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On Day Two, we proceed north along the western rim of Hells Canyon and soon find ourselves riding over the infamous "Rattlesnake Grade". This is a neat road with lots of turns. At one point, we descend a steep, winding grade to cross the Grande Ronde River over a narrow bridge at the bottom of a canyon, and then ascend another steep, winding grade on the other side to continue our ride to Lewiston. This is a great isolated motorcycling road with 110 hairpin turns in all. Way twisty!
Approaching Anatone, Washington, we descend the Anatone Grade and make our way across the Snake River into Lewiston, Idaho.
Lewiston is located at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers at an elevation of 738 feet above sea level. The valley is rather narrow with a range of hills to the North sloping abruptly to about 2,000 feet above the valley floor. The celebrated Lewis and Clark Expedition brought Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to the Clearwater Valley in 1805. Lewis and Clark embarked on a search for a trade route through the Northwest. They followed the Clearwater River from the Bitterroot Mountains to its merger with the Snake River, the site of the present day twin cities of Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington.
Lewiston is the site of Idaho's first capital, which was later moved to Boise and is the only seaport in Idaho. The city is one of the gateways to the Hell's Canyon Recreation area. The area provides a variety of recreational activities including hunting, fishing, jet boating, whitewater rafting, sandy beaches for swimming and water skiing.
Heading east from Lewiston, we join the Northwest Passage National Scenic Byway as we proceed along the Clearwater River to Orofino.
The Clearwater River is known for its large Steelhead Trout; returning from the sea, with some weighing in over 25 pounds. Also there is a run of Chinook Salmon that return in the late fall. The local Dworshak Fisheries Complex is responsible for the success of these runs.
Due to the inflow of settlers and the construction of the railroad up river, Orofino's town site got its start in 1898. The name Oro Fino means "fine gold." It was taken from a gold rush town called "Oro Fino" that was located near Pierce and later burned down. The post office objected to two words. The town joined the two words and it became Orofino.
We stop for lunch in Orofino and visit the Dworshak Dam; the largest Straight Axis Dam in North America. The Dworshak Reservoir is a 53 mile long lake and was created by Dworshak Dam.
Proceeding north we traverse a steep grade, consisting of switchback turns, along a narrow road as we climb out of the river bottom and on to the rolling hills above. Keep at least one eye on the road as you maneuver this steep grade, as the view of the Clearwater River below will be all too captivating. Riding along scenic two lane roads, we join the White Pines Scenic Byway and ride through the largest stands of white pines and cedar in America.
We continue our ride through several small towns as we make our way to St. Maries, where we will spend the evening.
St. Maries was initially founded as a lumber town and now has the reputation for being one of the finest elk hunting areas in the west.
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