Lewis and Clark Trail, Spokes Instead of Muskets

The route is set. I am riding part of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's expedition through Washington, Idaho and Montana. I plan on leaving from the stellar wine region of Walla Walla, WA, riding into Idaho, over Lolo Pass and then into Montana to Missoula. I will be camping and staying in a couple strategically placed motels (I'm not one to totally be hardcore and rough it the whole way). Total mileage is about 350, which is a bit more than last year. This trip will have about 7,000 feet of elevation gain, which is a little less than last year. I guess that balances things out pretty well. I will travel from the eastern Columbia plateau in Walla Walla, ride through the Palouse, into the Clearwater river basin with an overnight in Lewiston, ID and then over the Camas Prairie to Kamiah, ID. From there, I rejoin the Clearwater river and head up stream to the middle fork of the Clearwater, and start to enter the Bitterroot Mountains (which are part of the Rocky Mountains!). At Lowell, the middle-fork of the Clearwater results from the confluence of the Selway and Lochsa rivers and I turn up the Selway for a few miles for a night of camping. The next day its back to Lowell and with a right turn, I head up the Lochsa river for a long day (70 miles) shadowing the Lochsa the entire way. I will spend the night near the top of Lolo Pass. From there the river disappears and I start to head down hill, out of the Bitterroots into the Bitterroot valley. At Lolo, Montana I turn north and head for Missoula on the last day. In Missoula I will visit the head quarters of the Adventure Cycling Association, tell them what a great job they are doing and then ride off to meet my S.O. and find a tall cool beer to celebrate the journey completed! I still need a name for this adventure. Last year the ride was all about human folly. This year, it feels more like a ride to learn some history of our  distant past. Or it could be a ride from "Vines to Bitterroots". Heck, I'm gonna see a lot of several rivers on this trip, maybe it should have river theme?

Cheers!