Day 26: Sunday, April 30

The weather has been really nice the past three days. However, it was cold, raining, and windy when we woke up this morning. The good news is that it didn't take very long for the sun to break through the clouds and it turned out to be a nice, partly cloudy day. This morning we rode the 18 miles from Wisdom to Jackson. There were two passes, Big Hole Pass (7,360 feet) and Badger Pass (6,760 feet), and no towns for over 45 miles in between Jackson and Dillon.









Today was a record breaking day. As we rode down Big Hole Pass, the wind was at our back, and I knew that we were moving. It felt like I was on a motorcycle. It wasn't until we began to slow down at the bottom that I was able to check my computer. I have set a new top speed that I am going to have a difficult time breaking... 50 mph!! Today, we rode over 67 miles, and my average speed of 14.6 mph is also a record.









Tonight we are staying at the Dillon KOA. As Shayne and I look at the elevation profile of the route ahead, we count only eight more significant climbs. The passes are winding down as we approach the plains of the eastern Colorado and Kansas.

Day 25: Saturday, April 29

We saw Trapper Peak this morning.

In the afternoon, we crossed Lost Trail Pass (6,990 feet) and Chief Joseph Pass (7,241 feet.) Lost Trail Pass marked the border between Montana and Idaho, so, just for fun, we walked across the border back into Idaho. We crossed the Continental Divide for the first time as we rode over Chief Joseph Pass.








We got a late start this morning, so we didn't make it over the second pass until after 5:00. We were looking for a place to camp, but it was impossible with all of the melting snow. We decided to push it the additional 25 miles to Wisdom. Even though it was late, we stopped briefly to check out the Big Hole National Battlefield, where we saw some impala (look in the picture on the right.)
Wisdom is a tiny town in the Big Hole Valley. We didn't arrive there until a little before 9:00. Thankfully, there was a cafe that was still open. She normally closed at 8:00, but she was kind enough to serve us a meal. Now, we are camped at the American Legion Park. Tomorrow we will have two more passes to cross.

Day 24: Friday, April 28

Greg, from the Adventure Cycling Association, has been taking pictures of every biker that stops by the office since 1982. Yesterday Shayne and I didn't have any of our gear with us, so this morning, we stopped by the office on our way out of town to have our picture taken. We didn't end up leaving Missoula until almost 11:30. Eight miles south of Missoula, near the town of Lolo, is Traveler's Rest State Park. Dale, a volunteer at the park, took us on a tour. It was fascinating to learn about one of the few known camps where Lewis and Clark stayed, and how it was discovered only a couple of years ago.

Today was a beautiful, sunny day. A paved bike path connected several of the towns that we rode through. With the tune-up yesterday, my bike is actually running smoother now then when I first bought it.

Despite our late start this morning, we still were able to cover almost 60 miles today. Tonight, we are camped right next to the Bitterroot River at the Angler's Roost Campground, just south of Hamilton. This campground has several chainsaw sculptures.

Day 23: Thursday, April 27

The Adventure Cycling Association Headquarters are located in a beautiful church that they converted to an office in 1991. Shayne and I are the first TransAmerica riders to stop by the office this year, so we were given a welcome package including a free t-shirt, a free map, gift certificates to some surrounding restaurants for lunch and dinner, and a one-year membership. Greg Siple, one of the founders of the Association, took us on a tour of the office. They even have a biker's lounge with complimentary Internet access, cold drinks, and free ice cream. We spent the rest of the day catching up on e-mail, taking advantage of the gift certificates, and exploring downtown Missoula. I also got my bike tuned up. My clipless pedals had been giving me trouble, but now everything is working perfectly.

Day 22: Wednesday, April 26

Today was a great day! We rode the final 13 miles over Lolo Pass (5,235 feet) and into Montana this morning. There was a lot of snow on the Visitor's Center at the top of the mountain.

The rest of the ride into Missoula was downhill, and it seemed like the wind was at our backs the whole way. It was a nice change of pace.

We are staying at the KOA here in Missoula. Tomorrow will be a day of rest and relaxation as we run some errands, stop by the Adventure Cycling Association Headquarters, and checkout Missoula. We have now finished the third section of maps and we're officially one quarter of the way done!

Day 21: Tuesday, April 25

It rained on us a little this morning, but the sun broke late in the afternoon. There are no services between Lowell and Powell, just lots of scenery as we followed the Lochsa River. We did stop to check out the three footbridges that crossed the river on the way up. Highway 12 follows the route that Lewis and Clark took as they discovered the West.


























Powell is a very small town with a gas station, restaurant, general store, and cabins to rent. We stopped to eat supper in the restaurant and then went across the street to pick up some supplies at the store. We were trying to figure out where to camp when the owner of the store offered to let us camp on the porch of one of the cabins. He even gave us towels and access to the showers for free. I was very grateful as, here it is, our last night in Idaho, and this was the first opportunity I had to take a shower! Of course, I can't really complain since we haven't had to pay for camping the whole way through Idaho. Tomorrow we will go over Lolo pass and into Missoula for a well deserved rest day.

Day 20: Monday, April 24

I woke up this morning to discover that a bird had landed on my water bottle cage and pooped on my bike. Shayne found that pretty funny. Within 1.5 miles of leaving Grangeville, we got to the other side of the hill that we had struggled to get up yesterday and enjoyed 8 or 9 miles of complete downhill. It was a lot of fun and we picked up quite a bit of speed. I am glad that we are heading in this direction since the descent on this side is much more gradual. It was absolutely beautiful as we followed the Middle Fork Clearwater River most of today.

We still had a little head wind today, but overall it was a fast day. I averaged almost 13 mph as we covered over 56 miles. We are camped at the Apgar Campground about seven miles beyond Lowell in the Clearwater National Forest. Most of the Forest Service campgrounds we have encountered are still closed for the winter. So while the services are turned off, we have the place to ourselves. (And we aren't paying to stay here!) Lowell was the last opportunity to refill our water until we make it to Powell (about 65 miles and 2,000 feet elevation gain away.) Powell is 13 miles from the Lolo Pass and the Montana border. We will make it there tomorrow, refill on water, and then decide whether we want to push it over the pass or spend the night there.

Day 19: Sunday, April 23

We left Riggins this morning and continued along the Salmon River. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Unfortunately, it was also windy, and this is now our third day in a row with prevailing head winds.



























We rode over several smaller hills before we got to White Bird Hill. The route took us through the Nez Perce National Historic Park. Old White Bird Hill Road involved about 8 miles of steep switchbacks. This is certainly the toughest pass that we have crossed so far. (In the picture below on the left you can see the grade of the new bypass carved into the mountain.)

We camped tonight in the city of Grangeville at the Lion's Club Park. On the way into Grangeville, Shayne found a wallet with about $25 in cash without any identification. So, we gorged ourselves at a nice, little Mexican restaurant. Looking at my odometer, we are close to 1,000 miles from Portland tonight. The strong head winds are really starting to take its toll, so we are considering taking a zero day when we get to Missoula.