From central Montana, across the Rockies, and all the way down the west coast of America.

September 2008

Three thousand miles in two weeks, riding a Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide.

All pictures © Richard Sharp 2008.

The rather eccentric O'Haire Motor Inn at Great Falls, Montana. You can sit at the bar with underwater views of the pool.

They're recruiting mermaids at the moment.

Crossing Montana. It's called the 'Big Sky State' and you can see why!

Grain tower next to the railway.

A common sight in Montana, as there are about a million square miles of grain to be processed each year.

First taste of the Rocky Mountains. Classic 1930's tourist buses still run.

Not very reassuring when you're on a motorbike.

A park ranger later told me that only two people had been killed by bears this year, so the risk was fairly low!

Towering peaks in the Rockies.

Just over the Logan Pass, alt 6646 feet, and a slight risk of rockfalls!

Still in the Rockies. Hanging valley with glacier and waterfall at top left, and the road following the river down the valley bottom right.

Lake McDonald, with the last of the Rocky Mountains in the background.

A local at the Hill Top Hitchin Post near Marion. He didn't introduce himself properly, but I'm confident that his name was probably Hank.

Mainstreet in Libby, heart of the Cabinet Mountains. Typical smalltown America, and loveable with it.

The Kootnenai Falls near Troy. Very powerful and very cold, fed by ice and snow melt from the mountains.

Into Washington State, more grain and more big sky. Hundreds and hundreds of miles of both.

Geographical note - many people get mixed up with Washington State and Washington DC. The State accounts for the north western corner of the USA, about 350 miles wide by 200 miles north to south; whereas DC is a sort of mini-State within the larger state of Virginia. DC is the capital of the USA and is located roughly half way down the east coast.

The Grand Coulee Dam. At the time it was built, the largest concrete structure on the planet.

Banks Lake, on the Grand Coulee River. This whole valley was gouged out in a matter of a few days by a catastrophic release of water as an ice-dam collapsed at the end of the last ice-age.

Classy accommodation in Coulee City. In America, they'll happily apply the term 'city' to a small group of sheds if they feel like it.

But what actually does it do?

The astoundingly beautiful Tumwater Canyon on the Wenatchee River, climbing up to Stevens Pass at 4061 feet.

Classic warehouse architecture in Port Townsend, artsy craftsy settlement on the Olympic Peninsula, just across the Puget Sound from Seattle.

Cape Flattery, the north western tip of America. Cold, grey, and remote. You're just a few miles of freezing cold sea from Canada at this point.

Amazing tree roots in the ancient Hoh River Rainforest.

Bloody Elk! It was clearly his road, so I just waited and took photos and hoped he didn't take a run at me.

Driftwood on Ruby Beach, still on the Washington Coast.

Cape Disappointment, where the Columbia River meets the sea, and marking the border between Washington and Oregon. It was named by the explorer Captain John Meares, who completely incorrectly decided that the sandbars off the coast were a clear indication that the Northwest Passage didn't exist. Ah well, we all make mistakes.

Rockaway Beach, Oregon. Not sure if this is the one the Ramones sang about, because there are lots of Rockaway Beaches.

The astonishing Oregon coastline. Remote, wild, and beautiful. Countless miles of pristine sand and extraordinary rock formations.

Ye authentic fishing shed cum restaurant.

The giant redwood forests of northern California.

The redwood groves are incredibly still and peaceful places. The trees quite literally soak up all the sounds, creating an atmosphere of calm and breathtaking beauty.

...but of course you do need to cash in on every commercial opportunity which nature sends your way!

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. This was the scene I really came to see, and sums up the trip for me.

The Big Sur. A 90 mile stretch of the most amazing coastal scenery. Arguably the best motorbiking road in the world.

The world famous Muscle Beach at Santa Monica, where the posers of LA come to show off. It seemed they were all somewhere else today though.

Surfing at Huntington Beach, the birthplace of surfing in mainland USA. Aparently the town's founder, Mr Huntington, shipped in some surfers from Hawaii and paid them to surf all day until the sport caught on with the locals.

Journey's end, downtown San Diego, the south western tip of America.

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