We didn't get off quite so early as we hoped. The cold lured us back into the restaurant for breakfast where we split an enormous 4 egg omelet (with some veggies- yay! and the cook liked by haircut- of 12 weeks past cutting). Saying goodbye to surreal Sula, we got back on our bikes to continue our descent out of the mountains.
There were lots of signs in people's yards saying "Stop Zoning," Andy thought it was people against growth, I thought people for it. We still don't know, but anyway, yeah, signs.
Darby was the first town we came to, and boy did it feel like a tourist mecca. Lots of shops that look right out of a Disney western. Probably the antithesis of what the Montanans like. It's a little unfortunate that we have seen decades of the west on television and in movies, so now when we actually see it with our own eyes, it all comes through that filter. Oh well.
Next was Hamilton, where we stopped and groceried ourselves up on the usual day olds, fruit and yogurt. Then Stevensville, which actually seemed like a cute little town and we were all set to use their library, but alas, it was closed. So we split some quiche at the cute cafe across the street and called it even. We had just missed their creamery festival. Very disappointing.
From Stevensville to Lolo we had a bike path to follow almost the entire way, which was very fun and rollercoastery. The only part we didn't there was a ton of awful awful construction, no pavement, dusty, and cones for an obstacle course effect. This fortunately was only about 2 miles. We also met a transamer on a recumbent who is playing 88 pianos on his trip. Follow his fingers at 88pianostour.blogspot.com
We were definitely coming out of the Rockies, the snow caps were disappearing and the meadows seemed to get wider and wider. We saw several hawks, and tried to keep up with them, but they all seemed to be hungrier than we.
Lolo. If it didn't have such a funny name it wouldn't be charming it all. With a pretty big (by our standards) population of 3700 it was nothing with strip and had no library. After mixing with all the Hells Angels departing Missoula, we considered our options of staying there or pressing on, and decided it would be best to go forth. Again, the grocery store meal, and then the 25 miles or so to Lolo Hot Springs.
It was supposed to be a climb, but it hardly felt like it, which was most fortunate, because we were quite tired and ready to be done for the day. It was a very lovely ride, going along route 12 (which wasn't our favorite road shoulder wise, but the traffic wasn't bad). Lewis and Clark markers were to be found everywhere and we saw some more deer and antelope. Still no moose. Much of this forest had fire damage as well.
At some point, like 8, we arrived at Lolo Hot Springs, which isn't a town, but another one of this lodge places. The camping wasn't super cheap, but there weren't really any other options and the hot springs are addictive, so that was that.
2 other bicyclists, Leah and Chuck, a niece, my age, from Arizona and her uncle, a retired economist from Denver, were also camping. They had started in Florence and were heading to Maine. A swell duo. Chuck was the bicyclists and Leah was crazy enough to join him. She hadn't really biked before, but had lived in Sarajevo for a year or so trying to start a gallery, so biking is probably not a challenge. Check on them at romaniellobike.blogspot.com.
They went to eat, and we went to sit in the hot. The springs had been made into a cement pool, but you could see where they had built over the top of the where the rock seeped hot. It was super groovy. After we'd had our fill on that side, we'd run over to the regular pool outside, and then back again, being sure to drink a lot of water. Our tolerance for each seemed to decrease, and around ten, with a bachelorette party warming up in the springs, we left and walked back over to camp with Chuck and Leah, said goodnight and fully expected to go to bed.
I really wanted a beer, so walked back across the street to the bar, met Chuck who had forgotten his swim trunks, and ended up going to get beer and soda together. He very nicely treated.
Back at the site, Leah was having a nightcap with some other folks, Diane and her Holland husband (whose name I forget, ok I never understood it in the first place), and we all ended up joining them. Another camper, a closet smoker, came over in search of a light, and then ended up bringing over some 2 buck chuck for us all to share and enjoy.
It was getting frightfully chilly. The conversation kept us warm and fuzzy for a while, but then our sacks called to us. Enjoying the stars as we frantically ran between bath house and tent, we went to bed happy and chilly, ready to get back in the springs.
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