Day 12: Cambridge to New Meadows, 43.5 miles, 2100 ft elevation, max temperature 94 degrees 🥵

 Today we decided to change things up a bit and ride on a gravel rail trail.  We were off to a slow start and nearly turned around due to deep gravel.......actually stones.  But instead, we sent out our scout Sue B who reported on better conditions ahead.  In fact, the trail conditions changed frequently from packed dirt to gravel to just plain rocks.  We crossed many quaint bridges and enjoyed being off the busy road.

The wildlife seemed to be quite active on the Weiser River trail.  Someone spotted a partridge, a buck and his does, and..........a black (or maybe brown) bear.  Lauran, having never seen a bear before (what? not even in a zoo??) stared at the animal who stared back at her.  Sue B informed her that it was a bear.  Curiously, there was bear skat all over the trail, but who would believe that we would come face to face with one.  The bear started to walk away but gave one last look (according to Lauran) to decide whether he was going to charge, but instead made his way to the river for a morning drink.  The excitement never ends.  

Because of the rough road, which jars the joints and brain, we opted to leave the trail after about 12 miles only to encounter the dangers of the open road.  Highway 95 had 4-6 inches of shoulder on a good stretch.  Pete says 90 percent of the semi trucks were polite and pulled way out around us, many of us felt this was a rather generous estimation.  Several tractor trailers blew their horns, and screamed for us to get off the f...ing road!  This on top of a hot dusty day, and a killer hill were a bit much for the group.  After about 3 hours we pulled off for a quiet lunch in a state camp ground.

We had purchased our lunch earlier in the cute town of Council.  For a small town, they had an excellent grocery store and Mennonite sandwich shop which created excellent sandwiches and sold bulk goods as well.  We were able to chat with some of the locals who gave us a warm welcome and drink an ice coffee. 

Several riders worried about getting back on the road, and no sooner had they wished that Lesli and the sag wagon were available, Sue and Lesli pulled in thinking they would enjoy a quiet lunch together.  Aah, the miracles never cease!

Four of us decided to ride on after Pete discovered that the trail ran right through the campground and had a good dirt surface and shade (Pete is becoming more unbelievable by the minute).  The trail was however, a welcome alternative to the busy highway.  We enjoyed the quiet ride alongside the creek and were able to take a dip when the heat became unbearable.

The last four miles was back on 95 and another killer hill.  But we were rewarded with a 3+ mile downhill ride and a huckleberry shake upon arrival.  Dinner was at Intersection Bar and BBQ restaurant which was so delicious it made up for the day's hardships.  Can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings.