Day 48: Halfway, OR to Cambridge, ID; I Saw A Bear!

August 18, 2015

Notes:

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2.) Climbing Today: 3,283 ft -- Total So Far; 115,873 ft

3.) Average Speed While Biking Today: 10.6 mph

4.) Mechanical Issues Today: none

5.) Miles Remaining to Canon City: about 1,384

6.) Miles Traveled to Date on This Half of the Journey: 616

7.) Money Found Today: 0

8.) Total Money Found: $0.10 (Will I find enough to buy a cup of coffee?)

I was up at 3:55 this morn, 5 minutes before the alarm. Breakfast consisted of the last piece of leftover pizza and the final breadstick I had carried with me the day before, and juice and yogurt I bought last night at the local store. I had everything ready to be packed and loaded, and was able to roll Harvey out the door shortly before 5:00 am. As you can tell from the elevation profile above, I have another challenging climb late in today's ride. After yesterday’s brutal climb in the heat with no shade, I wanted to reach today’s challenging climb as early as possible.

The smoke is still with me and will be so for 5 or 6 days to come if I understand correctly. It can’t be a good thing to be breathing it, but what are you going to do? Here’s a shot of the landscape as I’m leaving the Halfway area, and the hazy background is the smoke;

View of the Smoke/Haze As I Was Leaving Halfway, OR

I have my telephoto lens on the camera this morning, as the innkeeper last night told me I may see bear in the valleys as I approach Oxbow dam. I didn’t even bother to shoot the deer a couple of miles outside of town, as they are becoming too common. But I did shoot this flock of wild turkey, as well as a closeup of one;

A Flock of Wild Turkeys Paid Me Little Heed

Sunrise just helped to illuminate the smoky haze.

I didn’t see bear near Oxbow Dam, but I did later see these elk;

My path today continues downstream on the Powder River.

The early morning air has actually chilled me a bit as I’m able to move swiftly downstream along the Powder. I stopped at Scotty’s Hell’s Canyon Store for a hot chocolate. Scotty told me that the deer population was actually down as compared to previous years, due to predators including bear, cougars, and wolves. Seems to me that there are plenty of deer. I quickly moved on, wanting to take advantage of the cool conditions before the sun started cooking things. The Snake River and Powder River coalesced, and I was now traveling upstream along the Snake.

The Snake River is Peaceful In The Still Morning

It’s quite calm this morning, and the water is perfectly smooth. I relented and decided to shoot another deer picture.

And I came upon a tree full of these birds. Are they cormorants, or some type of crane, or ? (Update; identified as Double-Crested Cormorants by Winifred Homer-Smith)

The Tree Was Crowded With These Birds (I was later told they are Double-Crested Cormorants)

What Birds are These? (see Guestbook entry; I was later told they are Double-Crested Cormorants)

Igneous dikes make the geology interesting.

Igneous Dike. Geology, It Would Seem, is Everywhere.

I continued to travel beside the Snake.

My Path Continues Upstream Along the Snake River

Eventually, when I was able to cross the Snake River I reached Idaho!

Idaho! Oregon was Great, But I'm Ready to Roll Across a New State

I had been in Oregon for 10 days and 585 miles now, and was ready to move on. Oregon was great; the people, the country itself, it was a wonderful experience. But Oregon was also challenging; there were hard climbs, extreme heat, and forest fire smoke to contend with. Oregon in general is a bike-friendly state, and I certainly liked that. But now I'm rolling in Idaho, where my challenges and concerns are much the same as they were in Oregon; hard climbs, extreme heat requiring me to carry lots of water to be safe, and forest fire smoke. I will just have to deal with each day one at a time; how else can it be? I encountered this sign;

Must be Careful; I Don't Think I'd Win a Cow/Bike Collision

So I guess I had better beware of livestock on the roadway as well. I cycled the entire state of Oregon without using my granny gear. I climbed McKenzie Pass, and Dixie and Tipton and Sumpter Passes, all without using the granny gear. But as soon as I entered Idaho I encountered a steep climb and needed the granny. I’m learning to enjoy each day’s ride now and live in the moment. It’s difficult to let go and do that when you are concerned about road closures and smoke due to the fires, but I can’t control those things, so I just have to learn to let them go. I’m now cycling past Brownlee Dam. Here are a couple of shots;

And here’s a shot of some rockfall protection to protect the powerplant below;

Rockfall Protection for the Turbine Generators Far Below

Turns out that Idaho has history. Here’s a dab regarding the Seven Devil’s Mine and the Brownlee Ferry;

Transportation Problems Plagued The Early History of This Rugged Terrain

I went through hell today. Well, I cycled through the Hell’s Canyon area anyway. The Highway to Hell has to lead somewhere, and it seems that it leads one to the Gates of Hell.

The Gateway to Hell; Isn't This Supposed to be Guarded by a Large Dog?

The Gateway restaurant serves up a good breakfast, and I was ready for it when I got there. The restaurant is located right at the base of a 7-mile long climb with 2,000 feet of elevation gain, so I wanted to be fueled up before I attempted it. Leaving the restaurant, I settled into “serious” mode and started tackling the climb one small bite at a time. Actually, I tackled it 1 mile at a time, stopping to rest a minute after each mile and taking one off-bike 10 minute break along the way. The climb was every bit as steep as yesterday’s, but it wasn’t as exposed and that made a huge difference. I was able to find some shade for all of my stops. The big Ponderosa Pines growing beside the road were much appreciated. I finally reached the summit, but there was no sign proclaiming it.

There was no Summit Sign, but Brownlee Summit was a Hard Climb

After a brief rest at the top, I commenced enjoying the nice downhill run towards Cambridge. I haven’t seen another cyclist for 2 days now, so when I saw Mike I hauled it down so we could chat.

Mike was heading west and hasn’t seen other cyclists headed east for some time now, so that confirms my suspicion that this will continue to be a solitary trip for me. He gave me some unsettling news; I will likely be in smoke that’s heavier than what we are now in for another 5 days or so, until I crest Lolo Pass and reach Montana. The Idaho valleys are filled with smoke and the fires are still burning, so no relief is expected for a while. Mike has just come through it, and advises me to just push on; after all, things may not improve if I wait. The prospect of breathing smoky air is not a pleasant one, but that’s what everyone in Idaho is doing right now. Unless you have seen it, it’s hard to conceive of the magnitude of these forest fires. Oh well then – it’s out of my control and I do want to get through the smoke, so I’m going to push ahead. I'm pushing ahead today traveling through the Payette National Forest;

Leaving Mike, as I was heading downhill I saw a bear in the valley below and quickly brought Harvey to a halt. I had changed from the telephoto lens to my normal lens after midday and I didn't expect to encounter wildlife this late in the day. I needed the telephoto lens for a good shot and was trying to get it ready, but the bear spotted me and hightailed it back into the safety of the forest. All I had time to do was capture him with a quick shot using the normal lens, but it’s very grainy and this is the best I got;

Bear! But I Had Given Up Spotting Wildlife Today and Already Removed the Telephoto Lens

That’s the bear in the middle of the picture. Really it is; trust me, that dark smudge really is a bear. I arrived in Cambridge and checked into Bucky’s Motel, showered, and am writing this at the laundromat as my clothes dry. I lost an hour due to the time change to Mountain Time, so it’s going to be hard to get up early tomorrow. Good night all…

Today's ride: 57 miles (92 km)
Total: 2,913 miles (4,688 km)

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