The day started with a steady climb up over Alpowa Summit and the decent was steep and a lot of fun.
Eventually I dropped down to the Snake River and rode along it towards the state line. Along the way, there were beautiful basalt pillar rock formations. I crossed the Snake River at Clarkston, Washington into Lewiston, Idaho. My third state!
NI MH POO means “The People” in the Nez Perce language and is what they call themselves. I circled back to take this picture I love the way the grain from the plywood is showing through a bit and the sentiment.
The road out of Lewiston had a fair amount of traffic but when I turned at Culdesac, Idaho onto the Old Winchester Grade traffic dropped to near nothing but the grade didn’t. I think only 6 cars past me on the 8 mile, 2000+ foot climb. It had 2-7% grades and was worth it but hard to have at the end of a 75 mile day.
I kept coming around switchbacks and seeing another hill, it seemed like it went on forever. Then I saw a microwave antenna and hoped they put it at the top. They did. I still had a few miles to get to Winchester State Park and set up camp. I think it was after 6:00 when I was talking to the person at the entrance booth of the state park and she told me a campsite with no hook ups was going to be $44, they explained they have higher weekend rates. I had been spoiled by Oregon and Washington’s “Hiker/ Biker campsites that were never more than $10 but I was ready to be done with the day and not wandering down the road looking for a place to flop my tent down and hope to not be run off. So I ponied up the money and went to work setting up camp.
Slow and Steady 
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