And out Little Applegate to the end of the pavement. Nice day. Not too hot. Good tailwind coming home.

Day 21: 38 miles. Total: 1,015

Last night Paul R. called me and we decided Glacier was not in the cards for this year. Maybe next year and preferable with more people. Although I'm hooked on self supported touring and want to do a lot more, I can see that a supported trip like we did in Idaho in 2005, with 7 people, would be a lot of fun.

After talking to Paul I called Linda and she thought it best that I get home as soon as possible. Some things have come up that require my attention. So here I sit on a Greyhound bus heading west. The distance I traveled in 21 days will be erased in 20 hours.

Initially I thought I'd spend a night in Missoula and catch the bus tomorrow. The 11 miles from Lolo to Missoula was on a busy highway with a wide shoulder. Then I followed the bike lanes through the suburbs, downtown to the ACA headquarters. I knew they'd be closed on Sunday but just wanted to see where it is, thinking I'd be back in the morning.

From there I rode out to the Greyhound station hoping to find out about getting a bus. At this point it was still up in the air if I would. As I pulled up to the station I saw some bikes and before I could blink Kelsey and Rachel came running over, threw their arms around me and almost brought me and the bike to the ground. Dan was there too. Truely amazing that I would run into them again. I've read many people say that it's the people you meet while bike touring that is the part you'll always remember. It does seem that you can form close bonds in a short time while riding together and sharing an adventure. They had been two days ahead of me when Rachel's bike developed mechanical problems. They delay put them behind schedule so they decided to leap forward via bus and then ride the final leg to Yellowstone to meet their ride on July 1. Dan is on a different schedule and is spending another day in Missoula before busing to Steamboat Springs, CO.

They knew all about busing with your bike and told me where the bike shop was that had the box I would need. I checked the schedule and the westbound bus leaves at 8:00 am and 9:10 pm. I decided to go for it and catch the 9:10 bus. I got the box and stashed it at the bus station which would't reopen untill 8:30. I had the rest of the day to explore Missoula.

Missoula reminds me somewhat of Eugene. It's a college town, The Grizzlies, and has a river, The Clark Fork, running down the middle. There are numerous bike paths on both sides of the river and I tried to ride them all. It was hot, but not near Rogue Valley hot. I went to their "Good Food Store" which is a huge natural food supermarket and got some stuff for the bus ride. I asked a women on a bike for directions and she said she used to live in Ashland. It was obvious that Missoula is the liberal enclave of Montana.

After I rode all the bike paths I went over to the motel room Dan had and took a shower. Then the four of us went out for pizza. Then it was back to the bus station to start boxing my bike. This did not go well. The box I got wasn't near big enough. If it wasn't for help from my three friends, and a very acomodating Greyhound man, I never would have made it. He gave us extra cardbord boxed to cut up and tape over the protruding parts. As it is the "box" just barely fit in the cargo bay. I was a bit peeved when I saw a unboxed bike on board but was happy enough that I wasn't going to miss the bus.

By then Rachel and Kelsey were busy boxing their bikes for the 10:30 eastbound bus. I could see I would't be much help to them so I said goodbye, again. I will follow their adventures closely as I'm sure they have great things awaiting them.

And so my Northwest Passage tour comes to a close. Was it everything a bike tour should be? I think so. There were cold rainy nights, and warm sunny days. There were brutal climbs, and endless downhills. There was spectacular scenery, and boring scruby places. There were lonely back roads where you could let your mind wander, and busy shoulderless highways where you had to stay focused every second. There were days when I never saw another person, and days when I had great riding buddies. There were days when I felt tired and each mile was a struggle, and days when the miles flew by effortlessly. There were familiar places, and places that were totally unexpected. And always there were rivers and mountains and more rivers and mountains. My favorite experiences: camping in the park in Mitchell, visiting Linda's old friend at her ranch, views of the Strawberry mountains from Prairie City, and the Wallowas from Halfway, visiting the horse ranch in Halfway, the climb up White Bird Canyon, following the trail of the Nez Perse, and most of all the people I met and got to hang out with. I can't wait to do it again.

Day 20: 45 miles. Total: 977

It was about 14 miles to Lolo Pass. For about half of this we were still following the Lochsa. We spent three days on this river.

After we left the river the climb got steeper but never more than 6%. There were a lot of clear cuts visible. The sign said there had been a massive fire, but it looked like clear cut to me. Before we new it we were on the top.

There is a big visitor center on the top. There was a trail run going on and two of the people we met were running in it, but it was over and they had left before we got there. The visitor center had wi-fi so we hung out there for a while.

We cruised down into Montana and to Lolo Hot springs. This is a private resort and I wasn't that interested but John was so we checked it out. We ran into a bunch of guys that were just finishing a 8 day supported tour. They did a different version of a tour through some part of the Rockies every year for many years. One guy had a lot to tell us about routes through the area. The hot pool was $6 so I went for it. Very nice. Glad I did.

