Rusty Crank Coast to Coast Bicycle Tour across the USA on the ACA TransAM Route

TransAm Day #52 July 18, 2018 Grangeville, ID - Riggins, ID 52 Miles Ride Time 3:44 Hours Tour Total  Miles 3723 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180718-0707-92346 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...

TransAm Day #53 July 19, 2018 Riggins, ID - Council, ID 62 Miles Ride Time 5:37 Hours Tour Total  Miles 3786 details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180719-0845-41456 Last night was the most beautiful camping experience yet. I slept on a beach alongside the Salmon River at Shorts Bar Recreation Site, outside of Riggins. I was surrounded by the steep valleys of the fork between the Salmon and Little Salmon Rivers. I had set up my tent up in the wind and used large rocks as weights to hold the corners down. The wind finally settled down, and I did my best to keep the sand out of my tent. Scott, Eileen and I sat under the stars drinking beer and eating pretzels. The big dipper was up above, and I could see the Milky Way. It was one of the most spectacular places I’ve been on this trip.  Eileen and Scott were still in their tent when I left this morning. The beach was heating up quickly. Rather than backtrack into town for breakfast, I gam...