Michael Richardson
Wow. What an amazing day—and definitely the boost we needed to push through Idaho. This state has been breathtaking in both a figurative and literal sense. We’re still trying to optimize our wake-up routine and set a new record this morning: 80 minutes from the first alarm to the last butt in the saddle. That’s 25 minutes packing up the tent and sleeping gear, 25 minutes to cook and eat, 15 minutes to use the bathroom, 12 minutes to pack the bike, and 3 minutes to dig forgotten gloves out of the bottom of my pannier. Definitely room for improvement but unless I start sleeping in my bike shorts, it’s gonna be hard to get that under an hour. Time will tell.
After a few wardrobe changes, we hopped back on Old 95 and were greeted with warm sunlight and no traffic. The only signs of life we encountered were the few lingering cow pies and a local cyclist chasing us up the mountain. What made this climb different than our previous ones, aside from us being a little stronger, was the introduction of switchbacks. I love switchbacks. Each twist in the road encircled its own slice of Idaho—not to mention the reassuring grade. Around one turn I watched as three Border Collies herded a group of cattle, and in the next I spotted small critters in the hillside like those puzzles on the back of a cereal box.
One cowboy and three Border Collies herd cattle on White Bird Hill
Eventually I noticed Brian just a few turns ahead of me and the race began—at least from my end. I pedaled hard, no longer distracted by musings, and barely managed to catch him before the top. Usher followed swiftly behind and shouted “that was actually fun the whole time”—and I could not agree more. More switchbacks, please.
Usher eyes up the switchbacks on White Bird Hill
Coming down the backside of White Bird Hill, we had more open asphalt to practice our cornering. Finally, we made it to Grangeville and decided it was time for second breakfast—my favorite meal of the day. Back home in Raleigh, I frequently bike downtown to Big Ed’s for all the omelets and hot cakes I could ever want, so I was pretty excited when the group wanted to stop at Seasons Diner. We desperately needed to refuel after our big morning climb and also prepare for the upcoming sections with limited services. Seasons got the job done and then some.
Seasons Diner in Grangeville, ID
Riding the food high, we zigzagged through bright yellow canola fields and what looked like the Windows XP screensaver, before stumbling upon the long-awaited Kooskia descent. The elevation map makes this hill look like dropping off a cliff, but what it doesn’t warn you about is the 10mph hairpin turn about halfway down. Let’s just say I might need new brake pads sooner than I thought. We stopped in Kooskia to pick up food for the next 48 hours (until we reach the next store), but now my pannier won’t shut all the way. Too much peanut butter.
Canola fields and grassy hills outside Grangeville, ID
One of several hairpin turns on the “Lamb Grade Road” descent into Kooskia, ID
The remainder of the day was spent cruising along the Lochsa river with a nice breeze and good tunes from Friend. We made it to the campground just in time to secure a site and take a sand bath in the water. Tonight we’ll need to hang our food in a tree, away from bears and other intruders, so no midnight snacks. The sky is clear and we’re keeping our tent flies off, so hoping to look at the stars instead.
Friend filters water from the Lochsa River
Brian and Michael work together to hoist two days worth of food out of reach of hungry bears