Wandering Retirees

Hello from lovely Grangeville, Idaho! We are finally getting warm. You’ll understand in a minute.

We came over Lolo Pass today from Lolo, MT along the really beautiful Lolo River. (Kind of hard not to know where we were.) Soon after turning onto US Rt12, we saw the sign we’d been waiting for: Curves Next 99 Miles. The curves were mostly gentle and easy as we followed the Lolo River down from Lolo Pass at about 9,000 feet. Another gorgeous ride! There was only one regret: it was cloudy and raining and windy and 40* F. In a word, it was cold. We had donned our waterproof gear over generous layers of thermal clothing. The Michelin Tire Baby had nothing on us as we clambered into the saddle. But after 5 hours at speed, and the inevitable trickle of water that found its way to the back of our necks, we were cold. About half way, we stopped at Ryan’s Wilderness Inn in Lowell, ID, population 23. There were no fewer than 20 fellow riders, male and female, looking for warmth, coffee and a little sustenance. A shared gratitude for shelter made for happy conversation and glad encouragement to get back on those bikes and enjoy the ride, dammit. We met a neat crew from Vancouver, BC. Laurie was among their number and she spent time giving us tips on what to see while in her neck of the woods. We are grateful for her generosity of time and insight!

Warmed and fed, we clambered aboard again to continue our twisty way toward Grangeville ID via Kooskia, a little town on ID Rt, 13. We were feeling rather pleased with ourselves for toughing out the cold. Then we saw a number of rafts and kayaks paddling furiously down the river and knew that we had seen a true profile in durability. I can only imagine how cold it was directly on the river. (Think white water splashing and spraying all the time.) By comparison, we are wimps. There was no more whining, whimpering or cringing. Shut up and soldier on. So other than some fun riding through mud while ID DOT tore up part of the road on a 6% grade, we made our way just fine. We are now humbly warm and dry (and glad!).

Met some new friends at the store this afternoon, all of whom have experience riding. Lisa and Denise are from Rhode Island and in town for a wedding. They both have earned much cred by riding in New England and are willing to talk about it. Wanda, the proprietor of the shop, is an experienced rider along with her husband. She’s no stranger to long rides: they rode east to Gettysburg, PA to visit their daughter at school, spending over 2 weeks on the road. They were so kind and we had a wonderful time sharing our stories.

Back to our room and a simple supper (bagged salad kit, cheese and an adult beverage – a meal of champions), then an early night.

Tomorrow will be a very long day. About 7 hours and 400+ miles. We plan on an early start. And we promise, no whining!

Thanks for tuning in, friends.

NOTE: Sorry for the lack of photos. The WIFI at our small hotel cannot handle the upload. Maybe I can get upload photos tonight.

Bear Grass