A Fast Ride Home

We left Yellowstone on a cold morning. We wore many layers and our heavy gloves. The ride to the Interstate was interesting, thru the frosted chilly stubbly fields and past blanketed horses in the slanting unenthusiatic morning light. The sun did not seem to care much about warming the air temperatures until about noon time, when the temps rose into the 80s once again and we could peel off and look a tad less like Pillsbury Dough Persons.

We were back on that freeway before lunch and there is nothing like 45 degrees at 65 miles per. Brrrrrr! I don't like it. I think the cold is worse than the heat when you are out on the bike. Freeways, I am sure you know, do not lend themselves to picture taking, since the whole idea of a freeway is to get on it and hustle off to somewhere else. And that's what we did the last 3 days of our ride. We hustled home.

We did stop in Missoula for the night and we encountered our first 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. O, yum. And fun too, albeit exceedingly noisy. There's not a soft surface in the joint and they like their music way more than we did. But it was right next to the motel and we were tired and so we went to 5 Guys. Neither of us regretted it, but I do have a word of advice for you. Get one small fries and share it. Get "small" burgers and not "regular" burgers. "Regular" burgers are enormous and small fries come heaped in a medium sized drink cup. It's inexpensive and there are free peanuts in the shell besides. All in all, a winner and I am happy to see that there are several 5 Guys abuilding in the Seattle Metro area. So yes, my brother, there is a food report in this edition too.

The last night out we stayed in Moses Lake, Washington in a Holiday Inn Express. Once again, the HIE was among the nicest motels we stayed in and in Moses Lake, it being Moses Lake, the price was very right.

It rained overnight, so we had to dry bikes before we loaded up. Since bikes are small, it was no big deal. By this time, we are so good at loading up, we couldn't believe how fast we accomplished the task. We wore our mesh jackets because it was 65 and as humid as a freshly loaded clothes dryer.

As we drove east, temps dropped. The layers went back on again. We stopped for lunch in Cle Elum, at the handy dandy Burger King and put on more clothes. We stopped halfway up the mountains and put on our rain gear since the clouds looked like they'd love to dump on motorcyclists. And the rain gear helps with warmth. It did spit rain at us a bit so it was good we had the gear on.

Zoom-Zoom down the mountains and it was time to take things off at North Bend. We decided not to get gas, but that was a bad idea and we ended up in the wilds of Issaquah at the gas station manned by the Gas Nazi. But we got gas and headed for Shoreline, just about an hour away.

Home about 3:30 and unloaded, decoated and debooted by 4. Normie was so glad to see us, I think he thought we were never coming back. It took him a while to believe we were actually staying home.

It was cold, grey and icky in Shoreline and has pretty much stayed that way ever since. Quite a shock from the blue sunny skies we'd had for the last 6 weeks. It took us a while to get back in the swing of things and then, of course, I had the annual Autumnal Cough, Hack & Snuffle Fest. So here we are deep in December, floating in the rain and I still am not back into the swing of things.

Ray went back to work a week after we got home and he's had his nose to the grindstone ever since. There's a big project to finish and as usual, after dithering for 3 years, the Powers That Be have decided the project must be done soonest, and before soonest, by golly.

Ah, life in the fast lane!

It snowed quite alot in Yellowstone the week after we left. Part of me wishes we'd washed clothes and repacked and hit the road again. I hear tell it's still warm down south.