After that it was time to say goodbye to John as he was going to camp at the hot springs, and then take a different route out of Lolo in the morning. It was good to have a riding partner for so much of this trip. I set out to be alone, and I like being alone, but I also like company, especially when riding through in familiar territory.

I continued on downhill to just before the town of Lolo. The route followed Lolo Creek, and there was this view of 9,096 foot Lolo Peak.

I'm staying at the Square and Round Dance Hall RV park. They have a tent section down by the creek far away from the RVs. Just me and a couple of motor bikers. I'm back in the land of cell phone service as well

Tomorrow will be an off day in Missoula as it is Sunday and things will be closed, including the Adventure Cycling Association which I want to vist to consult on my route.

Day 19: 59 miles: total 932

All along the wild and scenic Lochsa River. Awesome rapids the whole way and saw exactly one kyack in the water, though a bunch on cars.

I rode mostly by myself today though met up with the others from time to time. I was stopped at one point and a van pulled up and the woman driving asked me if I needed anything. I didn't but she gave me a granola bar, a banana, and filled my water bottle. Her name is Kim and she is sagging three guys who passed us a couple of days ago on the Little Salmon. They are doing the TransAm. Kim said they feel guilty seeing us self-supported riders, so she compensates by helping us out as well. A true trail angel.

With just a few miles to our destination, John and I were riding together with Jim and Kathy not far behind, when it started to rain. John and got to Lochsa Lodge, but Jim and Kathy never showed up. I'm assuming they stopped at one of the campgrounds back a few miles and decided to stay. We'll probably see them tomorrow.

We got our biked out of the rain and got a snack at the little store by the lodge. That's where we met Jodi who was also riding. She was riding a time trial bike and not packing anything. Her friend was coming with her stuff and they were camping at the Powell campground right next to the lodge. This was our destination as well. While we were still expecting Jim and Kathy to show up I went across to the lodge to use their wi-fi to send a message to Linda and post last nights blog. I then paid my $2.50 and took a nice hot shower. Soon Jodi's friend showed up and they headed down to the campground. We followed and took the spot next to them. Jodi's friend is Esther. Soon two other friends, Clint and Pay, showed up and proceeded to unload food and snacks on the picnic table at our site. I built a fire and the six of us talked for some time. Clint works for the forest service, and may works matching up Universities with projects that need to be done in the national forests. They appeared to all be in their 30's, well educated, and democrats. I believe Esther and Jodi live in Boise, Clint in Grangeville, and Pay in Missoula. I was really fascinated by these people. They made me feel like there may yet be hope for this country.

Tomorrow we climb the 15 miles to the summit of Lolo Pass, at which point we enter Montana. Then downhill to Lolo Hot Springs. I'll be in Missoula they day after tomorrow.

Day 18: 58 miles. Total: 873

Another day, another river. Actually three rivers. But first, as we left Grangeville, we crossed Camas Prairie.

First came the south fork of the Clearwater. As we headed east from Grangeville it was all downhill. Pretty soon we were riding though the woods again when the river appeared. It was about the size of the Rogue, and in fact the surrounding trees and hills all looked very much like the Rogue Valley.

We've also been following the path that the Nez Perse took in their long flight from the Wallows to Montana. This will continue over Lolo Pass. We entered the Clearwater National Forest.

I keep saying we because I was riding with John again, and we also caught up with Jim and Kathy and rode most of the day with them as well.

At the town of Lowell the South Fork and the Middle Fork of the Clearwater join and we turned east and up the Middle Fork. We were now officially begining to climb the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains. The Middle Fork is much bigger than the South Fork, about as wide as the Willamette. It was mind boggling to think of all this water from the Clearwater, the Salmon, and the Snake, all feeding the Columbia.

We followed the Middle Fork through the Nez Perse reservation through the small towns of Stites, Kooskia, and Syringa. While I didn't see any signs of poverty, and the towns were not as run down as others I saw in Idaho, I didn't see any native people either. I'm not sure where they live.

At the town ( single store and gas station. The last one for 66 miles. ) we left the Clearwater and started riding up the Lochsa River.

By now the woods were very much like western Oregon, with pine, fir, and a lot of cedar. There were blackberries, thimbleberry, elderberry, and even a few alder. There also were other things I didn't recognize.

We ran into two seperate west bound riders. One was from Austrailia. They either had to have left really early, or be putting on big miles, to be this far west already.

We continue up the Lochsa river tomorrow, and the day after is Lolo Pass.

