Jacob Friend
Big day yesterday, big day today. Woohoo! Although we didn’t spend as much time in Idaho as we did in Oregon, she has still been quite the beast. Today was our last day in the potato state and to advance to Montana we were tasked with climbing out of the Clearwater Valley and descending the Lolo Pass. With our challenge laid out, we sped through our morning routine and got on our saddles by 6:45 am. About 2 miles into our ride we found a neat bridge and decided to embark on a side quest. The Richardsons like to do handstands in cool places which is pretty dope.
Brian drains the lactic acid from his legs
A large majority of today’s ride followed along the Locsha River (pronounced "lock-saw"). The rough waters in this river make it a prime location for whitewater rafting which was evidenced by the countless trucks passing us by hauling kayaks and rafts. In the past, prior to its discovery by Lewis and Clark, this river was integral in the lives of the Nez Perce indigenous people to catch salmon and navigate the area in search of buffalo. It was really fascinating exploring the river and observing the nearby wildlife.
Michael, Usher, and Friend along the Lochsa River
The squad took a lunch break about 30 miles into the day. While we were very impressed with the natural beauty surrounding us, we were not impressed with the fact that we had 38 more miles of uphill battling. To rejuvenate our vibes, Brian played some bluegrass and country tunes. I enjoy listening to this kind of music while riding because it gives me the feeling that I’m in a chase scene in an old Western-style movie. My favorite song played from today was Little Sadie by Tony Rice Unit which tells the tale of a cold-blooded murder. The music accomplished its job and we eventually arrived at a gas station before our final steep climb. We took a break to stretch, fill up on water, and learn about the Lolo Hot Springs which were waiting for us just beyond the pass.
The group takes a quick break before climbing over Lolo Pass
The last 10 miles of the climb were by far the steepest. At this point the fatigue from the previous day was really starting to set in and we were exhausted. We knew our desperation reached a peak when Michael veered off the road just to eat half a granola bar that Usher dropped on the ground. So far Michael has certainly lived up to his role as the group’s food vacuum. At the top of the pass we were rewarded with a cool visitors center that detailed the history, geography, and wildlife of the Lolo Pass. I got to watch a few scenes of a wolverine documentary. I didn’t even know those were real animals before then. Another exhibit showed us the topography of Eastern Idaho and Western Montana. It was fun retracing the previous ~100 miles we biked on the scaled down 3D mountain range. After enough play time in the visitors center, it was time to dry off from the rainy uphill and prepare to descend.
Topographic map of the Bitterroot Wilderness
Michael drys off in the Lolo Pass visitors center
Finally we could let gravity take over as we flew down the mountain. Unfortunately, our timing was poor because a gnarly rain cloud began dumping rain and hail on us as soon as we hit the descent. However, we were prepared and all 4 of us safely arrived in Montana where we could enjoy the comfort of a hot spring and reflect upon another state we conquered. Idaho, you will be missed. Montana, here we come 😍
The crew enters their third state of the trip