Lewiston to Orofino, Idaho. Monday, May 27, 2024.
Astute readers of this blog will recall I’ve used this line before, for Highway 41 in “The ultimate hypotenuse” post in Michigan on 5/30/21.
The US highway system is the forgotten stepchild of American road building, largely subsumed into the interstate system, only a few remain intact in our imagination, like Route 1 down the East Coast. The legendary Route 66, Steinbeck’s Mother Road, is mostly gone. Route 20, from Boston to Newport Oregon, is the longest road in the United States.
Route 12 is still with us, stretching from Aberdeen, Washington to Detroit,
it has been my companion since Wallula Gap. It has generally behaved itself, with wide, reasonably smooth shoulders, but 10 miles east of Lewiston those vanished. I’d been forewarned, and thankfully today was Memorial Day, so truck traffic was minimal, but constant attention to the rearview mirror kept me from photographing the beautiful scenery I was riding through, along the Clearwater River, which had carved a minor canyon for itself.
I did get a shot of a stereotypical Expedition statuary, with Clark, Sacagawea, and Lewis planning their route,
and a photo of my campsite along the Clearwater at the end,
but that’s it, folks. Sorry.
The saddle saga continues. My makeshift rail splice remained intact, but the tension bolt broke, I only have a couple of replacements. What we’ll do for a comfortable place to park your keister.
At least the weather was nice.
Distance 44 miles, 1,072 total. Time 7 hours with stops. Elevation gain 1,216 feet
©️ 2024 Scott Luria
The Ends of the Earth 