July 29,
2001. Lolo Hot Springs, MT to Lowell, ID. (87 mi.) Mile 3536
A
whole lotta Lochsa
It
was cold this morning, with overcast skies threatening rain. Even though we
had enough groceries for yet another meal, we still used the Lolo Hot Springs
Restaurant's hot coffee to warm up before riding up the final 8 miles to the
summit of Lolo Pass, the Idaho-Montana border, and the change to Pacific
Standard Time. We are feeling very close to home in this familiar scenery. Our
goal is to arrive on the Oregon coast August 11, where family from Washington
will greet us and give us a ride home.
Dropping over the
summit and down Lolo Pass into Idaho
Once over the summit
of Lolo, it was all downhill for over 80 miles. However, the road was rough
with little to no shoulder, and in places, there were miles of road
construction involving pavement removal and new gravel. Traffic was light but
we still had to contend with trucks and RVs.
The west side of the
pass follows the clear, rocky Lochsa River, paralleling miles of wild, rugged
Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. The strong, pervasive scent of pine trees
characterizes Lolo Pass more than any other segment of our trip. Yesterday I
was so busy dealing with the wind climbing up Lolo Pass that I did not take
pictures of Lolo Creek, the beautiful mountain stream we followed up the east
side. I figured that the Lochsa River on the west side would offer even more
dramatic scenery, but I was not prepared for today's dark, gray skies. Wet
weather coming from the west is stopped by the mountains, giving the west side
more rainfall, as we experienced today.
1) 
2) 
1) Gray skies along the Lochsa River
2) Miles of road construction on Lolo Pass in the westbound lane
Running downhill made
a fast pace, but we still put in a long day in the saddle pedaling against the
wind. Highlights included spotting a moose with her gangly calf browsing in a
meadow. This made our Trip Moose Count = 5 (2 were seen in Grand Teton and
another outside of Lander, Wyoming, wandering through the sagebrush looking
lost). We also had a pine martin (a rather uncommon, large relative of a
weasel) run across the road in front of us, but we did not see any of the
grizzlies we know are in this area. About 30 miles from Lowell, it started to
drizzle and continued intermittently the rest of the way as we stoked on down
the Lochsa River drainage.
3) 
4) 
3) An eagle's
nest sits perched high on a dead snag over the Lochsa River.
4) The highway
follows over 80 miles of this rocky, wild river.
We were hoping that my brother and
his family would visit us in Lowell or some point along the highway as we rode
to our destination. They had expressed an interest in intercepting us as this
is
the closest point (125 miles or so) from their home in Pullman, Washington.
However, we made it all the way to the campground in Lowell, and did not see
them. As we were sitting in the Three River's Cafe tanking up on food and
feeling disappointed, we heard my nephews' voices' calling, "Auntie
Marilyn, Auntie Marilyn!" My brother and his family had made it after
all, and not only that, had brought ice cream and cookies. This really helped
brighten up a rainy day.
