Day 19 June 28, 2016 Lincoln, Mt. to Augusta, Mt. 60.1 miles

This day was different than any others before because we had at least 55 miles to ride with no place to stop for food or water.  Plus we would be crossing the Continental Divide at Rogers Pass on Highway 200. What we didn't know was that riding over Rogers Pass would be the easy part! We were at Rogers Pass at noon, had a fun downhill for a good 8 miles, straight into the high plains, and big skies of Montana. A sign along the highway explained it well, "The Rocky Mountains slide into the high plains. These high plains are very different than those I'm familiar with in Kansas. These are hilly, with big hills. We'd top a hill only to see a straight road like a roller coaster. But it was beautiful and we had a tail 'breeze.' Better than nothing or a hesdwind, for sure. No trees that we could see except when we crossed the Dearborn River.
About 5 miles down the road after lunch we turned northwest to head up to Augusta. Ten miles down the road, we stopped and go water at what we learned later was a Hutterite colony. The people wore clothing similar to the Amish, but it was more conservative. The girls wore long dresses, and their heads were covered. The boys wore long pants, long sleeved shirts, suspenders, and hats. They raise pigs, chickens, have dairy cows, and raise wheat, and they use modern farming techniques. Everything is owned by the community, kids are educated there, usually just to 8th grade. They're of German origin, and have moved around a lot because of persecution. In North America,  they live mostly in Montana,  the Dakotas, and Canada.  Probably more than you wanted to know.....
Our first stop in Augusta was at Mel's Diner, and the huckleberry milkshake was just what we needed! We camped in a treeless field beside the motel, but the showers were great, and we had a chance to talk to some of the locals, who were really nice and eager to talk about their part of Montana.
Pictures are out of order, but at least there are some! Top to bottom: 1. Looking back after descending Rogers Pass  2. Big hills after leaving the Rocky Mtn     3. Camping spot in Augusta  4. Dave riding up to Rogers Pass

Day 18 June 27, 2016 Ovando, Mt. to Lincoln, Mt. 31.7 miles

If only we could get up and going earlier! I enjoy my morning coffee. I heat water on my cute little backpacking stove and use the Starbucks Via packets. A great way to start the day. But a lady came by and said the sprinklers would start in 8 minutes. Now that is motivation.  We had a good breakfast at The Stray Bullet, and the waitress told us her in-laws live in KC.
More big skies and big hills, and we could see the Rockies in the not too far distance.
The campground in Lincoln was great. It was quiet, and there were nice showers with towels provided!
The only other tent was occupied by a young woman who had stayed next door to us in the motel in Lolo. She was biking with her dog from Astoria, Oregon, to New Orleans. She was pulling the dog,  who I think she said weighs 17 pounds, in a bugger. I can't imagine! She had stayed in the inn at Ovando the night we stayed there, and we passed her on the way to Lincoln. She was moving pretty slowly.
We did set the alarm tonight  because we knew tomorrow was going to be a long day. .

Day 17 June 26, 2016 Missoula, Mt to Ovando, Mt. 55.8 miles

Something I forgot about  crossing Lolo Pass. It's the border between Idaho and Montana, and the border between the Pacific and Mountain time zones. The days here are exceptionally long  compared to Kansas, and daylight seems to go on forever, especially now that we're at the western end of the time zone. That can be a good and bad thing. Oh well.

Once we crossed Lolo Pass,  the terrain opened up, and we were out of the Bitterroot Mountains. East of Missoula,  we rode along the Blackfoot River for awhile  (after stopping to buy cookies and toffee from a 15 year old young man who was raising money for a trip to China with the Missoula Children's  Theater). We are in big sky country now.

Ovando, Montana.  What a cute little town. The map says a population of 81, but Skip, one of the residents we met said it was closer to 60. We set up our tent in the yard of the museum, bought showers ($10 each and worth every penny..towels provided).  Now, we had other choices for sleeping. We could have slept in the hoosegow (jail), or the teepee, or the shepherd's wagon, but we opted for the comfort of our tent. There was also an inn, which I'm guessing was very nice, but we like camping  (for some silly reason). Skip accompanied us to Trixie's (a pretty good walk up the hill) where we ate dinner. Ovando is a cool place.

