I got good grades in Idaho!

[rdane]

It isn't about class room grades, it is about road grades
Some of the locals have driven this one:

MARYHILL'S LOOPS ROAD

Built in 1913 by Sam Hill, founder of Maryhill Museum of Art, the 3.6 mile-long historic Loops Road, the first paved road in Pacific Northwest, winds through the Klickitat Hills just north of the Stonehenge Monument near the junction of Washington Scenic Route 14 and U.S. Highway 97.

Decent drive but a little short @ 3.6 miles and now ending at a turn around.

But that info should put some of the following in perspective for early engineering feats. What they really are is some amazing hill climbs and all on public roads!

I took a quick run to central Idaho and hit a majority of the "big" grades, some no longer in heavy or daily use. All within a few hours drive of Lewiston Idaho.






First up was the old Lewiston Grade, now called the Spiral Highway finished in 1917. 30 years ago there wasn't a house on the hill side now it has everything from million dollar homes to beat up old trailers that use the grade as access to their driveway. Nice drive but too populated for my tastes today.

10 miles long, 2000ft. elevation gain, 45 turns, and 13, 180 degree switch backs


Next up on our trip came the Greer grade. Steep, long and lots of turns. This one is still a major road into a remote section of cental Idaho. Little traffic though and good pavement.

10 miles, 61 turns, 7, 180 degree switch backs and 3000 ft elevation gain. It gives you the flavor of what is to come.

If you make this trip don't miss the Stites Canyon road...5 miles one way..10% grade and it is straight up and down...I don't think there is really a turn on the entire 5 miles! Nor is there a guard rail or a run out

Both of these next two are still on well traveled Idaho roads. But it is Idaho, they aren't that well traveled. Good pavement but little traffic.

Mt. Idaho Grade is just up the river. It climbs out of the Clearwater river canyon in 4.5 very steep miles and is spectacular. 39 turns and not a single switch back in the 3000 ft of elevation gain..

Back down the river you drove by the Harpster Grade. This is one is 5.6 miles and 42 turns. Worth the effort for the 3500 feet of elevation gain.

The biggie is next. This is the old Whitbird Hill road while no longer maintained or used except by tourists looking for a different in or out of the canyon. The road is in generally excellent condition. My wife described this one, "as 8.5 miles of abject terror!" I had ridden down it on my bike and in a school bus twice a day 40+ years ago so it was just coming home for me But it was fun to see it through her wide eyes







Whitebird Grade is 8.5 miles long. Has 62 turns and 17 switchbacks finished in 1915. The straight aways will get you 100+mph if you have the stones for the 2nd gear banked corners on each end with major disaster potential. It could be a wild ride! The drive gains momentum as you gain height and the straights become shorter, the banks higher, the hair pins even tighter as the drop off on each corner grows to over 3000 feet! Comforting thought if the brakes fail or you hit a corner a little hot.

Whitebird is worth the drive all by itself. You could spend the day there doing it over and over again. Next up is old Winchester Grade

[rdane]

Finally, the old Winchester Grade. This one is 6 miles...but it has 72 turns and 9 switch backs. You don't want to make a mistake here. There are no second chances and the only grade I am really very cautious and leery of driving. It is a 2000 foot drop, no guard rails and no road edge on a tiny, tiny, tiny, barely two lane road and yes...it is still in daily use by the locals who live on the road. Thank goodness the population is mostly cows and a new 4 lane by passes this road. On a good day with no traffic it is spectacular in the extreme. You can see the Snake river and well into Oregon and Washigton from here.

[rdane]

And my partners in crime at the end of a 1000 mile trip.

[Deeks]

OMG !! That looks like driving heaven..... and your missus goes along with it too ?? That's great.

In England we have the roads, but we just don't have the open space to enjoy driving like you guys do. Around every turn there might be a speed camera waiting or a building with a driveway, or a tailback of some sort. Too many people in too small an island basically. I love the openness and wilderness you guys have. You live in a beautiful place.

[rdane]

Deeks,
Central Idaho hasn't changed much in the last 50 or even 100 years. Still more cows than people or cars. Our hotel midway into the trip was just off the street on Highway 12. #12 is one of the few east/west passes through Idaho. By 10PM the taffic had slowed to a trickle and by 11PM there was nothing moving till 6AM. I slept with the window open and 2 trucks and 1 car passed in that time. A bit less noise than Picadilly last fall

Whitebird Grade saw 5 cars and one bicycle besides me over a two day period. Highway 95, the only major North/South road through Central Idaho was fairly busy just one hillside away and where some of the photos were taken from.

