Testy Festy

Day 4

We stayed at the Hampton Inn last night and enjoyed a tasty breakfast this morning. It was going to be another long day on the bike so we would need healthy sustenance. We were on HW 12 by 7:15 ready for the long, and windy ride to Butte.

HW 12 runs parallel to a number of different rivers. During the ride we left Oregon, crossing the Snake River into Lewiston, Idaho. We stopped to have lunch in Kooskia, Idaho. While we were waiting for our food we were joined by a gal who brought her IPad over to show us the enormous crowd at Sturgis. She showed us the picture from last year and this year, wow!, the 75th Anniversary really packed in the crowds. She lives in Sturgis and said she always left town during this time. After lunch we rode over Lolo Pass and entered Montana. So far the ride has been easy on the eyes. Farmland, cows, horses, forests, and the river.

John & Dee flying down the road

We stopped in Missoula, Montana for a quick ice cream cone and to lament the sorry state of our behinds. We were all suffering from too much sitting and agreed we needed to take frequent rest stops so we could get the blood flow back into that region. We also decided to continue up the road to Butte, despite our fatigue.

Missoula is quite a cute town. As we were riding through it I noticed a bill board for the Testicle Festival. Now this really caught my eye because of its very uniqueness. Then George saw another bill board with the same advertisement and said, "you have to blog about that!" So here we are. The 33'd Testy Festy was held in Mussoula this summer. The information about the festival says it is not about private parts, it is about having fun. Of course there is the Biggest Ball Contest, the Wet T'shirt contest, and the Ball Eating Contest. Just saying....

We stopped at a gas station and I was able to find a fellow who went to the Testy Festy. I asked him if he would be willing to be a guest blogger. He had this to say:
"Wow, you really want me to talk about the Testy Festy? You're kinda old to be telling this stuff to."
That was the end of the interview.

Another fellow at the gas station told George that the line to get into Mount Rushmore on Monday was three miles long. The motorcycles were lined up in twos. We decided going towards the end of Sturgis  towards the end of the week. There is already a stream of riders returning from Sturgis.

What a beautiful ride to Butte. There is nothing like Montana for wide open vistas. The hills look like they are covered with toasted wheat colored velvet. The closer we got to Butte, the more dire the weather looked. Fortunately the speed limit was 75 MPH and we finally made it to the Finlan Hotel. George and I had no sooner unleaded the  bike onto the luggage carrier then the rain and hail hit. I barely made it back into the hotel with the wind, rain, and hail pelting me.

So far we have traveled through California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho,and  Montana. Tomorrow Wyoming! What a trip!

Good night Butte, Montana

Jenson