July 30, 2001 - Mike and Marilyn's 2001 TranAmerican Bike Tour

 

Lowell to Harpster, Idaho. (37 mi.) Mile 3573

Rainy day along the Clearwater River

It rained most of the night and into this morning, so we dawdled at getting on the road, hoping it would stop. I spent time trying to catch up on the journal, while Mike yakked with the two bicycle tourists, Adam and Chris, who had camped next to us. They started on the east coast when we did, had already made it to the Oregon coast, and were on their way home again. Their mission, R.O.A.D., or Ride for Ocean and Animal Defense, is to raise awareness for Ocean Defense International, as well as promote healthy, drug-free, vegan lifestyles. That means they put away a lot of cereal for breakfast.

Rainy day along the Clearwater

Along the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River

Hazards of bicycle travel: a logging truck passes Mike.

(He is in the yellow rain jacket just ahead of the truck.)

We've spent countless hours on this bike trip yakking with countless people. This has been an interesting part of our experience and taken up much of our time. While hoping for the drizzle to stop, we spent even more time than usual talking to various people; motorcyclists about their road trips and bikes, other cycle tourists (including an Aussie couple with a motor on the wife's bike), and the generous owner of the graphic design shop in Kooskia who let us connect our computer to her phone line.

All this yakking and delay did not change the weather, so we decided to make it a short day and hope for clearer skies tomorrow. Even though we are now on the west side of the Continental Divide for good, our route still involves a lot of mountainous up and down. Someone speculated that Idaho is so mountainous that if pounded flat, it would be the biggest state in the nation.

Right now Mike is yakking with another RVer about our trip here in yet another campground laundromat. It's gray and wet outside. I am hoping the skies will be blue tomorrow..