June 18 New Meadows 47 miles

Mesa Orchards was the largest apple orchard in the US under single ownership, 1400 acres. It stopped operating in 1960; now there isn't an apple tree to be seen.

We hung out for a while in Council. Michele checked out the quilt show. Meanwhile, His Honor Bruce Gardner, mayor of Council, stepped out of his vet practice across the street to chat with us. Council is, of course, home of the World Championship Porcupine Race each July Fourth. His Honor explained the fine points of porcupine racing. Kids capture the contestants in the hills up to 72 hours in advance by popping a trashcan over the porcupine. The spot of capture is flagged so that the rodent may be returned to its original location. Each porcupine rides a separate float in the parade. (Perhaps they get prickly if forced to share a float.) Sponsors may stake up to a couple hundred dollars on a speedy-looking porcupine. The race track is walled with plastic "utility mesh". Nevertheless, a contestant will squirm under the mesh into the crowd from time to time, increasing the excitement, if that is at all possible. The key here is that the porcupine badly wants to find a place to hide. A trashcan looks to a porcupine like a fine place to hide. The race begins by dumping the rodents out of their trashcans onto the course. One handler precedes the porcupine, dragging the trashcan in front of the rodent. The rodent runs for the trashcan. A second handler uses a broom to keep the porcupine focussed on task. You may still be able to get reservations, at least for the qualifying heats.

Two more long climbs this afternoon. I don't think they were all that challenging, but we're worn down and very butt-sore. There's a 3000-foot climb coming up from White Bird to Grangeville. We want to be rested going into it, but we won't reach White Bird tomorrow without a long day. If we don't reach White Bird, it's that much more to pedal before we even start the climb.