Whitefish, Montana

Saturday 31 Jul

Day 13  3577 km

Near Sandpoint

It was an easy day before yesterday, from Republic WA to Sandpoint ID

more forests, mountains, meadows, rivers, and agricultural plains

arriving early with a chance to feel the pulse of the town, and kick back and have a think.

Pop about 7000, pretty friendly place, nice people,

explored extensively and very accurately around 1807 by David Thompson and claimed for Britain

but subsequent dispute with US resulted in relinquishment to US of everything south of the 49th parallel.

Timber made the town, but recreation and tourism are now the economic mainstays.

So what do i think?

Well, North America is bulging at the eyes with clean and green

and bulging in the cheeks with food

so I cant see much point in NZ promotions involving these facets

except I havent seen any lamb on a menu yet, and at least it wont have to compete with local product like beef

we have to try and sell them something they might prefer,

so wool has a good case to my mind

we need to clear the usurers out of that temple.

I still maintain there's a quantum jump in traffic on the road compared to last year

just because there isnt a significant increase in housing activity here, dosent necessarily mean the recovery isnt on the move too.

People could well have hunkered their spending down, happy to stay with the current house, car, and appliances

and simply take a good vacation.

Some of the others add their comments there's a lot more going on here than back home

even repeating the comment theyve heard back home NZ's stuffed, with a gnawing thought it might be.

Most days one comes across criticism about US indebtedness to China

but my take is, China should think itself lucky its got somewhere like here to invest its weasel-gotten wealth

if it wants to complain maybe it should try Greece.

And further, I think given China's lack of currency harmonisation with the rest of the world.

Why should we let them into the Crafar deal, and any other national that wants to buy a bit of Aotearoa.

I've got an ulterior motive...

just as its been wrong for the last 20 years to live on capital appreciation of homes and farms

its equally silly to think we can live on incoming offshore capital

when we can drop the OCR, and live on export growth and income

and absorb the lower exchange rate import price increases if we dump the equally silly ETS.

But pigs will fly I guess...

and as Don Nicolson predicts, a 5th of sheep and beef land will go in carbon forest offshore investment, while rural service industry dies back accordingly.

Maybe NZ is stuffed.

Neil and I did a diversion yesterday, to visit old friends Neil and Peg Davidson

near Kimberley, about 30 km off Ken's planned route between Sandpoint and Fernie, Canada.

Neil was an engineer with Alexander Helicopters in Wanganui years ago

built his own aircraft while at Alberta tertiary technology institute

came home to Canada after his NZ stint, bought and rebuilt a wrecked Bell chopper

and ran his own business for 14 or so years ferrying geology and forestry survey teams

and fighting forest fires.

1913 Avro

He sold the helicopter more recently, using the proceeds to build by himself, their own log cabin home

and set up a vintage aircraft replica workshop

Currently rebuilding the first two of four 1913 WW1 Avro biplanes, his work having included commissions for a "woolly headed, boiler suit clad" collector in NZ, who turned out to be Peter Jackson.

Interesting fellow Neil

in his garage there's a faithfully reproduced red indian birch bark canoe

he researched and built himself.

It works fine too, totally natural product, no nails, glue, etc, sewn and lashed together with birch root strips, and caulked with birch resin and animal fat.

Up back-block country one day, Neil was amused to be approached at the gas station by an indian boy, who cheekily called out, "hey Hiawatha, where's your paddles!"

little did he know..........

According to petroglyph studies of rock carvings and paintings, this technology has been around 4400 years

old as the pyramids.  

  

Today we caught the group up across the plains of Alberta and into the Rarkies,

Riding to the Sun Highway

over the Riding to the Sun highway,

less snow than last year I think, and the road under extensive reconstruction, not nice.

There's been a lot more wild-life on the road this time too, deer bounding across in front of us at least once a day.

We've pondered all sorts of alertness strategy,
use the outside lane, but youre closer to the unseen leap from the scrub,

use the inside lane, but if you get hit there, it'll be a fall closer to oncoming traffic.

I've been delegated to go in front most days

I did wonder if it was for deer fodder purposes, and I'd been getting freaked by being followed too close.

This morning a deer bounded through the 100 kmph x 30' gap between me and Neil,

while I was engrossed with some sleek glossy cows in the nearest meadow.

I didnt even see it.

We figure its all a lottery, but I favour decent spacing between group riders.

Most of the accidents I've seen reported here involve one bike running up another's change of flight-plan ass.

The Harley boys reckon their big roar frightens deer away from the road,

I think more than one bike confuses the deer's sense of where the danger's coming from.

Last year on my relatively quiet ST1300, I'd coast up beside them to take a photo

at which they'd leap into the trees the moment they saw me,

never had one jumpout.

Crossing the border nowhere near last years drama

but my official couldnt find 25YEM CB1300 on the US bike registrations

and two of them barked at me, where was it registered

um... NZ, like my passport...

Tomorrow, deeper into Idaho.