Hells Canyon Overlook:
Route: Walla Walla, WA to McCall, ID via Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.
GPS Tracks for the trip are posted here:https://tworoads.shutterfly.com/pictures/40#35
Miles: 285
Total Time: 10:25
Total Time On Bikes: 5:50
After a leisurely coffee/breakfast in the luxury of the private residence mentioned in the last post, we headed out around 9:30am under the overcast skies -- and rain reports on our route through Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, North America's deepest gorge at 7913 feet at its deepest point. The gorge surrounds what remains of the raging Snake River through 71 miles to the Columbia River.
Today was a day of many changes -- in elevation, in road condition and in weather...but the roads, even when wet and sometimes slick, were wonderfully fun and beautiful. We really didn't get much rain until the last 1/2 hour of the trip -- and what sprinkles we did get were separated by long periods of dry -- even blue skies. But in the last 20 miles we experienced quite a rain storm even as the sun shone behind us -- resulting in a most beautiful double rainbow that arched above us during a time when we could see where it seemed to touch the ground on each side of us. The bursts of color, particularly where it touched the earth were so brilliant that I can understand the folklore behind the "gold at the end of the rainbow." And, as had been the condition all day, when we arrived in McCall, Idaho -- a modern resort area -- we immediately ducked into the nearest grocery store during a downpour so we could find some eats to take to our prearranged condo (thanks to Vince's mom's Worldmark time share!). When we exited the grocery store 10 minutes later, the downpour had been replaced by brilliant sunshine.
Earlier in the day we had lunched at Joseph, Idaho -- an artsy little community that looked very new and modern. Upon leaving there and entering Hells Canyon, we blew past a sign that said something about a road being closed -- and within a few miles, as the road condition worsened, we stopped to question whether we might be on the road that was closed -- the only direct route through the Canyon. Thankfully, 3 motorcyclist (out of British Columbia) arrived while we were pondering our plans -- and they had concluded by a more careful inspection of the sign that the road we were on was not impacted by the closure. We joined them in the journey to the Hells Canyon overlook which is pictured above.
As with all scenery photos -- particularly those taken during inclement weather -- there is no capturing the majestic beauty of the land. Such was the case again today -- as we enjoyed great views and many miles adjacent to roaring water -- knowing that our memories of the beauty would have to suffice.
With the time change (1 hour ahead), we arrived at our destination condo at around 7:30pm -- immediately threw together a quick spaghetti dinner from the fixings we had picked up -- and enjoyed a relaxing dinner while we pondered our routing which already needed to be changed because of a cold front that had moved into the Northwest. We finally got into bed after coming up with a new plan to try to get south of the bad weather tomorrow -- and then circle back into our planned route.
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