A Hangmen’s Summer Adventure
With summer in full swing, I felt the urge to get out on the open road and visit an old club buddy. So, after making my car happy with a new set of tires, I pointed it toward Idaho.
I’m in a Montana state of mind
I could have ridden one of my motorcycles, but the monsoons are not just in Arizona, they were lurking over most of the west, especially the Rocky Mountains. I hit several downpours that made me and everyone around me slow down to 45 miles per hour. Visibility dropped to a hundred feet you could feel the tires wanting to hydroplane. I was glad I was not on a bike.
There was no way I would try make this drive in one shot. Hotels have gotten so expensive nowadays, so I go for the budget places, like the old ones you can still find on route 66.
Driving over the Glen Canyon Dam at Page, Arizona, I was shocked to see the low water level in Lake Powell, just like Lake Mead in Nevada. The lake is getting so small, pretty soon the boats are going to be running into each other.
Richfield, Utah was the first night’s stop. It never ceases to amaze me how much incredible country we have right out our back doors.
Driving through the metropolis of the Salt Lake City area is like the wide, fast freeways of Los Angeles, except the speed limit is 80 miles per hour! Of course, most people were going 90.
My second night out found me in Deer Lodge, Montana. The cheapest place in town was full; there was a gun show going on across the street. So, I was directed to the only other place in town. Pulling up to the front door, I saw a motorcycle parked under the awning to stay out of the rain. It looked like it belonged to a buddy of mine, another American Airlines pilot. Bo and I were new hires together in 1986. He’s in my latest book On Wings of Luck.
I knew he was on the road, heading for the west coast from Wisconsin.
I texted him. It wasn’t his, but he was only thirty miles away. We made plans to meet the next day in the historic little town of Wallace, Idaho.
The road intersects in Wallace, Idaho
It is always fun to run into friends in out-of-the-way places when you don’t expect it. I shared a beer with Bohdan and his girlfriend Oksana, in a hundred-year-old saloon on the main street of downtown Wallace. They are both Americans of Ukrainian descent, both widows and enjoying a new lease on life traveling on his BMA.
It turned out they were also staying in Coeur D’Alene that night, so we made plans for dinner. On their way out of town, they had to brake to keep from hitting a moose crossing the road in front of them.
A few hours later I arrived at Phil’s house in Coeur D’Alene. He’s a Hangmen from the old days and is mentioned in my book, Hangmen.
He showed me around his new five acre spread outside of town in the woods with deer and turkey seemingly trying to convince him the land was still theirs. He doesn’t argue with them.
He has a garage big enough for a battleship, so his 30-foot Bayliner has lots of room, along with his Hummer and three Harleys. You could still hold a dance for half the town. The newly built house is not bad too… for a biker.
We headed back to town for dinner at a nice place called The Seasons with Bo and Oksana. They got us talking about the old days and we had them laughing so hard they thought we were a comedy act. I don’t know why, we were being completely serious. The pretty waitress immediately nicknamed Phil ‘Trouble.’
Perhaps it was the martinis.
Fun times
The next day Bo and Oksana got back on the bike in perfect weather and headed west for Oregon.
Phil spent a couple of days showing me around the town and the beautiful lakes. We ate at some of the nicest places. One was a floating restaurant across the harbor, and another had the local marina right outside the windows.
People were very nice everywhere we went. It was hard to believe we were in a city. It must have been all the beautiful country in all directions making everyone so happy.
No visit with Phil would be complete without a visit to a biker bar. We found one outside of town. A nice little place, we felt right at home, but soon I had to get Phil out of there before he reverted to his old self and tore the place apart.
Phil in his element
Soon I was retracing my steps southbound. Winding through the Rocky Mountains and marveling at all the trees, rivers and lakes. I am always amused that people think we are overpopulating the planet. I think those people always live in cities.
To be continued in the next blog post….