Day 17: 25 miles: Total 815 miles

The day began with a 10 mile climb out of White Bird canyon, past the site of the famous 1877 battle where the Nez Perce defeated the US army. The route followed the old highway so there was no traffic and lots of switchbacks of about 5% to 6%. You could see new highway which was a straight and relentless 7%. The view back the canyon was great. I was riding with the young trio of Rachel, Kelsey, and Dan, and wasn't really sure if I'd keep up. Fortunately Kelsey and Dan stopped now and then and when they did Rachel would slow down allowing me to catch up. When we got to the top the old road joined the new for a half mile.

We actually had another mile to climb after this on another old road with no cars. Soon we were cruising downhill but had to slow down to herd some cattle out of the way. I was afraid we would herd them all the way to Grangeville but we finally got them off the road.

We stopped for a Subway at Grangeville and then we parted ways. They were going to put on a lot of miles while I was going to meet back up with John.

After that I sat in the park and talked to Linda, then found the park where I'll be camping and setup my tent and write this. Now I'm going over to the pool to get a shower, find some wi-fi to post this, and maybe find the bike shop. Later I will meet John for dinner.

Here is a link to Kelsy's Blog about their trip.

Day 16: 66 miles. Total: 790 miles

Today was all about the Salmon River, which I rode beside most of the day. The Salmon made up for my disappointment in the Snake. Unlike the Snake, the Salmon is wild and free.

But the day started on the Little Salmon River. This morning the road followed the Little Salmon down stream. While the road was slightly downhill, I knew it wouldn't get any steeper as I was following this slow moving river. All of a sudden the road narrowed, the shoulder disapeared, and started downhill at a much steeper grade. Where I camped last night it was a quiet meandering stream, but now it is a raging torrent.

I'm sure some of my river rafting friends know all about the Little Salmon River. The rapids continued on 20 miles to where the Little Salomon joined the Salmon at Riggins.

At one point, on the Little Salmon, there were trucks parked on both sides of the road and hundreds of people fishing. There were also some Nez Perse selling fresh Salmon out of a cooler.

Riggins is another river rafting capital, with numerous outfitters, tours, etc. all along the road. There were also jet boat trips to Hells Canyon.

I ran into Kelsey, Rachel, and Dan again just as they were about to go river rafting on the Salmon. Their biked were being shuttled to the take out point 10 miles down river in Lucile. I did laundery in Riggins before heading on.

From here on I was following the Salmon, which is a very big river.

Later on I met up with Kelsey, Rachel, and Dan and we rode into White Bird together. We cammped in their little park. The locals were mostly friendly. A woman came by and invited the girls to take a shower. I guess that happens to them a lot. Definite advantages for pretty young women not often afforded to us old geezers.

We were now following the Nez Perce trail and were now in White Bird Canyon, the location of the famous battle in which the Nez Pierce defeated the U.S. Army. My young riding companions were completely ignorant of the history of Chief Joseph and his band of Nez Perce. This seems like a significant part of American history, but I guess they don't teach it in school. Too bad. I took the opportunity to share what I knew.

Day 15: 35 miles. Total: 724

Another gray cold morning leaving Council. My plan was to avoid the highway and take the Weiser River trail most of the way to New Meadows. I rode a few miles on it yesterday and it was fine. I had to ride north and then off-route to Fruitvale to get back on the trail, but I didn't get very far when I decided it was too hard. It was a little muddy and a little rocky and I decided it would wear me out, so I went back to the highway. Of course then I had a big hill to climb which wore me out just as much. I was thinking it was a beautiful January day in the Rogue Valley, but of course I was in Idaho and it was the first day of summer.

Some miles later, at the Evergreen Campground, I decided to try the trail again. I rode about 5 miles on it and enjoyed it pretty well. About a mile before it was supposed to end, the trail left it's natural course and took an abrupt turn uphill. I decided to turn back a quarter mile to a cross road I has just passed and got back on the highway. The Trucker was happy to feel pavement under it's tires again. Although it proved cabable off-road, I have to accept the fact that this bike is a true highway machine. We cruised the last few miles into New Meadows with ease.

The Weiser River Trail actually goes for 85 miles. I first saw it in Cambridge yesterday. It parallels the TransAm for about 50 miles and could easily be used as an alternative by bikes with mountain bike tires. Most of the time it would also be fine for 1.5 inch tires. The mud I encountered is certainly unusual for this time of year. I assumed this was a rail-to-trail but when riding it I had some doubts. For one the bed was not very wide or high. It could only have been one track. Also all of the bridges were created new for the trail. There were no signs of any old railroad bridges. I will Google it when I have access and post a link here. Done. It is indeed a rail-to-trail. The narrative says the part I was on has the roughest surface.

