Susie Rice and her husband Greg showed up on their tandem at 5:30 AM to escort us out of town. Greg was choosing to get up at this hour even though it was his day off and even though it was 40 degrees outside. We took a short side trip to view two of the seven Habitat for Humanity homes they have built in Libby. We steered onto a beautiful back road which led us to a gorgeous view of the Kootenai River, after we climbed an 8% grade. But, as we were promised, it was the steepest hill we had all day, though not the longest.
8% Grade and Still Smiling
We still had Laura Brimlow carrying our panniers today, so the trip was not as difficult as we had feared. We spent most of the day pedaling around Lake Koocanusa. It was surrounded by a thick forest of Pine Trees. Then there was a thin layer of reddish sand before the deep greenish lake. We had many climbs which culminated in our going through road cuts of reddish rock mountains.
Lake Koocanusa
We worked to stay together today, by regrouping every 10 miles. This worked well. Then, Pam and Carol were concerned with the black clouds which were forming and thought we should keep moving. I am from Southern California. To me, clouds are just clouds and I thought they were rushing through this beautiful area for nothing. We finally stopped for lunch at the Lake Koocanusa Bridge, the longest bridge in Montana. I rode across it and heard the wind singing, or moaning, through the metal.
Lake Koocanusa Bridge
Longest in Montana
Yes, it really IS the longest bridge!
Pam got ahead of me, but her ride came to a screeching halt when she heard a "ping" going up the mountain. She knew she broke a spoke. When I came around the corner she was in the process of flagging down a car. Pam kept a positive attitude by reminding us, "I'm thankful it's not raining. I'm thankful it's not hot. I'm thankful I have plenty of water." The woman who picked Pam up had a small car, but managed to squeeze Pam's bike in after she put her grandson, Isaac, in the back seat. Lola lives in Eureka, so gave Pam a ride to our donated room at the Ksanka Motel. She even offered to drive Pam into Whitefish the following morning where there is a full service bike shop.
Pam, Isaac and Lola, Eureka MT
Carol and I pedaled hard to stay ahead of the thunder. We made it to the motel at 3:00 PM as the rain began falling. We had a show of thunder, lightning and buckets full of rain. I guess people in the Midwest know more about storm signs than those of us from Southern California. 
1 comment:
Okay, this is definitely a non-bicyclist's pov, but I'm surprised one little broken spoke (when there are so many) makes such a big difference. I mean, I know it needs to be fixed ASAP, but didn't realize it makes the bike totally unrideable. I guess I sound incredibly ignorant here about the laws of physics and engineering. Oh, well, not the first time.
Man oh man, the scenery is GORgeous. No wonder I've heard so much about the beauty of Montana. Thanks so much for going through the trouble to post the pictures for us. Much more gorgeous than one could possibly describe in words.
Take care, y'all, and I trust you're keep the butt paste (or the bag balm) close by.
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