Cambridge, ID to Halfway, OR

Miles: 60.4
Total miles: 716.8
Climbing: 3690’

Haha! surprised you didn't I. I did not think I would have internet tonight but I do. I may not get the pictures up but I will try.

It was very windy this morning, a straight-on headwind. There were rainclouds, blue sky, rain drops, and a rainbow at various times. I put on my raingear when I was sure that we were going to get hammered by rain, and it was literally in the field next to me but I did not get wet. I guess because I put on the rain jacket five minutes earlier! Later on, up the road, it had obviously poured rain as there were puddles and water running down the road, but it did not rain on us. Good karma. It was cool enough at the start for a long sleeve jersey, socks, and tights. For 16 miles, we struggled against the wind. It probably added about 2000 calories to my daiy. (I hope so, as I had fried onion rings for lunch!) Several people gave up and rode the van. It was definitely a very hard ride.

The beginning of the climb up to the pass with no name

Karen, today's SAG driver "dressing up".

At the top of the pass, we were at 4131’. From there we had the most glorious ride into Hell’s Canyon. It was 7 miles of downhill at 7% grade.

The beginning of our descent into Hell's Canyon

Anne on the descent

I had to stop several times, not for the speed but for the beauty of the canyon and scenery. Hell’s Canyon, at its deepest is nearly 8000’ deep. I felt very small today going down into the depths of that canyon! Several locals told us how lucky we were as it is usually 110° there in August. We had jackets, though by the time I got to the bottom I had my tights off but my jacket still on (as a vest).

Many of us made a stop at the café at the bottom and the line of bicycles was a sight to see!

Parked bikes=food or shops nearby!

I did not eat there as it was too early. Later, our little ride group stopped at a roadside park and then helped one of our riders change her tire, twice. Long story! Soon, we were all back on the road. The original four had decided to ride up the canyon further than the cue sheet turn so that we could possibly see some rapids on the Snake River but after about 2 miles, we realized that the scenery was mostly the same so we turned around. By that time, we had crossed from ID to OR to ID to OR. ...worth an extra margarita tonight.

Barb K crossing from Idaho back into Oregon...they don't want to make it easy!

There were many birds today, hawks, an osprey with a nest on top of an electric pole, a flock of turkeys, and a covey of quail. I also saw a mule deer buck and several flat snakes. Several people have seen eagles in the past week but I have not seen one.

The Snake River was very large, but not as wide as the Columbia. There were unsuccessful attempts to mine gold there. It is now a tourist attraction, with boating, fishing, and rafting. Although I wanted to see some of the whitewater, there was no way to cycle far enough into the area to see it! There were many raft companies willing to drive you there, however!

Brownlee Reservoir, our first view of the Snake River

Snake River (dammed above Brownlee Dam

Snake River below Brownlee Dam

Snake River

I did see a very nice flower which I later identified using a wildflower book that I gave to WomanTours after my Southern Tier trip. It was a Blazing Star and such a beautiful flower! It was growing in the most inhospitable location in rocks and hardly any soil and so dry!

Blazing Star

We finally started for Halfway, OR after crossing the river on a bridge from Idaho. Halfway was named because it was halfway between Cornucopia and Pine. They have a population of 337. We have been staying in some really big cities!!! The town actually changed its name to Half.com during the internet craze of the late 1990’s but it remains halfway to us, halfway through our trip!

Pine Valley Presbyterian Church in Halfway, OR

This one is for Ben

Tomorrow we are off to Baker City, OR and will be in Oregon for the rest of our trip.