Nez Perce Country, South of Kamiah, ID

Thursday, July 18, 2013

We slept in this morning and it was so very nice!!

This said, we were still walking out of the door to go exploring at noon. We drove south on Hwy 13, and then drove south on US 95 as far as White Bird. This is Nez Perce Indian country; we are camped on the very eastern boundary of the Reservation, or what’s left of it anyway. Hwy 13 travels along the Clearwater River, a wide and deep river with several areas of rapids. The water lives up to its name, clear enough that from the road, we could see to the bottom. We left the river at the junction of Hwy’s 13 and 14, we continued on 13 and the river went with 14, at this point Hwy 13 climbed up a mountain and as we climbed we had a spectacular view of the valley below where the Clearwater River was still rolling along beside Hwy 14.

When we came to the town of Grangeville we took 95 south, within a short time we are climbing a 7% grade that goes almost straight up White Bird Mountain. The summit is only 4,245’, which is not all that high to those of us that have driven over the western Rockies, but the road goes almost straight up and then straight down. After reaching the summit there are constant warnings to the truckers about speed, which is 35mph going down the mountain. There are runaway truck ramps every two miles going down, we have never before seen so many warnings on one road! I was so glad we were not traveling this road pulling the trailer!

At the bottom of White Bird Mountain sits the little town of White Bird,

which today probably doesn’t have a population of more than 200. We had lunch in one of the two Saloon/Café’s

and it was good.

On the way home we stopped at Lake Tolo where Mammoth’s were found.

All there is now is some signs telling the story. There is a replica of one of the mammoths they found, kept behind glass in Grangeville.

Temperatures were in the 90’s today, and at one point even hit 100, but it is a very dry heat, and doesn’t have near the effect on me that the heat and humidity in Arkansas does.

We are having a horrible time with the internet here, the campground internet is terrible, hardly strong enough to get connection, much less keep it. Cell service is next to nothing, so using our phones as hot spots isn’t working either.