Day 73: I Get It Now... A Little Bit

I woke up at 7am and it was dry. Shower. Breakfast. Check Email. Pack Up my stuff… I am missing the cold weather hat I just bought. Say goodbye to Jim. Set off for Libby via Hwy 2. The first 6 miles is on a bike path that runs parallel to the Highway, but just looking at the shoulder-less behemoth makes me nervous. Eventually my bike path ends and I am forced to integrate with the ridiculously busy traffic.

It is a lot more uphill than I am expecting. It alternates between rain and sunshine about every 10 minutes. The climbing isn’t too strenuous and the rain isn’t too cold. Trucking along. About an hour into the ride the road becomes winding and narrow, so the cars reciprocate by driving faster and with much less regard for me. I get run off the road twice. The scenery is pretty amazing, and I would have taken many more pictures if it weren’t so terrifying out on the road. Seriously… no shoulder and no way to slow those cars down.

I reach Marion after about 20 miles and get a chance to warm up in a gas station. The next services are in 28 miles at Happy’s Inn, and I am going to stop there for lunch. Luckily it’s mostly downhill and miraculously a large, clean shoulder appears before too long. The ride immediately improves. I start taking more pictures. The rain gets a lot colder, but it’s bearable. The headwinds get pretty bad. I am riding down a steep hill at 8mph. I really hate that.

Lunch at the Café in Happy’s Inn is actually really good though I can’t for the life of me get warm. I’m too wet and it’s too cold. After lunch I discover they have a Laundromat on the premises, so I warm up off my gloves, sweater, and shirt #2 in the dryer. The toilet stall has had the door ripped off and there are no walls to speak of, but it’s the only bathroom for the next 28 miles! Oh, the indignities of being a touring cyclist.

About 3 miles down the road was the turn-off to McKillips Rd, which would be a quieter, safer alternative to HWY 2. Well… It was definitely quieter, but my bear-paranoia kicked in after a few miles of thick dense forest without passing a single car or person. The scenery was absolutely stunning; beyond belief really. The entire route was downhill, so the road starts off with some of the most incredible overlooks I’ve seen since Glacier NP. It continues in a constant downhill pattern. Some of the best riding of the entire trip. I can’t recommend this route enough for EAST to WEST travelers. It really makes the whole hellish morning worth it. Overwhelming.

I would have taken more pictures, but like I said… my bear paranoia kicked in. Riding fast, singing Pinkerton at the top of my lungs; admiring the scenery at a frenzied pace. Eventually the road connects to Fisher River Rd which is a beautiful flat road that runs along the Fisher River. I had relaxed by now, and was able to enjoy the scenery. The clouds burned off and the sun was pretty perfect. Brilliant afternoon. Made me optimistic about the weather and determined to camp in Libby tonight. I meet up with Hwy 37 and head over to Libby.

En Route, the sky turns a deep dark black and starts raining pretty hard. I am soaked again. I get to Libby, which is a cute town. Poach a wifi signal off of a motel and check the weather. It’s going to snow tonight? Yep… I’m too cold and wet to camp, or rather… I’ve grown too soft to deal with camping in the snow. Dinner. Call my sister for her birthday. TV. Tomorrow is a 100 mile day to Sandpoint where I am going to be staying with a cool woman from Couchsurfing.com

I rode 96 miles today in total. It’s not quite a century, but I have that same dread at the thought of getting back on bike tomorrow. It’s supposed to be dry on Saturday. That’ll be exciting.

Looking back on the day, the second half completely justified with first half. I am technically still in the Rockies, and I have to say that there is something truly special about this landscape; a majesty that is lacking in the Appalachians. The day after I rode up to Two Medicine, I was raving about them to Allison. She grew up in Colorado and has always talked a lot about these mountains; in fact her mother has always said that she is “linked” to The Rockies. Until now I’ve never really understood exactly how much this sort of landscape can affect your perception of yourself, and how you fit into the world. It’s humbling. I get it now… a little bit.

Happy Birthday Heidi!