Day 9: A Change in Plans

Last night we planned our route from Butte, MT, to Coeur d'Alene, ID. We planned to ride the Interstate to Missoula and turn north on US 93, then turn west onto MT 200. 

Well, I opened my T-Bag to grab a change of clothes this morning and discovered that the rain fly is water resistant, not waterproof. All the clothes that I had washed and dried on Thursday were still wet from the baptism my bike got on Friday morning. <sigh>

We decided to hightail it to Coeur d'Alene on the Interstate instead of taking the scenic route. Pretty much everything I brought is in the hotel washer right now. 

Anyway, today's ride was good, despite taking the highway. The haze from the fires in Washington kept us from seeing the mountains until we were climbing into them. We had virtually no wind, but the trucks were a little thick in places. We stopped at the 50,000 Silver Dollar gift shop on the Montana/Idaho border. We found a couple of new friends while we were there.

A few miles later, we stopped at a Historical Marker just inside the Idaho state line to stretch our legs and take a few pictures.

We are getting tired of the Interstate and are ready for a change of scenery. Tomorrow we plan to get off the Interstate around Spokane, WA, and take US-195 into Yakima, WA. I wonder if the haze will get worse the further into Washington we get. We were ready for a change of scenery today, but thought it more important to make sure my clothes weren't ruined. 


Mileage today: 301.8
Jae's trip total: 1841.8
Donna's trip total: 1845.4