Saturday, June 29, 2013

Goodbye Washington (Day Seven)

From our high perch in what was possibly a park, we took the steep hills back to town for a hearty breakfast at Topnotch cafe and later coffee, homemade ice cream and caramels, and phone recharging at Fonk's coffee house. The air was heating up and we knew our road would be shadeless. With the previous day's scorching still evident on our red hides, we put on long pants and thick sunscreen and pushed south 15 miles to Pullman.
There we made an eccentric path through the small town, eating path-side service berries while grappling with our sudden (presumably heat- induced) inability to put map and ground together to gain our intended destination. At the top of a tall, hot hill we finally found Zoe's Underground, and later, Ferdinand's ice cream shoppe. Then we let the heat of the day pass in the grass under tall broadleaf trees.
Leaving town, a quick conversation with another cyclist put us on the right path to Idaho. Smooth and car-free, we rode 7 easy miles east and crossed the state line on a cycle path. In Moscow we picked up a few groceries at the unparalleled Moscow Food Co-op, then headed south towards Lewiston.
At first the road seemed a mistake- medium traffic, a trick shoulder full of bumps, sand, and gravel- but after a few miles 2 lanes widened to a separated four, and the shoulder was a lane in itself: smooth sailing all the way to the bluffs above Lewiston, and the Old Spiral Highway. Like riding a rollercoaster on a bike, the Old Spiral Highway falls two thousand feet in wide, smooth, looping banked curves to the Snake valley floor. After this sunset descent nearly alone (passing only 2 motorcycles and one car) we followed a cycle path upstream Snake to find Hells Gate State Park.

7 comments:

  1. I like that red tire, must be the new one. Is it wearing faster than a black one?

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    1. It is, but probably because its skinnier than my black ones

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  3. The Old Spiral Highway ride sounds like fun! And the ice cream stops must be a highlight after a ride in the heat ;>

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  4. WOW! What a fun road to ride! We were thinking about you with the heat... it's been pretty toasty! Drink lots of water!
    It's nice to see all those bikes at the food co-op :)

    Be safe!

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  5. The view from Lewiston Hill is fab. I bet you guys are enjoying Lolo Pass tonight!
    What's tougher, the cold snow of December or the July heat?
    -Dana

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    1. the current challenge is always the hardest

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