June 15, Dixie, Idaho. In my last post, we had stopped our ride in Grangeville, Idaho to go visit some friends, Toni and Dennis, in Dixie, about a 2.5 hour drive from Grangeville. Dixie, not to be confused with another Dixie down around Boise, has a full time population of around 26 people. Toni and Dennis live in a great cabin outside Dixie, which is accessible only by snowmobile in winter. During the summer, transportation seems to be primarily by two-person, four-wheel ATVs. Terri and I followed Toni and Dennis on a second quad during the day, touring the beautiful and isolated countryside.
Because of the isolation, most of the full-time townspeople (there are other part-time inhabitants who have vacation cabins, or live in Dixie during the good weather months (clearing out before the snow shuts the area down)), work together when needs arrive. For example, while we were there, Dennis discovered that the toilet wax ring needed to be replaced (too many visitors?). He called another inhabitant (Els), who seems to always have odds and ends. Els had a wax ring. Els and his wife, Kathy, brought the ring over, so we were able to meet them. The next time Dennis and Toni go "to town" -- either Grangeville or, more likely, to Lewiston, about 3.5 hours away -- they will buy a replacement ring for Els.
There is a small store in Elk City, about an hour away, where some items can be obtained. The mailman comes to Dixie from Elk City. If someone needs something from that store, the mailman will pick it up and bring it with him when he delivers the mail (three days a week). When he arrives, there is a gathering at the post boxes located in town, where neighbors can converse, while picking up their mail and supplies from the mailman. Great little town.
NOTICE: Jud and Mary have a large, beautiful, three-story cabin on 12 acres near Toni and Dennis, with a separate, one-bedroom cabin on the property, that they have listed for $299,000. A great deal for someone!
June 16 and June 17, Grangeville to the Montana Border. After two nights with Toni and Dennis, we drove back and restarted our ride from outside Grangeville. For the next two days, and about 125 miles, we followed Highways 14 and 12 up the Clearwater and Lochsa Rivers through absolutely beautiful country. Since the roadway paralleled the rivers, the two day "climb" was very gentle and enjoyable.
When I mention climbs, I've used the terms "gentle" and "steep." No easy way to classify a climb, but I'll try to give you an idea. Under ideal conditions (i.e., no rain or wind), we usually ride along at about 14 - 16 mph. During a "gentle" climb, the speed may drop to around 11-13 mph. A "steep" climb (e.g., some of the 5% or so grades we've encountered) may mean 5-7 mph. Our speeds seem to be increasing a bit as we each become stronger, but we keep reminding ourselves that this is not a "race," but a "sight-seeing" trip.
Terri already wrote about some of the other bikers we've encountered on our journey. On the road between Grangeville and Kooskia, we met Jessica ("Jess") Lawrence, a young lady biking by herself and hauling all her gear/supplies on her bike trailer. We stopped in Kooskia and joined Jess for breakfast. Jess is from Oregon and is biking to Rhode Island. You can find Jess online by googling "Road to Rhode." One of her many passions is children's health, so she is using her trip to raise funds against child obesity. Prior to leaving, she had raised about half her goal. Check out her site: a donation on behalf of this brave, sole-traveler would be great!
The night of June 16 found us about 15 miles east of the "town" of Lowell. Lowell consisted of essentially a cafe and an RV/tent campground, but since it was the only place around that offered restrooms and showers, we piled in the truck after the day's ride and drove back there to set up the tents and spend the night, finding Jess once again. Terri and Margie deemed the facilities as "scuzzy," but as my search of the area failed to find a Ritz-Carlton for them, it had to do!
On the 17th, we continued our ride along the river. About 13 miles before the Montana border, and about 8 miles before a steep, 5-mile climb up to the top of Lolo Pass, we ran across Lochsa Lodge at Powell Junction. We stopped at the Lodge for Huckleberry pie and ice cream. We had planned to continue on to Lolo Pass, but Lochsa Lodge offered cabins, free tent-camping on a grass field behind a small store, and warm showers in nice facilities. A vote was taken as to whether we should stay there or continue on. Terri and Margie voted first and voted to stay. Since that meant Mike and I were out-voted, the decision was made. However, Mike and I decided to continue riding up to Lolo Pass and the Montana border, where Terri picked us up in the pickup. We could then re-start from there the next morning.
