September 17, 2024 – Idaho Bound: Missoula and Lolo Hot Springs

    Highway 200 really opened up from Clearwater Junction to Missoula. The shoulders were nice and wide and in most places even had a soft gravel shoulder in addition to the asphalt shoulder. Of course, I rode on the soft shoulder when I had the chance. I have learned when bicycle touring or road biking in general, always take the safest option when you can. For example, if there is a soft shoulder and an asphalt shoulder, be safer and ride on the soft shoulder. If there is no shoulder, then ride against traffic. Whenever there is oncoming traffic ride your bike off the road and let the traffic pass. Those are just two examples of some safety strategies I have been using on these unsafe roads.

    I digress. From Clearwater Junction, I rode alongside Black Foot River through high mountains, spruce and fir covered rocky canyons. It was an absolutely breathtaking ride. I rode through the small towns of Potomac, Bonner, and Milltown, MT to got to Missoula. I had to take a slight detour in East Missoula (the bicycle trail was under construction). Nonetheless, I got into the bustling city safely. My first stop was The Hanger Bicycle Shop. The owner of the store helped me out and I bought a new 10-speed cassette, a new bicycle chain, a shifter cable, a master link and a couple ferrule end caps from the store. I left there and went to a Vietnam War Memorial Park in town to fix up the bike. I mounted the new cassette, new chain, changed the front derailleur cable, and changed a pesky rear inner tube that has a steady leak. I test rode the bike and everything was functioning properly. Problem solved. No more skipping chain and worn gears, and no more leaky tube (at least for the time-being). 

    From the park, I rode back downtown and was divinely guided to a hole-in-the-wall camera store called “The Dark Room.” I entered the building where the sign for the store was, and I had to walk down a narrow stairway, turn left and head down a dimly lit corridor to suite A: The Dark Room. The owner of the store was a pleasant man...like a mad scientist in his laboratory. He sold me three rolls of black and white 35mm film, and we chatted for a bit. I asked what his favorite oriental/Asian restaurant was in Missoula. He suggested Zoo Thai; a Thai food restaurant. So, I left The Dark Room, and headed to Zoo Thai. I've never had Thai food before, so this was a surprisingly good, new experience for me. I sat at the bar and started charging two of my gadgets, and then I struck up a conversation with a young woman sitting next to me. She was waiting on her husband to enjoy dinner with. I asked her what I should try. She recommended Pad Thai with chicken. So, I ordered that along with egg rolls, a coke, and the bartender gave me a free dessert Thai tea. Everything was great, except the price tag, but that's ok. It was still a fabulously delicious meal.

    After eating pad Thai at Zoo Thai, I left and went searching for a place to camp. I found a city park with a pavilion and camped there for the night. This morning I awoke and went to Walmart first thing. I resupplied my food, bought a new journal, and bought another spare tube to replace the one I just installed on my bike. I rode on Bitterroot Branch Trail from Missoula to Lolo. At Lolo I ate an early lunch and the set out on Highway 12 to Lolo Hot Springs. I rested at both hot spring pools for a couple hours. One pool is indoor with a water temperature of 105 degrees. The other is an outdoor pool with a warm temperature of 85 degrees. I would sit in the hotter pool for 15 minutes or so, and then immerse myself in the cooler outdoor pool for 15 minutes or so. I did this maneuvering quite a few times to get my money's worth. I got to speak briefly with a young woman who is one of the managers of the hot spring. Her name is Mars. We had a delightful conversation and then she got off work. She lives and works in Lolo Hot Springs, and has spent most of her life here in the Pacific Northwest. She retired to her dwelling for the day and I got back on my bike and conquered Lolo Pass that leads from Montana into Idaho. The visitor center is unfortunately closed today and tomorrow, but there is an open-air log cabin pavilion with picnic tables. No one is here , so I will camp here for the night. Tomorrow morning I will embark on the Lolo trail; a 140 mile dirt and gravel trail that leads from the visitor center here at Lolo Pass to Kamiah, Idaho. It's raining now, so I'm hoping the trail won't be muddy. If it is, I'm going to travel on Highway 12 to Kamiah, instead.