Quiet night @ the airport. I stowed my sleeping rig and left b4 b-fast. I read a sign that said smokejumpers. They jump out of like a Dehavilland or Otter, gone are the days of the DC3 or Boeing 247 planes.
I found an abondoned piece of rd off rt 95 for bfast. As I pulled onto the highway an ISP followed me a ways as I drove @ normal tourist speeds. He passed me then way up the road turned around.
Drive took me to White Bird Summit followed by almost 3,000′ drop down to the Salmon river, The road snaked above the Salmon until Riggins. Quite the scenery going up river.
Final stretch was Idaho rt 55 to McCall on Payette Lake. Over the years I have either visited or passed thru here. I used to race the WIM series @ Brundage ski area, home of a cross country downhill trail named the Elk that was miles long just working its way down to the base. I parked in Paul’s grocery store parking lot then walked the town. I found Gravity Sports, the small part time bike shop, and picked up info on this weekend’s IMBA visit led by Steve and Morgan from IMBA trail care crew.
Took a rest day today.
US 95 is Idaho’s only north south road. On this trip I have driven from Sandpoint now to New Meadows. 2 lane for most part. You don’t make time if you are in a hurry. Pretty and scenic.
I will stay just outside of town @ Bear Meadows which is out of internet service but close in. McCall bans street parking for snow removal at night. No snow now but won’t sleep on street. McCall sits @ 5000′.
There is a smoke jumper base here.
So here is a shit sandwich: Loon Lake is an IMBA epic, most of the trail is open for dirt bikes and ATVs. Go figure. Much of the area burned a few years ago and the trails have been reconstructed, the original might have banned ATVs. Perhaps. Might ride it tomorrow then soak @ Burgdorf hot springs.
Chris Lesser solicited bike shop recommendations from me some time ago for an article he was working on for Bicycling Mag. The results are on the news stand. Just several of my recommendations made the list, most notably is Bike and Bean in Sedona. Most of the shops are in big cities, missing is the funky Dahlonega, GA shop w/ a cooler for rider supplied adult beverages where I got my first taste of moonshine, Sycamore cycles in Brevard, NC w/ the work stands enclosed in a spectators’ circle and good ol’ boy owner Wes, and Tommy Reagh’s Trailhead in Huntsville, AL w/ the runt crit in store races. I favor the out of the way small town mtn bike shops, he went big city. Several of my recommendations made the top 100 list like Chile Pepper in Moab and Freeze Thaw in State College, PA.
My left big toe is not flexing correctly caused by a stuck throttle cable on a 250cc WR Huskie dirt bike that stuck as I was weaving my way between trees. I could not make the turn at that speed but my left foot smashed between the bike and a tree slid me thru. I raced 250cc enduros and harescrambles back in 1976 last year. 35 years later and maybe arthritis is settling in. The toe will not allow me to rock forward which causes a limp that will throw more things ajar.
Drove out to Bear Meadows and saw that the “access” back off the road has been gated. Went north a little ways found nothing. I remembered a spot off another road. I checked it out: recent logging operation and the road surface was like railroad ballast. I stuck it out to find the first spot. Won’t drive this road again. Bummer but I remember the spider web of double tracks and camps scattered about. Some nice spots. I even slithered my van back in there. And the parking area has been roughly bulldozed such that i couldn’t find a level spot.
Tomorrow I will ride from here up the road to descend a ST back down. I believe I rode this previously on past visits. Good grunt up a logging road to almost the top of Brundage mtn & the Elk. Finish reward will be a soak in Burgdorf hot springs and camp out there to ride Loon Lake Thurs.