Day 19 & 20 - Finally Kooskia

Start: Grangeville

End: Kooskia ID

Distance: 24 miles

Elevation: 734 ft

Tooks a rest in Grangeville yesterday and it turns out to be one of the best decisions. Last night amazing rain storm rolled into the area. It rained so hard that the hotel had 2 rooms flood (luckily not my room). I just thought that if I was in my tent I would not have lasted long and all of my stuff would have been drenched.

Today’s priority was to get a new back tire bought and delivered today. My back tire was getting thin, to thin to trust it for the next 140 miles to Missoula MT anyway. I met a kind man named Daniel in White Bird RV park Friday of last week, who was willing to pick up tire, tubes in Lewiston (his home 61 miles away) and deliver it to me in GrangeVille. I was amazed that he would do that for me a stranger, but Monday morning he DID!! The new tire is on and I have confidence the tire will last. I wish I got a picture of Daniel but I did not. 

After a lunch with Daniel, I headed out for a fairly easy ride of 2+ hours in a brisk 55 degrees. It was glorious. Beautiful day, and huge yellow mustard fields in bloom. Riding was rolling hills through the green wheat fields and mustard fields. In this part of Idaho, the farming is done on the tops of the hills mountains, so the draws are forested as they go down the mountain side.

Then came Old Sites Stage Road. It was steep and Sketchy to ride down. Riding up would have been a nightmare. In a two or three miles I dumped 2000 plus feet to arrive at the Clearwater river and then the town of Kooskia. I bought food supplies for the next leg of the journey. 

Next leg is going to be 140 plus miles without any food, grocery stores, or cell phone service. I will have to carry and cook all of my food during this traverse through the Nez Pierce National forest. I am planning on it taking me three days, two nights before I reach the town of Lolo MT.