October 11, 2017
to McCall: the final pass
It is a cold morning in Pollock, but fortunately it stays dry to just after we eat our breakfast and take down the tent. A cold rain reminds us how nice it is to have a house with a roof waiting for us tonight in McCall. We start with a long gradual climb along the Little Salmon River, then get into a long and wide valley that leads us to New Meadows. Here we leave the Trans America Trail and turn east on Highway 55 that will take us all the way to Boise. This road is not a particularly good one to cycle. It is beautiful, but there are very narrow shoulders for most of the way and lots of traffic.
It is sad to say, but ever since entering the western states of Montana and Idaho we have noticed aggressive behavior from some drivers towards us, cyclists. It only takes one car or truck out of a thousand to create this impression, but we did not notice it like this in the Southern or Midwestern states. A trucker who really leans on his horn right when he is next to you, or several cars that pass much closer than is safe. People do not seem to want to slow down. Especially pathetic are the pick-up trucks with some kind of amplified exhaust system that shift down to try and create some smoke as they pass. Atri say, "I guess it is time to put the cards back in our spokes to make some noise of our own."
In New Meadows we are sad to see that the local cafe is closed, so instead we have a burger at the A&W at the gas station across the street. Bad choice. Halfway up the climb to McCall Patrick has to hurry into the forest with a roll of toilet paper to lose the burger. After all the places we have eaten with very minor problems this is a reminder to stay careful until we are home.
Our hosts have given us good directions to their beautiful house overlooking the North Fork of the Payette River. We get to choose a bedroom, take a good shower and do our laundry one more time. At dinner time we are joined by a friend who just returned from a bike trip in Finland. Jim and Pam have lots of back country experience, be it skiing, biking or hiking. We have a pleasant evening exchanging stories.
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Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 40,961 km (25,437 miles)
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