Day 12: I thought it would be easier

June 12, 2017

I don't know why but I thought today would be easier? Maybe I'm just tired? Though the start of today's ride didn't help. The weather was just about perfect this morning but the road over Lolo pass left something to be desired. It was so chewed up with pot holes and missing chunks, there were sections with no lines at all.

Part way up a couple guys had stopped near an over look.

"The Montana side is fine," one of them said. "They keep talking about fixing the Idaho side but Idaho just don't have the money."

All I could think of was the famous "Infrastructure Bill". Hey idiot lawmakers in Washington D.C.! The road up Lolo Pass sucks! How about an Infrastructure Bill.

Of course they won't listen to me. No one else does. So I kept pedaling. The road was steeper about 3 or so miles to the top but I kept plugging away until I made it to the pass and a great little visitor center. The girl working there was college age and we got to talking. She was studying something to do with finding ways to make rural communities sustainable and she seemed pretty jazzed to finish her senior year and get started. Sounds like a good career choice to me.

On the way down I met a guy from Holland who was stopped repairing a wheel, and who's name I knew I would instantly forget because I couldn't pronounce it, so just take my word for it, he had a name. He was riding across country and started in Florida.

"Mississippi and Georgia were tough," he said. "They don't seem to like cyclist there."

"Yeah not kidding. I'm surprised you would even ride there."

But he studied sociology and found it interesting nonetheless. In fact he loved touring in America.

"You can't get this in Holland," he said, motioning to the vast wilderness. He loved the open spaces and long distances. He was riding to Portland without maps and offered to give him my ACA maps since I was almost done."

"No I like to go off route and just find different roads." He was a free spirit I guess.

From there the weather started darkening and the road wasn't as down as I was expecting. So I slogged along to Lolo and arrived just before the rain started. I was pretty hungry so stopped a ma and pa casino diner and ordered the roast beef diner. It's been a long time since I was served canned green beans in a restaurant and I hope it's a long time before I am served them again. Still, I was tired and hungry so I ate the whole thing.

From there it was on to Missoula which I rather enjoyed because they had recently completed a bike path for the whole way. Nice!

I made it to the hotel, where I will meet my brother tomorrow, just as the heavens opened again. But who cares. I made it!

Tomorrow I visit the Adventure Cycling office. Until then...