Having just completed the long, rough, unpaved section between Warden, WA and Lind, WA, we were about to be treated to a fairly short, but much welcomed section of riding on the highway. Normally, I don’t enjoy riding on highways, but this particular (Hwy 21) seemed to be lesser travelled and had fairly decent shoulders to ride on so I didn’t get a bad feeling about our route and was able to just enjoy the scenery and the smoother, faster asphalt. We were able to double our usual speed (3-4 mph) with ease even though it felt like I was pedaling with less effort.

We were soon treated to a pretty cool sight which explained why our route had left the railroad easement and was now on the road; a missing trestle. The end supports were still there, as one one of the center supports, but the rest of the ≈ 1,000 ft trestle was nowhere to be seen. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take my new drone out for a flight and explore the ruins and get some cool footage. As a brand new drone owner, I’m not very skilled or experienced so it should have come as no surprise that as I tried to fly the drone while riding the bike, I ran it directly into some powerlines and crashed it. Thankfully, I didn’t damage the powerlines or the drone (minus a few scuffs), but I learned a valuable lesson in evaluating my surroundings for potential hazards prior to taking flight.

(click photos to enlarge and see descriptions)

Licking my wounds, I decided to put the drone away before causing any more problems and to just enjoy our short stint on the tarmac. And short it was, just a few minutes, and one impossibly steep hill that required pushing later, we were back on the trail proper to contend with the loose gravel once more. Since the skies were grey, the temperatures were cool, and we were again away from any people, it was a perfect chance to let the dogs out roam. Were it warmer, I’d probably have been more wary as this area looked like perfect rattlesnake habitat but as it was still winter, I didn’t think we had anything to worry about.

We continued our journey east to Idaho and passed a few derelict buildings in various states of disrepair before finding a spot to stop and have a snack alongside a grain elevator. I’d brought along salami, a Slim Jim, and some cheese. Zilla had started to get a bit picky on what he would eat on any given day, but Slim Jim’s were always a winner with him so I thought it prudent to have one just in case. From our snack stop, we could hear traffic coming from the east on Highway 395. I was looking forward to crossing 395 as it was a bit of a milestone for me. Running from the Canadian border to southern California, 395 ran alongside my old home of Yosemite National Park in California, so it was a bit of a personal boundary to be crossing it.

As we rolled towards the tunnels under Highway 395, a coyote darted out in the distance but was back in the brush before the dogs had a chance to notice. We weren’t really seeing much wildlife in the desert, so it was a welcome sight. We then made our way through the tunnels, leaving Lind behind and beginning the next stretch towards Ralston.

(click below for video)