Day 35, Missoula to Powell, ID, via Lolo Pass

Thursday July 2, 2020, 69 miles (111 km) - Total so far: 1,845 miles (2,969 km)

I left Missoula at around 7:30 and found the Bitteroot Trail out of town. Admittedly, I was tense. You see I've had Lolo Pass on my radar ever since I looked into the trip. I just had this feeling it was going to crack me. Before leaving my Warmshowers hosts, Annette gave me cookies and chocolate. She said she understood how important it is to fuel. These items instilled confidence in me. Thank you.

There is a bike trail all the way to Lolo. About 14.5 miles that went quick. Really everything was perfect. I had a quick potty break and kept going.

(Bill you might want to skip this next part.) Grades were easy and the wind continued to be light to nonexistent. I stopped at a picnic table. I stopped at a gas station to go down a layer. I realized I'd forgotten to turn on my odometer after Lolo. I kept going til I hit a town called Florence. To the left of the bike path was the busy roadway and to my right was the mountains. Then it hit me.

This isn't right. I pulled my phone out to discover I should have turned at Lolo. I was 11 miles off course. I rode back to that gas station where I'd taken off my tights. I approach several trucks gassing up. I explained I'd made a wrong turn and I needed to get back to Lolo. Nope.I felt so keyed up, I wanted to cry. Then one of the drivers came back. He was older. He said I have nothing else to do, I'll take you.

Jim drove me the 9 miles back. I was glad, but also kicking myself. He told me he'd been born in the area, traveled some, but lived most of his life in the area. I pretended he was the guy that wrote The River Runs Through It (McClain?). He told me that 12 beyond the pass hadn't been paved until the 1960s. It has been a remote area for a long time. I ate one of the cookies Annette gave me.

I "started" at almost 11a.m. Oddly enough I had energy. I guess I was hyped. I really wanted to do the pass and was afraid I'd blown it. I was making like 14 mph to Lolo Hot Springs, where I met 2 other cyclists. We had lunch at the grill. For some reason Alice convinced me to order a Coke. That liquid really helped. They gave me a rundown of the pass and road conditions.

I think I covered the elevation and 8 miles to the top in little over an hour. My biggest fear was ironed out. This sounds braggy but I didn't even sweat. Pictures forthcoming. Elevation 5,235.

I stopped at the Devoto Tree Grove on the way down. I'm set up at the Powell Ranger Station campground. I can hear the rushing water of the river below. I'm in Idaho. I'm in the Pacific time zone. I'm doing it.