Day 12 Into Idaho

We awoke in Chief Timothy State Park just West of Clarkston, WA. We couldn’t wait to get on the road as we were  crossing into Idaho on this day!

When we came back from our morning showers a fanciful herd (or more accurately a “colony”) of white rabbits was grazing by our site

Jess chillin at our site

Jess’ newfound friend Tony who escorted her to the local bookstore for her coveted Spanish book. Jess wanted to better her Spanish speaking skills during this trip. The long hours on the road were perfect for listening to language programs and audio books (with just one ear piece in for safety) or rocking out to tunes.

We crossed over the river from Clarkston and landed in the middle of Lewiston and Idaho! It felt so good to be in a new state after our extended stay in Washington. Idaho was officially state #3 of the journey. And I must say Idaho has the coolest font on its welcome sign.

A beautiful moment in Lewiston despite one local’s insistence that it is the “armpit” of Idaho

Urban picnicing cyclist style

Jess and “Buddy” entertaining themselves while I cycled 3 miles back to retrieve my lost glove (Note to self  leaving cycling gloves on back panniers is almost as awesome as driving your car away with your coffee mug on top)

As we cycled I imagined what the beautiful Nez Perce horses would have looked like perched atop these immense hills

Fun fact for all my horse loving friends: there are recent attempts to restore the Nez Perce horses to their original luster. During the 1800s the US Military seized many of the tribes’ herds. The horses became the property of settlers who were instrumental in watering  down the breed by crossing them with their own stock. There is currently a progressive breeding program in Idaho that is crossing Appaloosas with the Akhal Teke breed of Turkmenistan to recreate the sleek dimensions and rugged endurance of the original breed. I wish them well.

We’ve seen a number of these laid back locals on our journey

We set up camp at an adorable campsite in Lenore, ID. A “town” that consisted of a post office and one-lane wooden bridge