Today was a big day for me! After over 21/2 months, I am finally in Oregon. The only appropriate comment is YaHoo!! Today, our hostess Debbie at Elkhorn B&B, fixed us a really wonderful breakfast! It was hard to not over eat! Bruce and I were on our bikes at 6:15 PST. It is always tough to get up so early, but once one is on the road, there are very few cars and trucks, almost no wind and the air is cool. We made great time for the first 14 miles to Cambridge in such fine conditions. At Cambridge we turned north on Hwy 71 and had a very gentle climb to the Brownlee Summit. From there we had a several mile descent to the Brownlee Reservoir and rode on the North side of the ... read more

Bruce and I were on our bikes about seven this morning after a quick hotel breakfast. We started climbing right away. After only 10 minutes out of Grangeville, we turned off of Highway 95 onto Old White Bird Hill Road. It was a narrow road that switchbacked through the tall pines for about eleven miles. A beautiful quiet road. At one point, we startled a cow that had somehow gotten through the fence onto our road. Our bikes must have really scared her, because she frantically ran up the hill ahead of us trying desperately to get back on the other side of the fence. Finally, after about a quarter of a mile, she charged through the barbed wire breaking the fence! We cheered her success. Soon we saw her back with her friends. Upon reaching ... read more

Today was a great time to be off the bicycle. This was the day my daughter Breanna put on her Doctor’s white coat and said the Hippocratic Oath! I am very proud of that young lady! If I was riding my bike I would have missed it! Earlier, Bruce and I went to breakfast at Hob Nob and then rode our bikes over to Adventure Cycling so he could get the tour. Then it was time to watch Breanna. We stopped at the Mercantile for a very light lunch and watched the ceremony. Thank Heavens for the internet! Later, Bruce and I rode our bikes down to Historic Fort Missoula and took the tour. It was established in 1877 to maintain control over Western Montana and was the only Fort west of the Continental Divide. It ... read more

Yesterday, on another day off, we drove to Missoula to pick up Becky, and did a little shopping as well. Very productive for me, as I traded my inadequate sleeping bag for a warmer one at REI. Since arriving in Colorado, I have been mostly unsuccessful in trying to stay warm. Finally last night, I was very cozy and warm in my new sleeping bag! We started early and it was really cold! Somewhere near 40 degrees! Early on the ride we passed the Big Hole Battleground. We actually spent some time there yesterday and had a great opportunity to tour the battleground with a wonderful guide named Maria Faldo. She really made the story of Big Hole come alive as we walked the major parts of the battleground. That battle and the story of the ... read more

Today was a challenging ride. We went over two significant passes before we continued another 30 miles to our destination of Wisdom. The second pass was Big Hole Pass, (7360’ and the Continental Divide again), and the placard at the top noted that Merriwether Louis said it was the highest point on the Louis and Clark Trail. After climbing over BHP , we rocketed down into Big Hole Valley. The valley’s monicker is the land of 10,000 bales of hay. We saw thousands of them for sure. I must admit I was pretty tired when we reached Jackson at the 48 mile point. I took a look at the bicycle campsite and noted that the only restaurant in town was closed on Thursday. Pat is a very strong rider, and there was no hesitation on his ... read more