Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Time to Head East



Well, I never like heading east for some reason, but on this ocassion, I was looking forward to seeing some new territory. I have been all over the west a number of times, but for some reason, I have never been to the Bitterroot Mountains of northern Idaho. Traveling through Eastern Oregon is really pretty, but it is not what most people think of when they think of the green forests of Oregon. They are along the coast and eastern Oregon can best be described as Bonanza country. I know I am dating myself, but that is what it looks like. I kept thinking I was going to run into Pa, Luke or Hoss at the next gas stop. This is "high desert" but there are the widely spaced Ponderosa Pines that give off the most distinctive and refreshing odor. Only on a motorcycle or a bicycle do you experience the smells of the area you are transiting. For some reason, riding in a car just does not allow you to feel and smell the surroundings. I eventually ended up in the Bitterroots and found my way to this campsite along the Little Salmon River in Riggins, ID. The canyons are about 1,500 feet deep with this wide, but fast moving river running through. Riggins is one of the hot spots for raft trips and you see all the equipment all over the place. In talking to the owner of the campground he informed me that there is several hundres miles of navigable river here, with some of it passing through "primitave areas" where there is no road access for nearly a hundred miles. Better not forget to pack a lunch here. My campsite was on the banks of the river and when I learned that there was a $3.00 fee to take a shower, I headed for the river with my soap. I have a hard time paying for a few gallons of water when millions of gallons are flowing right by my tent. After my bath, I spent the rest of the evening sitting on a folding chair in about 3 feet of slow moving water and just watched the shadows as the sun set over the rim around me. No cell or internet service here, so I was out of touch for awhile and this the blog suffered. Life was very good except for the wind that kept wanting to blow me and my tent into the river all night. No fear, I weigh just enough to keep that from happening. :-) Well maybe a little bit more than just enough! I never could figure out where the wind was coming from as this canyon was narrow and the rim towered above me in every direction. Beautiful place.

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