Lowell, ID to Powell, ID. 65.8 miles.
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Dad,
Happy birthday to you!
You have always provided me with a great foundation of support and love!
I woke up earlier than the newlyweds, around 7am, to get a head start on the day, knowing I would be traveling through one of the most remote and rugged segments of my trip so far. Also, if today was to be anything like yesterday (with a 100% chance of rain in the forecast), the more riding I can get done early on in the day, the better chance I will have of avoiding the afternoon rains.
Andrew and Sujata weren't in a hurry. They're heading West, and Sujata's back had been bothering her from the day before. They were hoping to hitchhike with their tandem to the next big town.
Foster, another touring cyclist from Portland, OR that joined the three of us for dinner the night before, was staying in the room next door. As I was wheeling my bike out of my room and getting setup, he popped out of his room, getting ready to ride. "Headed East?", he asked me. Foster is a participant in the TransAmerica bicycle race, and was following the "TransAmerica" route, which in these parts, is merged with the "Lewis & Clark" route that I was on. I replied yes, and we decided to start out riding together.
Not knowing how each of our paces would match up, there's never a commitment to stay together for any length of time. It's an unspoken rule that one rider only waits for the other as long as they feel like waiting. There are lots of obvious advantages of riding with someone. One of those advantages is that you have someone to take your picture!
I returned the favor, finished my breakfast consisting of a banana, apple, bagel, and PB & TJ sandwich (the "T" stands for Tortilla chips; delicious!), and we headed East together.
Cloudy and brisk, but dry, characterized the morning ride, winding our way against the flow of the Lochsa River (native for "rough water"), always by our side. It was perfect riding conditions, the light breeze mostly at our back.
The ride was a steady incline the entire way, heading toward a major pass in the region. Our goal was to make it through the serviceless area to a place called Powell, ID. At Powell, there's one lodge that has a gas station, convenience store, restaurant, lodging, and tent camping. This "resort" is the town. To make it meant around 66 miles of steady climbing.
Our paces couldn't have been matched up better. Foster was a good climber, and had a steady pace, which was good for me. I tended to power through things earlier in the day, then wind up unnecessarily sore at the end. His pace kept me in check. I had better stamina as the day wore on, and wound up pulling away from him around mile 50 and rode alone for 8 or so miles until I stopped for a snack. Foster caught up, and then we stuck together for the last 7 miles.
We made great progress. It was only in the last 7 miles that the steady rains arrived. By then, we knew that we were close to Powell, and the end of our ride, and the rain didn't seem to bother either of us.
Arriving at the only facility in Powell, the Lochsa Lodge, didn't leave us with much in the way of options. But, that turned out to be a good thing. The lodge, it's cabins, restaurant, and facilities were
awesome. Not wanting to pitch a tent in the rain, Foster and I opted for a two-bed rustic cabin for $67. Split two ways, it turned out great. And, the cabin was complete with a screened-in porch, electricity, and a wood-burning stove.
Right next door was the fully-modern shower house and bathrooms. I would consider coming back to this place, as it's about a 60-mile drive from the airport in Missoula, and a gateway to world-class river rafting and fly fishing.
That evening, we had dinner at the bar in
the lodge. Foster and I are drinking a Montana brew, "Moose Drool". It's better than it sounds.
While we were there, four other bicycling tourers came in for dinner. They were all headed east. A husband and wife in their 60's, Jack and Janet, are pedaling towards Kansas. Patricia, on her own, is following the Lewis and Clark route, and bumped into Mike, who was pedaling in the same direction for now, but he will eventually transition to the Northern Tier route. We all had a great time sharing stories and experiences.
I finished off the evening and a fantastic yet challenging day with a filling huckleberry cobbler with huckleberry ice cream.
Really love the picture of you and Dad. It has been so long I forgot about it.
ReplyDeleteOh my the huckleberry cobbler!!!
Take care and stay safe.