Day 11: Salmon to Elk Bend

June 22, 2025

The morning was dark and gloomy. Rain off and on until about 2 PM. Just enough to keep the streets wet all morning. Temperature in the 40s.

I stayed near the motel all morning but did wander a bit in between showers. Most of the motel guests are here for raft trips. I saw several school buses of rafters depart around 9 AM.

Raft tour clients loading up on a cold rainy morning.

I had breakfast at the hotel. A good spread because the hotel is large and somewhat upscale. I left Stagecoach Inn at 11 AM, then pedaled half a mile to the riverside gazebo near downtown. I waited there for a while, then went 2 blocks to have lunch at Junkyard Bistro.

The gazebo is close to an impressive sculpture and fountain. Of course there are salmon in the Salmon river. I see no indications that bears are common in the city of Salmon, but it's an awesome display of public art.

After lunch I went back to the gazebo to wait for the rain to stop. My right cleat wasn't working, and I discovered one bolt was missing. I do carry replacement bolts, so it was easy to repair. I had loose bolts twice earlier during this tour, one on each shoe. Tightened them and all was fine, I thought. This is odd because I have no history of cleat bolt problems, probably haven't had a loose bolt in more than 10 years before this tour.

At various times during the day I stopped to take the occasional picture. I went north of downtown to see the courthouse and Episcopal church. And a bit out of downtown to see the stone Catholic church.

Wally's Cafe and the Owl Club are local landmarks.

The stone Catholic church is getting a new roof.

I finally got on the road at 2:10 PM. Could have started a few minutes earlier if not for the cleat bolt problem. The rain had stopped and the temperature climbed into the 50s. I'm dealing with cold weather while most of the country is suffering from extremely hot weather. I'll take the cold, thank you.

I made a big mistake after leaving downtown Salmon. I missed the right turn to stay on US 93, and continued straight on ID 28. I pedaled 6 uphill miles before crossing the Lemhi river. That told me for sure I'm in the wrong place. I'm supposed to be along the Salmon river. I checked Google maps and confirmed I was on the wrong road, and the only way back to US 93 was to go all the way back to Salmon. No short cut because the route goes around a big mountain.

Today was supposed to be a traveling rest day, but my missed turn added an hour and 20 minutes of work to today's ride. It no longer felt like a traveling rest day.

Going south from Salmon I was surprised to see a recreational path alongside US 93 for about 4 miles, ending at a riverfront state park.

Bike trail for a few miles south of Salmon. No snow on the mountain yesterday.

The ride from Salmon to Elk Bend was quite nice despite the persistent clouds. Traffic is light because it's Sunday. I didn't arrive until 6:50, so the last couple hours had very low traffic. The scenery is nice, the road stays close to the river in a narrow canyon. Farms were squeezed in whenever possible. Almost continuous farms between Salmon and Elk Bend, but only on the one side that has a flat floodplain.

Almost continuous farms between Salmon and Elk Bend.

On days like today I wonder what it would be like on a sunny day, with more vivid colors and more distant mountain views.

Cloud cover decreased gradually in the evening. The periods of sun felt good because the temperature was in the upper 50s.

The multi-day spell of rainy weather is finally ending. But the cold spell is still here. Tonight will be cold.

Dramatic red formations near the Goldbug Hot Spring trailhead.

In Elk Bend I turned off US 93 and crossed the Salmon river on a low creaky bridge. Tonight I'm staying in a glamping tent that is almost a mile off the highway via a rather hilly county road, with some gravel at the end.

Crossing the river in Elk Bend to get to the glamping tent.

At least I get the reward of nice views at the top of the hill. I wonder when that snow arrived, and how soon it will disappear.

Hilltop view half a mile from the glamping tent.

Tonight's home is the Salmon Gypsy Bed and Breakfast in Elk Bend. They have two accommodations, a Gypsy Wagon and a Glamping Tent. I booked in January and the Gypsy Wagon was already reserved. So I reserved the Glamping Tent. It's spacious and has many amenities, but the heat and A/C don't work very well on a single wall tent. 54F inside the tent when I arrived. The heater raised the temperature to 64F. That was the best it could do, and it wasn't windy.

My glamping tent at Salmon Gypsy Bed and Breakfast.

The breakfast part is for real. They supply breakfast and I picked from a long list. I got two types of homemade coffee cake. And breakfast burritos. I asked for breakfast for two since I'm paying for it, and because there are no services in Elk Bend during my two night stay. There is no store, and the restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday. I'm well stocked with non-perishable groceries, though.

Well equipped. Wide view exaggerates depth.

Well stocked with appliances, but no plumbing in the tent.

The tent has a big drinking water bottle dispenser, but no plumbing. The plumbing is outside in a tiny trailer and it's very basic, RV style. Water supply is a tank. Pump the foot pedal to get water out of the sink faucet. I used the toilet and sink but didn't use the shower or turn on the water heater. I didn't miss the shower because I will spend much of tomorrow soaking in hot water.

RV style plumbing in a small trailer nearby.

The Gypsy Wagon has a better river view and is easier to heat and cool. And it's more soundproof than my tent. From my tent I can hear US 93 across the river and local traffic on the county road on my side of the river. I could also hear dogs barking across the river. It got quiet at night.

The Gypsy Wagon was already booked when I reserved in January.

My tent is about 100 feet from the river, with trees obstructing the view. I have to walk out to the river bank to have a good river view. The water is flowing cold and fast.

Salmon river 100 feet from my glamping tent.

Elk Bend has a population of several hundred people scattered along about 5 miles of the Salmon river. I wasn't surprised to see a tall wireless tower. I had reliable Verizon 4G service.

Looking across the river from near the glamping tent. US 93 is across the river.

Today was not long or difficult, but it was somewhat cold and it was supposed to be 12 miles shorter. I'm more tired than I hoped to be, but not suffering. Tomorrow is another easy day and the temperature will be warmer.

Distance: 39.4 miles
Average Speed: 9.5 mph
Ascent/Descent: +954/-604 feet

Today's ride: 39 miles (63 km)
Total: 378 miles (608 km)

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