Father and Son Road Trip- 9 States, 2 Months, 6500 Miles!

We continued East on the Going to the Sun Road as I wanted to check out the Jackson Glacier overlook.


July 2012 was the hottest month in the lower 48 states since they started keeping records in 1895. One of the places where it's easiest to see some of the effects of the extreme heat is Glacier National Park. The glaciers are melting fast and very few are still visible from the Going to the Sun Road.




With the rate they're melting it's quite possible that all of the glaciers in Glacier National Park will be gone soon in the next 10-20 years

I'm glad that my son could see a glacier in Glacier National Park before they are gone. The view from the Jackson Glacier Overlook-

From the Jackson Glacier Overlook we pulled a U-turn and headed back the way we came on the Going To The Sun Road-


Doesn't matter which way you go- the views are just as stunning heading West as they were going East-




Approaching Logan Pass-




Heading down from Logan Pass-


Fair bit of traffic, but then it's not really a road for riding fast-


I love these old-skool tour vans that you see all over the place-



Construction didn't help the traffic any, but with views like this, who cares?!






There were roadside waterfalls like this all over the place- amazing!


We made it to the Apgar Visitor Center just before they closed and Kristhawee gave his Junior Ranger workbook to the Ranger who went over it with him. It was pretty cute; my son can be very shy with strangers but the Ranger did a great job of busting him out of his shell. At the end Kristhawee had to raise his right hand and repeat the Junior Ranger Oath after the Ranger. He was so shy and said the oath in a whisper, but he got through it and was awarded his first Junior Ranger badge.

Congratulations Kristhawee on becoming a Glacier National Park Junior Ranger!!

As much as I would have liked to have spent another day or week in Glacier National Park we had to keep moving. Had an appointment in Walla Walla to get the new tires installed and was looking forward to catching up with my old college friend and meeting his family.

There was a KOA just outside of Glacier but it being a Sunday it was fully booked. Bummer... But the guy at the reception told me there was another KOA in nearby Whitefish some ~25 miles away that still had tent sites available.

Great little KOA! Pool, paddleboats, hot tub, funky restaurant with cold beer on tap and an all you can eat breakfast- nice!


My son was loving the funny little paddleboats-




Even after all the other kids had left he was still out there paddling around-


Tons of games in Buffalo Bob's Pizza-

The restaurant had an impressive collection of vintage pinball and video games. Classics like Centipede, Asteroids, Donkey Kong etc. Shame that at least half were out of order, but I wonder how one would find parts to keep such old machines working.

My son got to work on his swimming some more-


There were a lot of other kids at this KOA and he had a good time playing with them.


The hot tub was ridiculously hot-


But he made it in eventually


I guess after the pizza and beers I quit taking pictures. I was a bit buzzed and Kristhawee was beat from all the swimming, paddleboats, hot tub, etc. We stumbled back to our tent and passed out.

Good morning sleepy head!


The tent sites at the Whitefish KOA are nicely removed from the RV's, up a hill and in the trees-

Somebody doesn't want to get out of bed

Enjoyed a substantial breakfast at Buffalo Bob's-


And I let Kristhawee have another go at the paddleboats and pool-


We ended up leaving later than planned, but what the heck, he really enjoyed this campground, and so did I!

Tony-

Great pictures and write-up. Thank you for taking the time to share this with all of us.

Did you have a difficult time convincing your ex to let you take the little guy on this epic journey?

We're headed to Walla Walla, but it's pretty far to do it in one go. No worries- let's spend a night in Idaho!


We take the 93 south through Kalispell and past Flathead Lake-


Gorgeous day and we're making good time-


Flathead Lake is a seriously big lake!






Crossing the Armed Forces Bridge into the funky little town of Polsom-


I dig that all of the signs around here are written in Native American and English-


Mountains-


Snow!


Cows!!


The road stretches off into the distance as far as the eye can see-


We pass through the Mission Mountain Wilderness and the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge-


Some nice hills and curves north of Missoula-


What is this odd structure you might ask?

It's a "wildlife corridor" designed in such a way as to encourage the wildlife to cross the highway via this grassy "bridge" rather than jumping the fences and getting hit on the highway. Does it work? I have no idea...

Approaching Missoula, Montana-


We continue south on the 93 through Missoula and hang a right heading west onto the Lewis and Clark Highway 12 at Lolo-


25 miles to Lolo Hot Springs-


Some really sharp looking ranches and homes around Lolo-


We're in Lolo National Forest-


Wow, this is a FUN road!


It's getting late and I don't want to be on the road when the deer get active, so start looking for a good spot to camp.


Goodbye Montana and welcome to Idaho!

Woohoo! We're in Idaho and the road and scenery are fantastic!


This highway has many names. The Lewis and Clark Highway, the Lolo Creek Road, Highway 12, and the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway-


We cross the Nez Perce Trail-


They are resurfacing the road in some areas so have to be aware of loose gravel in some of the corners-


Take away all that loose gravel and this would be one heck of a sport bike road-


The curves never end!


