Lolo Pass

I left home at 7:20 on 7/30/2010. It rained in various amounts as I rode south on Highway 195. At Steptoe, it poured until just north of Colfax when it stopped. By the time I got to Idaho the sun was out.
At the top of the hill over looking Lewiston, ID, I saw the Clearwater River joining the Snake River. I stopped at Lewiston for my first gas stop. From Lewiston it is Highway 12 all the way to Missoula, Montana. From Lewiston Highway 12 follows the Clearwater River it is a nice four lane highway for nine miles until it splits with Highway 95.
I fueled up in Kooskia, ID because it the last gas stop until Lolo, Montana. I left Kooskia following the middle fork of the Clearwater River. Two miles east of Kooskia is the almost famous sign warning motorcyclist of the fun ahead. Eleven miles after the sign, I entered the Clearwater National Forest. Nine miles later the Selway and Locha Rivers come together the form the middle fork of the Clearwater River. Highway 12 follows the Lochsa River almost to the top of Lolo Pass.
It was a beautiful ride to the top of the pass with great scenery and I learned A LOT about cornering. Just as I arrived at the top, I saw a moose feeding on the side of the road.
I fueled up again at the intersection of Highways 12 and 93. Twelve miles later I was on Interstate 90 heading west for home. For the first 20 miles the wind was blowing hard which kept my speed down to 62 mph (actual). (The Suzuki Burgman is well known to have a 10% variation between actual and indicated speed. My speedometer read 68 and the GPS read 62.) After the winds died down I was able to make better time except now my butt was getting sore. My last fuel stop was Wallace, ID. I stopped at the Mission Inn in Cataldo, ID for food and a butt rest. They had a great clam chowder, marginal service, and good prices. I drove 549 miles, used 11.3 gallons of gas, averaged 48.7 mpg, and 42.2 miles per hour.