Across the panhandle into Montana.
Pat Ryan:
Today we pedaled only 65 miles, but the 2,917 feet of climbing included some sections with nearly 10% gradients, which really sapped our strength on the seventh day of the trip.
We left Kellogg, Idaho at 0800, backtracking for the first six miles to get on our main route. We had another very fast start on a flat road that followed the Coeur d'Alene river for the first 27 miles. We then began a 12 mile climb that took us to the Idaho-Montana border near Granite Peak. We regrouped at a SAG after that climb and then enjoyed the fast descent into Montana. At the bottom we had lunch at The Wild Coyote Cafe, where our SAG team had arranged a Taco Tuesday lunch. After that we had only about nine miles to Thompson Falls, Montana, where we will spend the night. Another day of beautiful weather and stunning scenery; we're so grateful for these days in this part of the country.
For the benefit of those following the blog, our logistics and daily distances in the remote parts of the country are mainly determined by where we can get adequate lodging for a group of our size. This means that on some days we do 65 miles (today) and other days we do over 100 (yesterday and tomorrow). The route planning and lodging arrangements required an extraordinary amount of work by a small subset of our teammates and the ride would be impossible without that effort. We are all grateful that at the end of each day we arrive at our lodging knowing that we have a place to crash (figuratively) and prepare for the next day.
Tomorrow is another century ride, 105 miles and 3,695 feet of climbing to Missoula, Montana.
Totals to Date
Miles: 490
Elevation Gain: 19,704
Flat Tires: 7 (zero flats today!)
States crossed: 2
