Day 11
The Wheat Fields
A close up of a yellow daisy
Richland to Seeley Lake
Summary
Instagram excerpt - See here
Journal
I never saw the ranger. There was no way he was going to get to the campground before 8am. Everyone would be sleeping! I enjoyed my breakfast, packed up and got out of there. It wouldn’t be the last time I used this technique.
There wasn’t much outside Kennewick, Touchet and Walla Walla. It seemed like I was in a wheat belt. It was rows and rows of yellow plains. The odd tin silo stuck out along the side of the road. The endless road became repetitive. My eyes began to sink in its monoteny. It was dangerous, I thought. I was falling alseep on a motorcycle. I will have an accident if I continue. My trip will be over. I pulled to the side of the road. I layed down by the side of the Highway and took a nap. The sound of vehicles flying by kept me from going into a deep sleep.
I was refreshed. A 15 minute ‘powernap’ will save your life (an old TAC campaign to prevent fatigued drivers in Australia). I can’t remember this leg. I must’ve been so tired. I don’t know where.
I stopped for lunch at a turn-off called Harpers Bend on the Clearwater River. It was a truck rest stop. I found a boat ramp that lead to the river. I got my stove out to have breakfast. It was a beautiful spot. I found a seat out of some drift wood. There were a lot of wasps.
My direction was into the Flathead National Forest. It was easiest to find campgrounds in the ‘green’ areas on Google Maps. The destination was Seeley Lake but I found it crowded and popular. I settled on a place called Lake Inez Campground. It was hidden off the highway. I was glad I found it.
The Campground sat against the silent lake. You could hear nothing but frogs and the odd bird taking off from the water at night. The moon shone over it at night. I shared the campground with a couple of families. They spoke about keeping their food in the back of the car incase of bears. I found a message about bears on the picnic bench.
It said to keep food in a tree if you couldn’t keep it in the trunk. I didn’t have one. A bear would destroy the panniers of the motorbike to get to the food. I was concerned. There wasn’t much I could do but park the motorbike away from the tent. I would run away or try to scare it if it came near me.
