At Riggins, the Salmon River peeled off and was replaced along the road by the Little Salmon River. It is much smaller.
The road followed the Little Salmon for 23 miles and climbed 2000 feet. There's nothing like starting the day with a long grind.

At least it was pretty. It's no Horsetail Falls, but it will have to do.

Eventually the river slowed down and the road dumped me out on a prairie.

Ranchal decay? Grazal decay?

I passed five touring cyclists going the other way before I left the Trans America Route at New Meadows. The first guy is riding to Portland, Maine.
I didn't talk to the three guys in the middle, but apparently they were Mexican kids riding the Trans Am. The last guy rode up to me
at the store in New Meadows smoking a cigarette. He told me about the others on the route and I gave him the scoop on the route ahead.
Then a bus-load of high-school kids showed up and I got out of there before the store was overrun.

Just north of New Meadows I became closer to the equator than the north pole. It didn't feel any different.

Then there was a big climb. There was a construction zone that they sent be through ahead of the traffic. It was on the climb.
For the entire climb I was tormented by flies. It was fantastic.

On the other side of the hill was the tourist town of McCall on Payette Lake. I had lunch at a pizza joint. I had a burger.

More signs that we don't see back east.

My first--and so far only--glimpse of Cascade Lake. There were actually a few clouds in the sky today.
I even felt a few drops--more like a mist--on the descent into McCall.

One last kick in the teeth before the final descent into Cascade. I'm staying at the Ashley Inn, and they are really taking care of me.
They are even going to have breakfast at 6am instead of 7am so that I can get on the road by8am. They are totally awesome!
They have cookies at 8pm, so you know where I will be tonight.