What a beautiful ride. Slightly more uphill than yesterday, but I'm still in the middle chain ring.
I met Sue & Pat from Coeur d'Alene this morning. They were standing in the middle of the river fishing. The road in this section was a bit higher than the river, and I saw their truck down by the river. I figured if they could get a truck down to the river then I certainly could get me bike down there, and it looked like a nice spot for a rest and some food. I actually scared them a little until they realized I was a biker - they had left their truck unlocked and totally open, with their money and belongings right out in the open. We started talking when they came in from the river, and they offered to share their campsite with me if the campground was full.
Back on the road, I passed through an area where there had been a forest fire. It's amazing what a beautiful landscape a destructive force like fire can leave behind.
I ended up with my own campsite across the road from Sue and Pat. I ended up going to dinner with them down the road at the Lochsa Lodge.
We visited a salmon hatchery just past Powell (on the way to dinner). They released 10,000 babies, and 476 of them actually returned to spawn. The biologists are thrilled - and the adult returnees are huge. They looked like they were 3 feet long!
Back in the campground...
These small Forest Service campgrounds are pretty cool. They are beautifully sited in wooded spots near the river, and there is a lot of interaction between the folks in different campsites. One woman stopped by to ask about cycling alone. She has a friend who wants to do a cross country trip with her daughter. I gave her my name and phone number in case her friend wants to talk.
Lolo Pass tomorrow - the first real hill of the trip.
