Closer to home...into the Mountains

So I left Milk River, AL with the realization that my headset was loose and the fork was rockin' like a star. Maybe that 100 miles of gravel helped things along. But still I press on along Route 501 in the boon docks of beauty. Along the way I have to pause my ride to let a herd of cows on a cattle drive to watered pastures pass by. Next few miles I was dodging their fresh droppings. Got to be careful! Camped that night along side the road with the Canadian Rockies ever nearer. In Del Bonita two helpful locals tighten up my headset with standard tools and ingenuity. I make it to Cardston the home of Fay Wray (King Kong's Women) and am disappointed that the grocery store is smaller than I've been dreaming of. Then it's a poor campsite along the reservoir without water, but the next day all is good as I enter the mountains. Of course I had to pass by Pincher Creek and its spread of wind turbines, enough to strike fear into the heart of a cyclists, but the winds were calm today. With stormy skies threatening over the Crows Nest I decided to stop at the campground shelter in Bellvue. It was a good thing I stopped because it rained a bit throughout the day. Didn't like spending $3 on 1 1/2 liters of water though.

The next day the beauty of Crows Nest Pass made me pull over and snap photographs on a frequent basis. The small historic mining towns were also nice. Pressing on into British Columbia I visited the world's largest truck in Sparwood. Huge just doesn't do it justice. Bought some Nottingham Bread? Discovered that PB & J on sourdough bread tastes a bit funny. Then Fernie, a lovely resort town where folks ride their bikes everywhere, especially down roaring mountain descents. The craggy peaks surround the town and beckon to all with a sense of adventure. Unfortunately HWY 3 was busy and the shoulder was bad; probably more traffic passed me this afternoon than all the past two weeks combined! Yet I survived and after a quiet camp in the woods my sanity returned. Which was good because the next day it was back into the U.S and border officers can be tough. No worries though.
I found another cyclist in Eureka, MT who was part of a mountain bike race from Canada to Mexico; a gruelling 2,700 miles in about 30 days! Sounds hard, not fun. Then two other cycling tourists on the Northern Tier pulled in and we all spent the night at the town park. Pat and Dave were certainly a pleasure, and provided me the chance to share a 6-pack of Kootenay beer that I’d been craving after the dry prairies.

The next morning we splurged on bacon, eggs and orange juice. So wonderful of a change from oatmeal! Then they cycled East and I cycled West. Later that afternoon I watched two young black bears feeding along the roadside. Then I discovered an unmarked campsite near Libby Dam; it was stocked with firewood and the sunset that night lit up the sky. Thought of going for a dip, but it was too cold. Passed thru Libby, MT and stopped at Kootenai Falls where some movie was filmed. Then into Idaho and beautiful Cabinet Mountain Range and wetlands; which meant mosquitoes that night. The following day it was rain off and on as I passed thru Sandpoint, where I stopped to replace my worn cleats and talk with the friendly ladies at the local gear shop. Another suggested author to check out. That night at the COE campground in Priest River the surge of the shower pounded my skin. Felt like I could be clean for a week! Then into Washington, my fourth and final state. Beautiful quite road. The rough hardpack might have had something to do with that. Decided to stop after 55 miles and camped on a beautiful bluff overlooking the lazy Pend Oreille River.. The next day it rained off and on. Found some other cyclists in Colville, but didn't get to talk much because of the rain and cold; missed the Fathers' Day rodeo too.

That morning the sky looked stormy with few patches of blue, but just enough to sucker a guy. So the climb that is Sherman Pass began. 65 degrees at the base and by the top it was 35 and raining. I was a bit cold, hungry, low on water, pissed my map was wrong, and couldn't see the scenery. Yet after lunch things cleared up a bit and after covering my entire body against the elements I descended. Masked bandit cyclists descending upon the small mountain town of Republic. It was long and cold! In Republic I warmed up at the laundromat and then headed for the library. I was just lazin' in the sun on Main St. when Paul the local found me. Invited me to stay in a YURT for the evening and we had a good time drinking brews and eating a wonderful stir-fry. Awesome wonderful hospitality. Under clearing skies I made my way over Wauconda Summit and down into Tonasket. Stopped for a bit and then head on.. The air here has the scent of dryness and the sagebrush has appear. The rocky crags of the mountains add to the harsh beauty. Over a dozen cyclists passed me headed East, the most in one day. Good to see! Riding a side road with all the traffic from the highway detour and headwinds was not fun though. In Riverside I met Patrick and Linda, two Canadian cyclists headed East and we had a wonderful time trading stories. So I shall soon enter the Cascades, which was the impetuous for my initial bicycle touring foray way back in 2001. And so it all began...