Inland Northwest, Day 4 (Lewis & Clark Country)

We were now officially between races. A day earlier I ran a half-marathon in Pendleton, Oregon and I had to do it again in Clarkston, Washington the following day. So this was the rest day, or at least it was for me. Most participants in the Mainly Marathons Northwest series repeated the Pendleton race a second day while I elected to skip it. That meant I could relax and enjoy a final morning in Pendleton before leisurely driving up to the next stop

Pendleton Daybreak

I had time for one more casual walk before heading out of town. I didn’t sleep-in (because I never sleep-in) and I could explore a few residual areas that I hadn’t seen on foot yet. My circuit included one of the primary streets — Court Avenue — before looping back around at the Pendleton Round-Up Stadium.

Every year Pendleton holds a major rodeo that many people consider one of the best since its inception in 1910. We missed it by a couple of weeks so now the stadium sat idle awaiting the return of 50,000 visitors about a year from now. Rodeos don’t readily come to mind when I think of Oregon, but then again neither does this dry, empty expanse I’d explored the last couple of days. It felt like Cowboy Country out here, not the Pacific Northwest.

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Driving to Lewiston

The journey to Lewiston was completely stress free, with light traffic and no delays. We went straight though Walla Walla again, with fond memories from a couple days earlier, and then we saw very few signs of civilizations for the remainder of the trip. I captured three new counties along the way and added them to my list: Garfield and Asotin in Washington; and Nez Perce in Idaho. Everything went according to plan.

Buckwheat Brewing

We timed our drive to arrive in Dayton, Washington for lunch. Of course it was nothing like the other Dayton (the city in Ohio) we explored earlier in the year. However, this Dayton was one of the few towns of any size between Walla Walla and our final destination. It had a quaint but compact downtown and most importantly a brewpub.

The world always changes and we experienced that unalterable fact in our own tiny way. I planned this leg of the trip only a couple of weeks before we left, and I targeted an establishment called Chief Spring’s Fire and Irons Brew Pub. It sounded like it would be a great addition to my brewery list.

However, it became Buckwheat Brewing in the meantime. Some of the old signage still remained (photo) and so did some of the new signage (photo). Inside, mounted game trophies replaced fire department memorabilia according to earlier photos I found on Google images. So apparently one day it had one identify, and then suddenly it had another, happening just before my arrival. It was an interesting surprise but otherwise the new place was fine.

Patit Creek Campsite

We were deep within Lewis and Clark country the entire day. The groundbreaking round-trip expedition to the Pacific Coast went directly through here. For instance, just outside of Dayton we saw the site of the Patit Creek Campsite (map). The expedition stopped at this spot on Friday, May 2, 1806, during its return trip to St. Louis. They covered 19 miles in fair weather before camping overnight, and prepared to leave the Touchet River Valley the next day.

The residents of Dayton recreated the scene in silhouette as part of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial commemorations a few years ago. Signage explained each of the outlined images.

Indian Timothy Bridge

Another day, another bridge. The Indian Timothy Bridge sits a few miles west of Clarkston, Washington where U.S. Route 12 drops into a canyon on its approach to the Snake River (map). This one wasn’t quite as striking as the one near La Grande from earlier in the trip but it had some interesting quirks.

It’s not a particularly long bridge. However, the unusual shape gives it a certain level of appeal to aficionados. It is a two-span tied arch bridge made of concrete. That certainly wasn’t a common format when the Washington State Department of Transportation built it in 1923, and it’s survival is even more unusual. The design reminded me of the Camelback Bridge I visited in Michigan a few years ago.

The Indian Timothy Bridge lost its purpose after the state widened U.S. 12 back in the 1970’s. Thankfully someone with foresight elected to preserve it a half century ago.

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Lewiston Mini-Loop

We were preparing to stay in the same location for four nights, a complete rarity for these state-sequenced races. However we arrived in Lewiston, Idaho too early to check into our Airbnb and we needed to fill a couple of hours.

I’d never been to Lewiston before or to Clarkston, Washington for that matter, but together they made a joint appearance on Twelve Mile Circle several years ago. The obvious connection was their geographic proximity (directly across a river from each other) and their complementary names (LEWISton and CLARKston). I was excited to be here. It was my first overnight stay in Idaho in probably twenty five years. It was also my first venture into the Idaho panhandle, and of course I love a great panhandle. So I decided on a little orientation tour to fill the extra time.

Lewiston Hill Overlook

Lewiston and Clarkston sit in a river valley. Elevation rises quite sharply especially to the north, with U.S. Route 95 climbing a couple thousand feet over about four miles of roadway. But drivers get a reward if they stop at the scenic overlook at the top (map). It was pretty magnificent on this clear afternoon.

Then, on the way down, I took the original motorway constructed in 1917, a zigzag called the Old Spiral Highway. One of its characteristic corkscrews appears prominently in the right-middle portion of the photo, above. The whole descent went like that and it was quite enjoyable.

Locomotive Park

I dropped into the valley, crossed the Clearwater River and entered the main section of Lewiston. Locomotive Park was right there (map). I wanted to see the old locomotive, an engine used by a logging company until the 1940’s. The park was pretty empty otherwise except for a couple vagrants hanging out by the playground.

Supposedly it springs to life around Christmas when it becomes the centerpiece for the town’s Winter Spirit event. However, it wasn’t Christmas so it was pretty unremarkable except for the locomotive. I took my photo and quickly bid adieu to Engine 92.

Lewiston Levee

Nobody likes floods, and rivers surround Lewiston to the north and the west. So the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created a system of levees to protect the city. An attractive linear park with a paved walking/bicycling trail runs along the top.

We took a stroll there beside the southern bank of the Clearwater River, and across from the large grain silos. As I noted in an earlier article, Lewiston is the farthest inland port on the west coast of the United States, some 465 river miles (750 km) upstream from the Pacific Ocean, via the Columbia, Snake and Clearwater Rivers. Barges transport grain regularly from Lewiston to the outside world.

There is another interesting feature here too, the Clearwater River Railroad Bridge (map). It appears in the upper-left background of the photo. I wish I could see it in action because it’s an unusual aerial lift bridge. Unfortunately it looked really rusted so I don’t know how often it actually lifts.

Lewis and Clark Center

Next we stopped at the Lewis and Clark Center (map), just a little further west, at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. Finding the parking lot isn’t particularly intuitive and then visitors have to walk across a pedestrian bridge over the highway. So the whole process takes some determination.

I think the name may be a bit of a misnomer. The “center” isn’t staffed, and in fact it’s a walk-through site without doors so I guess it’s open anytime anyone can find the parking lot. The experience includes several interpretive panels explaining the historical context plus some great river views. And it helped us kill enough time to get to our Airbnb for a proper check-in.

Now we were ready for a half-marathon in Clarkston, Washington the following morning, and then another one in Lewiston, Idaho just two days after that.

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Articles in the Inland Northwest Series

1. Staging
2. Walla Walla to Pendleton
3. Let the Races Begin
4. Lewis & Clark Country
5. University Loop
6. County-Centric
7. Abrupt End

See also the albums on Flickr for Idaho, Oregon and Washington.