This is a seriously awesome road!




That's Lolo Creek on the left; we're in Clearwater National Forest now-


Lovin it!


It's getting late and I worry about deer at this hour, so I turn off onto a dirt road when I see a sign for the White Sands Campground-


It's a tiny campground with only 7 sites, right on the Lochsa River- we scored the last spot!

My son looks a bit tired

He wakes up once he's off the bike and sees that our spot is right on a nice swimming hole-


Get those boots off and let's go swimming!


Somebody needs a haircut, but to be honest, I quite like him with long hair


While I was setting up camp Kristhawee went exploring-


He came back with a pet frog

(There were actually two frogs, but one escaped)

Another look at our fantastic spot at the White Sands Campground near Powell, Idaho-


We were in the #3 site-

I walked over to get water only to discover a sign warning that it was unsuitable for drinking...

Well... we had enough fuel to boil river water, so no big deal.

There was a beautiful pond near the water pump- these would look better stitched together-






Went back to our campsite with about a gallon of very suspect looking water. Kristhawee was waiting impatiently to go swimming-


Crystal clear and ice cold! :eek1


C'mon buddy- just jump in!


Father and son at the Lochsa River, White Sands Campground, Idaho, USA!


It had been a warm day but was cooling down quickly as the sun set. Time to put on some warm clothes after swimming in that cold river!

Check out the murky brown water in the container next to Kristhawee's boots :eek1 That's what came out of the campground pump

Kristhawee hadn't yet seen the pond so I took him over to check it out-


What a tranquil and idyllic spot!




Ha ha! Tonight's menu is a blast from the past- I haven't had Chef Boyardee ravioli since I was a kid. :dg

Kristhawee loved it! Me... not so much (Isn't it funny how some things we loved as children disgust us as adults, and likewise how we now love some of the things we hated when we were kids?)

There was plenty of firewood at this campground and we built an obnoxiously huge fire, to the point where Kristhawee was worried I'd start a forest fire (Honestly it wasn't THAT big, but maybe the biggest camp fire he'd ever seen

Once the fire finally burned down and I put it out we snuggled up in our sleeping bags for some more magical stories from Kipling's Jungle Book. The stars were so bright we could see them through the mesh roof of our tent and there were a bunch of owls hooting back and forth - a magical sound. As usual, Kristhawee lasted only a few pages before he passed out (-_-)Zzzz

All the awesome roads Tony. It's interesting as you passed the different type of roads and weather.
Does your son still talking about the trip?

Hi Viethorse!

Yes, my son still talks about our ride.

I chat with him on Skype twice a week and this last Friday I was on my way to Laos and pulled over at a gas station near Chachoengsao, Thailand to connect with my son at 0600 my time, 1900 his time.

He noticed right away that I was in motorcycle gear and was really curious and interested in my ride to Laos.

Laos is a beautiful country and I hope to take him there some day, though perhaps not on a bike as the roads there can be quite treacherous... Probably best we just fly to Luang Prabang and explore from there.

Wow... You are on the saddle again, man!
Looks like Brian comes and rides with you?!
I already burnt my budget and leave credit now after having fun ride in US this month. Smoky Mountain ride during fall is awesome Tonny.

Today we're headed to Walla Walla, Washington!


Early start to try and beat the heat-

Mike check! Where are we going Kristhawee? "We're going to Walla Walla, Washington"

A few miles of easy dirt to get back to the Lewis and Clark Highway 12


The deer are popping out left and right this morning- Kristhawee thinks it's cool to see so many deer- he doesn't know that deer and motorcycles don't mix. I take it nice and easy and we don't hit any.

Other obstacles to watch for-


Riding west on the Lewis and Clark Trail-


Another beautiful day!


Fantastic road, no traffic, still nice and cool in the morning-


Zoom zoom!


Highway 12 through northern Idaho should be on every biker's short list-


The curves never end!


45 more miles of motorcycle bliss!








I'm so happy we're not pulling a trailer!




The river grows as we ride west-


The name of the river changes several times. I recall it being called the Clearwater River and also the Wawawai River. In some areas the road is being worked on and we have to slow down on account of all the loose gravel-


Some really cool suspension bridges-


Nice colors with the morning sun to our back-


Tick Creek-




Clearwater National Forest, Apgar Campground-




Canyon Creek-


We stopped at a roadside campground for a snack and a rest-


Making pretty good time, but still a ways to go and I hear that once we're out of the Clearwater National Forest and into Washington that it might be pretty hot.

Somebody really wants to go for a swim!


Beautiful spot-


Back on the road- some more cool bridges-


As we approach Washington the forest thins and the landscape gets a lot drier-


The river continues to grow-


I always think of Washington States as being very wet and green. Not the case in the western part of the state- (actually, we're still in Idaho)


Northwest Passage Scenic Byway-


70 more miles to Lewiston, Idaho which is on the Washington border-

At Kamiah the road crosses to the south side of the river-


We're out of Clearwater National Forest but it's still a great road-








Welcome to Orofino!