Day 16 June 24, 2016 Lolo, Mt to Missoula, Mt 12.7 miles

This was supposed to be our day off, but we wanted to spend the day in Missoula. At this point, what's 10 miles anyway?  And there's a trail between the two towns, as well as one through Missoula to the downtown area, which made for very pleasant riding. We found a cheap motel, wandered around town, and had dinner which didn't include any fried foods! That was a treat! And the huckleberry cheesecake was wonderful!
We also learned that the Adventure Cycling office is closed on weekends! That was a disappointment. No Polaroid picture of us on their bulletin board.

Day 15 June 24, 2016 Lochsa Lodge to Lolo, Mt 49.5 miles

I know we told you all that we were planning to average 60 mile/day, but 50 to 60 is more reasonable now that we're doing it.
We woke up to rain, so we ate breakfast in the lodge to watch the weather. We did get a break in the rain, so we got everything packed up and put on our rain gear. It was pretty cool, but we were going to be climbing. It's hard to decide what to wear sometimes. We had a gradual climbing for about 10 miles, then the 'big' climb for 4, and it was drizzly most of the way. Narrow winding road, not much shoulder, and more big trucks than I really cared for. Dave always seems to zip up the road, so I always lose sight of him quickly. It was a good ride, though, and  I reached the pass (5,235 ft.) feeling really good...and soggy, and a bit chilly. There was an exhibit about the area and Lewis and Clark. Their route took them a bit north of the road, and there's a mountain bike/hiking trail which is much more challenging. We changed in preparation for the nearly 30 mile downhill ride.
I was really glad to get to Lolo,  and Dave was waiting for me at the McDonald's. He was sitting with another cross-country cyclist, Brian, from North Carolina. He's riding by himself  east to west, and he was very happy to have someone talk to. He said he had tailwinds riding across Kansas, and made it in  4 days.
We intended to ride the 10 miles to Missoula,  but right as we headed out, a big squall hit and we turned around and checked into the nearest motel. It worked out..we did laundry and I got to watch TV about the Brexit vote. What a shock!

Day 14 June23, 2016 Wilderness Gateway to Lochsa Lodge 41.3 miles

We never get up early enough, and then sometimes someone comes by to talk...which is what happened this morning. A man close to our age stopped by (I thought it was the ranger telling us we hadn't paid enough)  to chat. He works for the fish and game commission,  and he was out there for a week to fish. He told us about all the different kinds of salmon,  how each kind travels upstream different distances to spawn, etc. He also told us that the Clearwater and Lochsa Rivers have only half the water they normally have this time of year due to two weather systems, one El Nino, and one that comes more from the north (Japan to Alaska and down). It caused warmer weather in the spring, and the rains melted the snow in the mountains much earlier than usual. He said those two weather systems occur at the same time.  A really nice guy.
We did finally get going, and we had much the same type of scenery we had yesterday, but we were now riding along the Lochsa River, gradually climbing since we were approaching Lolo Pass. We had decided to stay at Lochsa Lodge tonight so we could tackle the pass early in the day tomorrow. We were able to camp on the grounds of the lodge and buy a (lovely) shower ( towel, soap, and shampoo included!) for $5. Trips like this do make one appreciate simple pleasures! Also camping there were three men, each biking alone, Keith,  Gunnar, and Scott. They were following the Transam route, so they were going over Lolo Pass, then turning south. We hadn't encountered many bikers, so we were happy to see them. (By the way, Keith, if you read this, please contact us (Dave Kass is on Facebook). We'd like to hear how your trip is going.)

Day 13 June 22, 2016 Kamiah, Id. to Wilderness Gateway Park, Id. 59.2 miles

We started out riding along the Middle Fork of three Clearwater River on Highway 12 through the Bitterroot Mountains. This is close to the route Lewis & Clark took going both directions. With the help of the Nez Perce they went up on the ridge north of the highway because the going was too rough down by the river. Traveling through the Bitterroot Mountains was the most difficult part of their trip. The Clearwater begins where the Selway and Lochsa Rivers meet. All three rivers were saved from being dammed by the Wild & Scenic  Rivers act of 1968. We were in steep mountains and pine forests all the way. It was gradual climbing all day, and since the only place with food was about 22 miles from where we had planned to camp, we bought sandwiches and breakfast stuff there and picnicked at the campground.  Our first night without showers. It was a US Forest Service campground.
Another beautiful day, and we still have our tentpoles!