Hi everyone! Welcome to days 54 and 55. We had yet another camping day with no service when biking into Idaho, so no updates were able to be posted :( We are back now however, and ready to roll metaphorically and literally.
Day 54 started out in Missoula with a failed McDonald’s stop since the lobby was closed so most of us were not able to get our well deserved mcMuffins and mcGriddles. It took us a few minutes to recover from the crushing disappointment but we proceeded further nevertheless.
After getting out of the city, we biked into the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest very shortly after. We could immediately tell how beautiful this place was. The entirety of the day biked through a canyon by the river and enjoyed some really pretty views of the river with the steep mountains in the background.
We faced only one fairly small climb on day 54 (only 3 miles!) which after the many climbing days we have had in the recent past did not even faze us. Right at the top of the climb we crossed the state border into Idaho and had our first rest stop of the day. We visited the national forest visitor center where we got some free coffee and free stickers, and Cal had an encounter with a wild animal when a ground squirrel ate some of his sandwich from his frame bag.
Our hero Jessica sitting it out in the van after the incident at the rafting trip
The rest of the day we were only biking down a small decline which made for a nice ride that did not even feel like 90 miles to most of us. Along the way, we got to enjoy the gifts of nature from the forest like collecting wildflowers and taking a dip in the mountain river.
We got to our campsite earlier than we would in most other circumstances due to the time zone change. That gave us some time to take a nature shower (with no soap of course because we love nature) in the river and unwind at our campsite.
Day 55 started out wet from the condensation in the tents but far less cold then our other camping days before. After a camping breakfast of cereal and bananas we started our 56 miles day. The first half of the day we had a very similar scenery to the day before. More river, mountains, forest, and gradual downhill.
After the exited the national forest, the scenery changed somewhat. We were still biking on the same highway by the river, but the mountains got far less high and steep and became significantly less forest-covered.
One of the benefits of returning to civilization is the opportunity to explore the tiny towns we come across during our journey. And being able to buy food obviously.
Despite being one of the shorter days, day 55 turned out to be extremely exhausting to almost all of the riders. The temperature was high and the sun was unbearably hot, so by the time we rolled into out stayover in Kamiah we were all fully ready to collapse in an air conditioned room and not move for a while. Some of us did move a little bit however and went to the river again for a nature shower. It was not quite as nice as the day before but we appreciated the refreshment nevertheless.
The rest of the day we napped, raided the local grocery store for food, and rested in preparation for the day ahead.
-Valerie