Day 10, Lewis and Clark to Lewiston

78 miles to Hells Gate State Park in Lewiston, Idaho. Another great weather day. We are up early in this little park that has a bee problem. Yesterday some sites were swarmed by bee's so they closed a part of the park. Quarter showers again and Beau is up at 4:23 am, but we sleep again till 5:15a. Early start to Dayton, OR for a great breakfast at Al's drive through restaurant. We chat with the elderly waitress and some of the local regulars that have long since been retired. Suz joins us and we eat well on this cool morning. I ride an easy pace after breakfast as the day warms for another 37 miles and find a coffee shop on Route 12 in Pomeroy around 10a. Beth makes me some fresh espresso and I get a homemade oatmeal and cranberry cookie and read the paper for a half hour and relax. The crew does not come along so I am back on my bike and tool up the hill out of Pomeroy and do some moderate climbing over the mountains then some steep descents . I take may time going down the steep descents as some spots have guard rails and no shoulders so it is a squeeze with trucks. The panniers cause the bike to wobble in the crosswinds so I take is slower than I might normally. After a 25 mile decent I enter Clarkston across the river from Lewistion and make my way through construction in town, then over the bridge and four miles up the path to Hells Gate State Park, the gate way to Hells Canyon . Pretty ride along the river and there is a park all the way for bikers and joggers . I see two beaver along the river, not sure that they were beaver until I pass a info sign about the beavers that populate the rivers edge. I finally find the campsite and have a nice rest under the trees on a lush grassy lawn with the river in view. Good hot shower and wait for the crew. It's around 1pm now so we read and play some backgammon and chat about the sights today. The crew calls around four from a local pub where they stopped in Clarkston to get refreshed. They finally show in camp around 5 and we have salad and cold cuts for dinner and plan the next day.

Jim, Suz and Beau