Day 18 - 61 Miles to White Bird

Thursday, June 12 - biked 61 miles to White Bird (pop. 106), 995 total miles. 6:40 a.m. I was at the restaurant ready to eat. No one there to serve me coffee but other patrons said, “just help yourself” which I did. When it was time for refills, I played waiter and served everyone coffee. The cooks were in the kitchen, the café didn’t serve until 7:00. I ordered 2 pancakes and eggs, then received – what’s getting to be a trend - the “pancake warning,” (to alert me on pancake size). I said, “bring it on!” The local doctor (who was eating) commented that it was raining. My bike was soaking wet (the seat wasn’t covered). The clouds were low and gray. The rain stopped, still a cloud cover in the mountain. It was a peaceful morning, beautiful and tranquil in the mountain valley. It’s my first day without any climbs. Saw geese, ducks, deer, and wildflowers. The Salmon River was a nice, placid, peaceful river earlier in the day; later on raging water plummeted down a deep gorge cascading down the mountain. Talked to a cyclist biking the opposite direction from Cohasset, MN (different state, Julia) who wasn’t taking any days off. Stocked up on bananas, apples, bing cherries, chocolate chip cookies, and a huckleberry lemonade from the Fiddle Creek Fruit Stand. Morning snack was a raisin roll dipped in peanut butter, the delicious lemonade, a cookie, and apple. The sun just started coming out – it felt so good to soak it up. Long sleeves came off & it was great. Crossed the Salmon River (Pacific time which I left 2 days ago) and set up camp at an RV park by the river. It has trees for shade, grass, nice clean facility, showers, laundry is done. Bright, sunny, puffy clouds in late afternoon. It’s peaceful and quiet. Time for dinner. Tomorrow is the big climb.