USA 2023 – Day 2, June 30
“Updated in May 2026 with new information about the trip preparation.”
An Early Start
While the first day had Mt. Rainier and its national park as the star, day 2 had a different star: Route 12. It’s a route that runs from Kooskia to Lochsa Lodge (see the map below), where we’d spend the night, covering 99 miles without a single straight stretch — a real pleasure on a motorcycle, especially since it runs through the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, where, for instance, the Appaloosa horse breed originally comes from — for anyone who knows their horses, of course.
It’s a road that winds through gorgeous forests, where it’s hard to pass a truck or an RV (recreational vehicle, those huge ones) moving slowly ahead — but like good riders, we got past them without any trouble.
If Mt. Rainier had stolen the show on day one with all its majesty, day two had a very different star: Route 12. But before we got there, we had to have breakfast. By 7:00 am we were already in the hotel dining room, where the first little Sriracha packets showed up — that sauce which, as anyone who knows me knows, my wife can’t live without.
Pomeroy: The Town Time Forgot
At 9 in the morning we made our first stop in Pomeroy, a tiny town of barely 1,500 people with one of those stores that sells absolutely everything — and with quite a bit of style, actually. JP, true to habit, went straight for the espresso machine. A ritual that would repeat itself throughout the whole trip.
What caught our attention most was a wall covered in post-its, where the owner kept his accounts the old-fashioned way: who’d bought what, who owed him something, who was all paid up. Something quite charming that you just don’t see back home anymore.
Before leaving, we took a quick look at the Garfield County Museum and the lovely architecture of the Garfield County Courthouse. Pomeroy is small, but it has its charm.
99 Miles Without a Single Straight Stretch
Around 11 am we stopped to check the map — the famous Butler maps, which are an absolute must if you’re going to ride a motorcycle across the United States. One map per state, so we bought four.
Here’s a video that clearly shows the kind of scenery that surrounded us that day.
And then came the moment we’d been waiting for: the sign announcing the 99 miles without a single straight stretch. We almost drove right past it. We turned back just to get the photo. How could we not?
Route 12 runs through the Nez Perce Indian Reservation — the people the Appaloosa horse breed comes from, among other things — through stunning forests and curves that seem never to end. JP rode ahead filming with his Insta 360. I’d take over every once in a while. The road was out of this world.
Yes, there were trucks and RVs moving slowly. But like good riders, we got past them without any real trouble.
Lochsa Lodge: Rustic, with a Gun on the Hip
Arriving in the afternoon at Lochsa Lodge, just before Lolo Pass, our cabins were waiting. A small surprise: when I booked back in October, without realizing it I’d picked a cabin with no bathroom. “A rustic experience,” they told us when we tried to switch. Everything was full. Nothing to be done about it.
Like at every stop on the trip, we asked for ice and pulled out our Oban whisky. In the United States nobody says a word if you bring your own bottle — unthinkable in Europe. Though that night we preferred not to push our luck: among the lodge’s guests was a man with a gun clearly visible on his hip, chatting away calmly with others who, no doubt, were also armed under their shirts. In Idaho and Montana, the law is worn on your belt — sometimes literally.
Jeeps everywhere, motorcycles parked in a row, and the smell of the forest. An end to the day that’s priceless.
Resources and Recommendations
🗺️ Butler Maps — Essential for riding a motorcycle across the USA. One map per state, packed with detail.
🏕️ Lochsa Lodge — Rustic lodging deep in nature, right before Lolo Pass. Book ahead and check the cabins carefully.
🐴 Nez Perce — The Indian reservation Route 12 runs through. Fascinating history and culture.
🏙️ Pomeroy, WA — A quiet stop with a lot of local charm.
Route from Seattle to Yellowstone and Glacier Park
- 2022 USA, a dream trip … failed!
- USA, a dream trip 2, we did it!
- Seattle (WA) to Walla Walla (WA)
- Walla Walla (WA) to Lochsa Lodge (ID)
- Lochsa Lodge (ID) to Gardiner (MT)
- Yellowstone & Bear Tooth Pass (WY)
- Yellowstone (WY) to Idaho – Irwin (ID)
- Idaho via Salmon on the way to Missoula – Stevensville (ID)
- Idaho to Montana, to Glacier Park – Kalispell (MT)
- Going to the Sun – Glacier National Park (MT)
- Glacier Park (MT) to Colville (MT), riding along the Canadian border
- Highway 20 Along the Canadian Border, heading to Concrete (WA)