TransAm Day #52 Grangeville, ID - Riggins, ID
TransAm Day #52
July 18, 2018
Grangeville, ID - Riggins, ID
52 Miles
Ride Time 3:44 Hours
Tour Total Miles 3723
My tent was comfy last night in the Lions Club Park in Grangeville. The bright baseball field lights were turned off about thirty minutes before bedtime for a little bit of star gazing. I camped in the designated bike corner and there were no sprinkler issues. Scott and Eileen woke up before me, and for once had their tent and gear packed before mine. Cows were mooing in the nearby field. I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the Conoco station, and headed south out of Grangeville on US highway 95, aka the Nez Perse trail.
I passed fields filled with wheat, alfalfa grass, and hay rolls. It was hazy from forest fires, and the visibility was poor. I am still following Lewis and Clark’s route. Whenever the route is a tight squiggly line on the map I know there’s a steep hill coming with switchbacks. That’s what awaited me first thing this morning. The route took me up White Bird Hill on the old road, which I had heard was the scenic alternative to 95. I climbed up into the hills that were brimming with cedar trees. Unlike yesterday’s blistering climb in the sun, I appreciated the shade that the trees offered me. I counted dozens of small red bird houses nailed to trees alongside the road. I was riding through the Nez Perce National Historical Park.
I passed an eastbound couple with their dog running alongside them. I asked if they were going all the way and they replied, yes! Aside from them and Columbian ground squirrels, I had the road completely to myself.
After the White Bird Hill summit, the cedar trees disappeared leaving bald grass covered hills exposed to the sun. I felt fortunate to have a downhill. It was a beautiful terrifying descent and I was riding on the hill cut side. There was no guard rail on the other side, with a dizzying drop hundreds of feet.
I met eastbounder Paul and his dog Mona, who are riding from Eureka California to New Hampshire. His blog can be seen at: paulstankiewicz.com. I passed three other eastbound cyclists climbing up the steep switchbacks, and I felt bad for them. At least it was still morning. I got the long end of the stick this time around. I realized that I had run into more cyclists today because I had started earlier.
The wide-open expanse was dramatic and breathtaking. This is beautiful country. A roadside sign said that the Salmon River trench is a mile deep. Eight miles to the west is Hells Canyon, which is even deeper.
Down in the Salmon River valley, the hamlet of White Bird has population of 91. I met the nicest people, and was offered fresh garden cucumbers. Everyone was so friendly. Idaho has great people.
At White Bird I picked up the Salmon River, which I would be following upstream. The Salmon River has an emerald hue unlike the Lochsa, Clearwater, or Snake rivers which were brown. The Salmon River Canyon became narrow and twisted. I am humbled at how low in the earth I find myself.
It’s hard for me to hydrate when my water bottles get hot. I prefer Gatorade or an iced cold beverage from a store. Today my water tasted like toothpaste. I stopped at Fiddlecreek Fruit for Gatorade and huckleberry pie. I’ve been told that once you’ve had huckleberry you can never go back to blueberries. True that.
Riggins is Idaho’s white water capital, and the plan was to take a raft trip today. Westbound TransAm cyclist Astrid from ‘Lil Red and Atrain’ had recommended Wild River Outfitters, and had told us to be there by 1pm for an afternoon trip. We were on schedule until we crossed the Salmon River, which put us back an hour to mountain time. We showed up late, but the fantastic proprietor held the raft for us. Everyone we’ve met in Idaho has been friendly, and this is Eileen’s favorite state.
In the raft, we backtracked our bike route north down the Salmon River. The other passengers were locals, who shared their beer with us and laughed at my pronunciation of Stites. I found a water cannon which I used to douse other rafters, including a pair of grannies who loved the attention. Our guide Addey let us ride the rapids dangling from the front of the raft, which they call 'riding the bull', and it was exhilarating.
For dinner we went to Seven Devils Bar and Steakhouse. It was a phenomenal day!
Way cool
ReplyDelete