a good dinner at the end of a long day.  The last of the Oreo Cakesters were eaten as well.
The day's total mileage was 741.2.