A Century of Sorts
Lowell to Powell – 65 miles (more than a metric century)
Average speed- 10
Last night we ate at the restaurant right next to the Wilderness Lodge and found the food to be more than adequate. We both tried the Aztec soup and split a sandwich, which is customary for us. I tried the Huckleberry Ale, that is brewed in Couer d’Alene and has a nice touch of huckleberry added to it.
We had walked over to the Three Rivers Resort in search of internet, but only found a group of people hanging out in the bar, which was not open for business. The person said that we could have gotten wifi outside, but the group there was not too welcoming. We me Big Wave or Big Water Dave at a gas station a few days ago. He told us that Three Rivers was a great place. Seems odd that such a place would only be open on weekends. The clerk at our place turned down several potential guests and referred them to the Three Rivers. One told her that he had stopped there and they told him that they were closed. I guess that the main tourist season doesn’t start here until after Memorial Day and rafting is popular on the weekends. We had made a reservation in advance since the Wilderness Inn only has six rooms.
We went to bed very early so that we could roll out of bed at 5. Neither of us is a morning person, but we wanted to be sure that we made it to Powell by dark. It really shouldn’t have been a problem, but we wanted to give ourselves extra time. The morning was brisk to say the least. For once, we didn’t start out climbing right away.
Riding along Route 12 takes considerable concentration. Not only is traffic a concern, but the closeness of the edge of the road to precipitous drop-offs is also a factor. Just one moment of inattention and it would be entirely possible to find yourself in the river and it would really hurt getting down there. Not that I think about such things.
The agitated river provided the background music for the day. Whiffs of pine, some fragrant plant and something that smelled like rosemary where thrown in for good measure.
Although I have an altimeter on my computer, it is hardly accurate. The instructions that came with it mention in almost every paragraph that many things affect it and contribute to its inaccuracy. Although this computer was recommended by other cyclists, I am not pleased with the altimeter, which is the reason that I spent more money on this computer than I usually would. In fact, I had already purchased a new computer and then saw that this one was on sale, from its usual price of over $100. I just assumed that it would be reasonably accurate. No matter what the altimeter says, we gain elevation. We might gain the same amount over a much shorter distance tomorrow. Now, that’s a scary thought. I am definitely not looking forward to climbing Lolo Pass.
One of the highlights of the day, besides that tailwind that was once again in our faces, was getting behind the brooming operation. This has nothing to do with curling. There were several trucks, one sweeping, another putting down some de-icing solution (do they know something that we don’t?) and the truck with the sign warning us of the brooming activities ahead.
The brooming dust blew behind the trucks (odd thing to happen considering our tailwind hahahahaha) and blinded us and gave us instant dermabrasion.
We pulled off up the road a short distance and took refuge in the woods when the broomers came again. We had a snack and left and pedaled a few miles and there they were. The Broomers!!!!! Fortunately, they pulled off the road for a break or lunch and we passed by them and didn’t run into them the rest of the day.
The heat became intense since we were riding around noon. The last 10 miles of the day were tough and I really wished for that predicted tailwind. We pulled into the Lochsa Lodge, the only thing besides the ranger station in these parts.
The desk clerk said that it looked as if we had been taking our lives in our hands today from the way we were dressed. We are no fashionistas, and certainly didn’t realize that the fashion police patrolled these parts. The clerk said that last year the road was especially bad and that there were many accidents. He claimed that it was because of SWIFT trucking, which the guy back in Prescott had made a few jokes about. He said that due to all the accidents that SWIFT had caused, their insurance company forbade them to travel on Route 12 anymore. That’s good news for cyclists and motorists on this route as well. We found most of the semis and drivers today to give us wide berth. Had they not, we may have had the opportunity to take a swim in the Lochsa as there is nowhere to go in many areas if somebody forces you to the right.
We had lunch at the lodge and tried to hook up to the internet. I am sure that the lodge’s website said that they had wi-fi in the restaurant and after knowing that the place in Lowell had wi-fi, I didn’t doubt it. It turns out that it’s possible to use the internet if you have a local dial-up number. Ummmmm… bet there are tons of local numbers for here. I would be hard-pressed to even figure out how to set up a dial-up connection anyway.
Tonight we are in a small log cabin with bathrooms in a central bath house.
My shower had four or five trickles of water coming from the head, so I had to be a bit of a contortionist to get wet. I told Robert about how bad the shower was. He took a shower later and said that it was the best shower that he had ever had. It seems that the shower for the men is in fine working order. Guess somebody knows that they probably smell more than women and need the stronger pressure.
Our room has a woodstove and is stocked with logs for the night so that we can have some heat. If it gets as cool as it has been, we will definitely appreciate having a fire. Maintaining the fire during the night is entirely another matter.
Dinner tonight will be at the lodge. There are no other options here. We are a captive audience. It wasn’t all bad being held captive here. We talked to Brian who studied at a culinary institute in Manhattan. He just started here three weeks ago and really enjoys being here. No wonder the food is so good. Our evening meal was just as tasty as our lunch was. We asked Brian about the impending Lolo Pass and especially if the road had a shoulder. Unfortunately, it will be pretty much the same as it has been.
Brian said that the lodge receives many bikers (motorcyclists) and rafters. The atmosphere here is certainly more pleasant, friendly and welcoming than we experienced at that other place in Lowell. The main lodge was rebuilt in 2002 after a chimney fire. Something about a building constructed of logs gives it a warm and welcoming feel.
Tonight is our last night in Idaho. Montana is just over the pass and is in a different time zone. That will make it seem like it took us even longer to get to our intended destination: Lolo Hot Springs. It isn’t that far from here, but we figure that after conquering the pass, we might need to soothe our muscles and take it easy the rest of the day.