Day 68: 88 Miles

Powell, ID to Kooskia, ID

When I got out of my tent this morning it looked like it was going to be a miserable day. There had been light rain on and off since 3:00 AM and when I woke up there was thunder rumbling. I haven’t had phone service since Missoula, so my phone had not changed to the new time zone. I set me alarm for 6:30, knowing that meant it would wake me up at 5:30. I’ve generally woken up before my alarm goes off, but I was still the last one out of my tent. The only place to get food this morning was the lodge, but it did not open until 7:00. There were also no stops from the Lodge all the way to Lowell, 65 miles away. That meant I had to survive on pop tarts and dried fruit until lunch time.

I got on the road at 6:45 and started the long downhill ride along the Lochsa River. About a mile into the ride I saw clear skies ahead and could tell the weather was going to pass right by us. We’ve had a few days in a row where it has been really hot, so it was nice to start the day with some cloud cover and cool temperatures. The ride today was one of the best segments of the trip. It didn’t take much energy to keep up a quick pace going downhill. The road made a bunch of turns back and forth, following the river through the valley. I made a few stops to take pictures and eat, but otherwise it was just a beautiful easy ride for 65 miles.

At mile 65 I stopped at a restaurant in the town of Lowell. I was the first one there, but knew everyone else would soon be stopping in as well. I ordered the wilderness burger, which was a double patty covered with ham and cheese. The burger came with fries and I had several refills of coke to make sure I got all my calories in. The group of Mark, Patty, Bill and Eric decided that they would be stopping in Lowell for the day. It was only 11:45 when I got there, so I knew I could do more riding today. There is a big climb tomorrow, so my plan was to push through an additional 23 miles of flat roads. Stephen was thinking of doing the same thing, so after resting for a while in Lowell we headed out.

The final 23 miles to Kooskia were also pretty easy. There is a park with a pavilion to stay at in Kooskia, so we have a nice setup for the night. The pavilion has outlets so I can charge all my electronics and there is a bathroom close by. The only thing we were missing was a shower. Luckily there was a splash pad in the park sponsored by the local bank. I believe their mascot is a torch. Instead of a shower, Stephen and I ran through the splash pad like a bunch of kids and that cleaned us up well enough.

Tonight we’ll probably find a bar in town to grab some food. It will likely be an early night so we can get an early start tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of climbing to do, so it will be better to get it done while it is still cool out.