A Parade in Kamiah, ID, and a Bear in Lowell, ID

9/2/2006: Day 14, 46.1 miles; Total 532.4 Miles

Today at about 22 miles we made it to Kooskia and the original Trans-Am route still on Route 12. At Kooskia the Clearwater River begins where the North Fork and the Middle Fork of the Clearwater join. We follow the Middle Fork north and east to Lowell, ID, where the Selway River and the Lochsa join to make the middle fork. The flow is less, the canyons just as steep and beautiful but now treed, and the route begins to get steeper as we make our way to Lolo Pass at 8000 feet into Montana in another 100 miles.

Along the way to Lowell, population 23, we had some great adventures. First of all, at Kamiah, population 1700, it was the annual Labor Day Weekend Free BBQ and Parade. We didn’t know it when we entered town so we stopped at the first good size gas station (They are all Texaco’s) and had a Cappuccino and large muffin for 99 cents. We both sat out front in the sun and nearly roasted at 90 degrees. This is funny since the whole 20-mile ride in I was cold and had on extra sleeves and the windbreaker vest. I quickly peeled down to my long sleeve dress white shirt and my reflective safety vest. As we sat I could hear the public address announcing a parade and the free BBQ. I asked the TB to check it out and give a $5 donation for a BBQ chicken dinner for me and started out of town; however, as I went down the street I say this massive crowd lined up for the parade and three kinds of police—state, town, and Nez Perce tribal. It turns out Kamiah is on the Nez Perce Reservation. They had a wonderful parade started off with a local gal singing the national anthem. As so often happens in some many towns when the local star performs, she forgot the words; however, it didn’t bother me or any of the thousand people present and we cheered wildly for her performance. Then they gave an award to the parade announcer for doing the organizing and announcing for so many years. He said, “I have a military retirement, and just got my social security, so if I don’t die I’ll be doing it a long time!” We cheered loudly again and I jumped on the stallion and raced back to the gas station to get the TB to come to the parade. He said he was not interested, but I learned later he thought I had said I was going to be “in” the parade so he went and stood in the sun and saw the whole thing. In actuality, I could have easily been in it and should have been.

I made it about 1 mile out of town Eagles Nest Gifts and Souvenirs. I had been thinking of getting Millie some genuine Nez Perce item. Dave Statler was sitting out front rolling his own cigarettes from Native American Indian Tobacco (from Kentucky!). Dave is a retired fisheries biologist and told me all about the Salmon and the Steelhead that go all the way (m ore than 500 miles) out to the ocean after being born (spawned) in the local waters of small side streams. Some of the Steelhead are “4 Ocean” fish in that they stay four years in the ocean before coming back to the exact spot to spawn their young. Now there are at least half a dozen dams in the way and they still make it back. He says less than 10% make it back. So the state has hatcheries and they come back to the hatchery! He then sold me a necklace for Millie made by his wife, better than the Nez Perce he says. But it looks Indian. He was very proud to show me the flutes he sells. His is 3 feet long, played more like a clarinet, with multiple note finger holes. He played an Indian “Have a Safe Passage” tune for me and I got a picture to prove it.

Later the TB met me at Kooksiakia some 7 more miles down the road. He had seen an accident where a motorcycle and its trailer were in the ditch and ambulances were present. It must have happened just behind me.

At our destination for the day there were no motel rooms and no campsites. But the restaurant/motel owner let us camp in the yard. Some motorcyclists saw a bear across the river and walked right by me as I typed journal to see it. After it swam the river they told me. Now on 2168 miles of Appalachian Trail and 535 miles of Trans America bike ride I have not seen a bear. The TB walked 100 yards to the store and saw it again.

Speaking of the store, Candy the manager let me wash my clothes in the big sink inside the store and I hosed off myself outside using stream water from the hose. The stream hose water smelled better than the city restaurant water. Candy has several grandchildren and a husband who loves to hunt. It is now bear, deer, and elk archery season and her store seemed the center of the activity. They hunters were baiting for bear all with secrete ingredients, but I managed to decipher some of them: grease, donuts, honey, and Cappuccino!

We are now 78 miles from Lolo Pass and our crossing to Montano and Mountain Time zone. We will have gone across one whole time zone! We are at 1400 feet elevation now and Lolo Pass is at 5235. I have some real work ahead of me, and the road gets very narrow with no shoulders. I will be real anxious going down the other side.