We opened the door of our room at the Black Bear Motel and were immediately greeted by a rush of stale air. The decor was obviously intended to transport travelers back to the 'Old West,' but the smell was decidedly '70's Motel.'
Leaving the door wide open to let it vent a bit, we returned to the bikes for a few things, before venturing further into our rented time capsule.
Advancing past the front room, the ornate pedestal sink was on the opposite wall, complete with faux carved wooden mirror and swag lamps. Above the air conditioner hung an antique rifle replica. Wow!
The paneling was just as orange as it appears in the photo.
To the left of the sink was the bathroom - more on that later. To the right was a second bedroom. Things were actually a little more authentic in here. Old black and white photos, like the framed one over the bed, are always fascinating to me - and that pouch hanging from the art installation on the wall to the left appeared to be a real canvas canteen, perhaps from the 1930's. The 'Desert Water Bag' was hung in front of a car's radiator. As you drove, the air flowing around the 'sweating' bag kept the water cool for drinking (evaporation) and even helped prevent the engine from overheating. Not quite the same time period that the rest of the place was shooting for (pun intended) but pretty clever, no?
On the opposite wall, however, was something I can't explain at all. To me, it looked like the skeleton of one of those flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. I was glad Dan had chosen this for his room that night.
That was long enough for the first entry. Heading out, there was a kitchen on the left. We'd decided to make use of those facilities by going out to a grocery store, and bringing something back to cook for dinner.
Oh, before we go, I wanted to point out the wooden barrel chairs. I really liked those. And the picture I closed the blog with last time was the motel lobby and antique store. You can see part of it across the parking lot, behind our bikes. Sorry I've got no picture of the inside. It actually housed quite the collection - including a motorcycle that was produced by Sears in the 1960's!
Back from Safeway, I hadn't found anything I felt like cooking. Instead, I was lured by the freshly baked chicken pot pie and cookies! The pie had been recommended by an older gentleman we met as we were going in. He was leaving on his mobility scooter and Dan struck up a conversation, as he's often called upon to fix them in the retirement community where he lives. Yes, Dan's amazingly proficient at anything on wheels. And I'm fairly certain he's never met anyone who doesn't consider him a friend - even after only 10 minutes. I didn't necessarily come from the factory that way, so I use people like Dan, in the hope that some of that selfless friendliness will rub off on me. Hope they don't mind!
For Dan's part, he brought back some rice, beans, vegetables, etc. Made quite a good smelling dish, but by the time he started eating, I was quite full and satisfied. Guess I'm not hard-wired for cooking, either.
It wasn't until morning that I really noticed the toilet paper dispenser in the bathroom. Yeah, it was a little disturbing.
It also was not until that last morning that we finally got our helmet communicators to, well, communicate. Though different brands, both of our instruction manuals assured us they were compatible - and spelled out all the required steps to make it happen. But every time we'd tried since our meet-up at Subway on day one, it had failed. Until today!
From Davenport, we headed directly south, joining up with I90/395 near Ritzville - and chatting the whole way. It was nice to be able to draw each other's attention to interesting sites along the route, and to hazards like approaching trucks, debris in the road, or deer in the ditch line. Dan had called a friend in the Pasco, WA area and we'd arranged to meet him for church services near there. The communicators proved especially helpful for keeping track of each other in a relatively unfamiliar city's traffic. Arriving right on time, we found a partially shady spot to park and went inside.
Dan's friend, Roy, had also ridden his bike that morning - and so they both were wearing their CMA gear. You may have noticed one of Dan's patches or pins in my previous photos. They met via Christian Motorcyclists Association events, and have known each other for years. In fact, my first multi-day ride with Dan was also to attend a CMA rally in the Rockies, though I've never been an official member.
Afterwards, Roy got on his BMW GS and led us to a Chinese restaurant, where we were served way more than we could eat! From there, we parted ways and Dan and I headed down the Washington side of the Columbia on Highway 14, all the way back to Vancouver. Often terribly hot, the weather in the gorge was perfect on this spring afternoon.
When we reached the I205 exit, we said our goodbyes through the magic of Bluetooth, and Dan peeled off to the south. I continued west towards the coast, and just seconds after our last words, the com connection was broken, and an FM radio signal was piped back into my helmet speakers.
I had planned on stopping once more for gas before getting home, but the ideal weather continued, and traffic in Portland was not bad at all. I just kept going.
Home again right before dark, I was full of contentment and gratitude. What an enjoyable trip through beautiful landscapes, re-forging an old friendship and creating a new one, and pausing on the way back to praise the Creator who gives it all meaning!
