Day 17: To Imnaha River

July 6, 2006

I got on the road at 8:40 AM, later than planned. I have a BIG climb today to get out of Hell's Canyon. I biked 6 miles back to Oxbow bridge, then backtracked 7 more miles west to Forest Road 39 which climbs north between Hell's Canyon and the Wallowa mountains. But first I stopped at the store 2 miles from Oxbow to stock up on groceries. It was early but I also ate lunch at the restaurant. There were no other stores or restaurants all day. The restaurant gave me a huge piece of cake left over from a birthday party the night before.

There were a few drops of rain just as I approached the store. The sky threatened to rain for the rest of the day.

Looking back on the climb out of Hell's Canyon.

7 miles past the Oxbow bridge I turned north onto Forest Road 39. Now I'm no longer backtracking. The road climbs steadily along the North Fork of Pine Creek. The creek is in a narrow steep canyon that is surprisingly forested. A bear ran across the road 100 feet in front of me. First time I've seen a bear on a bike tour. The pavement quality is bad but at least there is virtually no traffic. The grade is fairly gentle for the first several miles along the creek. But the grade gets much steeper after the road turns away from the creek. The road climbs and climbs and climbs, to the summit at 5370 feet elevation. I started this morning at 1700 feet elevation. It started to rain at the summit, so I descended slowly to the turnoff for the Hell's Canyon overlook. The overlook is at the end of a 3 mile spur road that climbs 500 feet. I was really tired by then.

Fortunately the sky started to clear up as I approached the Hell's Canyon overlook at 6:15 PM. The views were excellent. I couldn't see the Snake River but I could clearly discern the path of Hell's Canyon. The clouds, rainbow, and wildflowers were amazing. It was still windy and cold after the sun came out.

Butterflies seemed to like my cable housings.

Rainbow over Hell's Canyon. This overlook is 4000 feet above the river.

At the Hell's Canyon overlook. The sky was just clearing.

A riot of flowers surrounding the Hell's Canyon overlook.

After taking many photos I reluctantly left the overlook to find a campsite. It wasn't raining but the pavement was wet during the descent to the Imnaha river. I set up camp at the deserted Blackhorse campground. It has no drinking water, so I filtered water out of the river. My campsite was next to the river which is amazingly loud and fast. I made a shower and enjoyed the relatively cool temperature, in the 60's. A refreshing change from the heat of the last several days. Tonight I stored my food inside the toilet building in case a bear comes through the campground.

Deer wandering through my campsite along the Imnaha River.

Today was a strenuous day, uphill almost all day. Look at my pitiful average speed! I can do climbs like this occasionally but not every day.

Distance: 44.6 mi. (71.4 km)

Climbing: 4400 ft. (1333 m)

Average Speed: 6.3 mph (10.1 km/h)

Maximum Speed: 42.3 mph (67.7 km/h)

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 736 miles (1,184 km)

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