Smoke on the Mountain

July 21, 2022

Pulled out of Curtis’s in Darby at 6:50am and went to the Montana Cafe for breakfast. I tried to order 2 pancakes and some potatoes and Dan tried to order 2 pancakes, 2 eggs and fruit. The waiter just shook his head and made a motion how big the pancakes were. So we each reduced our order to one. See the picture and of course mine is the chocolate chip one.

Totally stuffed, we rolled out of Darby headed for Chief Joseph Pass, a climb to about 7,200 feet. We first stopped in Sula and was warned to turn back (by a bear). Of course we ignored him. The grade for a good portion of the climb stayed steady at 6%. The reason for the title was that there was a fire in Salmon Idaho and it was threatening road closures. I could definitely see, smell, and was breathing in smoke for the last 3 miles or so. Totally enjoyed the climb except for the damn horse flies. Oh and didn’t like the fact that there was no real summit sign. 1 hour and 38 minutes of climbing and no official sign 🙁. After the summit, the rest of the ride was either screaming downhills, 1-2% grade downhills, or just flat.

I kept looking for beautiful green forest scenery pictures to share but there is just so much year over year fire damage. Then I realized that there is beauty in that too. Of course so long as the fires were part of nature’s lifecycle and not caused by humans. So I took some pictures and will share one or two. I know this can be a sensitive topic for some, but nature was here before us and it will outlive us too.

We also stopped at the Big Hole. It’s the location of a horrific Nez Perce battle with the Army. You my recall I mentioned the reservation without judgement. I have a new perspective and might suggest you google the battle. Eye opening to say the least.

I found a really cool barn of the day. It was just 2 miles outside of downtown Darby. I could tell you more but I’ll leave it for the picture. Also saw more Bee Boxes! And the sign of the day picture will be posted too.

Finally camping in Wisdom, ID. I think it is the mosquito capital of the west. We’re in our tents afraid to go out and there are still two more hours of daylight. On a positive note, Wisdom has a really good bakery and yes I’ve have tested a couple of items there and have some saved up for breakfast.

Night All

Ian