Robert Stuart Trail 1812 — 1813

Day 13: August 24th, 2007 Bozeman — Richland

It’s just above freezing temperatures in the morning! Again I ask for a nice breakfast restaurant. But unfortunately I am not able to find it. After I have driven the main street up and down for several times, I end up at the Nova Cafe. The restaurant looks almost like a Punk Rock place and my server has a whole bunch of piercings and tattoos. The cafe is pretty full, but I just entered at a small gap. Behind me, people start to really line up.

After I have payed I drive again over to Wal–Mart to look for a CD from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with the song “Fishing in the Dark”. But I am not able to find one. Also, I am not able to find an oil filter, which I planned to have with me for the next oil change. Next time I wanted to have a reasonable one. But therefore I was able to find a microfiber cleaning tissue for my camera lens. At least something!

Unfortunately people are lining up at the register. Somehow I get the impression, that there are now way less people working than in the past. And this way the service quality has declined dramatically…

I–90, MT

I–90, MT

Around ten I pay and drive over to the next gas station. A quarter of an hour later, I start the last leg of my journey to Richland in Washington state. The weather is sunny and it quickly warms up.

I–90, MT

Once again I cross the Continental Divide. From now on, all rivers are flowing into the Pacific Ocean.

At Butte, I–90 units with I–15 only to leave it again after a couple of miles.

I–90, MT

I–90, State Line MT and ID

Just before the state line to Idaho, my odometer jumps over the 130k miles. The first picture on the side shows the area, where this happened. Then I enter Idaho.

I–90, WA

I–90, WA

After I have passed the state line to Washington, it already warmed up to 85 degrees — the summer is eventually back in my region! Only at Spokane the traffic increases pretty much, which I already expected.

Highway 395, WA

But on the bigger Highway 395, which is built like an Interstate, things are getting empty again. Unfortunately too empty, which I must learn shortly. All of a sudden a police car almost flies by and I think to myself, are you pursuing someone?

Suddenly he slams the brakes and smoke is coming out of his wheel housing. I pass him and he continues his drive shortly after. First he stays behind the car who is behind me. Then he passes this one and goes behind me. Finally he turns on his lights (just on the inside, there were no ones on top) and requested me to stop!

First he wants to see my papers, which is passport, registration and drivers license. Then he walks back to his car and checks all documents. After he sees that everything is okay, he explains to me, why he has stopped me: I need mud flaps on this truck!

Then he allows me to continue my journey. Soon I realize that he just wanted to check my car and therefore needed a reason to pull me over. All in all, the police in the USA is not allowed to pull me over without a reason. So I think to myself, that I will not put myself into additional stress to modify my truck while traveling. Especially, as I will leave this state already by tomorrow. Anyways, when offroading, these flaps would not survive very long…

Highway 395, Pasco, WA

I continue my journey and arrive at Pasco. Then I take Highway 240 and there I have a real déjà–Vu experience to my journey in 1999: When I followed the Lewis and Clark Trail back then on the very same highway to my motel, there was also an accident with an SUV who made a roll–over. At that time it was an Explorer, this time it is a Toyota!

Finally I reach my Motel 6 in Richland and even receive a room on first floor. At 7pm this is not for sure. Unfortunately I have not seen an Outback Steakhouse on my way. But I receive extremely well directions, that I am able to find it without searching around.

Around half past eight I pay and drive back to my motel. But there is pretty much action with firefighters and police. Lucky me I am still able to drive to my room. But I am not able to make sense of what happened here. Reportedly, a young woman has broken a window and she is already now in one of the police cars.

I go to my room and listen to one of my CDs. But I soon go to bed. After all, my throat sores since a couple of days and I don’t want that it is getting worse. Probably I have it due to the air condition and the cold weather. I was forced to drive with the air condition turned on during all the rain to avoid that my windows got fogged…

In any case, tomorrow starts my actual trail. Originally the start would have been in Astoria. But then I would have ran out of time for the whole journey. So I shortened the trail by that portion, which I already traveled last year.