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 Pork
Chop notices something amiss on the Barley so Pablo whips out the
tool kit and does some repair work in the motel parking lot before
we take off.
(Click on photo to view full size image)
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 After
1,035 miles of being wind blasted to a pulp, Trev "I like my
bikes naked!" Trifiro decides he should get a windshield before we
head out of Missoula.
Once in the shop, Trev starts to get cold
feet about adding this unsightly accessory to his lovely ride, so
I start telling him he needs to get the huge touring windshield.
Looking ill, he promptly grabs the tiniest fly screen in the joint
and checks out.
Tool kits are broken out and the
installation process takes place in the motorcycle shop parking
lot. After a few miles on the road, he's amazed
at how well it works.
(Click on photo to view full size image)
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 Heading
west on Highway 12 out of Missoula, we climb up the Bitterroot
Mountain Range and cross into Idaho as we reach Lolo Pass at 5,235
ft. Now the real fun begins.
We practice doing hyperspace jumps around cages and the occasional
semi in the legal passing zones, which on this twisty two lane
road, requires some real serious throttle and brake work plus a
certain degree of daring, timing and nerve.
(Click on photo to
view full size image)
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 Stopping
for a cold one and some gas at Lochsa Lodge just west of Lolo Pass
on Hwy 12.
We were warned by a highway worker
that a semi truck carrying bees had crashed on Hwy 12 west of Lolo
Pass and some 800,000 bees had escaped. (We had seen the
overturned semi two days earlier when we came through going east.)
Luckily, the drivers had
the truck cab windows closed and avoided being stung by the angry
bees. The highway workers had to wear safety suits to work the
accident scene.
Better yet, the highway worker who told us
this said that a similar bee truck had crashed the year before
except that time, the drivers had the cab windows open and when
the rescue workers arrived on the scene, they found the two
drivers stung to death!! How delightfully gruesome! Rural legend?
We didn't think so as he seemed like an earnest public servant and
it's not like we were in a local tavern drinking beers and
bullshitting each other.
As we neared the crash site, we hunkered
down and sped up. No one was stung but we sure took out a lot of
bees and they made very colorful splotches on our bikes.
(Click on photo to view full size image)
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 After
noticing that we were having to wait repeatedly for our Harley
rider to catch up each time we stopped for a break, we decided to give him a head start. Here is
Pork Chop, west of Lolo Pass, getting ready to ride. We stayed
behind counting the seconds off before mounting the bikes and
giving chase. Pork Chop lost no time in haulin' ass down Hwy 12
and it took considerable time and speed to catch him. Vince took
the lead and began
thinking that Jeff had pulled off the road to hide but he
finally caught up to him. Jeff confessed later that, where
possible, he'd been using the whole road to make better speed
through the turns while employing his newly learned
countersteering technique!
(Click on photo to view full size image)
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 Pork
Chop kickin' back after some serious partying in Clarkston, WA
over at the bowling alley across the street from the motel.
We were treated to the locals doing
karaoke. The prize went to the couple of local chicks doing
"Hit Me With Your Best Shot" off key. Priceless!
And despite lots of enthusiasm for the idea,
we exercised good judgment and did NOT go ride the Spiral Highway of
Death while intoxicated.
(Click on photo to view full size image)
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