Riders in New England, and I'm sure elsewhere, go on a "leaf peep" ride in the fall to view the changing foliage. I decided to go on my own leaf peep today.
Here is the photo album.
I rode down to Kendrick, then to Orofino, through Kamiah and Kooskia, up onto the Camas Prairie at Grangeville, and now I'm sitting in a dinner called the Cadillac Ranch.
I stopped to take a picture of the Cadillac, complete with bull horns on the grill, hoisted atop a thick pole. A combination truck stop / cafe, this is as good of a place as any to step inside to stretch my legs and use the restroom.
Above the toilet was a sign stating that if I wasn't a customer I don't get to use their johns. The claim was that 15 to 20 people use their toilets each day without buying anything. Well, too late to stop now... I picked up a candy bar to purchase so I wouldn't make any enemies.
Another sign at the cash register warned of a minimum $5.00 purchase for all debit and credit cards. I added some fries, a peanut butter shake, and some crackers to just get over the minimum purchase requirement. No worries if it would have been just under $5; to-go orders are an extra twenty cents. The grub is good, but I wasn't hungry. Maybe I'll use the bathroom one more time before I leave to get my money's worth..
I hope they don't charge for the entertainment. As I've been sitting here under a dead bear's head, I've been watching the local colors do their shopping. A boy of about 10 grabs a box of Q-tips off of the shelve and shows his enormous mother. Acting exasperated, she growls that she had already bought Q-tips. He puts them away with a look on his face that he's tired of trying.
I just ate a fried dirt clod that somehow got mixed in with my freshly cut fries. Perhaps the gas station attendant / short order cook forgot to rinse off the russet before slicing it in their stainless-steel french (or perhaps freedom) fry machine.
Near my table is a glass case full of knives and belt buckles. Next to a two foot long knife with an antler for a handle is a belt buckle that says "Wichita Kansas - 1985". Where else but Craigmont, Idaho can I get a Kansas belt buckle for five bucks? Maybe I should have sprung for that instead of the treats.
A pickup pulls up next to the window at my table with a dead elk in the bed. It's tongue is hanging out of it's stiff mouth as if it's dying wish was a glass of water. The driver and his son enter the store to purchase sodas. They are congratulated on their prize by the owner of the shop.
As I leave the diner, there's a 5 year old girl playing in the landscaping with what looks like an eight foot rattlesnake. A better look reveals the snake is just a toy, but looks real enough.
I love to ride. I read books and Internet message boards about other rider's adventures around the world through interesting places like Mongolia and Africa. I hope to someday soon take on those adventures and experience the people of the World. Today's ride reminds me that there are interesting, if not a bit bizarre, experiences to be had not far from home.
