Thursday, Aug 13, Lolo Hot Springs into Missoula, MT, 40 milesWell, it rained all night and is showing no sign of letting up so we break camp in the rain and head for Missoula. We did a very quick 20 miles to Lolo where I had our first flat of the entire trip just as we found a gas station that had hot coffee and cookies. Not a bad rest break at all and a quick fix to the flat. Rolled into Missoula and sought out the Adventure Cycle headquarters so we could sign in and have our picture taken, where we also ran into Kevin for probably the last time. He’s headed up to Glacier National Park while we’re hooking up with our daughter Leah and heading south to Yellowstone. Headed off to our hotel (a free Doubletree for the next two nights, what a luxury as all the nights in Hampton Inns finally pay off), got a very nice meal and called it quits early.
Tomorrow is a complete off day, no riding at all, just connect with Leah, do some laundry and so on. Saturday morning we’ll head out to Yellowstone with a couple easy days followed by a very big climb up Chief Joseph Pass.
Weds. 8/12, Powell to Lolo Hot Springs, ID, 21 miles over Lolo PassWe started the day slowly. After such a long day yesterday and a short target (in terms of miles) today, we wanted to get a full breakfast and let it settle before starting out. We connected with Kevin and had a nice breakfast where we were also joined by a full gear cowboy, Phil Dawson. Phil is from ID and is the 2nd guy we’ve seen carrying a six gun. He is riding a quarter horse with a pack mule on a 2000 mile trek thru ID, WA and MT that is meant to be a fund raising effort for children needing organ transplants. Phil is full of horse talk and interesting stories about his struggles on the road. He can only cover about 15 miles a day, has had many animal issues and so far isn’t raising much money. He can’t give me a card so I can’t pass on his website. (found it – www.americafundraisers.org) He is an interesting mixture – he’s in full old timey garb (plus the pistol) but is also carrying a GPS device that lets his wife track him from home and post his progress on their website . Phil is very interesting, but talks so much (so slowly) I think he may do 2000 mile without learning anything about the people whose paths he has crossed.
We finally head out, with Kevin going on ahead, possibly to meet again. The first 7 miles of the climb to the pass are hard but doable and then it got really nasty, basically straight up (9-11% grade in the switchbacks) and we ride and walk, ride and walk. It got colder and very windy and the mountains around us are getting very sparse and desolate. Finally it levels off some, 6-7% grade but at this point we are also beat so the last 2 miles are a major struggle but we made it. Took a nice break at the Ranger Station at the top of the pass (this one is open) got some pictures taken and then started downhill. It’s supposed to rain soon and looks bad, so we target Lolo Hot Springs in order to get set up prior to the weather.
Lolo Hot Springs is somewhat dismal, basically a biker bar and a hot springs complex (that becomes clothing optional after 9:00 PM, at which point we’ll be long asleep). Camping is across the street where a major effort is underway to set up an outdoor concert stage for Friday & Saturday night shows by Dark Star Orchestra (a Dead tribute band). Vendors and deadheads are already showing up and I expect the weekend will be very interesting but we won’t be sticking around.
This was a day for the record books and we have earned a good night’s sleep.
Tuesday, Aug 11, Lowell to Powell, ID, 67 miles
Put this day in the books! It was very hard but did huge things for us in terms of getting us ready for Lolo Pass.
We started out with some breakfast at Ryan’s Wilderness Inn. A back room is full of mounted bear, deer, elk and two cougar skins. Both were taken right here in Lowell, one recently, which gives a little pause about the day. We loaded up with all the water we could carry and headed out. It looks like 25 miles to the first Ranger Station so I’m thinking we can reload there.
It’s a beautiful day for a ride but we are also pulling steadily uphill every inch of the way. Predictably, it gets hot, the Ranger Station is nothing more than some info signs and we fall back to the notion that there is a major USFS campground at about 56 miles which should have water.
We are riding steadily up river along the Lochsa. We pass camps on the other side of the river which are accessed only by cables & gondolas, much like ski lift systems. We are passed by a solo rider, fully loaded who doesn’t pause for much conversation but pushes on by. At one point, there is a gun blast somewhere not too far behind us that startles the hell out both of us. Latter in the day, similar situation with an RV passing us that blows out a tire just as they go by. Ouch. That makes you jump for the shoulder.
The big campground, Jerry Johnson, is closed. No water and now we are out. Fortunately we have only 8 ro 9 miles left to go and although we are running out of steam, we get thru them.
In one of the serendipitous events that make up this kind of ride when we arrive at the Lochsa Lodge in Powell it turns out to be a beautiful little spot with FREE camping, great facilities and a very nice restaurant. The young man who passed us earlier is also here, Kevin, he’s a musician from Portland who turns out to be a very pleasant and interesting guy.
A huge day. We gained 2300 feet in elevation over 67 miles, pushed hard every inch of the way and feel pretty proud today.
Monday, Aug 10, Grangeville to Lowell, ID, 53 miles
A very good day. Couldn’t find anything open for breakfast in Grangeville as we left but made do with coffee and the inevitable fig newtons. Left highway 93 and turned onto rt 13. Enjoyed a section of rollers, up and down hills but then hit a long stretch of serious downhill riding from Grangeville down into Harpster.
At this point we picked up the Clearwater River and crossed paths with a support van for “Womans Tours”, a fully supported women only cycle touring outfit. The driver told us to be on the lookout for 30 riders and we crossed with them for the next hour or so.
Somewhere along here we passed what we thought to be wild horses on the other side of the river and soon thereafter saw several mule deer who seemed as interested in us as we were in them. When we reached Stites the one restaurant (café) in town not only didn’t open until 11:30 but only opens Thursday thru Sunday. Great. There is a grocery store, which is going to be serving food in a while but the kitchen (on the way to the toilets) doesn’t look so good, so we snacked again and headed towards Kooskia. We’re in and out of Nez Perce reservation as we approach Kooskia which is fully within the rez. We crossed with a couple from London headed west who wanted to know about the climb they were coming to. We couldn’t offer them much encouragement as it had been a very steep descent for us. Oh well.
Pushing up river now towards Syringa, which is noted on our maps as having no services, we got a very pleasant surprise. There is a very nice little café here where we get great, very cold (it’s gotten over 95 again) iced tea and Judith also decides on pie and ice cream, which both turn out to be great.
We reached Lowell, where the Clearwater joins the Selway and the Lochsa rivers and we set up camp at Three Rivers Campgrounds. They also have a restaurant on site so we don’t have to get back on the bicycles at all. Good deal.
However…this turns out to the rowdiest campgrounds we’ve found yet, with many people doing camp fires, lots of drinking and loud stuff going on and teens running around thru the tent sites chasing each other. After several efforts shouting out to them to cool it, I end up getting up again, going out and being a serious grouch.
Have to get some good sleep because tomorrow is a very big day, all climbing and crossing a 66 mile stretch that has no services at all.
Michael
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