Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Day 10 - Too Much Paradise at 9 Mile Road

We were up in the mountains with no cell service so I couldn’t post the blog so I am a little late with yesterday’s update. 

After a terrific Father’s Day in Kamiah (thank you family for the fun FaceTime), we were “up and at em” early to beat the heat.  Not entirely sure what the destination is.  The schedule says Lochsa Ranger

Station but that was mostly a place holder.  I’m going to ride about 60 miles then see what we can find.  Bold move I know, but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained.  BTW, those following me on Strava may have noticed some strange routes because I have not had reliable cell service for the last few days, but you're going to have to take my word for it.  Cheryl can also vouch that I'm putting in the miles!

I continue on HWY 12 along the Clearwater River for the second straight day.  I sound like a broken record in that the road is not very good (chip seal) with little to no shoulder but the scenery is beautiful.  I try different things to make the ride smoother.  Out in the road where traffic is, the vehicles smooth out the surface so I can ride out there.  But that is shaking hands with danger as I must constantly watch for traffic and when vehicles approach, I get over.  Not too smart if I want to avoid getting hit.

Another technique is to ride on the white line as much as possible.  The paint surface is smooth but I’m not Simone Biles on the balance beam so it’s tough keeping the wheels on the line.  Typically, my feet get numb after a long time in the saddle but today its my hands from all the vibration from the road.  This does give me a good excuse to periodically stop and appreciate the scenery.  It never gets old.  We went past a bunch of old trucks.  Thought about getting one to take to Dayton in 2035.  Considering my mechanical abilities, that should give me enough time to be ready.

We reached the Ranger Station at about noon and it was closed until June 23 so we were on our own.  We decided to ride up the road another 10 miles to make tomorrow a little shorter and look for a spot to spend the rest of today and sleep tonight. 


We stumbled on a terrific spot on 9 Mile Road that was protected from HWY12 and had great river access.  We didn’t see any signs prohibiting camping so we parked and set up camp.  Zuri spends a lot of time in the RV so she was especially happy to get out and roam around then dug a hole and got comfortable.  We had a fabulous day/evening watching the river go by.  We opened a chilled bottle of  Rose’ (hydrating of course) and just relaxed.  The big news for the day was that we got to open the 500 mile milestone package from the kids.
It included a delicious bottle of Cab and the highly coveted milestone shirt.  Thanks kids, we love looking forward to and opening these packages.  Next one is not until 1000 miles!  I’ve got some riding to do to earn that one!  Of course we had to open that bottle of wine to celebrate and next thing you know it’s a party on the Clearwater! 


The party may make for an even tougher day as I hit Lolo pass.  Going to be a lot of climbing.  At least there are hot springs up there so we can relax. 

Until then….

5 comments:

  1. Yahoo. 500 miles!!!! The kids 500 mile box is awesome, love the shirt. Also love that you prioritize hydration especially after your ride . . .Rose.🍷🍺. Beautiful scenery. You're really making great progress and smelling the local roses.👍🌹Thanks so much for sharing this experience with us!

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  2. Beautiful scenery! Almost to 1K. Keep on truckin".

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  3. Nice accomplishment Chris! Love following the trek. Stay safe!!

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