Troy Summit - Northwest passages: riding out the storm - CycleBlaze

May 3, 2020

Troy Summit

Today we have something to celebrate: the return of the full length video!  Hurrah!!  John Day was great in many ways, but it was really wearing on our patience by the end to sit and watch photos v-e-r-y slowly upload; to be limited to about 30 second video clips, barely long enough for you to get in the mood; and especially, to be unable to stream miniseries episodes or late show monologues without frequent interruption when the download stalled.

So, in celebration, let’s start with a look at today’s ride.  Also, be watching for signs of updates to older posts from John Day.  On one of these rainy days Rachael will go back and update them to swap in the full length video that she couldn’t upload at the time.

Video sound track: Air, by Jesse Cook

And, let’s take a minute to celebrate the fact that we’re staying in another comfortable, quite acceptable living space this month.  We got quite spoiled by the vast estate we could really spread out in last month, but after a couple of days to settle in here we can report that our basement flat in Pullman is just fine too.  And, it comes with one of the most comfortable pieces of lounge furniture we’ve seen - a recliner built for two.  Very cozy!

Very nice.
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Today’s ride is probably the most popular outing for bikers here: the paved Bill Chipman trail runs eight miles east from Pullman to Troy; then seamlessly morphs into the Paradise Path as it passes through Moscow and across the University of Idaho campus; and finally becomes the Latah Trail as it continues east to Troy.  Taken as a whole, it’s a continuous paved interstate cycle path that extends roughly 22 miles east of Pullman, carrying you to the eastern edge of the prairie and the beginnings of the pine forest.  Separated from traffic, reasonably flat, it’s a fine resource for both university towns, suitable for families.

And, this being the Palouse, it’s spectacular.

It’s dry but cold today, and quite windy.  We shelter in place in our new home until mid-afternoon, waiting for the most promising window for a ride.  When we finally step outside at about 2 it has warmed up to the low fifties and the wind has died down to a manageable 15 mph.  It’s blowing from the west, so we’ll get a nice shove to start out.  Our hope is that it will abate a bit by the time we turn back.  

We have a pretty modest ride in mind for the day.  It’s an out and back, so we’ll just go as far as we feel like and turn around.  Not feeling too ambitious, we’re thinking perhaps 30 miles.  The ride is really pleasant though, the tailwind makes us feel strong, and we just block from our minds what we’ll feel like when pushing into the wind on the return.  We just keep going, finally turning back a mile short of Troy, when we come to a ‘Summit’ before the trail drops a few hundred feet in its final mile.  

Leaving Pullman, eastbound on the Bill Chipman Trail.
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Ron SuchanekI worked for a guy named Bill Chipman when I was in high school. Something tells me they didn't name this trail after him...
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4 years ago
It’s really a beautiful day for a ride, with the broken clouds throwing their shadows across the fields and hills.
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On the Bill Chipman Trail.
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Passing through Wilson. Wilson? It’s not even on the map. Maybe there was a train stop here at one time.
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New state! Don’t tell the GBO though - he’ll be hurt that we didn’t let him out for a quick peek.
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Jen RahnI won't say a word!

I'm sure he'll have another opportunity to see the state whose motto is, "Esto perpetua".
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4 years ago
Leaving the outskirts of Moscow, on the Paradise Path.
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A colorful camas meadow, east of Moscow.
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Bill ShaneyfeltBlue flowers, ok, you can eat their roots.
https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_caqub2.pdf
But not the smaller less showy white flowered death camas!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicoscordion_venenosum
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4 years ago
East of Moscow, the land becomes more contoured. The trail rolls a bit, but nothing that a kid starting out with training wheels couldn’t manage.
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A roadside panel gives us our geology lesson for the day. How to build a Palouse: start with a few thousand feet of basalt, and then strew a liberal layer of loess across the top.
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The view from the Latah Trail.
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The view from the Latah Trail.
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Barn of the day: a candy striper!
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Eastbound on the Latah Trail. The skies look a bit menacing ahead, but conditions are fine on the road.
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The view from the Latah Trail. As we continue east the land gradually transitions. We’re starting to break away from the prairie and ease into the forest.
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Summit! We didn’t realize we were on a mountain climb when we set out, and barely noticed the ascent. It must have been that strong tailwind.
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Well, here’s a big surprise! Suddenly it’s windy and the fun is over. Twenty miles from home, we’ve got our work cut out for ourselves.
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Ride stats today: 44 miles, 1,000’

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Comment on this entry Comment 5
Jen RahnBeautiful!!

Not sure if it's just me, but the video didn't work. I just saw a generic Vimeo screen with the "I'm not a robot" check box. And when I checked the box .. it was replaced with blank space.
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4 years ago
Jen RahnIt was just me! Re-started the phone and works fine now. Love seeing the little girl riding her bike in front of you. Looks like she's racing to catch up with Scott.

And such beautiful country you're riding through!!
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4 years ago
Rachael AndersonTo Jen RahnGlad to hear it worked. I couldn’t believe how fast the little girl went up the hill. She was so cute! It was fun riding and seeing people at a safe distance.
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4 years ago
Zelda MekA perfect family ride spot. Glad you can enjoy it.
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4 years ago
Ron SuchanekI'm gonna have to spend some time in this area.
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4 years ago