Day 14: To Kamiah

August 14, 2013

Today begins a new segment of the tour. I will follow the Clearwater and Lochsa rivers upstream to their headwaters, then cross the Bitteroot range at Lolo Pass and descend to Missoula, Montana. Back into the stereotypical Northwest landscape of forested river canyons. Shade will be easier to find. The shade and cooler temperatures should make it more appealing to camp.

I plan to ride to Kamiah along US 12 which closely follows the Clearwater river upstream. The Adventure Cycling map recommends not doing this because much of the highway has no shoulder, and some of it has no shoulder and concrete barriers. The highway traffic is light to moderate, with many trucks. It's also a flat route through a scenic canyon with frequent river views.

The Adventure Cycling route is on back roads that climb 3000 feet. That route would have cooler weather, but the climbing would make it much harder to get to Kamiah in one day. It should be easy to get to Kamiah in one day on US 12. It's nearly level, climbing from 756 feet to 1200 feet elevation in 70 miles.

I got on the road at 7 AM to get out of Lewiston before the trucks get on the road. 70F already-this will be a hot day. After crossing the Clearwater river I followed a riverside bike trail adjacent to US 12 for a few miles. Then onto US 12 for a few miles before the ACA map directed me through 4 miles of delightful no-traffic roads through the headquarters of Nez Perce National Historic Site. Then back onto US 12.

This metal sculpture looks great, even looking into the sun.

The shoulder goes away soon after US 12 and US 95 split. Many grain trucks on the road, mostly going east, my direction. A few log trucks as well. Once in a while a 6 foot paved shoulder appears for a couple miles for no apparent reason. But about half of today's riding on US 12 had no shoulder. That's unusual for a major US highway.

I definitely needed to be hyper alert today, checking my rearview mirror often. Especially when the narrow road is hemmed in by concrete barriers. There's no escape route then. I had no alarmingly close calls. Traffic was heavy enough to force truck drivers to pass close to me on a regular basis. The truck drivers don't worry me too much. They honk if something looks too tight-I was glad the few times a truck honked at me. I worry more about the motor home drivers.

Near Lewiston the hillsides are mostly brown grass.

It was kind of surreal to pedal with the trucks through an unpopulated semi-wilderness. The canyon views were good all day but I had to look across the road to see the river. Canyon views were totally open at first, with no trees. Views were still wide open after sparse trees appeared.

I had lunch at a resort cafe 10 miles before the tiny town of Orofino. The only other services today were in Orofino.

Farther upstream the north-facing slopes become forested.

The elevation doesn't change much today, but I'm steadily threading closer to high mountains. The slopes got gradually more forested as the day progressed. At first just pine trees on cool north facing slopes. Then eventually trees on north and east facing slopes and a few scattered trees in folds on the hot south and west facing slopes. The typical forest pattern of much of the inland northwest.

Still farther upstream both slopes are forested.

I had a headwind all day today, the first significant headwind of the tour. So it was a long day of pedaling despite the level road.

I usually avoid roads like this, but seeing the scenic canyon and avoiding a mountain climb made it a worthwhile tradeoff for one day. I don't regret it.

Clearwater river and US 12 near Kamiah. Sometimes the concrete barrier is even closer to the white line.

I arrived in Kamiah a little before 4 PM. The temperature was 95F. I considered camping in the city park. It has bathrooms, river access, and a huge covered pavilion. It should cool down overnight. But a sign says that sprinklers run from 3-6 AM. And it's really close to US 12. And there will be about 5 more hours of heat before it cools down. I decided I've had enough heat today and got an air-conditioned room for $52 at the Kamiah Inn motel. I felt pretty good today but shortly after getting the room I took a nap for an hour.

In Kamiah I saw a westbound family on bikes. Mother and father with a young daughter in a trailer.

Distance: 70.7 miles (113 km)
Climbing: 1213 feet (367 m)
Average Speed: 11 mph (17.6 km/h)

Today's ride: 71 miles (114 km)
Total: 761 miles (1,225 km)

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