I think that most of you would agree that an ideal railbike trip would be a ride lasting several days and ending where the trip began with no shuttle vehicles involved. If this trip included many tunnels, trestles, and bridges and a variety of scenery and wildlife along the way, the rail tour could have a five star rating!
My long time rail companion, Ken Wright, Michael Conley, and I left Spaulding Junction on the Clearwater River on April 18th and after spending nights at Craigmont, Grangeville, and Orofino returned to Spaulding Junction on April 21st, 2002. Each one of these overnight stays was a cozy, relaxing experience. Our favorite overnight stop, however, was Bovey's Bed and Breakfast two miles south of Craigmont. Lavina Bovey had researched who we were and then surprised us by decorated their dining room wall and the dining room table with railroad memorabilia. These two fit the mold of two of the west's most charming people. I will never forget their hospitality.
The first day was a hard thirty-five mile climb
up Winchester grade to Reubens and then on to
Craigmont. We filled our water bottles at a spring
at the tunnel entrance and passed through horseshoe
tunnel with our lights off for that incredible
sensation of pedaling in absolute darkness. We later
crossed over the famous half moon trestle. This is
where the train went over the cliff in the movie
Breakheart Pass. We crossed many more trestles
and passed through five more tunnels before
reaching Reubens. All the little railroad towns on
the Camas Prairie are eight miles apart.
On the second day we rode from Craigmont via
Ferdinand, Cottonwood, and Fenn to Grangeville
which is the end of steel on the Camas Prairie Railroad's second subdivision. We crossed many spectacular trestles and at times we could see our weather unfold as the storm fronts danced along on the near by mountaintops. We had our lunch in a deep rock cut decorated with wild flowers. Our lunch time entertainment was provided by a low flying bright yellow crop duster with roaring piston engines that would repeatedly climb and dive as it dusted the field below our cut.
A 4-Day Ride Covering 160 Miles
Camas Prairie Railroad Loop
Above, Ken crosses one of the many trestles on the prairie. The fields are plowed and ready for wheat. Below, Dick, Mike and Ken pose after their successful ride.
Spalding, this is where the ride began and ended. We started off to the left on the famous Fourth Subdivision, which climbs up the walls of Lapwai Canyon to the Camas Prairie, for which the railroad was named. Four days and 160 miles later, this was our view as we completed the loop.
Story by Richard Smart
Photos by Michael Conley
On the climb up Winchester Grade we found many places where large boulders had made the tracks impassable.
We were on the road early on the third and longest day. Our railbikes were set up for highway travel as we traversed the twenty-six road miles that connect the Camas Prairie's first and second subdivisions. The early morning air felt crisp and clean as we pedaled up the few small hills before descending twelve miles of 7% switchbacks down Harpster grade. It was fun riding on the highway down into the Clearwater River canyon but it was even more fun when we set the railbikes back on the track at Kooskia. You can not beat the seclusion and peacefulness of railbiking. We were usually isolated from any adjacent roads and most of the time on the opposite side of the river. At Kamiah we crossed
Dick heads out onto a trestle between Ruebens and Cottonwood.
the oldest railway bridge in Idaho. We stopped halfway across and examine the turntable of this 1898 bridge that swiveled to allow for steamboat navigation. The turntable was never used. After passing through a couple of short tunnels and traveling twenty more miles along the beautiful Clearwater River we arrived at Orofino.
On Sunday, the final day of our trip, we
continued riding peacefully along the
Clearwater River for another thirty miles before
crossing the big bridge over the Clearwater and
returning to our starting point at Spaulding.
Except for a crazy Dalmatian named Elvis who
cut it front of me causing a jarring derailment it
was an easy day of railbiking. This was Michael
Conley's first over night railbike trip and he
seemed to enjoy himself immensely. We sure
enjoyed his company! His Whitey railbike
performed beautifully! Its outrigger converted
into a trailer that Michael towed at high speeds
on the highway. Ken and I rode Railcycles. He
rode a 1982 Schwinn Sidewinder called
" the mule" and I rode my Montague.
Looking down at the Clearwater River and the switchbacks on Harpster grade.
