Motherland Stomp Day 8 - Sandpoint, ID

This continues a bit through Day 7. After a little TCB in the coffee shop, I decided to head back north on M-93 out of Missoula. I wanted to check out the Nat'l Bison Range. I was told that it was another one of those once in a lifetime EXPs that I am always so after. I remembered that the signs were only about a half hour outside of town so I figured, why not.

So I am driving through the bluffs and hills, beauty all around and I am completely spaced out at this point. I blow right past the area where i remember being the buffalo range. But I did not see any signs directing my entrance. So I keep going - and going. Each little town has something to do with this Bison thing so I keep thinking that the entrance is coming... after a long while I realize that I am almost in Polson! Ugh 0-


I was so mad at myself - i think my brain was really tired and the old reflexes were wearing down. SO I turn around and return through the towns and everything says Bison range - - I go back to the area that had the official signs and it said Nat' Bison Range with an arrow pointing up or this way or South on 93. I do not see it, turn around and back the other way across the street from the last sign it says it is North... I am pretty out of it at this point, pull off in this rest area and realize that I am in the damn Bison Range - it was all around me the whole time. Ugh. I even stopped at the same spot yesterday to look around and take pics.


So, by this time I had spent an hour and a half and was still 40 minutes from Missoula where I originally had started. So, I let this one go and headed back towards good old I-90. It was actually kind of nice to get back on that road - we have become very well acquainted these many days.

I headed towards Sandpoint, Idaho I have never been to Idaho either let alone the panhandle. I am so dense with Chicagoitis that I never really fully thought about what that actually means... I know that they refer to Italy as the boot and People in Michigan use their hand to describe where places are... But the panhandle - cool!



I finally got to see run-out lanes on the way. The altitude was close to 5000feet. I guess that is high, because I know nothing about Mountains... but I am learning. It was a really fun drive. All my uncles were kind of scowling about how my crappy little car wont make it up those mountains and all this but it did just fine. Calabro told me a story about his buddy Tate who thought one of those run out lanes was an exit ramp. He hit it and the van just sank into the gravel pit... He got into a bit of trouble too because that is reserved for semis that can't stop... I guess that for years after that you would once in a while hear gravel drop out of the van. The rocks were just all inside the wheel wells and who know where else!!


So I arrived in Sandpoint, ID around 6:30pm. Just enough time to skate at the park a bit. I was pretty worried about camping again. I was still not used to this idea, I guess when you grow up in an area that is kind of anti camping and they make you pay for everything - free camping just seems ridiculous. \

I was also stressing all day about money. I had to put new tires on the car and do some other things to get it ready for the trip and of course, my laptop battery dumped just before I was gonna leave so I had already put out some doe. Plus the gas $$$ to get out here was a pretty penny. I was aware of this but I just had to do it. I could not live with myself anymore where I was and this was the right thing to do. Besides - I am out here now and the driving is done. Once I get to Oregon I'll be doing short trips to parks each day and then finding camping at night... I plan to join Calabro in Salt Lake in August and we are gonna do the rest of the trip back together... SO that all works too. Just keep going....

So I get to the park and it is small but good. It is another stop on the Indy tour. As I said, the park is small but these little parks are sometimes better than the big million dollar monstrosities. They usually flow much better and have less features but the things they do have are excellent and unique. The street course is coupled with a T-shaped flow area that has a mini that bowls into a roll in and it dumps into a three bank intersection with bowled ends. One end has metal coping the other has no coping. This is where Partainen and Drehoble do all the blunt slides and judo transfers and Partainen does the Milwaukee air (frontside alley-oop transfer). You can totally tell where he comes from - yeah.


The pool us so RAD!! It is exactly what I want to build in the barn that I do not have... I guess this is a right handed Kidney? I get that wrong, but whatever you call it, it works good for Goofy footers - where as the Missoula kidney did not... It is tighter in terms of flat - and the transitions in the shallow are more forgiving. They have a two stair feature in the shallow as well with a good amount of space to set up and get over. The pool coping is incredibly grindable and is set to be forgiving as well. (In the vid) you see Omar do like a 20 foot long frontside 5-0 to fakie - those guys are no joke, man.

Well, I wasn't doing that stuff but the scratchers and carve grinds were there. I have always dreamed of riding a bowl like this. Man, I might have to stay another day!!



I luckily found another free camp spot. It was down a long dirt road so I got to do a little fourwheelin' in the fit, cross a rock stream thing and got a great spot overlooking a small lake. I saw a few trees that had the bark stripped off and then began to think about Bears... Theres Bears in them woods.. But I survived - keep all the food in the car and closed up - don't leave it out.


I still do not understand the PLM thing but it is working for me. My map sucks and does not tell me where to find it. I am gonna look around in town today to get one.



I woke up this morning (TUesday) and had a great breakfast - serious biscuits and gravy!! hit up the park for 3 hours and had to get into this wi-fi cafe. My dean was hounding me - I did not turn grades in yesterday like I was supposed to. Like I said, I was a bit disoriented. But grades are in, no obligations to school for 4 weeks and all is well!!


I have to make a decision now - go back to park and finally get over those damn stairs and stay another night or head out to Spokane and find camping outside of the city???