The best panoramas really do take your breath away. We crossed the Coloumbia, Snake, WallaWalla, Yakima, Salmon, Clearwater and a few other rivers many times on this trip. Remote places to get to but like Hell's Canyon, which is where were were on the turn around point on this trip, well worth the journey.

GeorgeK's pictures are what usually gets me started on these trips. My wife is a great sport tagging along while letting me drive all over hell and gone looking for the best drives in the western US. This trip she started calling me a "nut case" on the 3rd ride up Whitebird at full throttle

We saw too many elk, deer, and coyotes to count. One live rattle snake and amazingly enough, 3 Golden Eagles this trip. I've spent a good deal of the last 40 years outdoors in the Western US and until this week seen a total of two Golden Eagles...now I have seen 5! 4 of them in different areas this summmer alone. Amazing! (Bald Eagles are a dime a dozen around here)

[Seahawk]

Drove through that area two years ago with my son...we were on a coast-to-coast camping trip and ended up spending more time in that area than planned. Simply beautiful.

[Deeks]

My girl and I are thinking of cycling across from east to west coast of the USA next summer on a recumbent tandem. It'll take 6-to-8 weeks depending on where we start/finish.

Your photos partly make me wanna drive those roads, but I'm sure that cycling we'll be able to appreciate the amazing scenery and nature to the max. I'll drive it some day - maybe when I'm older.

[AFC-911]

This Floridian is officially jealous!!

Beautiful scenery, and some incredibly fun driving roads!

[Amac]

Man!!!!
If I had roads like that to drive I'd never
get anything done!!
Beautiful country, smooth twisty roads,
no traffic, don't get any better than that!!
Car looks great.

[Drago]

Dane,

I know you said you were going to do some scouting for next years Round-Up/Monster Run but really...freakin' amazing!

Might have to make next years event an extra long weekend!!!

[rdane]

Marc, I spent two extra days scouting out "the Forest" and have a couple of new ideas there too

But a caravan to Idaho would be so much fun! We could block off Whitebird and make it our own play ground for a day

Amac that is the problem. I am racing the weather trying t oget the last of the good driving in on the other side of the mountains before they see snow on those roads.

[Drago]

Once the weather turns foul for the winter we'll have to get together with Jamie and Nicky for brain-storming session at Red Hook.

I hear the Winterhook is supposed to be extra good this year.

[Superman]

Yes, I am quite familiar with those grades, particularly Whitebird and Lewiston. No houses there when I was a kid. Musta been fun.

[rdane]

Marc, it is only 320 miles to Lewiston from Issaquah or Portland. A good deal less from Spokane or Walla Walla. It would be a long haul for the Candians however. But so is 100 Mile House from this side

I added another 400 miles driving the local grades and going on journeys around about. That could have been done better mileage wise.

Lots of whine country between here and there and an amazing amount of history.

Much of this route follows the Oregon trail, the first gold strikes in Idaho, the Lewis and Clark trail and the Nez Pierce war. You are never lacking for something to look at from the past or present.

A bike route out of Montana, over Lolo Pass going east to west and through some of this country would be spectacular.

Sup's an Idaho boy? Tell me it aint so


Check out these full size jpegs of 'most" of the Whitebird grade.

The better look at a few of the first upper switch backs
http://standingwave.org/albums/porsche/atm.jpg
12 of the 17 upper switch backs showing.
http://standingwave.org/albums/porsche/asy.jpg
and what you see form the summit.
http://standingwave.org/albums/porsche/atl.jpg

[cicsprog]

This is where I grew up in my youth. I have driven these roads soooooo many times you would not believe it. I graduated from Lewiston High School and the Lewiston grade was our final test for Driver's Education in High School. Whitebird hill would be a great Porsche run. Heck, Lewiston to Boise would be a gas in the P-Car. I graduated from the University of Idaho. There are so many great roads for Porsche's in North Idaho. PM me if you have an interest in visiting my home state. These pictures brought back a lot of memories. Thanks!

This made me tear up (seriously).....and here I sit in the flatlands of Florida with a Porsche 911 and no twisty's like in the homeland of Idaho. Snif...snif!

