June 24, 1981 to June 26, 1981
Idaho
A True Gem
Statistics:
June 24, 1981 - Day Off in and around Moscow - 0 miles;
June 25, 1981 - Moscow to Orofino - 50 miles;
June 26, 1981 - Orofino to Wilderness Gateway (WG) - 79 miles.
Description of Events:
June 24, 1981: This turned out to be another great day of good people and good experiences on the road. After doing our laundry, yesterday, we went up to the Memorial Gymnasium on the beautiful campus of the University of Idaho (UI). We were permitted inside and able to shower up. The gym had a impressive area for awards, trophies, and accolades for its various sports teams.
Once finished at the gym, we found the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity house. I had been in another chapter of the LXA Fraternity when I was in college. Since the place had been vacated for the Summer, we then went into town to find some food. Upon having located an all you can eat fish fry, we satisfied our never ending appetites.
We then decided to take a look around town. While cruising around, another local cyclist passed by us, from the other direction, on Main Street. When we waved, he crossed over to converse. During our brief meeting, he offered us a place to stay. We accepted the offer and proceeded to follow him to the East side of town. We all then rode another 4.5 miles, out of town to his place, which was located among rolling green hills and surrounded by wheat fields (also very green).
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Our host, Jim-M, is a mechanical engineering student at UI. He had renovated a mobile home on the property, built a shed, and outfitted a workshop with every tool that could be imagined. He is also a cyclist and does all of his own maintenance. He spent last evening tuning Paul's bike to precision. Today, he took a look at my beleaguered steed and we worked on it for a little while.
Today was a good day... warm, sunny, and green all around. This was by far, the best weather of the trip since we left the San Fernando Valley. Jim has a relatively quiet demeanor but he knows his stuff and speaks with calm confidence when he describes something. He also has a great collection of music that we all enjoyed while sitting around and talking during the evening. This was another great stop and another good person that we were privileged to meet on this trip.
June 25, 1981: Yesterday and today have been our best weather days of the trip, so far. They were beautiful, warm, sunny, and not a cloud in the deep blue skies. We know there is a pass looming ahead (Lolo) where we hope we will not have a replay of our Washington Pass adventure. We should make it to Montana by Sunday, if all goes well. We learned that Paul's sister would be sending another "care package" to a town east of Helena, Montana. We couldn't wait to get there and to receive it.
When we left Jim's place this morning, we had a scenic ride through farm country and green rolling hills that surrounded us. There was a 4-mile downhill ride into Kendrick. Despite the work that Jim had done, my rear brake started giving me problems. I spent an hour in Kendrick, trying to correct the problem, with some success. So, we moved on.
There was a 4-mile climb out of Kendrick that seemed to take longer than it should have. Once on top, we had 14 miles to get to Cavendish. They covered a series of rolling hills that did not have descents on their other sides. This was turning out to be a very challenging day. Following a break in Cavendish, we rode 7 more miles to Orofino, where we decided to spend the night.
Our plan for tomorrow and beyond is to ride 53 miles to Lowell. Then to tackle the pass on Saturday. So far, we really like Idaho. There is no sales tax here on some items. A neat looking T-shirt says, "Idaho is what America was."
As an aside, 43 years later, that T-shirt slogan was a harbinger for the divided political climate we see today in the USA. Although it was pretty neat at the time, life experience has shown me the flip side of where such attitudes can lead. Parts of Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, and Idaho have seriously considered breaking away and forming their own state. That shows the divisiveness that exists even in very beautiful areas of the country.
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June 26, 1981: Today was another beautiful day. We expected more climbing but the terrain was very manageable with US-12 following the Lochsa River for most of the way. Since we made it a lot further than anticipated, we should make it to Montana tomorrow, instead of Sunday. There is potential for a century ride tomorrow, due to the terrain in Idaho and the long descent from the top of Lolo Pass, into Big Sky Country.
It was very warm today but we did not mind at all. After all of the cold, wind, and rain, we weren't going to complain. I took two swims, to cool off, in the Lochsa River during the day. Although the water was cold, it was refreshing and what was needed to continue with renewed vigor.
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We are following the Lewis and Clark Trail and are now camped at a place called Wilderness Gateway, located on the shore of the Lochsa and within the boundaries of the Clearwater National Forest. This is a beautiful and peaceful spot, calmed by the sounds of the waters rushing past. The river is being fed by several swiftly running side streams that we already passed. No doubt, there are more, further ahead, contributing to the flow. On either side of the river are heavily forested hills. It seems that civilization (except for the road) has largely left this area alone. We feel very fortunate to be able to experience this natural beauty.
Today's ride: 129 miles (208 km)
Total: 2,141 miles (3,446 km)
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