We were now between race days again, with two races down and one more to go. So we could do pretty much whatever we wanted now and I decided to focus on some county counting. It was all virgin territory to me and I intended to cover as much of it as I could during our free time.
Idaho Counties Loop
I found a particularly attractive pocket southeast of Lewiston, Idaho. This crossed into three new counties but collectively they covered an oversized blank space on my map.
It also covered nearly the entire perimeter of the Nez Perce Tribe reservation. By various 19th Century treaties, the U.S. government corralled the Nez Perce onto ever smaller parcels of their ancestral homeland. Eventually it was whittled down to the current 1,200 square miles east of Lewiston. However, the Nez Perce have little direct control control of their own reservation today. Non-natives own a disproportionate amount of land because the U.S. government opened the reservation to general settlement in 1895. Now only the town of Lapwai (the “place of butterflies”) remains majority native.
Clearwater County
I left Lewiston on U.S. Route 12, following the southern bank of the Clearwater River. This was by far the most scenic portion of the drive, sidewinding through a forested river canyon for many miles. Eventually I crossed into Clearwater County and then I visited Lewis and Clark’s Canoe Camp (map).
The famous explorers stopped at Canoe Camp on the outbound portion of their expedition to the Pacific Ocean on September 26, 1805. They chose a spot across the river from Ahsahka, a Nez Perce village. Here they remained for twelve days as they worked with the Nez Perce to craft dugout canoes from local Ponderosa pines.
Clearwater County was certainly a nice prize but I was about to grab something much more considerable.
Idaho County
Idaho County covers more territory than any other county in the state. This single county is larger than the states of Rhode Island, Delaware, and Connecticut. It is only slightly smaller than New Jersey so this was a huge win for me. I merely had to clip a corner of this humongous county to fill a big chunk of map. And I did. Well, I probably drove a good fifteen miles through Idaho County so I don’t feel like it was one of my usual dash and grabs. Nonetheless, even that distance barely registered within the reach of its massive scale.
I stopped at a roadside marker describing the Camas Prairie, where I was driving, apparently (map). I saw nothing but recently harvested wheat fields in every direction but historically this was a vast, open prairie. Camas derived its name from Camassia, a perennial plant related to asparagus, native to the area. Indigenous people cultivated Camas bulbs as one of their staple foods before people of European descent flooded the area. The Nez Perce Tribe and their ancestors harvested these plants for thousands of years until then.
Lewis County
I turned onto U.S. Route 95 and headed back towards Lewiston, finally returning to a high-speed roadway. Before long I crossed into Lewis County. Incidentally, Lewiston is not in Lewis County, it’s in Nez Perce County. Conversely the city of Nez Perce isn’t in Nez Perce County, it’s in Lewis County. I can’t explain it but it amused me.
However, I could explain the impressive railroad trestle because an historical marker told the story (map). There used to be a bunch of trestles through these hills, part of the Camas Prairie Railroad that once transported grain and timber. The railroad opened about 1908 and operated for much of the 20th Century. Unfortunately the successor railroad dismantled many of the trestles after it abandoned the route. But this one still remains, probably because it sits at a scenic spot along the highway.
Nez Perce National Historical Park
I passed through Lapwai and closed the loop on this drive just outside of Lewiston, but I wasn’t completely done yet. The visitor center for the Nez Perce National Historical Park was right there too, so I figured I might as well stop for it (map). The park is not contiguous, it includes sites spread over a wide geographic area (including Canoe Camp). However, the visitor center ties everything together and serves as an introduction to the rest. It’s worth a brief detour even though we covered everything in the museum pretty quickly.
Groundwork Brewing
I got back to Lewiston and relaxed a bit before heading to dinner. There were still a couple of brewery options available and we selected Groundwork Brewing this time. They had a pizza oven on their outdoor patio and it seemed like a great choice to finish the day. We went to bed early knowing the final race awaited us the next morning.
Articles in the Inland Northwest Series
- Staging
- Walla Walla to Pendleton
- Let the Races Begin
- Lewis & Clark Country
- University Loop
- County-Centric
- Abrupt End
See also the albums on Flickr for Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
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