June 17 Cambridge, Idaho, 58 miles 5:57 riding

Yippee-ay-a! East along Pine Creek, we encounter three cowpokes herding about a hundred head along the highway. This is open range country. You hit a cow with your car, you bought the cow. (You hit a cow with your bike, you get laughed at.) Farther along, near Oxbow, we found the Idaho classic car club stopped at a remote gas station with just one pump. Eighty beautiful old cars. In Oregon, by law, only the gas station operator may pump the gas. The car club is probably still there, waiting for the last car to be filled. There were two flatbed trucks to pick up any classic cars that give up. How I long for the same for me.

The Snake River is contained by a series of dams along the Oregon-Idaho border. Short, very steep climbs to the level of each dam, followed by a more level stretch beside each reservoir. We finally cross a bridge into Idaho and then grind up 2000 feet through a lovely valley. It would be an exaggeration to say that we coasted the last fifteen miles down to Cambridge, Idaho, without turning the crank, but not by much.

Chicken-fried steak and cherry pie for dinner. We earned it!