Wheat Walker

May 28, 2010

The road ended. Well, it wasn't much of a road. Wagon tracks worn into the hard earth by settlers seeking a shortcut to California.

The route we were following in Idaho by compass was the Hudspeth cutoff. This route was supposed to save over a hundred miles over the California trail. But that was in 1849!

My buddy Dave and I had patched together a ten day bike trip in and around the Sawtooth National Forest.

Our forward progress had suddenly stopped. We looked at our map. No other roads around. We'd have to cross this wheat field to continue.

We left our bikes and hiked up to the farm house. The land owner was more than happy to give us permission to walk our bikes through his land.

We returned to our bikes and searched out a path that would cause the least amount of crop damage. I looked up at one point and Dave was swallowed up in wheat.

The warm sun kissed our shoulders. Life was good.

It usually is on a bike trip--whether you're coasting, climbing, or walking your bike through a field of wheat.

 

Photo by Willie Weir

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SIGHTS AND SOUNDS is posted every other Friday. Willie Weir is a columnist for Adventure Cyclist magazine. His books, Travels with Willie and Spokesongs, will inspire you to hit the road, and might change the way you approach bicycle travel. He lives in Seattle with his wife Kat. You can read about their adventures at http://yellowtentadventures.com.