It is a good thing I am blogging all of this, because when folks were asking me where I stayed and what routes I took I couldn’t tell them! I am a bit more visual and would need a map to retrace my route! This morning was nice and relaxing. I slept in till 7 then decided I would stay in bed until 8, since I was only 40 minutes away from my final destination. I knew I would go stir crazy or start working if I got to Spokane too early so I took my time getting ready and loading up the bike. I used my trusty “urban spoon” ap to find a local coffee shop called Grumpy Monkey to have a cup of coffee before I hit the road. I ended up getting my order taken by the young woman who owned the place and it was awesome sharing with her about my ride and journey. She was excited to hear I found out about her place on urban spoon and told me the name came from her daughters nickname. I sat out in the sun while I drank my coffee then I headed out. I decided I was going to ride to Bonners Ferry which is north or CDA and near the border of Canada. So basically I was able to ride from the base of Idaho to the very top.

Coffee on my leisure day!

Ok, this was from day 5 but after I wrote my blog. Must the art have a butt hole?

The ride to Bonners was lovely, through the hills and forests.

Heading into the woods on the way to Bonners Ferry

When I got there I saw a sign for a local brewery which I figured would be a good spot to stop. The Brewery was on the north side of the old downtown area and had an awesome patio on the back so I got to sit outside. Since I was at a brewery I figured I should try a brew, they had a huckleberry wheat which was pretty phenomenal.

Huckleberry wheat brew

I even ended up buying a cool hoodie sweater with their logo on it in a fabulous teal color! The waitress was cool and got to hear all about my journey…what can I say I am lonely with all this solo riding and love sharing my story because it is exciting!

Downtown Bonners Ferry

Looks like rain coming back to the road!

From here I had to backtrack down to Sandy Point which is a nice resort town and then I took 2 to 41 which was basically a back country route that had a lot of logging trucks on it. It was very forested and was like riding through a pine air freshener.

To the left is Canada 🙂

More beautiful scenery

Leaving sandy point

The whole ride was relaxing because I had all the time in the world and was enjoying the journey. I made it to Lone Wolf Harley-Davidson and was immediately greeted by my friend Beth. Her and Greg own and operate this amazing dealership.

She took me on a tour of the facility and all I can say is OMG FREAKING AMAZING! They have so much space and the dealership is beautiful and well kept. They literally have 20 to 40 of every model of motorcycle and most of them are in rows upon rows in their enormous storage space. I am still in awe. Her personal tour was not rushed and was just like Beth, thoughtful and pleasant. She is a fabulous woman, and I can see why all of her staff love her. Greg is probably more like me, a little more numbers focused and focused on “work” although I can see that they are equally important and their opposite strengths are what make their dealership so amazing. After my tour and catching up with Bill, their son and meeting most of the crew including their pit bull who lives upstairs and gets to look down on the action, I decided to head to the hotel to unload all my stuff.

I made my way back to the hotel, it was crazy hot outside and my plan to stay off the freeway was a bad one, as I melted through the stop and go traffic. I got back to the hotel, unloaded my bike, reapplied deodorant and then headed back to the dealership. Beth was throwing us a little party, so I knew there would be some good food (as I was now starving since I hadn’t eaten since my early lunch at 11:30 in Bonners Ferry.) Of course, I got completely lost on my way back to the dealership, but unlike the Dia of a week ago, I enjoyed the multiple detours and stayed calm. I knew I would eventually get there and was enjoying trying to even out my tan…which is complete biker with the sunglasses area all white and the chin strap and forehead all white. Basically I look like…well, a biker I guess.

The party was fabulous with lots of finger foods and drinks. It was so enjoyable talking to all of the Lone Wolf staff and reconnecting with my 20 club group. (Our 20 club is a group of HD dealers that share 100% of our financial data and we are all their to help each other become better. We are not dealers in the same area as each other, so we are not competitive, but I have learned so much from this group.) When I got to the dealership tonight I rode into the service department, they have an automatic door that opens when you pull up! I checked in my bike for a 10K and asked them to give her a good wash…I had quite the collection of bugs from Tucson to here! They are going to store my bike for me until I can find another excuse to come down and ride it back south…speaking of which I have meetings in Las Vegas in October…I smell another road trip!

In my final thoughts on this journey, I wanted to conclude with some of the things I learned. I am really proud of myself for taking this step to ride long distance solo. I am not one of those “girl power” type of people but I honestly feel more self-confident after this journey. I can not explain how cool it felt when I was telling other gals about my journey and to see them light up and see the inspiration and how they shared my excitement. It isn’t for everyone, but it definitely was the most empowering thing I have ever done. I compared it to my experience drag racing, because that too was stepping out of my comfort zone. I tend to be a control freak; I can get so caught up in making sure everything is perfect or close to it. This trip was eye opening, sometimes you really should just not plan and let life lead you where it will. I started every day with a prayer for my safety and a good journey. I felt so protected on this trip and I really never was scared. I feel like I have a greater appreciation for our country, for my career and a deeper connection with this brand that is truly my whole life. To be completely honest, before this trip I was having a pretty tough go of things at work and was feeling a little depressed. This trip has really inspired me and given me the opportunity to reflect on the choices I have made and the future I will have in the business. I am happy to say that I have all the answers…

Just KIDDING! But I am much more focused and I really did need this trip to reflect and reconnect. This brand is more than just that, it is a life. HARLEY FUCKING DAVIDSON!

(Sorry for swearing mom, but it gets the point across!)

Until the next adventure…