A wet 630 miles

I took a little ride on my Harley last week from Coeur d Alene down US95 to Donnelly, 309 miles due south out of my driveway.
I left at 11am and, like most of my rides, once the destination is locked and loaded in my brain cells, I am eager to get going and experience the ride. This time it was wet though.
I left Coeur d Alene in a driving rainstorm, all geared up in my rain suit, heated jacket liner and a pair of new heated gloves. This time I wore my full face helmet rather than my half helmet and was thankful I did. Rain isn't fun hitting exposed skin at 7o miles an hour. Feels like someone is rapidly poking you nonstop with straight pins.
I had not been down US95 past Potlach for quite sometime so, from this point on, it was a nice ride seeing things I hadn't in a long time. Being the eastern edge of the Palouse, it is a beautiful time to ride this stretch of highway in the early spring when the fields are so green and everything is in bloom. The rolling hills are fun on a motorcycle too, rain or not.
The rain stopped briefly just before Moscow and as I rode into the town there is a spot where you're up on the hill and can see the city in the distance. I couldn't help but think about the horror this little town experienced a few weeks ago when a sniper went off the deep end. In my estimation he was coward....he gave that rifle a blow job and ended his own life after taking the lives of others...what a weakling. I bet it's blazing hot where he is at right now.
Onward down the Lewiston grade into the industrial pit of the Lewiston area for a quick fuel up and then keep rolling. Up onto the Camas prairie, again beautiful and green in the spring rain. it rained hard too. Did you know there is a Bed and Breakfast in Cottonwood that has a guest room built in the shape of a dog? There are also a huge number of large wooden railroad trestles along the route.
By the time I got past Grangeville and to the top of Whitebird it was a torrential downpour but by then I was halfway to my goal and not gonna stop. Besides I was warm and relatively dry in my gear, just a little tense from the driving conditions.
Two things about being on motorcycle in the driving rain...paint stripes are like ice on the road in winter and the metal parts of bridges/abutments/railroad tracks are slippery as well. Your fear of hydroplaning keeps you (or should keep you) on your toes. The ruts in the road can become little rivers of runoff and the the thought of the rear end of the bike slipping out from under you on curves is constant. But that's what makes me be extra safe and make it back home.
My wife knows how much I love to ride but I also know how much she worries while I'm gone. Every stop I make, usually 5-10 minutes every 1-1/2 to 2 hours, I call to let her know I'm okay or leave a voicemail telling her as much.
Once down the grade and running along the river into Riggins it warmed up but was still wet. Climbing up out of Riggins along the Little Salmon River toward New Meadows offers a beautiful drive with lots of views of the tumbling water, including some great waterfalls.
On through the rain and McCall heading toward Donnelly, ultimately wanting to make it to Tamarack Resort. Talk about construction, the resort being built here is costing almost $1 Billion (yes with a B) by the time it is all done and over with. Condos, hotels, ski resort, golf course and multi million dollar homes set on the edge of National Forest land. There are over 1000 workers there now just building things.
My trip was to meet up with my best friend and ride back with him. He had ridden his Harley down to attend a business meeting at the resort a day earlier.
We left Wednesday morning to return north and fortunately the weather was much better. No rain, lots of wind but dry roads. Total miles were 630 round trip and an average mpg of 42.6.