Today was the day our intrepid hero climbed his first mountain pass with a fully loaded bike. In reality, I was climbing this pass yesterday all day too. In the 53 miles I rode yesterday, I gained 2500 feet in elevation. