The wrong damn dam

This morning (Wednesday, July 16) I was on the road early because I had a long day ahead on twisty back roads. I wanted to spend the night in Missoula or close to it, and yesterday's detour had left me over 400 miles away. Baker City, OR is a proper city with a real downtown area, and I was soon through town and on I-84, which I took north for one exit to OR 86, which goes east to Oxbow and the Snake River and Hells Canyon. It was a very pleasant and mild morning and I enjoyed the road and the scenery. After 60 miles I came to Oxbow, where I would follow the river to the dam and cross into Idaho. Unfortunately, I had it in my mind that I was going to the Hells Canyon Dam, and I followed the signs for that. The road along the river was old and patched but a lot of fun with no traffic and tight corners. After 23 miles I came to the dam, and was disconcerted to find that the road ended at the Visitors' Center. I asked the Ranger what I'd done wrong (although I'd begun to suspect my error) and she informed me that I should have followed the signs in Oxbow for the road to the Brownlee Dam, which takes you into Idaho, ID 71, and the town of Cambridge. She was nice enough to tell me that I wasn't the first person to make that mistake. So, as much as I'd enjoyed the ride to the dam, I wasn't that happy to repeat it. In Oxbow I saw the clearly marked sign to the Brownlee Dam and Cambridge, and I followed the road along the river in the right direction. This road was every bit as much fun as the other road, and in better shape. The guys I usually ride with monitor their on-board GPS units every quarter mile, and I've become used to having them correct me if I take a wrong turn. I'll have to pay better attention to my old-school paper maps...

Nice road. Too bad it goes to the wrong dam.

ID 71 ends in Cambridge at US 95, which goes north through small towns, hills, valleys, and woods. There were road construction delays in several spots, and the temperature was in the mid-90's, which was uncomfortable when I was waiting for the flag person to let us through. Otherwise it was a pleasant ride through Riggins to Grangeville, where I took ID 13 to Kooskia. A few years ago four of us went on this little canyon road  on our way to Glacier Park. I'm happy to report that it is still bumpy and twisty and hasn't been improved. In Kooskia I went east on US 12, which follows the Lochsa River and the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Since I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and it was almost four in the afternoon, I stopped at an excellent cafe along the road and had a small meal of salmon chowder and a salad. Refreshed, I continued east, enjoying the gently twisting road and the ever-present river. The speed limit is an unrealistic 55 mph - even 50 near the pass - but there weren't any Idaho Troopers about, or much of any other kind of traffic. In any case there were plenty of passing zones and once over the Lolo Pass and into Montana the speed limit was a more sensible 70 mph.

I'm spending the night at a Super 8 in Missoula, since it was the first place I saw, and I didn't want to spend time searching for my usual picturesque motel. At least it is conveniently close to the BMW shop.