Northwest
Mountain Biking and Hiking
The last couple of days have been in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (and Wilderness) and it's a delightful area. North of the glitz of Sun Valley and a completely different place. The very headwaters of the Salmon River, just a little trickle up at the top of the valley, and quite an impressive river as you approach Stanley, just 30-40 miles later.
I had a wonderful mountain bike episode at Fisher Creek/Williams Creek - A big climb up a dirt road followed by miles and miles of beautiful singletrack winding around mountains and down canyons. And it was without the trailer, which was quite an experience.
Yesterday I went for a hike to Sawtooth Lake and Alpine Lake, just inside the Sawtooth Wilderness area. They're beautiful alpine lakes set up in the incredibly rugged Sawtooths. But the views on the way up there! I'll look forward to posting them for you when I get to a computer where I can do that.
Route Change: I'm Missoula-bound
I was planning to work my way up the western side of the state to Sandpoint, but a guy in a visitor info center convinced me that following the Salmon River down and then going to Missoula and approaching Sandpoint that way is better. And the 150 miles of downhill was kind of attractive :-) So I'll be in Missoula in about 3 days.
Amazingly Nice People!
I hope you're following along on the Thanks page, because there are some awesome people on there!
On just one day, July 15, I met these people:
- 30 young Yale students riding their bikes 4000 miles across the country to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
- John and Shiree, Forest Service Pine Beetle Researchers, chatted and shared their lunch with me on Galena Summit.
- And Wade and Twila Ficklin and their kids thought about me on their return trip from Stanley and stopped to buy a gatorade and popsicle for me, and then stopped on the road when they found me and gave them to me and we chatted! How's that for thoughtful!
Jeff Palmer says: If you're ever feeling depressed, go for a bike tour. It will cheer you up. He's right!
190 Miles of Downhill! The Salmon River
Well, I got on the Salmon River at its headwaters near Galena Summit, and liked it so much that when the guy in Stanley tried to talk me into continuing down it and going to Sandpoint via Missoula, I fell for it. What a beautiful valley! Especially the Sawtooths.
But can you believe that the salmon (fish) are still making it back here from the sea in small numbers? There aren't many left, but there are a few hatchery fish now that make the *900* mile journey up the Columbia and to this valley. It's astonishing. I didn't see them, but they're coming.
Hiking and Mountain Biking
I've been pretending that Nancy was here and doing some things besides just riding all day. On Friday I rode out to the trailhead and hiked up to Sawtooth Lake, a glorious alpine lake not far from Stanley. I can't wait to show you the pictures.
On Thursday I rode an incredible mountain bike loop north of Galena Summit - the Williams Creek/Fisher Creek loop. You climb up a steep uphill on a (poor) road and then have miles and miles and miles of downhill on very-single singletrack. An awesome ride. Highly recommended.
And yesterday I hiked up to an amazing hot spring called Goldbug Hot Spring. It was a steep climb, but when I got there I found steaming streams of water going into many pools and just rushing out of the mountain. You would have liked it! And a great temperature, too.
The High Cost of Gasoline
Well, I did it again yesterday. I pulled into a gas station in Salmon and pulled out my credit card and filled up the tank. Thirty Cents charged to my credit card. I'm sure it didn't used to be that much!
(What do you suppose they think about those 30 cent charges? Do they know they're bicycle tourists filling up their stove cannisters? Sure must look odd.)
River baths are just as good...
Well, having sampled the Salmon and the Flathead Rivers, I've decided that river baths are as good as showers, when you can get one. So you *don't* have to find a pay shower, if there's a river (minus a mosquito buildup) handy.
Sleeping by a railroad track
I have slept near a railroad for several of the last few nights. The first night I was very near the tracks. So here are some tips:
- Never pitch your tent on the tracks.
- Even if you obey #1, you still need a vibration-activated flashing light in your tent that says "YOU ARE NOT ON THE TRACKS". That way when the train starts rumbling your way you don't have to jump out of the tent.
Preparedness vs Travelling Light
Over by Missoula I met a bike tourist going east who was only 6 days out of Seattle! He was going 110 miles per day, if you can believe it. He had a road bike, just rear panniers, no stove ("I eat cold food") and looked really light and fast. (It looked like he had tent and sleeping bag and nothing else!)
It got me to thinking about the tradeoffs we make. I'm carrying 60-70 pounds of gear and food and can stop wherever I want. I have a much heavier rig. I can go on dirt roads. I can go cold places. He can't do all those things. But he can sure travel fast. It made me a little envious. I'll have to try it his way sometime.
Tired! Time for a day off!
Well, I've been moving down the rivers (Flathead, Clark Fork, Pend O'Reille) for days at a pretty fast pace - 80 miles some days. But today I climbed up and over a divide and felt fine on the climb, but lousy on the descent. I just wanted to go sleep somewhere. It was hot (really hot up here!) and a hard day. I think it's time for a real day off. So tonight I'm at a motel in Colville, Washington, and tomorrow I think I'll just ride the 8 miles or so to Kettle Falls and find a place to camp there. Then comes the big climb.
