Day 81, Grangeville to Riggins, Idaho.

Low angle shot from the river bank by our camp.

Moving water always makes the scene alive.

From the walking bridge over the middle of the river,

Rafting companies take group tours down this river. Looks like a lot of fun.

This canyon is like a desert. If not for the river. It would be hell.

Taken from the truck as we were transported to our destination.

Scenes like this makes for an interesting ride.

The Clearwater river. One of many that run though these canyons.

What would have taken us all day by bike, took us a little over an hour by truck.

Idaho plains.

Bad shot, but this was a house that was in the shape of a dog.

More river shots.

This was gold mining country in the 1800's. The truck was moving too fast to get any shots of the old mines.

The Salmon River. I wonder if there really is salmon in there?

Dirk and Nancy. Our devoted hosts for the night. Thank you for all your hospitality during our stay.


Day 81, Grangeville to Riggins, Idaho. “We Cheated”. 42 miles.

Friday, July 31, 2009. Last night was a real treat for Lisa and I. Dirk and Nancy really went out of their way to make us feel comfortable and at home. Being in a real house was something that I haven’t done in almost three months. And the home cooking was by far one of the best meals we’ve had since the start of our trip. Thank you again Dirk and Nancy. The Aloha you showed us will be part of our memories from this journey.

I got up early this morning to make a log entry into my journal of yesterdays ride. If I wait too long, some of the details get lost, and I tend to forget names and places along the way. By 7:00AM, we were at the dinner table having breakfast. Nancy really knows how to put on a spread. We chatted a while about all kinds of things, and was ready to head back by 8. We loaded up the truck, and drove back to Grangeville, and proceeded on down to Riggins on highway 95. There is an 8 mile, 7% grade leading down into the valley that was quite steep and heavy with traffic. The roads were narrow, and we didn’t want to deal with all of that. Dirk was more than happy to drive us to Riggins, and they didn’t even allow us to pay for the gas. The drive down the mountain was a real hair raiser. Traffic moved along at an alarming 65 mph. Quite a contrast from our usual 10 to 11 mph. speed that we have come accustom to on our bikes. It took less than an hour to travel the distance it would have taken us all day on our bikes. Plus, when we got there, we weren’t tired. This gave us some time to set up camp, and explore the surrounding area. Riggins has a population of about 410. But it is a much bigger town than it would seem. The main street which is part of highway 95, is about a half mile long, and is populated with a number of cafes, shops, banks, outfitters, and a good sized market.

We crossed the time zone again, and are back in Mountain Standard Time again. We lose the hour we gained a few days ago. Later in the afternoon, The Adventure Cycling group arrived at our camp. They were surprised to see us here ahead of them, but I had to confess of our ride down here. They had taken a different route. Old 95 which is a long and winding no longer used by main stream traffic. They said it was one of the best down hill rides they’ve had yet. The road switched back and forth down the mountain in a snake like fashion for several miles. Allowing them to view the scenery at a leisurely fashion. Unlike our hair raising experience on the truck. I was envious, and was almost tempted to climb back up and do the route myself. Notice I said, “Almost”. After thinking about it for two seconds, I decided not to.

Tomorrow our destination will be Council, Idaho. About 53 miles. Aloha all you good people. I will post this at our next available Internet access opportunity. By for now, Ted.