This morning was the first morning we felt the cold as we rolled out before the sun rose above the treetops to warm up the day. 4 miles down the road from our campground, we stopped at the Lochsa Lodge for a quick coffee and breakfast. The Lodge had a restaurant and convenience store and was the only service in Powell. We also picked up a book to read about some dory adventurers on the rivers we had been cycling by - more weight to carry!
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| Lolo Pass |
Lolo Pass ended up being a pretty cruisy climb. The steeper stuff went for about 5-6 miles and again the view was impressive looking out over the mountains and tall trees. One thing I didn't like was that I could hear the loose rocks sliding off the escarpment onto the side of the road as I climbed.
On this climb, Steve amused himself by making up Indian names for the three of us. Katie is "Smells Like Nature". I am "Never Ending Hunger", and Steve is "Makes Wind" - although there is a bit of contention over Steve's name as it could, theoretically, apply to all three of us!
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| Another summit selfie |
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| Another border crossing |
The descent off Lolo Pass was heaps of fun until my map case with our map blew off my bike. Steve had forgotten to secure it to its carabiner at the top of the Pass. Luckily he was coming down behind me and managed to pick it up on his way down.
Lolo Pass also marks the border into Montana. We are now in bear and moose territory. This part of the state is characterised by beautiful sub-alpine forest - tall, thick, dark green pine trees and spruce trees. Further down the canyon we noticed that the forest fires has also recently passed through this area, trees blackened and lifeless on both sides of the road.
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| Descending off Lolo Pass |
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| Riding past Lolo Hot Springs |
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| Destruction from the fires |
Unfortunately, Montana drivers aren't much better then Idaho drivers. Although the road is smoother, it is still really narrow with not much of a shoulder.
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| Beers up at Lolo Peak Brew Pub |
Finally we got to Lolo where Steve had promised us we could have lunch. The plan was to eat at Lolo Peak Brew Pub, but when we arrived we found it was a brand new pub and the kitchen wasn't open yet. So we had to fuel up on 3 pints of beer, and snack on nuts and caramel popcorn.
A little bit tipsy, hot and de-hydrated, we took on the 10 mile ride to Missoula along the busy Hwy 12 leading into town. The cars were buzzing by fast, but at least there was a wide shoulder.
In Missoula we headed straight to the Adventure Cycling Association headquarters, to sign in, grab an ice-cream and have our photo taken for their pin board of all the cyclists passing through this season. We really wanted to do the bike weigh in to see what our true weight really is, but it was close to closing time by the time we got there, so we'll see if we can stop by on our way out of town.
Missoula is the end of the road for Katie, so we will be having a full rest day here to get ourselves organised, re-stock and re-assess our gear again. Yeay, we get to stay in a hotel for 2 nights!
Missoula has a tonne of micro-breweries. We hit Tamarack for dinner to try a few brews and chow down on a gigantic buffalo burger and chocolate pizza cookie for dessert.
CRANKING ODYSSEY STATS
Total Odyssey miles: 1,004 (we made our first milestone)
Overall Fastest Speed: Steve (39.9 miles per hour) Mandy (35.3 miles per hour)
Bonks: nil
Dog chases: 3
Dummy Spits: Steve (2 - Day 10 because it rained; Day 16 - because the rocks in the river were slippery)
Mandy (0.5 - Day 14 those freakin' wreckless Idaho drivers!)
Flats: Katie (4)
Wrong turns: 6
Beer of the day: Tamarack Rye Sally Rye
Lesson of the day: a rest day is needed not just to rest your weary legs, but really to give your sore butt a break!
No. of our luxury items that Katie has used: 5 (duct tape + rope + pliers + a confused cup/bowl + can opener)
No. of days with no shower: 7
Starting weight: Steve (90kg) Mandy (51.5kg)
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