Jason
88 911 CAB
"Living in Hurricane Hell Florida"

[rdane]

Hard to imagine at least three of us driving a p-car from this area and about the same age!

Superman and Cicsprog will appreciate this. These were the roads I first drove on as well. We got our learner's permits at 14. Not many roads can impress you after these.

One of my first memories of the local roads was a delivery truck from Grangeville missing a curve on the top section of Whitebird. The driver was killed of course and the truck ended up strewn along 2000 feet of canyon wall. The local high school age guys made the downhill trek over the railing and picked up a years' score of candy and cigarettes.

Seemed perfect acceptable to a kid in 3rd grade.

Lewiston to Boise is now pretty much a 5th gear run. Not much reason to slow down from 70 unless you are going through town and most don't.

The trip from Lewiston to Riggins is now an easy 2.5 hour, 100 mile trip. Remember 40 years ago when that was a full day's drive up Greer grade and then down White Bird and following the Salmon into Riggins?

[cicsprog]

From Lewiston along the Lochsa River to Lolo Hot Springs (Montana) down through Salmon Idaho would be another great run. One Idaho State Trooper from Salmon to Idaho Falls and his house is right by the highway. If his patrol car is at the house ....petal to the metal to Idaho Falls.

The Sawtooths above Sun Valley and down to Twin Falls yet another great run. The scenery along these roads will take your breath away.

WOW…..growing up in Idaho was great! Needed the P-Car in High School. Well maybe not.....would'a put it in the river on a curve.

Jason

88 911 CAB

[Superman]

Yep, Idaho boy. St. Maries. You mean the wrinkles have been taken out of the Lewiston-Riggins stretch?! That did NOT used to be a fifth gear thing. Yep, driving at 14 and every day since. But here's the big news:

If a bike trip is what you want I've got a HOT tip for you. Ever see the movie Breakheart Pass with Charlie Bronson? Won an academy award for cinematography, and deserved it. A western/murder mystery that takes place on a train (of course). The scenery is truly, truly breathtaking. Near the top, the tree-lined hillsides are simply too steep even for rails, so it's trestle-tunnel-trestle-tunnel-trestle, etc. The tunnel at the top is 1.25 miles long. Some of the trestles are many hundreds of feet high, all wood. Anyway, they took the tracks out and made it into a bike path. Part of the coast-to-coast greenbelt (in my view, one of our nation's best modern accomplishments). Folks take truckfuls of bikes up there, and it's a nice gentle, stunning, high-country cruise with gravity on your side. It's so wonderful that, in spite of its remote location, it's very popular.

Oh...candy and cigs sprinkled on the ground are fair game. I also heard of a truck that used one of those new-fangled runaway truck ramps, but the ramp was frozen. It became a ramp, alright.

Gosh, another memory. Science teacher, Colonel Reid, was gearing down the school bus to stop at the gas station at the bottom of the old Lewiston grade (science fair, yes I was a nerd) when he saw the price sign. He says "Thirty three cents a gallon?! F*ck that!" and he rolled on past.

[rdane]

St. Maries? For fun I use to ride my bicycle from CdA to Kellogg over 4th of July to see my girl friend in the afternoon and ride home again before it got dark. Summer only ride of course

Another great bike ride is Lookout Pass down into Wallace on the old Rail Road grade now a bike path, tunnels and all.

Breakheart Pass location
http://pw1.netcom.com/~wparsons/camas99.html

P-car then? I'd be dead now Happy mind you, but dead. The real question is who I would have taken with me?

First Vette I remember seeing was tiny pieces of fiberglass spread among the big yellow pines next to the Clearwater. Killed them both of course.

Then there was the load of steel pipe coming down Lewiston grade...that hit the runaway ramp.......truck stopped, pipe didn't. Odd looking truck with a load of pipe stuck fully through the cab.

I had forgotten that Greer grade was our Driver's Ed test in Orofino! Funny that Jason reminded me of that buried memory.

[LakeCleElum]

RDANE: We need some hints, things like road numbers, towns, etc...I've done the Lewiston Grade, Winchester, Whitebird, and Hwy #12 many times. Never heard of: Greer Canyon, Sites Canyon, Mt. Idaho or the Harpster Grade. Work with us here.....Also, it's a great road to Elk City from either Hwy 12 or Grangeville!!!!!!!!! GREAT PHOTO'S.
Bob S.