Day 7: Prichard, ID to Plains, MT

Distance: 82 miles

Elevation: +3901 / -3786

Temperature: 45 degrees

The day started out cold (41 degrees) and a little rainy, but we got on our bikes at 7AM and headed for the Thompson Pass which would take us from Idaho over the mountain into Montana. For the first 16+ miles, we climbed over 3,000 feet. Some of it was gradual, and some a bit steeper (perhaps like riding up Center Hill or Galbraith 15 times back to back?)

Along the way we saw these incredible rock outcroppings that were left by glaciers as the glaciers retreated from this area.

We made it up the pass, with Steve and Mary Jo summiting first!

Looking down at where we’d been, you can just make out part of the road.

Monitoring our body temperatures was tricky, since we were heating up as we climbed the mountain, but we knew it would be cold going down the other side. Little did we know that it would be snowing and hailing when we reached the top, and that we would be riding down in a headwind. It was cold!!

In Thompson Falls we stopped at the Brown Bear Bakery for some amazing sandwiches (homemade gluten free bread!) and a little warmth, since it had started raining by that time.

After lunch, we headed out Rte. 200, a miserable road with a tiny shoulder and a lot of traffic going 70 mph that was not terribly amenable to cyclists. Carol’s chain jammed, and she was forced to stop on the shoulder to fix it. Everything worked out (thank you team for your support!), but it then meant a group of us were riding on this little shoulder between traffic and now a train. Hold on tight and focus!

For about 30 miles, signs along the road indicated that there were big horn sheep in the area, none of which we saw, mostly because we were so focused on staying safe.

However, we finally were able to leave 200 to noodle along some back roads. We were now able to enjoy the ride far more and the scenery was spectacular!

This is what we stopped to take pictures of: cormorants watching the river.

Loved the little bird houses on every fence post in front of this property!

After another 15 miles, we arrived at Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort! We plan to soak, a lot, and then enjoy a rest day!

Highlights:

* Making it up Thompson Pass!

* Snow!

* Lunch at the Brown Bear Bakery

* Leaving rte. 200!!!

* Fixing Carol’s bike

* Touring the back roads through the countryside.

* Achieving the completion of Week One of this journey!!

* Finding that there were at least two people on this ride who could appreciate the value of collecting wheat, wood, ore and sheep.

Lowlights:

* Route 200 tops anything else in this category of “worst things about today.”