The intended 57mi ride to first stop Powell Campground got shortened to a 46mi ride when it was pointed out by someone that we need not begin in Missoula to pick up where we left off. Missoula is a spur on the TransAm so we drove to the corner of Highways 93 and 12 at Lolo and I started there. I didn’t mind the shortcut because while the air quality from the wild fire wasn’t as bad as forecasted, it was still suboptimal with the potential to get worse.
The ride was lovely and it was just so nice to be back on tour. It was a long, 0-3% climb up to Lolo Pass with Montana awesomeness all along the way; ranches, ranchettes, pine forests, streams. I pedaled past Lolo Hot Springs where Brad Pitt got the crap beat out of him in “A River Runs Through It”.
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| Lolo Pass |
Up at the top Bill and Kobe greeted me with a cool drink, the trailer awning opened up for shade and a couple of folding chairs. We made a very civilized lunch and shared observations of our mornings. I reported that while there was very little to zero shoulder on the rode, the cars gave me a generous margin as they passed. Bill and Kobe did a short hike around the Visitor Center, an interpretive trail explaining the habituation of the Nez Perce Tribe and the forced exodus from their homeland. Despicable heritage, ours. Billy Boy got himself a souvenir mug from the gift shop.
With that I was on my way over the western side of the pass, a nice long 12mi of downhill. We made camp at Powell, a lovely campground along the Clearwater River. All the Labor Day vacationers had left and it was nice and quiet. We walked over to the adjacent Lochsa Lodge and had some onion rings and a cool drink. Digging life!
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