Day 13-14, Lochsa River and Clearwater NF, Lolo Pass, Missoula and the Half Way Point

Left rather seedy campground on Lochsa R in Lowell ID after a tough night of sleep as contract road crews working on Rte 12 stayed up late partying. Long steady climb up the Lochsa canyon surrounded by wilderness except for this one road linking central ID with MT. The mile markers seemed to pass slowly. We finally made it to Powell at the foot of the Lolo Pass climb after 66 miles without passing a single store. We wolfed great sandwiches at Lochsa Lodge (a beautiful timber lodge with at least a dozen assorted dead animals on display on the walls: cougars, bighorn sheep, grizzly and black bears, elk etc. Idahoans are very proud of their hunting conquests). It was after 5 PM and dusk was setting in as we slogged up the climb to Lolo Pass, reaching the summit as darkness set in. A quick 8 mile drop from the summit had us in Lolo Hot Springs at another seedy RV joint for transient campers.

Next morning a quick downhill ride into Missoula and the halfway point of the trip. Much to Bob's dismay the cyclometer recorded exactly 999 miles. We met up with Bob's longtime friend Mike who graciously taxied us around Missoula, thick with alumni in town for the University of Montana's (you guessed it, the Grizzlies) first home football game. Much to my dismay Adventure Cycling's world headquarters were close, so no luck getting the requisite polaroid portrait, long a tradition of bike tourers passing through. I said goodbye to Bob, a great traveling partner, and moteled it at the local Days Inn, ready to begin the 2nd half of the trip.