Pierce and the Nature of the Trail.

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The report called for rain all day. I needed a break. The town had a good coffee shop. So I declared a 'rest day' (as we used to when climbing with Marshall), and slept in, washed clothes and took a walk in the afternoon when the rain let up. The photos of Pierce are from that walk. I found the buildings interesting and easy to take pictures of. The humans, not so much.

With time on my hands, I started to think more generally about my trip.

Here's an essay on "The Nature of the Trail".

Each section of road has its own spirit. On leaving town one is usually on an even, smooth dirt surface, usually two track, winding through tall pine with carefully banked turns that follow the folds in the mountainside. Thoughts can leave the road and shift to food, or new gadgets for the bike, or the future of the Biden administration. One can relax and enjoy the forest, the glimpse of valley and river, the birds, the sky. These are the best times. Then of a sudden the road will shift. With a climb or a drop, the geology will change. Rock ledges appear morphing into ridges and troughs. Most of the tracks we follow are not maintained, particularly in winter. As the incline steepens, deep washouts appear. The rocks break and scatter, not gravel but big chunks of material one has to avoid or clunk over. The rock may spread across the road, or gather in trenches. When you think you've had enough, the road climbs into a 180 degree hairpin bend, the ultimate challenge.

Technique is essential to get through this stuff. Standing in the pegs is best. You can see the rocks and ridges from above, and find the "line" that you will follow. The criteria for the "line" will vary. One can try wandering the width of the road searching for the clearest spaces between rocks -- or riding the ridge between two washed out troughs -- or riding the perhaps smoother ridge at the edge of the road (problematic when the drop is steep) -- and so on. The thing is you need total concentration. You have to decide in an instant what your line will be. By standing up, you can throw the bike around with ease, making it do amazing things. The counter-leverage system works like a charm, where the weight of the body is used to counterbalance the weight of the machine. Sharp corners can be managed by throwing your butte and body over on the outside of the curve, and pushing the bike and the load round inside of the curve, and it goes around. The thing to remember is balance and speed -- don't go so fast that you will break something -- don't go so slow that you fall down -- and when you get into trouble gun the engine and go for it. Sudden acceleration and holding on have saved me again and again. Somehow the bike will find its way, if you don't hold on too stiffly and allow it to move and jump around a little. I use very little brakes. The weight of the bags and tie-ons one is carrying makes a huge difference in the ability to throw the bike around. After a day or two of riding you get a lot more critical of the load. Getting through this kind of road is intense. Focus is complete, adrenaline is pumping, you feel and respond to every quiver of the machine. It is great fun !

There is a type of road which really dislike, because of its duplicity. I refer to a road that is wide and flat and smooth and looks like it would be fast and simple, except that it has a recent application of gravel. The open level surface promises speed, and a relaxation of the tension generated on the climbs and rocks. But it doesn't deliver. Instead, the bike starts to wander uncontrollably in the soft, deep, unstable gravel. Think driving on marbles. Controlling these movements has to be immediate and effective. A lot of attention is needed. The heavier the bike, the more it wanders and the slower one has to go. Its all to do with the load. I tested this theory one evening in Clark Fork. I took all the bags off, and went out on the naked bike to do the first piece of the next stage -- an hour long tour around a mountain. The machine behaved so differently. The road was as described above - wide and gravel - and I was able to go fast and stable. What a pleasure! Carry less !

Days Travel: Rain day at Pierce ID -- 0 mi.

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Photos

Pioneer mural
Many towns seem to have these.

idaho's first courthouse (built when Pierce was a boom town in the 1860s.)
and the only town in the Territory when it separated from Washington.

The founder of the town
Yes, there was some skulduggery with the treaty with the Nez Perce.