“Updated in May 2026 with new information about the trip preparation.”
2023 USA, Day 9, July 7
The plan: escape via the north
When it came time to think about the road back to Seattle, JP and I were clear on one thing: we didn’t want to repeat the same route. Going back through Walla Walla, the way we’d come, wasn’t an option. So we looked at the map and the answer appeared on its own: head north, hugging the Canadian border, following Highway 2.
The day’s destination was Colville, a town of barely 5,000 people that was, incredibly, the biggest on the whole route. Two hotels in town. One available. Benny’s Colville Inn was waiting for us.
The golden rule: gas whenever you can
We set off in the morning with a rule we’d learned quickly on this trip: fill up every time you see a pump, no matter how much was left in the tank. Out in these parts, you never knew when the next one would show up.
Around 10 in the morning we stopped at a station that was basically a lone pump in the middle of nowhere, with a bit of food inside. Gas only, no sign of diesel. It was that or nothing, so that’s what it was.
Our bikes held up well — 350 kilometers at cruising speed — but the moment JP pushed the throttle harder, fuel consumption shot up. His bike always burned a bit more than mine, oddly enough, even though I weigh considerably more than he does. Mysteries of mechanics.
Bonners Ferry and the smallest taco on the menu
At noon we stopped for lunch in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. 2,500 people, a whole metropolis for the area. We spotted a Mexican restaurant and went in without a second thought.
JP ordered fajitas. I, with my usual caution around American portion sizes, ordered the smallest taco I could find on the menu: 9 dollars. Because a Caesar salad at a Mexican restaurant wasn’t really an option.
What arrived at the table was a monster.
As had become our habit, we asked the owner if he knew the town we’d be sleeping in that night. It was 150 kilometers away. He’d never heard of it. 90% of the people we talked to in these towns had never left their own city. Some hadn’t even been to restaurants in the next town over. From work to home, from home to work. That’s how it went around there.
Doesn’t this truck remind you of the movie Caligula, where the chariots had that kind of weaponry on the wheels? Well, they’ve got them here too, no problem.
Colville: one street, a few side streets, and dead straight
We reached the hotel, like almost every day, around 4:30 or 5pm. Colville is basically that: a main street, a side street here and there, and dead straight. Everything dead straight.
What does have a story behind it are the wide streets. Legend has it they were designed that way so wagons pulled by 16 horses — the ones hauling timber logs — could turn without any trouble. Everything has an explanation.
Timber, agriculture and tourism are the pillars of the local economy. The “Timbers” are everywhere. And out on the streets, the people we saw were very different from us: ranchers in cowboy hats, goatees that seemed to be all the rage, the occasional lone rider with a helmet on — mandatory in Washington — though not exactly kitted out otherwise.
The Acorn Saloon and the Porsche owner
After a walk around town, we ended up at the local spot: the Acorn Saloon & Feeding Station. Our accent gave us away instantly as not being from around there, and the conversation started on its own.
The owner had just gotten back from Seattle with a pretty special used Porsche. He never bought anything new, he said. When we told him we were riders, he added, almost in passing, that he also had a Ducati Monster, though he barely rode it.
JP and I looked at each other. How could a pub with ten tables, where every customer was a local except us, generate enough money for that kind of lifestyle? Part of the answer was the American dream, and part of it was the waitress: a human machine running at 3,500 RPM, cleaning and clearing nonstop. We were sitting at the bar, and every time she came by with the glasses, she’d toss the ice straight into the sink with such speed that some of it went flying across the bar toward us. She was Speedy Gonzales, Colville edition.
JP took the chance to order a bison burger. He wasn’t too impressed. The Guinness, on the other hand, was surprisingly good. Just the fact they had Guinness there at all was a bit of a miracle.
The call before bed
Walking back to the hotel, and before turning in, I called the Mt. Baker Hotel in Concrete to confirm the next day’s reservations. Everything in order.
JP had bought some cans of sparkling water. We had an Oban on ice at the hotel’s breakfast tables, as if it were our own living room.
The next day, one of the big highlights of the trip was waiting for us: Highway 20.
📍 Resources and recommendations
🍺 Acorn Saloon & Feeding Station — The local bar. Order a Guinness and chat with the owner.
🏨 Benny’s Colville Inn — The only decent hotel in Colville. Comfortable and well located.
🌮 Mexican restaurant in Bonners Ferry — Order the smallest taco on the menu. It still comes out huge.
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)