Cincinnati to Spokane and back

Around the 1st of October will head out on my newish R1200RT for Spokane, WA. My wife will meet me there and we will head down the Oregon and California coast till we head East to Shasta Lake, CA, where we will be fitted with a new Russell saddle. From there we will go to Chico and hopefully get the bike serviced at Ozzie's there. South to Grass Valley and CA 49 till it hits US 50. Then it is 50 across Nevada, Utah, through Gunnison, CO, get on the super slab and head home.

I would like to do a near-bun burner 1000 the first day and get to Hays, KS or a little further to Goodland. Next day up to Laramie, WY and the Snowy Range Road. Any idea what weather could be like at this juncture of time and place? I want to work my way to Missoula and ride US 12 over to Lewiston, ID. From there up to Pullman and on to Spokane.

I guess I am a little concerned what kind of weather I'll run into this far North and at higher altitudes. Cold and rain don't bother me, but snow bothers me a lot.

Larry

You should be fine in early October. You can start getting snow in the higher passes in early October, it entirely depends on if a front moves through then. In the mountains, expect temperatures around freezing in the mornings. Fall is typically dry in the intermountain west, but again depends on the weather system. I would not hesitate to go, just watch the forecast and worst case you may have to deviate your route a bit or wait a day or two for things to dry out.

I took a trip with a buddy a couple of years ago the last week of September and we rode through Yellowstone and rode Beartooth pass (elevation10,947 ft) as well. We left West Yellowstone (elevation 6667 feet) with a temperature of 22 degrees but it warmed quickly as the sun rose higher. Beartooth pass was in fine shape, but they it already had a small bit of snow on the ground beside the road from an earlier snow shower. The trip was excellent. Just bring some warm riding clothes as the mornings will be brisk but the afternoons will be gorgeous.

I've traveled west a number of times.....LUV it !!

Best advise?..I can give is. Be prepared for any weather! Sometimes all in the same day. And my standing rule is,...[particularly if traveling US & state routes]...if ya see gas...buy gas. Don't ask why that's my rule...:brow

Ron

BTW I'm Cincinnati {Milford] myself.

Thanks all for the responses. Ron, we are practically neighbors. I live in Kenwood.

Around SPokane area the weather is generally nice in early October (aside from an occasional rainy day.)

Sorry but can't speak for the more mountainous areas further distant. I'd expect those locations would warrant checking locally when in the area as snow can hit the high country early. May melt quickly - or not.

Enjoy the trip!

I made the ride to Spokane leaving Ocober 1 and returned on October 16th, 7000 miles in all. I spent the first night in Grand Island, NB a 866 mile day. Didn't even get close to that again. Seems one can always get a good distance from Cincinnati the first day. I took a route, US36, across Missouri that avoided I70 from St. Louis to Kansas City. That worked out well since I was heading North anyway. The Plains were very dry and the corn crops looked in general poor, where there was no irrigation.

I woke up sort of sick the next morning with a runny nose and sore throat. I got to Rock Springs, WY, and bedded down for the night in a Best Western. (I need to find out what kind of mattresses they have; they were supremely comfortable and I stayed in a lot of them.) The next morning I called my doc and got a prescription for some antibiotics; found the Walgreens and a restuarant nearby and was on my way. I headed North toward Jackson, WY, watching the weather. A rain and snow storm was descending upon Montana and I needed to bypass that if at all possible. My plan was to go South of the Tetons into Idaho and watch the weather from there. My preferred route was to go to Missoula and take US12, one my favorite roads in the US, over to Lewiston and then up to Spokane. But, Missoula was getting hit also by the rain and sleet so I continued West in Idaho. I took 191 up to the Teton and turned South on 26 following the Snake River all the way. This was a beautiful ride. I went through Idaho Falls and spent the night near Pocatello. This is a really rich agricultural area; the soil is volcanic and with water the desert blooms. I passed tractor trailers full of potatoes and onions. You could smell the onions a mile back.

I rode from Pocatello to Lewiston to Spokane. Between Lewiston and Spokane lie maybe the best winter wheat growing region in the world, the Palouse.
The terrain looks like 3-dimensional sine waves. Some theorize they were created in the Spokane flood. I spent a day and a half in Spokane, where my wife had arrived a few days earlier, visiting with her son and his family.


More later