Day 18 - Missoula, MT to The Dalles, OR

Finally I am getting the f*#k out of Missoula! Nothing against the town, but I was ready to get on with it.

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I got up this morning and got everything packed in hopes I was getting out of Missoula and getting back on the road. I got to the shop shortly before 10, and the new fuel pump had just arrived. They were just finishing up the oil change I had asked for while it was here and they also had the fuel tank off the bike and everything ready for them to just pop in the new part and put the bike back together.

Once I knew they had the part, I took the rental car back to the airport, then took an Uber back to the shop. By the time the bike was done, warranty paperwork filed, bike loaded up and ready to go, it was 13:30. I had 469  miles to go today (755 km), so I was eager to get on the road.

The ride from Missoula to Spokane was though the mountains and was absolutely beautiful scenery - other than it was pissing down rain the entire way. So much so that I didn't even want to try to stop for any photos. Going over the passes, the temperature dropped to 37 degrees (3 C), so it got pretty cold. I also had about 5 miles of hail right outside of Spokane. Hail while riding is kind of painful! 

I crossed 3 state lines today (Idaho, Washington and Oregon), and for the first time on the trip was not able to get photos of any of them - rain or road construction prevented all of them.

Lots of interstate and 4 lane roads today - not my first choice but today was all about covering miles. At the second fuel stop of the day, the rain had finally stopped for a bit, and I was able to take a photo.

A double rainbow!!!!!  What does it mean?!?!

I crossed into Oregon just about the time the sun was setting with 130 miles left to go for the evening. This entire stretch was along the Columbia River, so I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to see it, as I am sure it was beautiful. The last 30 miles into The Dalles was pretty miserable - pitch black and raining the entire way.

I did find a place right next to the hotel to grab a bite and a pint when I got here. This looks like a pretty neat town - I'll have to come back and check it out sometime. One last photo for the day:

Not my hotel, but the one across the street - I love old neon signs!

Tomorrow I'l finally catch up to John and Erin, and continue the trip as planned!

Today's miles - 469

Total miles - 3,473