Day 53 - Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Pollock to Cambridge, ID (Water Tower Park)

Ride length: 72.8 miles (117.2 km)
Total to date: 3567.78 miles (5741.8 km)
Moving time: 6 hr 11 min.
Average Speed: 11.8 mph (19.0 km/hr)
Total ascent: 2432 ft. (741.3 m)
Minimum elevation: 2244 ft. (684.0 m)
Maximum elevation: 4180
ft. (1274.1 m)
Ending elevation: 2672 ft. (814.4 m)
Wind: No wind until 10 miles before New Meadows where a 10 mph tailwind kicked in until New Meadows. Cross and headwinds the rest of the way (10 mph)..
Weather: 60°F (16°C) in the morning; got up to 85°F (29°C) by end of ride at 1:00pm. Mostly sunny.

Joe and I got up early this morning and had breakfast at the lodge with the two guys we had dinner with last night. They were headed out on a five day float trip down the Salmon River and we were ready for another day on the road. Breakfast was served by the owner's kids and was very hearty. We were on the road by 7:00am and ready to tackle the 2000 foot climb ahead. Getting an early start was key to our successful day.

The picture to the right is of a waterfall that runs into the Salmon River about 15 miles south of Pollock.

It didn't get nearly as hot today as it did yesterday but the dry wind did blow in my face again.

There was a late day climb out of Council onto a mesa where the landscape changed once again. Below are some pictures taken from the mesa area.

I saw my first Idaho potato field today. It was a small, family operation just outside of Cambridge. I was afraid that I would be in Oregon before seeing some potatoes.

Cambridge is hosting the Washington County fair this week so things are a little hectic in town. This is a very sparsely populated county so the fair is a purely agricultural fair with no midway or bevy of greasy food stands. This being the case, the motels and campgrounds are full of people in town for the festivities. We got showers and did laundry at the campground and then Joe and I went to the water tower park to camp for the night in peace. The campground owner told us that the 4-H and FFA kids stay up pretty late at night so the park will probably be the best choice.

On to Oregon tomorrow!

Food: 4 sausage links, 4 pancakes with syrup, 1 over hard egg, fried potatoes, slice of cantelope, 10 oz. coffee with cream & sugar, 10 oz. orange juice, 56 oz. Sierra Mist (700 Cal.), grilled chicken club sandwich at A&W, Hostess apple pie (480 Cal.), sugar cookies (525 Cal.), 24 oz. orange Slice, 2 nutty buddys (420 Cal.), 1/2 lb pasta with sauce and cheese

Lodging: $2.00 for shower