May 27, 2026
Today started late yesterday. I’d gone to bed and woke up at my usual time, 11:20 pm and it seemed very bight out. I looked outside and there was 3/4 moon and the sky was clear and it looked like dusk. I shot a few photos. These are all under moonlight, no flash or other light.
I got back to sleep and woke up at my usual time, 5:30am, and slowly got up and going. I pulled on my sweats, knit hat, and running shoes and headed out for the morning walk. This is the best way to loosen up. I headed up to the parking lots and then to the main entry for a photo.
Then I heard the train coming and I ran down to the riverside to grab a video of it going by. The sound is almost deafening and is composed of a combination of clanking and roaring. I like it.
I wanted to explore a trail I saw at the far end of the walk-in campground. It’s marked as “No Motorized Vehicles” and something about soil conservation. I walked along until it ended, turned around and went down another trail that led to the riverside. It opened onto a fairly wide area and followed the river for maybe 200-300 yards. I stopped to take a photo of a deer.
The trails ends at a big tree.
I turned around and hiked back up and followed the “road” back to my camp. Evidently, this area was used as a dispersed area and people made paths and roads wherever. The BLM is trying to reclaim all that and this area is currently available for camping but only on a walk-in basis. Signage indicated that they are in the process of planning a study to see how best to make this area available again.
When I got back I shot one more photo of my camping area.
I really like this campground, especially compared to the 5 others in the canyon. While there are only 6 sites pull-in sites, there are a dozen walk-ins. 3 of the pull-in sites back up to trees and the others are in the open. I’m usually in the open sites as the others are taken but I don’t mind that at all. I’m only here for one night.
I got packed up and hit the road by 8:30, which is my usual departure time. I don’t plan that, it’s just the way it works out. After my hike, I make breakfast (overnight oatmeal and cocoa), start packing, took down the tent, and, hopefully, do the daily checklist before leaving.
That checklist starts with a walk around to see if I have left anything and to pickup trash others might have left behind. Once everything is secured on the bike:
- tie my hair back
- insert the earplugs
- Reset the trip odometer
- Clean the dashcam cameras
- Get the electronics in synch
- Get the music loaded on the phone
- Adjust the volume
- Boot up the Cardo
- Set the destination in than nav app
I am probably forgetting something. I need a pilot’s checklist in the top of my tank bag.
The electronics thing is a PITA but the benefits are worth it. The problem I am having is getting the head unit on my dashcam system to synch with CarPlay. I think that there is a set workflow but I haven’t got it dialed in yet. What I want is for the map to show on the head unit screen with prompts as to how far to the next turn, time of arrival, and miles to go. Yes, I have ridden for years without all that but when it works, it’s pretty handy. Even when it doesn’t, I can still hear the voiced instructions in my headphones so there is that.
Here’s a photo of the head unit mounted between the handlebars.
I think the issue is that the head unit and phone need to be in synch and they tend to fight over who is in charge. The head unit has an internal WiFi server that I needed to connect to. OK, but then there is also a BlueTooth connection. I am not sure which one, or both, is needed for CarPlay which is what displays the map from my phone on the screen in front of me.
I pretty much turn stuff on and off until it works. I need to nail this down.
So, I hit the road and headed north. Rather than go south and find Hwy 12, I will go back to Ellensberg and get on I-90 and ride it for 26 miles to Vantage where I then get on Hwy 26. The route was OK, hardly any traffic, and moved along at 70 MPH. When I crossed the bridge, I saved a video.
Riding 26 is just fine. It’s pretty straight and almost boring but a more southerly route, that I have ridden several times, is pretty much the same. Hwy 26 is in good condition but it has a bumpiness that is hard to explain except that my suspension got a workout. It’s like it’s own rhythm. I pulled into a rest stop along the way.
