Day 53: No Time for Losers, 'Cause We are the Champions!

Lolo Hot Springs, MT to Lowell, ID

Stats!
Miles biked today: 87.3 (a new record!)
Total miles biked on trip so far: 1926.3
Max speed: 27.5 mph
# of Rocky Mountains climbed: 1
# of butterflies passed: 371
# of waterfalls passed: 22
# of rainstorms: 2
# of time zones crossed: 1 (we are now in Pacific time!)

Today we had the bike trip that I had fantasized about before we left. We started out by climbing a mountain, and then did another 80 miles to boot. We passed tons of waterfalls and beautiful scenery. It rained, but it was a warm rain that cleared up after awhile. Even after almost 90 miles of riding, we felt good. That was the kind of bike trip day I imagined we'd have, back when I was young and idealistic.

We started this morning with an 8-mile climb up Lolo Pass, our first rocky mountain climb! I was a little nervous, but we were actually able to bike the whole thing – no walking! We did have to take several rest breaks, but otherwise it was very manageable. Okay, we sweat buckets and I was seriously huffing and puffing. But I was BEYOND thrilled when we reached the top. We have one more big climb to make, probably two days from now, and then we'll be out of the rockies.

We stopped at the Lolo Pass Interpretive Center for a bit, just to rest and refill our waters (it was HOT), and we were excited about the 5-mile, steep descent. Unfortunately, we got stuck behind a truck carrying crushed cars. It took the entire lane and went down the whole mountain at 15 mph, so we had to go 15 mph, too. There was no road shoulder, and the road was too winding to risk passing in the other lane. We probably could have at least gotten into the 30s (mph-wise), but instead we had to brake for the full 5 miles, and I was worried I'd blow out a tire. Very frustrating.

After that, the route leveled out and we were going either flat or very slightly downhill. There was no wind for most of the ride, which was nice.

About 20 miles into our trip, we got to the Lochsa Lodge (we rode the entire day along the Lochsa River), where we had a big lunch. We knew there was nothing for 65+ miles after the lodge (as far as services go), since the ride was through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. When they say “wilderness,” they mean it. So we made sure to eat lunch at Lochsa, and we stocked up on supplies at the general store.

We weren't sure if we'd end up camping at the campground 60 miles in, or if we'd make it all the way to Lowell. Either way we'd need at least one more full meal, so we bought Chef Boyardee Ravioli, Doritos, Famous Amos cookies, and Gatorade. It's the shelf-stable dinner of champions! We learned early on that if we pack fresh sandwiches in our bag, that by the time we pull them out of our steam oven waterproof panniers, they've become swollen, botulism-infested deathwiches. So we don't do that anymore. And we try to eat as much protein as we can, so beef ravioli seemed like a good pick.

Aaaaaanyway, we were ready to hit the road again when it started raining. We debated just packing it in at 20 miles, but it was only noon and it seemed silly to quit so early, when we had started with such high hopes for the day. So we got going in the rain, and it cleared up pretty quickly. It had only really showered, and we were dry again in no time.

The ride, in general, was amazing. I felt like we were in a pine maze. You could see a wall of tall pine trees in front of you, a wall of tall pine trees to your left (past the river), and a wall of tall pine trees to your right. The road kept turning, but all you could see were pine-covered mountains. And tons and tons of butterflies. And waterfalls. And flowers. And rocks. But, really, the scenery didn't change much. Beautiful pine maze all the way.

As we rode, it was mostly warm and humid, but we'd occasionally feel these bursts of cold air … from the river, maybe? They were really cold bursts. After awhile, we could feel the warm breeze and the cold breeze on us at the same time, coming from different directions. Of course, that meant....

It rained again. And this time, it wasn't messing around. It POURED. The wind blew. The rain was falling so hard that it actually hurt when it hit my skin. I thought it might be hail, it stung so badly, but Dean was pretty sure it was just rain. We looked at the sky, and there was no sign of it letting up. After we passed the campgrounds at about 25 miles in, the next option was at 60 miles. So we rode there. All in all, it was about 10 miles we biked in the POURING, miserable, windy rain (about an hour).

We got to the campground and decided to go ahead and eat our feast of Boyardee ravioli, doritos, and cookies at the communal picnic area, where a few hiking groups were hiding out from the rain. There was a couple at the table next to us from California (they had a car parked in the lot... cheaters) and they had white wine, fancy granola, and crackers with fancy cheese. The girl looked at us and whispered to her boyfriend that we were eating (imagine disgusted tone) “Chef Boyardee... eww.”

One thing that I have learned from this bike trip is not to be quick to judge. I was at a picnic shelter, eating Chef Boyardee from a can, wearing a purple, ill-fitted bike shirt over a longer, soaking wet orange bike shirt. I was clutching the canned ravioli like it had magical powers to bestow upon me. Dean asked, “So... what is the difference between a bike tourist and a vagrant?” Not much. I have been seen in public very oddly dressed, eating disgusting foods with gusto, with crazy and tangled hair, with really odd tan lines, and very, very dirty. I've worn my bathing suit top like it was a real shirt on laundry days. So I am going to try really hard not to judge, now. If you catch me saying, “What on earth was she thinking?” about someone, stop me and remind me of this moment, when I was judged for my sauce-stained face and bike-greased legs. Also, I spilled ravioli on my helmet. It wasn't my finest hour.

I wanted to say to that girl, “Look, you California trustafarian, I didn't just roll up here in my SUV filled with gourmet snacks. No! I biked here, 60 miles, over a mountain, through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, and through two rainstorms. I earned this Chef Boyardee ravioli. Did you earn that brie and those Wheat Thins? No. So shut it.” But I didn't say it.

When we pulled into the campground the skies were dark and cloudy as far as the eye could see. We were worried we'd have to stay at the campground and set up our tent in the rain. While we were in the picnic shelter we kept an eye on the sky, and eventually saw a patch of blue open up to the west. We were still feeling good, and we really wanted to break our distance record today (not to mention that we didn't want to camp), so we got back on the bikes. Our butts were pretty mad at us about that.

Dean, smiling at the picnic shelter when the sun came out.

The next 15 miles (60-75) went pretty quickly. The last 12 were tough. We were getting tired, and we were just ready to BE THERE already. But it was a pretty ride. After the rain, there was a ton of fog on the water, and steam rising from the roads. It didn't diminish our visibility at all, it just looked cool!

Another thing we enjoyed about our trip today was all the fun creek, mountain, and road (etc) names that we encountered. Here are a few for your enjoyment:

Looks like there was a death in Lowell recently...

Ashpile Creek
Papoose Saddle
Dead Mule Creek
Indian Post Office Creek
The Smoking Place
Colgate Licks
Bear Oil & Roots
Russian Creek (it was rushing!)
Old Man Point
Noseeum Butte
Tick Creek
Bee Creek
Fish Creek
Horse Sweat Pass

Awesome.

Tomorrow we will head for Kamiah, ID. It's not very far, but there's a big mountain right past it, and we can either go 30 miles tomorrow or 80 (including a mountain). I don't know if we'll have the juice to do another mountain tomorrow. We might want to wait, and tackle it fresh the next morning (like we did today, and that worked out great!). We'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!

If you look closely here, you can see the rain falling!