June 3, 2024
To Salmon, ID
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Jacinto says we should pack it in and go home. ! ! !
How is that for an end of day one statement? Happily, his comment was because the day was so great, we couldn't do any better. Not because it was a bad day.
I slept fairly well until 4 AM, then kept waking up and checking the weather on the phone at increasingly close time increments. When the forecast got down to a short shower around 11 AM, I think I dozed off again. Our upstairs neighbor got up and paced the floor for what seemed like forever, about 5 AM.
I had my alarm set for 7 AM. Jacinto was horrified. He thought we should wait until it warms up. That is a relative term today. The other consideration was wind. It was forecast to be fierce, but a direct tailwind for us. Could we be that lucky? If so, it would be similar to the Kayenta - Mexican Hat day.
We spent some time making final decisions on what was staying. Jacinto ended up bringing his coffee pot and fixings, but said they might get thrown out on the first good climb. I had a giant bag of nuts/dried fruit/granola, etc that I felt quite guilty about. I'm sure it weighs 8-10 pounds. Jacinto said he has no trouble carrying it as long as we will eat it. That we will! Eventually.
I was out the door first. I was quickly riding 24 mph down Highway 93. My bike felt odd, and a little wobbly. Perhaps I should have tried riding it at least once with some weight? What a rookie mistake!
The lowest speed I saw in the first ten miles was 16 mph. This would be a fast ride, at this rate. Finally I gave up and admitted I was over dressed. I stopped and took off my fleece jacket. I kept the long fingered gloves, only because I hadn't placed my usual gloves in a convenient location. A few more miles down the road, my hands were sweaty enough to take the gloves off and tuck them in my waistband.
I kept thinking that my speed would slow down. I had a strong tailwind, when the road had a straight away. Highway 93 was intriguingly twisty turny. There was seldom a shoulder, mostly the road was squashed in between the Salmon River and the canyon side. Traffic this cool Monday morning was light and polite. I wouldn't like to ride here on a holiday weekend at the height of summer. Linda from the motel said they get a lot of motorcycle riders once it warms up. Cyclists of all types enjoy scenic rides.
This was an excellent introductory day to our tour. Downstream with a tailwind, with good scenery, and little traffic. What more could we ask? 14 miles from town, I had enough rain drops to get my rain coat out. It looked like I was riding right into the rain. I was quickly too warm, even with the pit zips open. Five more miles, and I gave up and took my coat off.
Seven miles from our motel, I saw a potty right next to an interesting bridge. That was a combination I couldn't pass up. I called Jacinto and asked him how close he was. By the time I exited the potty, his bicycle was magically parked next to mine. We took a few photos, and headed to town. A man yelled at me that there was a bike path. Sure enough - the one he had his truck parked on! I yelled thank you and moved over.
Jacinto and I rode side by side on the smooth path. I tried to talk him into going to Subway, but he said we should eat last night's leftovers. Yay. Once was enough for that meal, IMO. We rode the last few miles in a strong enough rain to wet the road. Neither of us bothered to get our rain jackets on. Downtown was busy and close in with cars. I saw a good old time movie theatre, but there was no chance to stop and take a photo. The River Theatre is showing Garfield. Tuesday nights are $5.50.
Our motel is across the river, a little out of town, going the wrong way. I love it when I make these decisions months in advance. Why are we on the wrong side of town? That's not my preference. Not being close to food is also a mistake. I can't tell you why I made this choice. Reviews? The only restaurant we are close to is fine dining. We aren't fine dining material. There is a taco truck in the motel parking lot. Yes! Those are my peeps.
Jacinto is still saying we need to eat these leftovers. We are strategizing for tomorrow. We are at some cabins in the middle of nowhere. It's our bad luck that their restaurant is closed. We will have to carry food. I'm not sure we will have internet tomorrow. I did reserve us a wet cabin. Jacinto was alarmed - he didn't want a cabin with a plumbing problem. I didn't know the difference between a wet and dry cabin either. A wet cabin has plumbing. If you get a dry cabin, you have to use the bath house. I splurged and paid $85. for a wet cabin!
Edit - I amaze myself with my ability to get turned around. I said we were on the wrong side of town to exit. That is incorrect. We take a right out of the parking lot and continue north on Highway 93. We should have a tailwind again tomorrow. North Fork is our last chance for food. We are hoping for milk and a soda at the convenience store. There is a pizza place closer to our cabin, but it is closed on Tuesday. We seem to have a real talent for hitting restaurants on the days they are closed.
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Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 59 miles (95 km)
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4 months ago