July 28, 2014

July 28, 2014

From Kamiah, ID we continued east following the Clearwater River upstream following the path of Lewis and Clark. The drive was gorgeous. The road was wide and well-paved; the scenery a pine-forested steep canyon with rushing waters. Quite often, we stopped for National Park signs explaining what Lewis and Clark saw on this same journey over the Bitterroot Mountains. While we call them scenic, Meriwether Lewis referred to them as those “terrible mountains”. We drove the river bank in a motorhome, he slogged up and down a steep trail on the ridge to our left. We are driving in summer with a stocked fridge; Lewis and Clark journeyed in late September cold and hungry.

We also walked the grounds of an historic forest ranger station. It was a snoozer, except for a wren’s nest we spied aside the trail.

After several hours of driving, just short of the summit, we ran into a US Forest campground along the river. It has electricity. We have to stop. Since we are getting close to the Montana border, there is even a lodge next door. We must no longer be deep in the wilderness. After setting up camp, I ask Aimee, “What did you make for dinner?” She answers, “Reservations”…. We ate at the lodge restaurant.