The time zone may have changed, but the curves just kept coming as we followed Route 12 across Idaho. Route 12 snakes alongside the Clearwater River, a raging, boiling river that Louis and Clark Expedition traversed in dugout canoes to the Pacific.

Dark Meat and I set off that morning much like Meriwether and William did back in 1805, except our expedition packed iPhones and iPods, GPS, a SPOT satellite tracker, and, of course, high horsepower motorcycles, making our voyage through Idaho last a few pleasant hours instead of several starvation filled months.

We stopped to watch some brave souls white water rafting the Clearwater.

There’s a fine line between brave and foolish. In white water rafting, that line is pretty much the boat. Inside, you’re brave, but get thrown out of the boat into the rapids, and… well…

Safe on shore, we spectated as some real life white water drama unfolded.

Up Shit Creek, But With A Paddle

The guy in the kayak came up the bank of the Clearwater, soaking wet, cold and tired looking. “You guys see another one in the water? We had two swimmers go over back there. One’s still missing.”

With Abi documenting the unfolding mini-drama, I jumped on Rain Cloud Follows to ride upriver and help look for their missing swimmer.

I didn’t get very far when the second swimmer crawled up the bank.

With the excitement quota for the day met, we stopped for lunch in the tiny town of Lowell. Evidently the tiny town recently became even tinier, as one of the residents must have moved away, or fell out of a white water raft, never to be seen again.

The remainder of Route 12 did not disappoint. And, by following this road to the border, we were able to sneak into Washington for a few miles, adding one more picture to the completely meaningless collection of Bikes ‘n Border Signs snapshots.

The Evergreen State’s Highway 129 also did not disappoint; in fact, it was kind of a shock. This road, which quickly led to the border of Oregon, was yet another series of fast sweeping curves snaking up and down through some very sparsely populated, very scenic Pacific Northwest evergreens.

The road led more-or-less directly to 1.5 square mile city of Enterprise, Oregon.

At dinner, we debated the next day’s route. According to the map, the road through Hells Canyon include some unpaved roads. On this trip, unpaved roads equal dissent. The alternate route, adding several hundred additional paved miles was briefly discussed. Yeah, the long days in close proximity, both at work and on the road, obviously were starting to take a toll on both of us. Discord ruled.

WWLCD? (What Would Lewis and Clark Do?)

I imagine Lewis would kick Clark’s ass for being a pussy then take the dirt road. Instead, before resolving anything, we ended up poisoning ourselves with some home made Mexican hot sauce. Dark Meat went back to the motel to suffer mightily, while I walked to a local bar in search of some hot sauce quenching, and some valuable local information.

I sat down next to an alcohol-soaked patron named Steve. Steve, a lifelong resident of Enterprise had never even heard of Hells Canyon. Great.

Steve clearly had his own agenda. “So, Rhode Island,” he slurred, “Do you hunt?” he asked me.

“Err, no.”

“Shame on you!” A three-beer long lecture followed about Steve’s hunting prowess. I have nothing against hunting, but I wanted to know about dirt roads, not mule deer. It was clear that I wasn’t going to get any information about the route, so, still uncertain about the next day’s route, I suddenly toasted the Best Day Ever with a confused Steve, then, with the end of the ride only one more post away, wisely called it a night.

For The Love Of God, Wrap It Up Already! Click Here For the Conclusion!

Author: frenchy

One Response to “All Good Things… Almost There!”

1. Lori Calabrese says:

   June 16, 2009 at 6:42 PM

   That would definitely be enough drama for me! Won't see me white-water rafting anytime soon, although it looks like a blast! 🙂

   Cool pics!
   Lori
   http://www.loricalabrese.com

   Reply