It rained all night. I was nervous expecting rain to follow me on this day. It was as overcast as it was yesterday but still warm. I could sense it was rainclouds overhead and not smoke blotting out the sky. I tried to ride out to another scenic overlook of Hells canyon near the hotel I stayed at, however I was warned about how slick this particular road gets under wet conditions so I gave in after 4 miles of sliding around. I smoked a joint and got back on the highway. Oregon bound.
A slow drizzle broke way to a full downpour shortly after I got underway. The first and only time I got caught in rain this whole trip. I could see the rain off in the distance miles before I rode into it. The goggles made it bearable plus the fact the weather wasn’t too cold.
The rain would wane and then return over and over as the miles clicked by. Soon the rain slowed and eventually stopped all together. As the drizzle subsided I could see a dark ominous cloud dead ahead. Within seconds I was closing in on the cloud and could see it wasn’t just hanging over the road it was on the road. A delicious sense of calm overcame me and yet butterflies fluttered in my stomach in the most comfortable way. It was dark as night suddenly but strangely the next few seconds were the driest patch I experienced all morning. I was inside the cloud as it hung over the road. Dry as a bone surrounded by humidity. Without warning I broke through to the other side of the cloud and was greeted with dazzling bright sunshine which I couldn’t see at all before entering the cloud. In fact this was the first sunlight I saw this day. How was such a thing possible?! It was a glorious moment that brought tears streaming down my face. Grateful to have lived through this cliche metaphor so corny even I couldn’t have made it up. It didn’t last long as I found myself back in the rain moments later. That too would dissipate and within 10 minutes my clothes were completely dry. Windswept winding my way along what I think was the Payette River although it could have been the Salmon River? Screaming my head off. The most memorable and life affirming moment of the whole trip.
Pretty much every experience I’ve ever had in Lewiston, Idaho has been bad. What a shit hole. Either I’m honked at and flanked by punk asses in jeeps or I end up eating a diarrhea inducing shit sandwich. I was starved by the time I reached Lewiston so against my better judgement I stopped for food and drink opting for a corporate sandwich joint which seemed the least threatening option I could find from the highway. On the way out of town I spied a sign touting huckleberry shakes from the local burger dive which I couldn’t pass up. It was the first good experience I can recall from Lewiston, so I beat it the hell out of there as fast as I could before the citizenry could fuck it up.
I will say this, all roads leading out of Lewiston are majestic. I love that road to Enterprise. It’s volcanic, mountainous, and motivating. There’s a odd road just as you’re leaving Lewiston which follows the river along high desert foliage. It’s trashy looking like the kind of river you’d think would run through Las Vegas if such a thing were possible. Even a sight like that is wonderfully relaxing, watching people engaging in recreation of every sort on the water in these last days of Summer so soon after being caught in the rain That climb from Lewiston taking you up to Oregon is something special every single fucking time. I love it so much. Another great reason to pas through Lewiston. So I shouldn’t talk so much shit about the place. Maybe I’ll end up living in that shithole knowing it’s got so many places worth seeing right next to it.
There’s only so many roads leading to Portland, so you tend to see the same places over and over riding in the NW. Thankfully, most of these places are stunning to behold. At this point it’s clear the trip is winding down. I’m a bit sad but also weary from the road. I hoped to eat at Haines Steakhouse which has become a bit of tradition for me as I ride through these parts. Instead I got a room in La Grande.
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