Riding the Snake

13 days
495 miles
13,500 feet of climbing

38 miles per day with an easy 27.3 feet of climbing per mile. I expected it to be easy but the steep grades on days 1 and 2 took their toll.

I ended the tour feeling strong, but that was on a downstream day that ended 600 feet lower than the start. I wouldn't feel so strong and cocky if I followed my original plan for the day and pedaled to Togwotee Mountain Lodge which is 1700 feet higher than the start.

Combining two themes added interest to a somewhat boring farm region. The main geographic theme was exploring the high desert portion of the Snake river. A secondary cultural theme was exploring the northernmost Mormon Belt.

One flat tire caused by a tiny wire. No other bike problems other than the seat mesh being near end of life. I lost only one thing, a glove on day 12.

No crashes, falls, sunburn, etc. I ended the tour feeling good.

The weather was cooler and cloudier than expected. The warmest day was 82F but most days were in the 60's and low 70's.

I lost 2 pounds during the tour. No complaints about that.

Regrets:
I didn't walk behind Perrine falls.
I didn't parachute off of Perrine bridge - just kidding!
I didn't continue for 26 days as planned?  Nope, no regret.

Best surprise:
Incredible Grand Teton views from my deck at Signal Mountain Lodge.

Worst surprise:
Swarms of mosquitoes for a few miles below Palisades dam. Because it's desert, I never thought about the brief burst of mosquitoes after the snow melts. Fortunately I quickly climbed out of the wetlands and into steep dry terrain.

Missed opportunity?
I stumbled onto Register Rock, a historic site on the Oregon Trail emigrant road which crossed southern Idaho in the Snake river plain. Before the tour I searched for Fort Hall, Idaho, which was an important way station near where the Oregon trail and California trail diverged. But there are no artifacts or monuments accessible to the public. Other Oregon Trail historic sites might be on my route, but I didn't look for them.

High Prices. Is it the times? Or the place?
The last two nights of this tour set a new record for high lodging prices. Both more than $330 for one night. I don't plan to repeat that often.

The best time of year?
I knew in advance that June is wetter and more unstable than July and August in the northern Rocky mountains. Maybe I underestimated how relentlessly cloudy the high elevations are in early June. I had mostly cloudy skies and rain 5 consecutive days after entering the Rocky mountains. I had the benefit of seeing high stream flows, snow in surrounding mountains, and some natural green grass thanks to abundant snow melt. I appreciate those things, but think that next year's tour of the eastern High Desert Rivers should be in July instead of June. Then I will have a lower chance of thunderstorms and the mountains will have fewer clouds. And of course I will have warmer temperatures. 80's instead of 60's.

I felt most exhausted near the beginning of the tour because of steep grades on days 1 and 2, and long distances on days 2 and 3. I felt miserable on my first rest day. I recovered later when the grades were 4% or less. I felt strong on the last day, partly because it was the only day of the tour to have more downhill than uphill.

This tour required a lot of driving. To make it more interesting I chose to drive both directions via the I-84 route in northeast Oregon that I had never seen before. Driving that route gave me ideas for a future bike tour in northeast Oregon. I enjoyed the unique and historic overnights at The Lodge at Hot Lake Springs and Geiser Grand Hotel, and plan to visit them again during a bike tour in September.