July 27, 2006
Day 56: Lowell, ID to Grangeville, ID
48.70 Miles, 4:21:54 Ride Time, 11.35 Average Speed, 26.8 Maximum Speed
I was tired from yesterday's long ride, and didn't get out until 9:30 - my latest start in a while. I had decided to ride to Grangeville, which would only be around fifty miles, but the elevation profile on my map showed a steep climb to the town, which I would now be tackling in the hot afternoon.
I left the motel and got back on US 12, the road I'd been riding on since yesterday morning. For the first seven or eight miles, I remained in the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness area, protected public land that I'd been riding in (or near) since early yesterday afternoon. (It was never clear to me where the boundaries of the various national forests and wilderness areas were during this part of the trip; I do know that there were no houses or private development for about 70 miles along US 12).
After 45 minutes or so, the canyon finally opened up a little, and I started seeing fields and houses. This was a relief - the hours and hours of riding boxed in between the mountains and river had started to become oppressive - reminiscent of a day or two early in the trip, in Eastern Kentucky.
I entered the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, but as usual, nothing seemed obviously different. I stopped in the little town of Kooskia (pop. 675), "Gateway to Idaho's Wilderness", for breakfast at the River's Cafe. I had my usual large stack of pancakes, bacon, and Diet Pepsi. I know I shouldn't be drinking caffeinated soft drinks while I'm riding (apparently it dehydrates you), but I can't help myself. I lingered inside the air conditioned place longer than I should have, while it got increasingly hot outside.
I left US 12 in Kooskia and got on State Route 13, where I would stay the rest of the day. After twelve or thirteen miles of easy, gradual climbing, I stopped in Harpster for Gatorade. It had to be 100 degrees outside at this point. A few miles later I started the fairly steep, 5.5 mile climb, probably a 6 to 7 percent grade - The elvation profile on my map showed a 2000 foot gain in this section.
The climb itself wouldn't have been so bad, but the sun was beating down on me mercilessly. I stopped two or three times in the rare shady spots and rested, thinking that it would have been much smarter to have planned today's ride so I wasn't doing this in the hottest part of the day.
When I finally got up the hill, the landscape was radically diferent than the last couple of days - I was in a plateau now, riding past wheat fields. The last few miles to Grangeville (pop. 3,228) were easy, but my God it was hot... When I got to town, I headed straight for the first motel I saw - A brand-new Super 8. It was certainly the nicest Super 8 I'd stayed in, which unfortunately was reflected in the higher than usual price. After I checked in, I regretted not looking around more - there was a cheap-looking motel nearby that I probably should have investigated.
After the surprise I'd had yesterday, when there hadn't been any rooms in Powell, I thought it would be wise to go ahead and make reservations in the next few towns. I got something lined up in New Meadows, my destination tomorrow, but I got an unpleasant surprise when I called a couple of places in Oxbow, where it made sense to stop the day after. I was vaguely aware that there was a fire in that area, but was shocked when I learned that the town was being evacuated, and the road was closed. One woman at a B&B told me the fire had almost taken her place...
I decided there was nothing I could do but continue South to New Meadows tomorrow, and figure something out then - hopefully the fire would be under control...
Later I walked downtown for dinner - it was still incredibly hot. I stopped at a pizza place, and forced myself to eat, even though the heat had almost killed my appetite.
I went back to my room, where I was distracted by a noisy family next door. I wondered why parents think it is acceptable to let their children run up and down the halls of hotels at night... I decided I would make plenty of noise to wake them all up, when I got up at 4:30 AM (Pacific Time). I would get up early to try to beat at least some of the nightmarish heat tomorrow.
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Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 3,607 miles (5,805 km)
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