Sorry to hear about your bad experiences with Montana drivers. When I rode the Transam in 2015, I did not experience any such bad behavior from the Montana drivers - but, of course, the Transam goes through the western portion of the state including Missoula, and perhaps the drivers are more civilized there. Hoping that the remainder of your Montana crossing is more pleasant,

Buddy Hall

Thanks again for the stories in the past few days. Glad some things are 'feeling better'. Keep it goin'! Enjoy the Road to the Sun!

Love the second breakfasts!

Sand hill cranes.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/overview

Yes, it's really out there (we called that area Wolf Prairie) and you'd have to bring a couple of days' worth of food but there is plenty of water that you can purify for drinking and of course it's quite easy to wild camp in the National Forest. I think it's better than following the monotonous route along Lake Koocanusa to Eureka but definitely very isolated. I hear a lot of complaints about 93 south to Whitefish, which you would have joined up with in Trego, so I think maybe you made the best choice. Plus you got to stop at Happy's Inn, always a cultural experience.

We took him out for pizza and gifted him a giant can of Pringles, and that was the start of a beautiful friendship. We just got home today from visiting the Arnims at their new home in Washington. You just never know where these cycle-touring friendships will go, do you? Have fun and safe travels.

How cool is that

Warmshowers host in Sandpoint recommended USFS 36 and then a WS host in Whitefish said it was a good road, that it follows the RR and one section where the train would go through a tunnel, would be a climb over.
This route from Libby, Fisher Creek and USFS 36 looks like a good alternative to NT to Eureka. It's the distance that could be a problem, but free camping in Forest Service land would be a nice way to break it up.

Both sides are beautiful, the Champion Haul Road is far quieter. You passed right by my mom's house on 37!

And I had looked at staying on the south side of the river Champion Rd??
Patrick wanted to stay on 37 in case there was a shop, even though nothing showed up on google maps.
R

That is so cool!

Thanks Andrea, for all the comments!! And we are making edits...
Racpat

I don't know that road but it looks intriguing!

Thanks, I'll also need to correct the spelling :)

We thought about turning off Fisher Creek to USFS 36 to Whitefish...will have to one day come back and see what that road is like
Racpat

Classic pose!