Neat old railroad bridge-


We made it! Welcome to Walla Walla, Washington!!

We found my friend Scott's house without much difficulty-


Was great to catch up - I hadn't seen Scott in way too long! Since last I saw him he got married and now has a son-


Scott has an immaculate V-Strom and I was really hoping we could get out for a ride but his brother was in town and he couldn't get away which was a shame. I could tell that Kristhawee and Perrin were up for it!

Walla Walla is a beautiful little town with lots of old homes, big trees and a bustling "downtown". We walked down to Mainstreet and enjoyed a hearty dinner and fine brews at the Public House.

Scott had a pop-up camping trailer in his back yard and it was nice to sleep in a "real" bed! The camping trailer was our home for the next few days-


It had been a long day and we were pretty beat. We stayed up and watched some of the summer Olympics on tv until Kristhawee passed out-


I carried him out to the camping trailer and we called it a night. Sweet dreams my little prince!

The next day I rode the Land Yacht over to Tom's Cycle where my new Bridgestone Battlax BT-020 OEM Replacement tires from Motorcycle-Superstore.com were waiting to be mounted-





I had them change the oil and filter while I was there and should have asked about the cost because I was a bit shocked when they presented me with a bill for nearly $300 :eek1

Damn, that hurt, but it's really my fault for not asking how much it would cost ahead of time.

I'll be doing all my own filter and oil changes from now on, that's for sure!!

Other than getting raped for the oil and filter change I was pretty happy with the service I received from Tom's Cycle. Cool little shop, friendly owners, lead mechanic seemed to know what he was doing.

Love this report. I'm a somewhat new dad. My son is 17 months old. A few more years to wait to do something like this but it's not so far off as i thought.

Thanks again for doing the legwork.

While the Land Yacht was being serviced I took Kristhawee to Walla Walla's historic Pioneer Park-

Hanging out with Buster the 3-legged Pug

Pioneer Park has a cool Aviary with over 50 different species of birds-
Albino Peacock?


SQUIRREL!

(It's a running joke from the fantastic Pixar movie "Up")


Kristhawee had fun chasing the geese and ducks-


I was kind of hoping that the geese might stand their ground, but seems they were no match for my exuberant 5 year old!


Those white geese are almost as big as my boy!


The fowl beat a hasty retreat to the safety of the pond-


Hey dad, what else can I chase??


What a gorgeous park. 40 acres of huge trees, ponds, the Aviary, a rose garden, a playground, sculptures and more! Apparently Walla Walla's Pioneer Park was designed by one of the architects ([FONT=&quot]John C. Olmstead[/FONT]) who designed New York's Central Park.


What an odd sculpture- I'd love to know more about it- the cow is wearing boots, it seems it's a woman holding the reins, and there's another woman falling out of the back of the wagon. Bizarre and intriguing!

We took time to stop and smell the roses


Kristhawee really enjoyed the rose garden-


Nothing compares to the sweet smell of a rose-

Congratulations on fatherhood and thank you for your kindness!

Does your son like bikes? Mine grew attached at a very young age

In the afternoon we joined Scott and his brother for a nice hike around Bennington Lake just to the east of Walla Walla-




Enjoyed a nice picnic lunch at a shaded spot on the east side of the lake with beautiful views of Walla Walla to the west. It was pretty hot and dry but my little guy made it


Back at Scott's house we fired up the BBQ in the back yard and had a nice cookout, caught some more of the Olympics on tv and went to bed pretty early.

Tomorrow we're going to Oregon!!

I'd promised Kristhawee I'd take him swimming but the day before we arrived at the pool too late and it was already closed, so I promised him we'd hit it today on our way out of town-


Just like his dad, this kid loves water


He was first in, and had I let him he'd probably have been last out-


Trying to splash dad


Wish I could have joined him, but this pool was for kids only...


C'mon buddy! Let's go grab some lunch and hit the road- we're going to Oregon today!


Hit the taco truck next to the pool for lunch- yum!!




Took highway 11 south from Walla Walla and were soon in Oregon! Wow, I had no idea eastern Oregon would look like this-


Beautiful rolling hills and fields of wheat as far as the eye could see-


We followed Highway 11 down to Pendleton where we jumped on the I-84 headed south-east to Hilgard Junction-


The interstate climbs up out of the valley-


Exited I 84 at Hilgard Junction and rode west on the 244 which was a cool road.


In good repair, nice and twisty, beautiful scenery and no traffic- perfect!


The 244 winds its way through the Umatilla National Forest-


What a gorgeous road!


45 miles to Ukiah, Oregon-





We had left Walla Walla pretty late so we didn't cover much distance today.


We saw lots of cows but very few people- this road takes you through some really remote country-




What's an "Experimental Forest"?? :huh


What a road!


As the sun began to sink I started looking for a place to camp and we ended up stopping at Bear Wallow Creek Campground-


We had the whole campground all to ourselves!