Lochsa Lodge to Missoula Photos

My breakfast view

A pretty climb 

A sign! Almost there!

The top and ranger station!

Heading down!

This rock looks like poop

Almost There!

Overcast Selfie

There was a new bike path the last 10 miles into Missoula!

Made it!

Adventure Cycling Headquarters! They were closed since it was Sunday.

My wonderful host and friend Erika! Cool lense flare on your tooth!

And finally, driving home.

Lochsa Lodge to Missoula!

I did it! 12 days, 700 miles, 2-3 states, and 40,500ft feet of climb and another tour is in the books!  This was a fun one!

The last day was interesting. I had a good, contemplative night, but some stomach trouble showed up around midnight and had "the runs" for much of the day - helped a lot by chewable pepto-bismol.  I also had a stomach cramp for much of the afternoon, but I was able to ride well and finish the day. Final days always like to test me. 

It also rained during the night and was cold and overcast all day - I even wore much of my warm weather gear while descending the pass. Glad I had it!

The morning was very nice though, I had breakfast at the lodge, finished Siddartha (what timing) and just... enjoyed life for awhile... even with stomach stuff. I eft around 8:30am and reached the top of the pass at about 10:30 with 1:26 on bike - riding carefully to not aggrevate my stomach, saddle sores, or calf pain that showed up yesterday. Even if this wasn't my last day I think I'd need a rest day today if this was a longer tour. 12 days straight hard riding is a lot. 

The top of the pass has coffee and other fun stuff in the ranger station, always a joy. This was my 4th time stopping there, amazing!  In 2003 we descended in a hailstorm, in 2014 I had a headwind the entire descent, and 2007 I don't remember anythign special about it.  This time was chill, no wind really, so likely like 2007 and a bit chilly. 

I got to Lolo about mile 46 with 3:16 on bike around 2pm. It was an easy ride, but since I was feeling kind of sick it wasn't my favorite section. I had 10 miles to go into Missoula and was dreading it, since it's 10 miles of busy highway...

Until...

They built a bike path! They'd been talking about it back in 2014 and they actually did it! I  was able to take the bitteroot bike path all the way into Missoula! Amazing!

I got to the  Adventure Cycling Headquarters at Mile 58 (700 or so on the trip) at 3:45pm (4:45 local, times changed again at the top of the pass) with 4:11 on bike. Unfortunately it was closed because it's a Sunday, so I didn't get my polaroid on the wall or free ice cream. Oh well, I've done it 3 times before. 

Then I headed over to my friend Erika's house  nearby and we had a grand 'ol time eating food, discussing traveling and philosophy, and scratching up her table with a crude drawing of Anya Lefty. 

Now it's bedtime, and tomorrow I take a uhaul back to Eugene because you can't friggin' do one-way car rentals anymore! I'll stop by Ovando on the way, a town dear to me and where I first decided to do the Divide. 

So this trip is over. Did I get what I want out of it? What did I learn?

Yes, I got what I wanted out of it. I have peace. I wrote a song about it even. As usual, the homework is how to have the broad thoughts that take longer than a day without having to go on a bike tour. I'm getting better and better at it. I figured some other stuff out too, but nothing that needs to go here. 

I also decided most of my future tours will be dirt tours, I've had enough traffic for a long time. 

I don't ride with headphones on or anything like that. I don't want input. I need my brain to quiet. Turn off. Calm. Think long thoughts that don't involve words.

I think I'll leave y'all with the song I wrote on this trip, that went through my head often, became a mantra during tough times, and was a great way to let the miles tick-past. It's one of many that I sung during the hours on bike. Sometimes a song is coming up for air, other times is putting my mind to rest to I stop watching the miles. Other times it's a driver. Peace comes in many forms.

Casey

Happy country beat

Verse:

D G D A

D G D (A D)

Chorus:

Bm G D A x3ish

D A D turn around

Verse 1

My friend Casey he was a holy man

but I don't think that was ever his plan

met him chillin' by an Aspen stand

Measuring distance in bong hits and beers

Verse 2

Then we rode down up to Brush Mountain Lodge

Kristin cooked pizzas and we lived large

Climbed another mountain then into steamboat springs

drank another beer and we discussed more things

Chorus:

The Journey is the destination

the search is the reward

focus leads to frustration

don't leave the path ignored

Time, and words fade away

their useless for these thoughts anyway

What he's discoverd you can never convey

There is magic in the mess

Verse 3

Sometimes you gotta think thoughts that take longer than a day.

That's the kind of thing that he would say

Now hot takes memes and soundbites they cause me dismay

You can see more clearly when your out here

Verse 4

The universal language, it cannot be taught

Not said not sung not wrote nor not even thought

Open your, soul to the world and give it shot 

There is a cosmic conversation, for you to hear

  

Wild Goose to Lochsa Lodge Photos

Loooong day :)

Morning

Breakfast

All day river 

About 10 miles of shoulder work, but being a sat is was quiet.

What's this sign?

Looking back

Ate lunch and filtered water here, 45ish miles in.

Cool camper.

Home for the night!

Camp and the brothers and two other riders.

The lodge

Dinner view

White Bird to Wild Goose Campground photos

White Bird hill is amazing (the climb), and on that downhill I had to stop often to cool my rims and brakes off!

Morning breakfast

Climbing, I have a million of these photos

A lot of them are the same shot as I got higher and higher on switchbacks.

Looking up

Looking down

Town is waaaay down in there. You can see the bridge I camped by.

Oh yea, this is where I camped.

Then down into Grangeville

And past Grangeville 

It's very Midwestern looking

Then it drops off

Then Kooskia...

And on to Highway 12, final stretch!

The next couple days follows this river up.

Here I met Anya Lefty

Many people live across the river and take sky trams across.

Camp