Miles: 440.8
Start: 7:00 AM PDT
Stop: 3:45 PM PDT
Temps: 68 degrees to 101 degrees
Hotel: Dog Bark Park Inn, Cottonwood, ID - $94.16
Man, had our trip gone to the dogs or what. We were destined for a night in the dog house... the Dog Bark Park Inn Bed & Breakfast in Cottonwood, Idaho, that is. I hate to admit it, but this was one day's journey where I was not in it nearly as much for the journey as much as I was the destination. But I can't describe how excited I was to be heading for a night in the Worlds Largest Beagle.
The journey there proved to be an incredible ride as well as providing some inspiring scenery, in spite of my anticipation for the destination. We started out with a wake-up call at 5:00 AM. Again, Carole and I had a fitful night of sleep as we were too excited about being on our journey. So we packed all our stuff back up and loaded it all on the bike. What a hassle it is to load and unload all our camping gear every night, since we wouldn't even be using it the first week. But shipping it ahead to our first camping spot was prohibitively expensive. After loading the bikes we went back inside for our free breakfast and then hit the road.
Immediately in Winnemucca we abandoned the interstate and began our northerly trek on Hwy 95. For the first third of our day the desert scenery was pretty much the same we had seen the day before except it had more of a green tint to the sagebrush and tumbleweeds. As we approached the Oregon border we noticed more rivers started showing up and even an occasional field of hay would be along side of the road. Traffic was extremely light so we made excellent time on the straight but scenic road. We made one stop in Nevada at a market in the middle of nowhere for some water. As we came back out to our bikes there was a couple in their fifties that were checking out our bikes. As all motorcyclists know this was the cue for a dialog. As it turned out the couple were extremely fascinating. They traveled around the US every summer in their RV, always taking in as many National Parks as they could. And their other love of life is the Rally in Sturgis. They ride a Vespa, of all things, to Sturgis every August and have the time of their lives. They commented that they were surprised to find that most the people at Sturgis are their age, reliving their wild and crazy youth. They said their Vespa made them more friends at Sturgis than if there rode in on a Custom Cruiser. The finished up by telling us their dream was to do what Carole and I are doing, riding side by side on a Goldwing and an ST.
Back on the road again we rapidly made our way into Oregon. We stopped in the southeast corner of Oregon for fuel and I noticed that Carole looked a little under the weather. Interrogation revealed that our free breakfast had a price attached after the fact, the grease wasn't sitting well with Carole. But being the trooper she is she gulped down some water and we were back on the road.
Immediately after entering Idaho we were amazed at the change in scenery. We came through a small little pass and were suddenly in another dimension! Instead of high desert we were in the middle of agriculture that rivals the San Joaquin Valley in California. There was corn as far as the eye could see. We also passed several horse ranches that were obviously extremely lucrative, judging by the looks of the mansions that were nestled off the road. But the temp was still quite warm, climbing to 99 degrees as we rode into the town of Cambridge. We again grabbed some water but Carole was quickly running low on energy. She wasn't hungry and was definitely showing signs of dehydration. But we hit the road after downing another liter of water, not sure how much further we had to go.
Again we were surprised by a sudden change in terrain. One minute we were riding through rich agricultural lands and the next minute we found ourselves in the middle of a lush forest and we rapidly gained altitude. The temperature hadn't cooled down any at all but we were surrounded by mountains and pines as we rode through the Payette National Forest. We hit the twisty curvey section of the mountain pass but I wasn't into the normal speed demon crazed mode I get into, I was fishing out the camera and taking as many pictures as I could. That is the only drawback about not having Carole on the back of my bike... I no longer have a photographer. So I clicked away, enjoying the ride more than I would with my typically manic run through twisties. It's true, looking around you at the surroundings offers a whole different dimension to the ride.
I've never heard of other bikers talking about the ride on Hwy 95 through the Payette National Forest. The ride reminded me a lot of rides in the Cuyamaca Mountains outside of San Diego with more trees. The changes in altitude, tightening curves, and 180 degree sweepers was a rider's heaven. The traffic was light so there was no interference with our enjoyment of the road.
