June 27, 1981
Big Sky Country
Lolo Pass and Missoula
We made it to Montana and had our biggest mileage day of the trip, so far... 95 miles! The state line was at the top of Lolo Pass and getting there was both beautiful and challenging.
We continued to follow the Lochsa River until having reached Powell Junction. A 5-mile climb ensued but was mitigated by beautiful scenery all around and a manageable grade. Some of the vistas were so beautiful they almost looked like paintings or post cards. On the way up, a car with a couple of nice looking ladies honked, waved, and smiled at us. As they passed. Their Alberta, Canada license plate read, "Wild Rose Country." Hmmmm...
As we came down the pass, with its very fast 7-mile descent, it became clear that we were in Montana and that it is a special place. The pick-up trucks had gun racks in the cabs and the drivers were all wearing cowboy hats. Some had their dogs in the beds of the trucks. The surrounding landscapes were beautiful, as well.
We made really good time getting to the town of Lolo, covering the 26 miles in 70 minutes and using our highest gear all the way. In town, a little rodeo was going on in a corral below us. Men were riding bucking bulls while the small audience was cheering them on. We could see the rodeo from the road we were on that lay above the whole scene. Snow-capped mountains were all around us making the entire ride an exhilarating experience.
During a break, at a restaurant/tavern in Lolo, a drunken fellow at the bar started giving us a hard time. We had been warned that some people in Montana were still very conservative and didn't like guys with long hair. This fellow was making comments, which we largely ignored. A few times, we looked his way, simply to see what kind of (fill in the appropriate descriptive adjective) person would be saying such things. He never did anything other than talk and that seemed also to fizzle out. I suppose we looked pretty rough around the edges, after having spent so much time on the road, so he may have decided not to try us on for size.
We got something to eat and drink and then headed out. The fool left also and I half thought we might meet him out on the road somewhere, but he never materialized. The rest of the ride to Missoula went very well and was uneventful, except for the continuing amazing scenery all around. Once we arrived, we saw signs for the University of Montana. Since that meant showers and likely some lodging, we went for it. Because Missoula is a crossroads for touring cyclists, I suspected the University security force might be on the lookout for cyclists crashing their facilities. However, that was not the case, as we were the only such persons around. We were able to get cleaned up in Aber Hall without anyone seeming to care or even notice that the ragged strangers were about.
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We went back into town and had dinner at a place called The Oxford. It was a quintessential Montana tavern, complete with cowboys, old rednecks, gambling, moose heads mounted on the wall, every kind of liquor imaginable, and the bartender with close-cropped hair and a starched white shirt. It doesn't look like 1981 at The Oxford and hopefully, it never will. A local told us that Senator Mike Mansfield comes here whenever he is in town. We had a great dinner and then went back to Aber Hall, where we took over a lounge on the 3rd floor and had a comfortable night. We are liking Montana!
Today's ride: 95 miles (153 km)
Total: 2,236 miles (3,598 km)
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