Like most days this day started with a climb. This time it was a climb up Lolo Pass and into Montana. Welcome to Montana and good bye to Idaho. I really liked Idaho from the scenery to the people and the roads, for the most part. At the top of Lolo pass one must do what most tourists do and that is take a soak in the natural hot springs. How could I resist the relaxation of 106 degree water. After spending 60 minutes of soaking it was downhill the rest of the way to Missoula. Missoula is a little off the normal path, but that is where Adventure Cycling is located and that is the organization that produces maps for cyclists. I am using one of their maps on this adventure. There is also the leer of freeze ice cream at the mother ship. However, after taking the north turn at Lolo, MT I stopped to chat with another cyclist. This is were I met Steve Harvey. Steve is doing the same route as me but going east to west. In the moments we were together Steve interviewed me for his YouTube channel “Steve Harvey on the road again”. Check it out.
After the interview and the remaining 7 miles of headwinds down the Bitterroot Valley to Missoula I got my ice cream but also learned that there was not a campsite, hostel bed, or hotel room to be had. So at 4 pm I am pulling out of Missoula and riding back up the Bitterroot Valley in search of a place to stay. But before making it out of Missoula I as able to acquire both bear and bug spray. I needed them both. What was supposed to be a 55 mile day followed by an off day it turned out to be an 85 mile day and a race to get to higher elevation to beat the the heat dome that was settling in over the Pacific Northwest.
I did manage to find a perfect hiker biker campsite in Forest Service land near Stephensville. This is the first campsite that I felt I was in bear country so my food was hung.
Today’s stats: total mileage 85.8; average speed 12.4 mph; max speed 29.0 mph; elevation gain 2908 feet, elevation loss 2468 feet.