I stopped and had a hot chocolate at a place that had wi-fi and posted my last two blog entries, and then talked to Linda for a while. I wanted to do laundery but there was no laundermat in New Meadows. They said there was one in Riggins, 33 miles further on, so I decided to ride on. However I wanted to check out Zim's Hot Springs, 4 miles up the road, to see if I wanted to camp there. When I got going I was all set to cruise on to Riggins. The road was slightly downhill and I was rolling along at 18 mph. But when I got to the turnoff for Zim's the Trucker took the turn and here I am. Camp and soak for $12, with roofed over picnic tables (as it still might rain). They have a regular size swimming pool and a smaller hot pool. I have pitched my tent and a soak awaits me.

Wow, that was great. The hot pool is 105 degrees, and the swimming pool almost as warm. I couldn't last as long as I wanted. After days and days of riding your body just goes limp when exposed to any kind of relaxation. I had to get out while I still had the energy to stand. I thought I would get cold when I got out, but the sun started peeking though and although it's still mostly cloudy it has warmed up quite a bit.

So now I'm lying in my hammock warm and cozy thinking about what to make for dinner. Later on I'll walk back over to Zims and take advatage of his wi-fi to post this.

Day 14: 50 miles. Total: 689

It was windy and rained overnight but I was able to get going fairly early. I got warm pretty quick riding uphill. I knew I had a long hard climb getting up from the Snake River. It was a pleasant climb along Brownlee Creek. At first the hills were all bare with just some green along the creek. Soon it became quite lush along the creek with cottonwood and a bunch of smaller trees. At about 3,000 feet there were some firs and soon the ridges had fir and pine. I was pleased to have entered yet another national forest.

Once over the top the bare hills were back with just a few pines scattered here and there. I didn't expect to decend nearly as much as I climbed but it was downhill all the way to Cambridge.

Cambridge looked like a nice place that allows cyclists to camp in there water tower park. I also noticed a paved rail-to-trail that the map showed followed the Weiser river. At this point the route joined US 95, a much buiser road than Idaho 71 that I had been on. It was 22 more miles to Council, about half of which was slightly downhill. By now the land was mostly grazing and hay fields. At one point there was about a half mile climb to this mesa.

When I was about 4 miles from Council the shoulder, which had been pretty good, disapeared entirely. Then I noticed the rail trail was back running parallel to the highway so I decided to take it. It was dirt and gravel but not too bad so I took it all the way to Council. There were lots of these little sunflowers and other flowers.

It was getting quite windy and I could see rain off in the distance. By the time I got to Council it was really threatening though still holding off. I debated camping in the park, but it had no shelter at all. I finally opted for the motel. After a while I walked from the motel back into town to a store and the whole sky opened up. I can see why they've been talking about floods so much. It really rained. I was fortunate to get a ride back with the lady who runs the motel. I got back only half soaked, glad I wasn't camping. Of course the storm soon passed and it hasn't rained since.

Day 13: 39 miles. Total 639

Well I made it to Idaho. I didn't really want to leave Lone Fir Friesians. I hung out all morning, even groomed some horses. They invited me to stay another day but I saw no purpose in it. I had that life long ago but didn't succeed. Time to move on. Here is another shot looking back over Pine Valley to the Wallowas.

I got very emotional as I rode out of Halfway. Don't know why. Guess it was bottled up. I stopped at the intersetion of the highway and talked to Linda for a long time. I wanted to turn right and head for home but I didn't. I turned left and road off to Idaho.

It was mostly downhill along Pine Creek to the Snake. Pine Creek would qualify as a river in most places. Not quite as big as the Rogue but well bigger than Bear Creek. And roaring. Lots of water.

I had originally thought about going off route and crossing the mountains to the Wallowa Valley. This road also goes by the Hell's Canyon Overlook. I kept debating if I should do this but when I got there the decision had already been made.

The Snake was somewhat disapointing. It's not really a river here but a series of reservoirs behind a bunch of dams. My first view was of a big hydro plant and power lines run by Idaho Power. Then I had about 12 miles along the lake/river heading south.

When I finally got to the crossing it was right below another huge dam. There was a nice campground just down from here but it was full. Big weekend. I had to climb another steep hill I hadn't planned on and fight to wind for 3 miles to get to this campground. I don't know why I bothered. There were people camped out at numerous places along the lake. Pretty much anywhere you could get a pickup. Not much shelter though. The campground is huge, and as expected, totally full of every type of RV you could imagine. The tent only camping was way in the back. I got one of two remaining tent sites. No privacy but a nice enough spot. This is by far the biggest campground I've ever seen. I'm sure there are well over a thousand people here.

Soon after setting up my tent I went to find a shower. Had to walk about a half mile. The shower was great but when I got out the wind was really blowing. I got back to find some stuff blown off the table and my rainfly flapping wildly. Some stakes had pulled out and nothing I could do would make then stay. After getting the rainfly under controll I threw the rest of my stuff in the tent and got in myself. It wasn't cold, just a fierce wind. It died down long enough for me to get out and make some dinner, but now it's blowing again.