When we got back to the campground, we found Jess had also arrived, along with a number of other cyclists, all on cross-country rides. Read Terri's earlier blog entry below about all these riders.
June 18, Lolo Pass to Hamilton/Darby, Montana. Today was another great riding day. First was a downhill ride from Lolo Pass to the town of Lolo, about 24 miles through beautiful country originally traveled by the Nez Perce Indians, as well as Lewis and Clark. At Lolo, we headed south on Highway 93 and discovered a separated bike trail that paralleled the busy highway for about 30 miles. Thank you, Montana. During the ride, we received a message from my sister-in-law, Bunny (the wife of my step-brother, Lee), that they had friends, George and Jan, who lived about 10 miles south of Hamilton just off the highway. She wanted us to stop by and say hello. We received a message from Jan offering their home for that night's stay. We had planned to stop in Hamilton, so that was a great and timely offer. George and Jan have a beautiful (I use that word a lot, don't I?) and large log house setting on 16 acres between Hamilton and Darby. We arrived to be met by George, who left work early to be there for our arrival. Jan, after working all day, arrived home and prepared a tremendous meal for us. They had five extra beds for us to choose among, so we had a very pleasant night. Two of the nicest people you could ever meet.
June 19, Darby to Wisdom, Montana. We left George and Jan's home and headed about 8 miles down the road to Darby. George and Jan, besides having their respective jobs, also own Dotson's Saloon in Darby. We stopped there and got a tour from George. They bought the store when it was headed for permanent closure and have done a great job transforming it into a very nice bar. I have a picture, which I will attach. Stop in and say hello if you are in the area!
Our original itinerary called for us to reach Lost Trails Pass by the end of the day, which meant climbing from Darby's approximately 3,500 elevation up to 7,014 feet at the pass, with most of the climb coming in the last 7 miles or so. After leaving George, we went next door to have breakfast at a local cafe. George came in a few minutes later to let us know that the weather forecast was calling for 1-2 inches of snow at Lost Trails Pass that night. We checked maps and decided to press on through Lost Trails to Wisdom, about 27 miles east of the Pass. About two hours into the journey, just before the small town of Sula, the rain started and we put on the rain jackets, pants and shoe covers. From then on the rain fell pretty constantly, from light to heavy, and the temperature kept dropping. Terri had ridden to Sula, but took over the truck at that point, while Mike and I continued on.
When we hit the steep climb up toward Lost Trails, Terri and Margie would drive and stop about every half-mile or so to keep track of us. Just before the top, Mike and I had ridden for about two miles without seeing the girls. Finally, another driver drove up beside me and said the girls were back down the hill and could not get the truck to start. They waved him down, asking him to let us know. I told Mike to continue on to the top, while I rode back down to check. Turns out the frequent short stops and starts in the increasingly cold weather drained the battery. I then discovered that in all my equipment planning, I had forgotten to put the jumper cables in the truck. Fortunately, the first car we encountered stopped for us and had jumper cables.
I sent the girls on to the top and beyond to charge up the battery. By the time I reached the top, the temperature registered 39 degrees and I was soaked through (including my short-fingered riding gloves). We headed toward Wisdom, but after about 5 miles, I could no longer feel much in my hands. Mike and I conferred and agreed we had proved our manhoods enough for the day. We piled in the truck, drove the remaining 20 miles to Wisdom, and found a motel.
It is now the morning of June 20th. It is about 40 degrees out, with rain still forecast for most of the day. We are waiting for it to warm up a bit, before heading out, hoping to make it to Dillon by tonight, although we are now about a day ahead of schedule
125 miles of this was great!
Jess in Kosskia, Idaho
Lochsa Lodge, Powell, Idaho
Lolo Pass and our 3rd state!
Dotson's Saloon in Darby, Montana
Between Darby and Sula, Montana
Arrived cold and wet!
Awesome Dad!! I road 9.5 miles today. Took me only 65 minutes. I should mention I was in my car, stuck in traffic. Miss you!
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