We departed the forest and soon found ourselves entering the Hells Canyon area of the Salmon River. This area of Idaho has become an attraction to rock climbers and white water enthusiasts in the Northwest. We stopped for gas in Riggins, ID and were amazed at the number of tourists that were in swimsuits running into the stores for ice cream and water. As we continued north along the river we found out why, There were several rafting companies that setout from Riggins. The river was full of several different types of rafts with people enjoying the rapids. I can only imagine how incredible this water must be in the spring during the snow run-off. It looked like a perfect destination for thrill-seeking white water Kayakers.
As we lost view of the river we rode into the true Hells Canyon where an interesting phenomenon occurred, the cause of which I still can't figure out. I noticed that the volume on my music went way low. I tuned it up to 25 and was just barely getting any sound. At once point the volume returned to normal and nearly blasted my eardrums out. But it almost immediately muted again. I checked everything I could but there was nothing apparently wrong. So I kept the volume low in case it returned to normal and rode in near silence. As we crested the opposite wall of the canyon the view was spectacular. It was similar to the view you get from Glacier Point in Yosemite, it was amazing how far we could see and the rolling glacier sculpted hills were incredible.
As soon as we crested the canyon and headed into the prairies of central Idaho my music returned to normal. I figured that this would be something that I would have to deal with the rest of our journey, but Carole later informed me she had experienced the exact same phenomena on her sound system as we rode through the canyon. She had even tried to talk to me on the CB but had negative results. Something weird is going on in that canyon. It was perhaps aptly named?
The remainder of our ride was uneventful as we wound our way to our destination for the night, the Dog Bark Park Inn. The place didn't have an accurate address and therefore I couldn't program it into the GPS. So once we got to the town of Cottonwood I pulled off the highway onto some side streets until I saw a local coming out of a feed store. I asked him if he knew where the Dog Bark Park Inn was and he replied, "If you mean that giant dog its up the road and around the bend from here." We followed his directions and sure enough, we came upon the
Giant Beagle I had seen so many times on the web. I can't accurately describe the smile that came across my face. This was as bizarre as I had hoped!
We pulled up the gravel driveway and a lady came walking out of the little shop. "You must be Mike and Carole." How many hotels have you pulled into for the night and the owners call you by name even though they have never seen you before? This was the first sign of just how personable the couple that built this place are. Frances introduced us to her husband Dennis and then went about the business of securing the financial end of things. Carole and I were feeling pretty tired so I excused myself and pulled both of our bikes to the grassy area behind the dog... er.... hotel room while Carole went up the stair way to check out the room. As I started unloading our gear Carole came down with a huge smile on her face. "This is one of the best rooms we have ever stayed in, never mind that it is in a dog!" Indeed, the room was perfectly appointed for weary travelers.
After moving all our gear inside I decided to talk with the owners while Carole washed up. I walked over to the shop where Dennis was sitting on a lawn chair in the shade. I sat in the lawn chair next to him and we started shooting the breeze. It was like sitting next to a friend you've had for years rather than a stranger you had just met. Dennis told me the history of the dog. Essentially he had decided to build it on a whim. He had decided that he would build it at his own convenience, not working if it was too hot, too sunny, or too cold. He started the project in 1999 and finished it in 2003. The town folks thought that he was a bubble off center, and perhaps he is, but the finished product turned out to exceed even the wildest imaginations. He now feels a bit intimidated that his creation has gained world notoriety with the international community buzzing about his creation. Every kind of person imaginable stays at the Bed and Breakfast, from authors and world travelers to honeymooners and even the occasional touring motorcyclist. Reserving the room for a weekend night takes months of planning but reserving it for a week night can usually be easily done a couple of weeks ahead of time. If you ever find yourself traveling down Hwy 95 through Cottonwood, Idaho you can't miss seeing the Dog from the road. Pull in and say hi to Dennis and Frances, they are two adventuring characters that have hearts of gold! And just down the road is a great local restaurant that defines home cooking.
After a great meal we settled into the dog for the night and got the best sleep we had during our entire trip. Dog energy.... it works!