actually, i guess we didn't end up going through the gate. we spent the night camped there, but when it came down to it , we just didn't have theseus' cajonas. thereby mixing myths and languages for a total befuddlement.
turns out that hell's gate is the entrance to a stretch of the snake river called hell's canyon. we didn't go up the snake, we are heading up the clearwater and lachosa rivers. original plan was to head along rte 12 which is flat and follows the river, however we were advised by a fellow cyclist who in turn had been advised by a fellow cyclist that rte 12 was full of truck traffic from lewiston to kmiah. it was better to cut across the plateau and avoid that stretch. cycle america maps agreed. so we did. and so we had our private hell, but achieved paradise ( at least in the summer). hell was making a 3,000 foot climb over 10 miles. that's basically climbing to newfound gap, only a little steeper. heaven was the plateau. distant panaromic views of the bitterroot over fields of wheat and snow peas shimmering. the wind, and it was windy, made the wheat move like the ocean. quite beautiful.
we're in komiah, ready to head into the bitterroot. should be in missoula tomorrow after two days of long rides and another 3,000 foot climb. which we are now prepared for. i'll update with pictures then. right now we're on a reservation and they have public internet, but it's not fast and it's not handling the photos.
No comments:
Post a Comment