June 21, 2020
Day 8: Deadwood wild camp to Buckhorn Bar Campground
The sunshine filtered in through the tent seams as we awoke to a truly beautiful day. The bugs had died down overnight, and we enjoyed our breakfast in the tranquility of our riverside site.
The start of today's ride consisted of two steady climbs, first over Deadwood Pass followed by a sharp ascent over Warm Lake Pass. This second pass was followed by an absolutely screaming paved descent into the hamlet of Warm Lake. Once at Warm Lake, we chose to trek over to the lodge, hoping to indulge in a hearty meal while overlooking the lake.
The Warm Lake Lodge was, to put it mildly, aggressively American. We weaved into the lot between idling diesel pickups and leaned our bikes next to a banner emblazoned with an American flag and bald eagled. We sat out back amidst a cloud of cigarette smoke, cheap beer, and tramp stamps, glancing back every so often to see the cook taking smoke breaks between orders. I overheard one teenage girl mention that she got a new gun for her birthday, one that "could shoot larger bullets." To say we felt like pale blue dots pedaling through an ocean of red would be a profound understatement. In some ways it was a deeply cultural experience; in all other ways, it was terrifying.
We were rather happy to leave the lodge behind, and continued our steady descent alongside the south fork of the Salmon River. It was hot out, and we both commented on the heat radiating off of the asphalt. Turns out the bumpy gravel roads are in fact preferable to tarmac.
After another ripping descent into the further depths of the river canyon, we took a break at 16 Mile Hot Spring. This pool is a hidden gem, tucked down low against the cliffside, hidden from view and perfect for soaking. I made sure to take several dips into the frigid river waters to balance out the heat of the tub.
Once recharged, we left the spring for the final few miles to Buckman Bar Campground. It was another 50 mile day, and we were eacb exhausted but content with the progress and experience of it all. We went to bed early, knowing that we would have an enormous climb over Lick Creek Pass tomorrow afternoon.
Today's ride: 51 miles (82 km)
Total: 358 miles (576 km)
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4 years ago