While I had plenty of gas, I stopped to top up in Othello. Then I went to the local Kiwanis Park to use the facilities and to take a break. As I stated in a previous blog, my army roommate from 1974-75 in Germany was from Othello. We were pretty good friends but before the advent of email and the gumption trap known as “writing a letter,” we never kept in touch. He and I did all sorts of stuff together there outside of work and I’d always wondered what became of him. I did a search a few years ago and found that he’d moved back to Othello and became a police officer. That made sense as we were both MPs.
However, sitting there in the Kiwanis Park I found, as Paul Harvey would say, “The rest of the story.” I won’t detail it here but there was a lawsuit filed against the city, the city lost, and he was terminated. I need to digest that….
I got back on the road and exited Hwy 26 and took Hwy 261 south to get to Hwy 12, which I can ride all the way to Lavina, MT. I could stay on 26 and ride it toward Pullman and skirt around Lewiston, the way I had come on this trip, but the road past Palouse Falls State Park is one I wanted to return to. What can I say: twists and curves. I rode it a year or two ago when I went to see the falls. That was worth doing but 1-1/2 miles of washboard gravel shook my bike so much I thought I was going to lose something.
Before starting that run, I stopped in Washtucna and shed all the internal layers of my jacket, my sweatshirt, and switched to my lighter gloves. It was in the upper-70s.
The road is great….
I stopped a Lyons Ferry State Park for a break and a photo or two.
Then it was across the bridge.
My next destination is Pomeroy, WA. This is my usual stop whether heading east or west if I am riding on Hwy 12. It happens about midday and with a covered picnic area and restrooms it’s just about perfect for a break.
While having lunch, fig bars and an apple, I updated yesterday’s blog and even posted the photos. I had to allow cross-site tracking to let my iPad or my phone do that. That’s one issue solved.
There was a food truck there selling Mexican cuisine, my favorite, and I was tempted but restrained myself for both wanting to keep to my vegetarian ways and not wanting to eat strange food while traveling.
A couple did partake of the food and sat at the table next to me. He’s driving a semi and as much as I could figure out, she’s his girlfriend and he stops to see her when he comes through town. He lives in Red Lodge but is looking to move to Pomeroy.
I got back on the road and just cruised along, enjoying the scenery and the road. Along the way I had to stop for 15 minutes for construction.
The next stop was Kamiah. I topped up the tanked and then it was decision time. They have a brewery and it’s said they also have a BIG assortment of canned beer to select from. It’s tempting to stop for a beer but it’s 4:40 pm and I still have 2 hours to go and having a beer under my belt as I attack the curves isn’t on the menu. Instead, I went in to the market where I got gas a selected an IPA from their “Beer Cave” and let it go at that.
Now it was about 90 miles along the Lochsa River to the Jerry Johnson Campground. Traffic was nonexistent and I really cruised and enjoyed the road. My goal is to get as far east as possible so I can ride this great highway with the sun behind be instead of in my face as would be the case in the morning.
I did pull over and take the loop through the Apgar Campground. It was tempting as it is gorgeous, cut into the forest along the river and completely vacant. But on I went.
About 5 miles from the Jerry Johnson Campground I was hit with a thunderstorm. It really rained hard. I wasn’t going to stop for rain gear because I was so close to my destination. It let up when I arrived and after a quick loop through the campground I picked Site #7. Site 6-8 are the best and 6 and 8 are occupied so 7 it is.
The rain let up but there was still thunder in the skies so I quickly set up my tent and got my gear in a dry place. The rain held off long enough for me to walk down and register for my site ($7), download today’s dashcam videos, and get started on this blog. Then the rain came again so I retreated to the tent where I am now finishing this entry. It’s now 8:30 pm and it may be letting up. If so, I’ll boil some water and have some dinner.
…
It did let up so I boiled some water and got it in the food pouch. While I was waiting, a dog wondered up. It was skittish and when I made the slightest moved it took off back to the campground next to me.
Just as I was getting ready to eat, thunder and rain reappeared. I gathered up everything and retreated to my tent again. This time it rained for quite a while so I ate in the tent and didn’t go outside again. I was still raining when I fell asleep.
It was a 371 mile day.
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