Enterprise seemed a nice, thriving little town with lots of hustle and bustle. Yeah, the special event that weekend was impacting and distorting that perception a bit, but I’m sure it’s rather busy normally, too. Still, it was a bit too touristy to suit this gypsy rider, so the thought of laying over never came up. Time to move on… I consulted my atlas, as I had absolutely no plan beyond just riding here…
Westward seemed a viable option…. Hmmm…. I could ride over to Wallowa and get some breakfast, if that tiny hamlet even had a restaurant, then onward to Elgin where I could make the turn towards Walla Walla, WA… what is the number of that little squiggly line on the map? Oh, there it is… That would position me to pick up US 12 again… this time going east… towards Orofino, ID.
Yeah, I knew I could definitely party some in the big ‘O’! Besides, I hadn’t gotten my nostalgia kick on my way to the cabin, and this would allow me to make up for that… No significant mule population there that I could recall… Hadn’t noticed any ‘really happy’ guys there before either… OK, let’s head in that direction and see what happens…
The ride this day would be mostly on rather flat terrain across that broad valley, past fields and pastures, sporadic farm houses and ranches, occasional livestock all neatly contained within well-constructed fences. All of the places appeared well kept, and an overall very favorable presentation to strangers made it seem almost like a Norman Rockwell painting.
Yes, it was cool. Yes, again, I was dressed appropriately this time! I even had my Gerbings placed where I could easily get to them, just in case… Didn’t have to, though. Lower elevations and bright sunshine this time allowed the mercury to rise nicely throughout the day… Maybe I was wrong about the sun’s employment status up here…
Wallowa did indeed have a café right on the main drag just before the four-way stop intersection that marked city central. I did a U-turn and parked just behind a camper right in front. I went in and ordered the breakfast named for the restaurant, and I was mighty glad I did.
The home-fries were actually rather tasty this time, the sausage links (yeah, I did deviate from the norm on this one point) were also better than I’d expected, and the eggs, of course, were eggs. But, the biscuit and gravy that was included in this menu selection was the big surprise! Even the service was well done…
As I was paying the check, the cook happened to walk out from the kitchen… “Are you from the south, darling,” I inquired? Nope, she responded that she was from right there… I then told her that biscuit and gravy was the absolute best I’d had since departing dear ol’ Dixie! She blushed and thanked me profusely…
I walked out to ALI and fired one up prior to getting back at it. An older gent was walking by, and as is typical in small towns everywhere, he paused and spoke. Nothing of any consequence really, just a pleasant recognition by two ships’ captains passing on the high seas again… I got the usual lift from this exchange, though, so now I could get back on the road with an even better frame of mind than the one I’d already had!
I know this is common knowledge, but ‘frame of mind’ has a profound effect on the tenor of any ride. Even when we start off in a down state, the ride itself will usually improve things for us dramatically. However, when we start off on a relative high note, things tend to soon soar into the stratosphere! This was to be the case for me of this glorious day!
Nothing particularly noteworthy in regards to the scenery or topography, and no challenging riding, just a wondrous day in the saddle, exulting in the fact I was simply there, alive, healthy, and able to enjoy just being me on a magical ride in an amazing country where I’m actually free to do just that. Dang! So much of the world has no concept of what we usually take for granted. We are mighty fortunate people, and I’m a truly fortunate lad…
I easily found the turn in Elgin and made the course change… The road did improve greatly in that it was a smaller back road but the surface was in unusually good shape. The terrain now had a bit more roll to it, so there were some undulations up and down, modest curvatude this way then that… nothing major, of course, but it did add a wee bit of spice to the ride. Some elevation gain, too, and this turned out to be a very nice ride indeed…
Walla Walla, WA, is a small city, I suppose you would say… Blue collar, working folks all about, and all business near as I can tell. Flat land in all directions, traffic and hustle bustle activity, and nothing of any draw for this country boy at heart. I did have to ride through there, however, to get to my next turn…
Just east of town, I spotted a sign for the road number I was seeking. This section of highway was controlled access, but I quickly adjusted and turned off onto the exit ramp… headed in the wrong direction. Now this was turning into a more typical ride for me… but… it’s all good…
I got up on the road, found a pull off spot… and noticed traffic was strangely and unexpectedly non-existent in either direction… Hmmm, this would be a good time and place to shed a layer of clothing, as the temp had risen noticeably since early morning… Hmmm… I bet I could get away with seeking another form of relief, too…
I did achieve both tasks, and then I performed a rather elegant U-turn and found my way to the correct route. Just before remounting, however, a biker happened by, blew his horn, and through the universal gesture inquired if I was OK… I responded affirmatively, so he rode on… then I did too. Dang, even that Harley guy was contributing my wonderful state of euphoria…
It had warmed up surprisingly that afternoon, particularly considering the temps of the previous few days. Oh well, the sun was now at my back and the breeze was in my face, so… This was a familiar ride for me, as I’d made it a couple of times in years past. Not recently enough for this to seem boring, but plenty recent to feel quite familiar.
We got to Clarkston and pushed on through, and likewise with Lewiston just across the bridge. I’d figured I still had plenty of time to make Orofino long before dark, and that was where I’d decided I wanted to be for a night or two… And, if there were no vacancies there, I’d still have a little daylight remaining to recover… We made it…