Time Zones and Mountains

After being out of range of phone service the past two days, I feel like so much has happened that I have to relate, and yet there is nothing … just some amazing country, some great rides, and great people!

To start with, I need to thank Pat Wollner, our support driver. She is a cyclist herself, and would love to be out riding with us at times, but she is instead exhausting herself (sometimes, at least) supporting the four of us who are riding. It is rather a thankless task (thank you anyway, Pat … without you, this wouldn’t be happening), and yesterday, with the high heat at Powell Campground, myself and the other three bike riders went up to Lochsa Lodge and stayed in the air conditioned room to use their very weak Internet signal. When we got back to the campsite, there was Pat practically passed out from the stifling heat, with her head wrapped in a towel trying to stay cool. I suggested she dip her feet in the river, but it was too far away. We finally settled on a good way to cool her down … the wet towel around the head, and a bucket of cold water for her feet. So, you can see below our Pat air conditioner at work. After a couple of hours, she was revived, and went to spend a cool evening by herself in the nearby lodge while I stayed behind to supervise the boys. Pat got all her communicating with boys' parents and with friends, then returned to camp to allow the boys a bit of free time. They took the truck up to the lodge, played pool, then returned to camp and were in bed by around 9:30 pm ... still daylight.

We got up early, had some Samurai cereal for breakfast, packed up the car, then got on our bikes and started up Lolo Pass. From our campsite to the summit of the pass, we climbed nearly 2000 feet, and that was during the first 12 miles of the day. I was far behind the three boys, who climbed the hill like mountain goats on bikes, but I finally caught up with them at the top of the pass, where there was a very comprehensive visitor center, free WiFi (at least on the Montana side of the building … that’s a joke, by the way), and free coffee. The picture shows the three boys getting ready for the long climb up the hill, most of it at around 8% grade. 

The picture below is a map in the visitor center showing how mountainous the area is. On the left of the picture is the valley where Missoula is located, and we have just traveled from right to left following the river valley that shows near the middle of the map moving from right to left.

Anyway, we got to Missoula in good time, and are spending the night with Arlen Hall, who works at Adventure Cycling, and his wife Shawn ... both avid cyclists. Shawn cycled with us to the Adventure Cycling headquarters, which is practically a shrine to American cycle touring. The company was started with the BikeCentennial in 1976, and has been supporting cycle tourism in America ever since. I'll post one picture just to give a small taste of what the office looks like ... decorated with bicycles from famous bike tours, each with its own story. The two couples who founded Adventure Cycling had the idea while riding from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America, documented in the May 1973 National Geographic.

Tomorrow, we ride towards the Continental Divide, which we expect to cross sometime in the next few days. Hopefully, the air at closer to 6000 feet will be a bit cooler, and we can start to out-race the stagnant high pressure area that is causing a record hot spell in these parts.

Oh, and the two pictures that I promised yesterday, of the boys "swimming in the river, and me emerging from the river after doing the laundry with my clothes on my back.