PULLMAN, WASHINGTON: Out of the Canyon and Into the Hills

August 15, 2019

Today's first order of business was to get myself out of the Snake River Canyon and I was actually looking forward to the task. You KNOW I'm anxious when I actually start pedaling before 8 a.m. Unfortunately I had to stop pedaling two minutes later to load up on extra food and water.

I got everything I needed at Stinker's and it didn't smell bad at all.

Then I moved on to the daunting task of getting up to the top of that 2,000' wall.

In its own way, the cow wished me luck. I waved and said, "Thank you, cow."

Despite getting some great advice over the last few weeks regarding smaller, quieter road options, I've been stubbornly adhering to my original plan to stick to the Rand-McNally roads--especially the ones with the dotted lines. Today, however, I decided to stray from that plan and, man, am I glad I did.

At the suggestion of a message from Emily G., my route up that 2,000' wall was going to be The Spiral Highway instead of the main route, Highway 95. I was intrigued by her description of not only the ride itself, but this: "When you look at the map, the Spiral Highway is the white squiggly road that looks like a piece of spaghetti was dropped on the map." She's right, it does. And it was one big, long, twisty strand of spaghetti that provided jaw-dropping view after jaw-dropping view.

Somebody else had recommended the Spiral Highway to me as well. It was an old-timer back in Pomeroy who seemed to have quite a bit of knowledge about cycling conditions on that road for a guy who admitted he only bikes around the neighborhood with his grandkids once in a while. I'm sure he meant well, but his recommendation wasn't presented in the most positive way to a cyclist. It went something like this:

"It's definitely a better way for you to get out of the canyon than 95. The shoulders are smaller and there are a lot of sharp, blind curves, so watch out for cars crossing into the shoulder." It was only after I absorbed the parts about the small shoulders and blind curves that he added, "But GOD, there are so many trucks and cars on 95."

The thing is, the shoulders on the Spiral Highway turned out to be just fine, and the very small amount of traffic I encountered was going very, very slowly--even the downhillers who could have been tempted to go wild down that road.

I suppose it's time to show some pictures so you can see what I'm talking about. Keep in mind that, as always, pictures don't always convey the INCREDIBLE AWESOMENESS OF REALITY.

I'm working my way up that spaghetti noodle.

The Reckless Mr. Bing Bong and his gears get a break. Down below, you can see the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. At this point I'm still only about 1/3 of the way to the top.

I love this shot and I can't explain exactly why. It does show that I've moved up the wall, but I think the real reason is the complete absence of view-blockers.

Oh, the unpredictability of wet spaghetti.

I'm getting close to the top; I can feel it!

A nice couple from Mississippi drove up in their RV just as I made it to the top. When I said I was from Minnesota, I don't think they quite knew where that was. Anyway, the wife kindly took this picture for me. (I'm glad I was wearing my new biking shorts.)

Soon thereafter, another RV drove up and its owners were from Georgia. The southern RVers got to talking and completely ignored me from that point on. That's okay because I had to wander off into the bushes across the road for a pee and I didn't need them to help me with that. When I got back they were still yakking away, so I ate the ham and swiss sandwich I bought from Stinkers. A gas station sandwich never tasted so good.

I lingered around there for quite a while but eventually it was time to move on. Within a couple miles I received a couple of "WELCOMES" and I really appreciated that.

Thanks for the welcome, Palouse Scenic Byway.

I think this is the true heart of the Palouse--not that section of Highway 12 between Walla Walla and Pomeroy which I had previously referred to as the heart of the Palouse. For sure, that was Palouse too, but it had other things going on. This 20-mile stretch of Highway 195 between the Washington border and Pullman is PURE Palouse. And it doesn't even have a dotted line beside it?!?!?! What the what?

A direct headwind made my ride slower than it should have been, but great scenery always dulls the pain of unfavorable winds.

If wheat was sand, this could be the Sahara.

Just a few more miles and I was in the college town of Pullman. They love their Washington Cougars here. I was ~~impressed~~ befuddled by the number of businesses named Cougar This or Cougar That, University This, University That. It was a nice city though--better than Lewiston, but not as nice as Walla Walla. It also had a great library staffed with friendly young people.

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Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 685 miles (1,102 km)

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