Day 18 – June 30, 2015

Day 18 – June 30, 2015
Clarkston WA to Orofino ID – 46 miles

Bumble Bee – Audrey:

We are on a roll. Actually we are rolling up HW 12 at a good and steady pace. After frustrations and even heavy discussions between Gregg and I, we have found a pace that works for us even if we are still right in the middle of the crazy HEAT WAVE!

Today we did the same, up at 3am, out the door at 4:30am. But today, no climbing, just a slow a steady ascent along the beautiful Clearwater River. As we climb up into the mountains our window of opportunity also opens up a little. We are able to ride safely until about 10am.

The morning began with a cross over a bridge into Lewiston Idado, first time in Idaho for Gregg. Thru the town we went, and over a second bridge. As we stopped to verify our route on the ACA maps another bicyclists rolled up besides us. He was a young man from Denver. He started from Astoria just a few days ago, he is traveling ultra light. A harness that looked like a tiny little camelback, that carried his phone, power bars, and credit cards, 2 water bottles and that is it. He is doing 150 miles per day and headed towards Denver. Very fit but suffering from the heat, he told us that his body temperature reaches 102 by days end, he gets to motels and slowly cools himself down, and ices his sore muscles. Unbelievable! He was impressed with our loads but was familiar with our type of touring since he does that also. We told him about our blog and mentioned who we are “Bumble Bee and Bear” and he said he read Gregg’s entry into the bicyclist guest book at the oasis cafe in the little town of Roosevelt WA. Funny. The world is getting smaller even though it seems so big when you are on your bicycle, slowly moving through this country.

The rest of the days ride was not too difficult except for the condition of the shoulder. We are now on the winding road up the mountain that will eventually take us to Missoula. There is a shoulder, that in most sections is little more that 2 feet wide. To make things worse, the road is frequented by logging trucks. The trucks moving up the mountain with us are empty, their trailers are hitched up and they are moving fast. Luckily they are also more maneuverable than the fully loaded logging trucks on the other side of the road, heading down to the mills in Clarkston. They are good drivers and habituated to this road that they must know like the back of the hands. They are also courteous and move as far as is is safe from us. The drivers that we are most worried about are holiday travelers, big RVs that don’t know the road, and, other trucks, like food delivery trucks, who are maybe less familiar with the road. They rarely move and come within feet of us.

I call today a “white line straddler”. The white line is our friend, our savior, it should mark a safety zone that saves us from our fellow steel monsters on the road. It’s funny how a little car to me seems like are harmless knat on the road, that barely creates any sort of reaction from me. Its the sound. Since I don’t see what is coming, I hear it. I listen very very carefully. Gregg on the other hand, has a mirror, he looks, and watches when it is safe to move from the other side of our “white line”. I watch Gregg and listen.

The other interesting thing about today is that we moved into a new landscape. At about 17 miles into our journey today, trees appeared! Pine trees, willows, all kinds of trees. Trees mean shade! We just spent about 200 miles in completely barren countryside with absolute no shade.
Hallelujah! Shade.

Also, the river was special. It became a mountain river, rushing down to hills to meet the Snake and, eventually the mighty Columbia. The river was something familiar to me, someone who has spent time in the mountains. The river embraced us today, it cooled us. Rivers have a special ability to do that. We love the rivers.

Eventually we got to a little roadside cafe at Peck Junction. We had a hardy breakfast of omelettes and breakfast burritos. Great food. About 10 miles down the road we got to our destination Orofino. We stopped at the Ranger Station and got some good advise, stock up, there are very few stores left up the mountain. Just 20 miles down the road the National Forrest starts and she welcomed us to camp where ever we feel like it. As some people may know, you are able to camp in Federal land without permit. It is called “dispersed” camping. As long as you have plenty of water, and know how to keep your food away from bears, you should be OK.

So we resupplied at the Harvest Foods for 3/4 days of being out in the “bush”. We got mac and cheese, instant potatoes, beef veggie soup, cajun rice, triscuits, zuchini, 2 avocados, oatmeal, salami, wine, 2 pack up venison jerky sticks (excited about those), some garlic, green onion, fresh string beans, tortillas, cheese. We should be set. No gourmet meals but we will stay alive.

We will be cut off from civilization for 3 days until we summit Lolo Pass and head down to Missoula. The adventure begins now. Boy am I glad that I took my gravity water filtration system and so is Gregg, who has never really done this type of bicycle touring. Wish I had a fishing rod, this river looks mighty fine, and I am sure there are some beautiful trout ready to be caught and pan fried. Mark, by brother, would love it here. It is an anglers paradise.

Now for a quick dinner and an early night again.

Gregg – Bear

We had a good 46 mile ride today. We started early as usual. The road was almost flat following the Clearwater River the entire time. Tomorrow, I hope will be much the same. Days like today can make you think you are more strong and capable than you really are. I’m happy to live with that feeling as long as nothing proves me wrong. What can I say, its been two weeks and over 500 miles. I thought I would be as strong as I am but much thinner. What gives? I’m still a fat man in the land of the obese. At least, I am not nearly so fat as so many we see everywhere we look.

Let’s face it. Breakfast is good up here. Other meals are often not very good. What all meals possess in these parts is huge portions. I now make an effort to not eat it all.

File this under life reboot thoughts: The mapping mistake the other day was mine. The mapping mistake we almost made (before I caught the mistake) was also mine. I lost the charger to my MacBook. There are many more such dull brained mistakes made during the past weeks, months and years. I am not always as clear headed as I think I am. In fact, my short term memory has been bad for years. I have to finally adapt to my status as senior citizen – lists, double checking and careful idiot checks.

A few years ago I read a book titled “Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why.” I read it while grieving the death of a loved one who made a fatal mistake on a mountaineering trip. She felt the weather would stay sunny and clear – all her vast experience mountaineering told her so. As a consequence, she left warm clothing at the base camp. Instead the clear and warm sky turned into freezing temperatures and a white out. One point of the book was that even the most experienced make fatal errors. To survive, one must be ready and aware of the pitfall of ones own subjectivity – informed as it is by past success and luck. On the boat and on bicycle tours, I try to think of what can go wrong and not let my confidence, or macho impulses, rule my thinking. At least that is what I think I am doing (see above).