After a night in a motel where the air conditioning worked we were ready to begin the ride south through the Salmon and Payette River Canyons. Out first stop was a short ride to Starbucks for our morning coffee. When I returned to my motorcycle and attempted to start it the theft alarm began to flash. Jim rode to the H-D dealership and returned with some quick fixes. They didn't work so I called the local towing service from Starbucks.
As I waited for the tow truck I sat at a table in front of Starbucks. A woman approached ne and told me that my lights were flashing. The woman at the next table began to chat after I explained what was going on. She had moved to Lewiston about ten years ago after her husband was arrested and sentenced to two years in jail for driving while drunk. She moved to where her fanily was, found a job she really liked, made friends and never went back. My guess is that the husband is an 'ex' now.
The driver arrived about forty-five minutes later and we loaded my bike into a trailer for the trip to Hell's Canyon H-D about a mile away. We unloaded the motorcycle and I paid the driver 120 dollars for the one mile tow. Inside, the mechanic said he was going to check the most obvious thing first so he changed the battery in my fob. The bike started immediately. Had I thought of it, I would have borrowed a battery from Jim and my bike would have started. It never occurred to me that the batteries which I had changed in March would fail less than four months later. They usually last for almost two years and I change them every year before I put my bike on the road. It was a costly lesson.
When we left Lewiton after 11:00 a.m. the temperature was already 94F. As we climbed out of the Clearwater River Valley the temperature dropped slightly. The old Camas Prairie Line parallels Highway 95 by small towns with names like Winchester, Culdesac, Lakwai, and Cottonwood where grain elevators are serviced. As we entered the canyon to climb out to the flatlands above we saw trestles and rock cuts high above the highway. We stopped to check out a large trestle which carried the rail line over a canyon high above the highway. One trestle even crossed the highway but it was not possible to determine if the line was still active.
Old trestle on the Camas Prairie Line built in 1908
Tunnels were also part of this rail line.
Further on we stopped at a historical site that explained that in 1908 the Camas Pririe Line was built to Lewiston by the Union and Northern Pacific Railroads. Because the canyon was so large the railroad made the decision to built a steel trestle rather than a wooden one. One can only imagine the old steam locomotives running across this trestle more than one hundred years ago. It must have been an impressive sight.
Steel trestle built in 1908 across Lawyer's Canyon south of Lewiston, ID
Historical sign
Information on Lewis and Clark's 1806 expedition to the mouth of the Columbia River
There was also a sign that indicated that Lewis & Clark had passed through this territory in 1806 and that two members of the expedition had bought salmon from the local Indians. As we approached Grangeville the highway ran alongside the old railbed which had been decommissioned with the rails and ties being taken up. It occurs to me every time that I see abandoned railway lines or ones that heve been torn up, that the communities that they serviced have lost something important that can never be replaced. On the other hand, hard-headed business decisions have to be made and there are always consequences to those decisions, sometimes ones that are hard for small communities to take.
We passed through Grangeville and began to climb to the White Bird Hill Summit at almost 4300 feet. On the south side of the hill the highway drops more than two thousand feet to the village of White Bird.
Views from White Bird Hill.
Smoky haze south of White Bird Hill.
Further on we rolled into the Salmon River Canyon. Fifteen million years ago the land through which the Salmon River flowed began to rise slowly. The river cut its way through the fifteen million year old Miocene lava flows to its present location. It is a beautiful river and the highway cuts allow the traveller to see the geologic evidence of ancient lava flows. I wonder how many fundamentalist Idaho Christians who believe in an Earth that is about six thousand years old deal with the evidence that the rock here was deposited more than fifteen million years ago.
Explanation of the Salmon River Canyon geology
Jim, along the Salmon River
Salmon River to the southth
Salmon River to the north
Riding the Salmon River Canyon in Idaho
The canyon ends just north of the small town of Riggins which is the starting point for the many rafting trips which go through the canyon. We stopped at a small grill where we had an excellent burger before getting back on the road and heading south to McCall, ID.
Downtown Riggins, ID
As we emerged into open country we saw threatening dark clouds that were showing rain to the south. Fortunately the highway turned east and we avoided the rain although we rode on a highway which was still wet from a previous shower. The time we lost with my little misadventure this morning may have been a blessing in disguise because we probably missed getting really wet.
Last time I rode through here in May with other friends we experienced the same kind of weather and we made it to Cascade, ID. This time Jim and I stopped at the Long Valley Motel in Donnelly, ID about twenty kilometres north. While it had a good price it lacked a fridge and air conditioning and the internet was pretty sketchy. We got that sorted out after half an hour of trying so I was able to upload video and write this blog. It was touch and go for a while, though. Next to our motel is a Sinclair gas station with a convenience store called Stinker. Best name for a convenience store ever!
Best store name ever!
Before dark we checked out the weather to the south and it looked greatly improved. We will ride south to Banks, ID then turn west on Highway 26 and head as far as we can go toward Salmon, ID. If the weather cooperates we will have a great ride tomorrow and perhaps make up some of the kilometres that we lost this morning.
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