Days Motto: Watch out for hitchhikers
I had a nice sleep last night. Asleep by 8. Not even dark out yet. I had dinner at Applebee's, two beers, hit the bed and was out. I knew tomorrow would be another difficult day, actually shorter in miles than day one, but with more climbing.
Let me make a side note here. Even though yesterday had some route mishaps, I'm pretty good at knowing what a day's ride will entail in terms of distance, elevation gain, elevation loss, net elevation change, when major climbs occur, where major towns are, amount of average road traffic, road conditions, average amount of shoulder on the road, road construction impacts, local flora and fauna, socio-economic levels of the communities along the road and even how high the sun will be in the sky for each mile on the road at the planned time I will be riding that section. Ok, some of these are bullshit on my part, just thrown in here to make yah chuckle... but I'm a data driven guy (comes partly from my career).
So day 2 has the profile shown below. It's day 2, this data is burned into me brain. Right along side the picture of 72 virgins that await me in Heaven when I arrive in Kamiah. I don't have day 4 data in there yet, certainly not day 5. Day 1 is being archived. So, as I set out, I know what is in store for the day:
And as I said, this is another big day.
From the hotel down to Thain Grade Road is down hill - for about 200 yards. I need to take a left on the aforementioned Thain Grade Road and indeed... I do so. Then the first climb hits and continues for about four miles. I am essentially clawing my way out of the Snake River plane to get up on the surrounding plateaus. Rivers have a funny way of carving canyons over millennia. Move away from the Snake River, you gotta go up.
As I am clawing, I am thinking, oh yes, day 2 is going to be a bugger. But, boy o boy- its a beautiful morning.
After about 10 miles of climbing, the road turns downhill on its way to highway 95. Then, once I join 95, heading south, the road starts its 2900 feet of climb, for 18 miles up the Winchester grade to Winchester Lake. I start to get tired and its getting hot out. I start to take strategic mini-breaks, darting across the highway into the shade line of the trees of the other side of the road. I sit in the shade for about five minutes and then dart back across the road and do a 15-20 minute pull. Then its time for another rest.
So, I'm about half way up this climb and laying in the dirt along side the road is a stuffed animal. I mean not a real animal (how would it have been stuffed?), but a silly little stuffed moose in a Santa outfit. As I ride past, this give me a chuckle and I keep plodding up the grade. Wait. I'm gonna go pick up the lil moose and give him a lift! U-turn!
Meet the new mascot for the trip - I named him Winchester after this pesky hill I am riding when he appears.
He's in really great condition. Some poor kid must have lost him out the window of a passing car? It's not even Christmas - so how ever he got to the side of the road seems like even more of a mystery.
After two and a half hours of climbing - I arrive at the top of Winchester grade and take a one mile side trip to Winchester Lake.
The town near by, Winchester, is having some sort of ice cream social/street fair. It was really pleasant up here at 4,000 feet. I stopped in the local store and grabbed a bottle of icy cold water and just hung out for about 30 minutes. The worst was over and it was mostly downhill to Kamiah from there. But I still had 44 more miles to go.
I'm now up on the Camas prairie heading south on highway 95. Temps are in the upper 70s. The area is beautiful. Reminds me of attending college in the Palouse at WSU (Pullman, WA). I love this kind of terrain, rolling hills, farmland, islands of pine trees... I'm doing ok pedaling along 95 I think to myself.
Along side highway 95, north of Ferdinand, ID are beautiful railroad trestles. This is the Camas Prairie Railroad. The photos below are Lawyer's Canyon.
Just highway 95...
Here is a winter photo of Greencreek I borrowed from the WWW. I seemed to have stopped taking pictures at this point that day. I'm really just focused on getting into Kamiah and those 72 virgins. Funny... when I thought when I got to Greencreek, I would just ride up to the first person and say - hey, you know any Kelsch's (my mother's maiden name)?
When I did arrive in Greencreek - I was beat. I stopped for a rest at the church. Stretched out under a big pine tree and thought - hell wit' it, I'm gonna take a snooze. But, no, I can't sleep, I am too intent on getting into Kamiah, so I rose up from the cool grass and hoped on the burro and just kept pedaling.
There was one final climb, before the long steep downhill down to the Clearwater River and Kamiah. Its a spiky thing on the plot above of the day's elevations. And it really caused me some existential angst. It was not more than a mile long - but knowing it was the final hill before the plunge, and the fact I was very tired at this point - made it pretty difficult. But, as I have blogged before- what are you going to do? Just quit pedaling an give up? You can't! I can't.
So I top the day out and head downhill. Ten miles... down to Kamiah.
When I get to Kamiah, I'm done, but happy. As I ride the streets of this tiny town, a guy in steroidal, jacked up pickup passes me and decides to blast me with a cloud of black smoke from his Cummings diesel. Wow- that was impressive! Hope he feels better now.
I arrive at my hotel at about 4:30. Yep- I gotta another luxurious room tonight in a two star hotel rather than pitching camp. I ain't proud! I chill a bit, take a shower and head to the grocery store. I have a nice meal and beer. Life is good.
So the days total:
| Distance: | 78.36 mi |
| Time: | 6:47:19 |
| Avg Speed: | 11.5 mph |
| Elevation Gain: | 5,348 ft |
| Calories: | 4,796 C |
| Avg Temperature: | 82.5 °F |
| Moving Time: | 6:25:43 |
| Elapsed Time: | 8:54:50 |
| Avg Speed: | 11.5 mph |
| Avg Moving Speed: | 12.2 mph |
| Max Speed: | 38.3 mph |
| Elevation Gain: | 5,348 ft | |||||||
| Elevation Loss: | 5,190 ft | |||||||
| Min Elevation: | 1,088 ft | |||||||
| Max Elevation: | 4,001 ft |
| Avg Temperature: | 82.5 °F |
| Min Temperature: | 62.6 °F |
| Max Temperature: | 105.8 °F |
See... I love data!
Funny- even though I write in the blog - about being tired and beat and demoralized on the road. Once I arrive, I feel pretty good. Well, except for the black lung I have from my new Kamiah buddy. Yes, I'm tired, but not utterly incapacitated with exhaustion. I leave that job for the beers I drink to celebrate a day well done!
Today's details:
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