Winter storm Aubrey threw the proverbial spanner into the works of our route planning. The original route from Mountain Home was to circle towards Boise through Bruneau and Murphy and continue on through Lowman towards Stanley. However with the forecast of cold weather and winter snows hitting the mountains of East Idaho and Montana, a route through high passes no longer made sense.
A change of plans had us land in Idaho Falls from which we had to venture north through the affected area. Normally interstates are avoided as being … not the most enjoyable motorcycling … however for our new plans it seemed best.
A quick review of DOT websites for Idaho and Montana showed mostly clear dry conditions, however there were also significant stretches showing intermittent slush, snow and wet areas. With temperatures still sub-zero, the possibility of finding slippery conditions were definitely there. The fact that I-15 was closed 24 hours earlier was also a concern.
As morning broke, we felt as Eisenhower (father of the Inter-State system in America) must have felt on June 5, 1944. After consulting the weather reports – forecasts were clear skies, with no new precipitation in sight – we set out.
Initial temperatures were around -6 C. Our heating gear proved sufficient – for the most part. Approaching the Monida Pass and the boundary with Montana there seemed to be a whitish hue to the road suggestive of ice. We stopped and checked the friction on the surface and found it to be fine – the whitish hue was probably dried salt.
On the Montana side the road improved considerably, however the temperature dropped to -9 and the wind picked up. As we progressed north on I-15 we passed through various ‘iffy’ areas only to find that they were essentially dry. No problem.
Passing through Butte we found some ice under an overpass that activated the ASC briefly but was otherwise navigable. North of Butte we encountered sporadic wet areas, however the temperature was not above freezing so these were not a problem either. By the time we arrived in Helena to visit the Capitol the temperature was a relatively balmy 4 C.
The trip north to Great Falls was uneventful – temperatures above freezing with minimal wetness. Just gorgeous views of the wintry landscape of mountains and hills culminating in a serpentine route along the Missouri River.
We arrived safely in Great Falls, grateful that the trip didn’t contain some of the challenges we feared it might.