July 26, 2006
Day 55: Missoula, MT to Lowell, ID
123.83 Miles, 9:29:31 Ride Time, 13.27 Average Speed, 29.7 Maximum Speed
This would be my longest day yet - not just of my Across-the-USA trip, but ever, both in terms of riding time and mileage.
I didn't know that, however, when I got my typical late start, around 8:00.
The first 13 miles this morning would be re-tracing yesterday's route back to the town of Lolo. Some riders skip visiting Missoula, apparently feeling that the 26 miles to and from the town are a waste, but I was glad I did it - It was neat visiting the place where my maps originated. These maps are excellent; I cannot imagine doing a trip of this magnitude without them.
The five miles back to US 93 through downtown Missoula were pleasant and easy, despite its being rush hour. Missoula was certainly the nicest to ride in of any of the big towns I've visited.
The eight miles on US 93 were, predictably, not much fun. At least it was cooler than yesterday afternoon, and most of the traffic seemed to be going the other direction. However, the shoulder was just full of debris that I had to weave through.
I stopped for breakfast at the Conoco Station from yesterday afternoon, where I had a sausuage-egg-cheese-biscuit, large gooey cinnamon roll, chocolate milk (whole milk - not that wimpy 2% stuff), Little Debbie fudge rounds, and Diet Pepsi. Incredibly, I've lost about ten pounds in the last few months on this kind of diet.
The girl from yesterday afternoon was behind the counter, and she wished me luck getting to Oregon - It was kind of cool that she remembered my destination, I thought.
The next twenty miles were an easy, scenic ride, mostly along Lolo Creek. When I got to Lolo Hot Springs, which apparently consisted of a motel and campground, I stopped for the coldest Gatorade I'd had in weeks, if not months. It's a shame that most stores don't keep it that cold, I thought...
Before I left Lolo Hot Springs, I was approached by an older man who warned me about the big climb to Lolo Pass that was coming up. Local people always think that their hills/traffic/etc. are the worst in the country, it seems.
The climb to Lolo Pass (and the Idaho state line) was a few miles at a 6% to 7% grade. It wasn't too difficult, although I was now becoming more aware of the heat - this was turning into another very hot day.
Idaho had a very nice visitor center at the summit, where I entered the Pacific Time Zone (I didn't get too excited about this, since I would be back in Mountain Time again in a few days; I would be on Pacific Time for the remainder of my trip once I got to Oregon).
After I filled my water bottles at the visitor center, I started a long (several mile) descent down to the Lochsa River. It was harder than usual to enjoy this, however, since the shoulder was mostly gravel, and it was a long drop-off on my right.
When I got to the little community of Powell, which consisted of the Lochsa Lodge, a store, and a gas station, I had ridden 58 miles, and it was after 2:00 (Mountain Time). I rode to the lodge and was dismayed to find that they had no vacancies. I had tried to call them last night, but there had been no answer. The next stop was Lowell, which was 66 miles away. I called one of the motels there, and found that they still had rooms. I spent a minute thinking things over: The ride to Lowell would be mostly downhill (although the grade wasn't too steep - I couldn't just coast), but it had become extremely hot, and I had a strong headwind. It was late in the day to start a 66 mile ride through a wilderness area with no services of any kind... I told them to hold a room for me.
I bought four Gatorades and half a dozen Grandma's Cookies at the little store, and rode into the hot wind. The scenery along the curvy road was rugged and gorgeous, marred only by the fairly heavy truck traffic. I spent more time looking back over my shoulder than I have the entire trip. The road was so twisty, and the shoulder was minimal; I wasn't sure how visible I was to the trucks. The scene was unchanging for miles and miles: The road butted up against the mountain to my right; the river to my left; more mountains on the other side of the river.
I periodically stopped at one of the turn-offs next to the river and ate a cookie, while trying to conserve my water and Gatorade for as long as possible. The only relief from the hot wind was the occasional surprising cool breeze whenever I rode past one of the little streams that came out of the mountain to my right.
With about twenty miles to go, the sun started to go down in the canyon, and it finally became cooler. Now, though, I worried about my visibility to the truck and RV traffic; I found myself looking back over my shoulder more than ever.
The last ten miles of the day were the most enjoyable. It was cool, the wind had died down, the traffic had mostly disappeared, and I knew I would reach Lowell before nightfall. I became aware of the pleasant smells of the river and the trees for the first time.
It was near dusk when I rode into Lowell, and my destination there, the Three Rivers Inn. My room was very old and basic - quite a contrast to the Holiday Inn the night before. My cellphone hadn't worked in many miles, so I called home from the payphone outside - the rooms didn't have telephones, of course.
The restaurant closed in about an hour, so I quickly showered and changed clothes. Dinner was good, and the waitress was attentive. As I was finishing, a couple from England, Bill and Tricia farnham, walked over to my table and introduced themselves. They were riding from Oregon to Denver, staying at motels exclusively (they didn't even carry camping gear as a backup), and were staying in Lowell for a couple of days until a room became available at the Lochsa Lodge in Powell. It was an interesting, and unexpected conversation - I hadn't met many Eastbound cyclists lately, and certainly didn't expect to meet any that night.
After I returned to my tiny room, I went to bed fairly early; it had been a long, tiring, but somehow exhilerating day.
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Today's ride: 124 miles (200 km)
Total: 3,558 miles (5,726 km)
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1 year ago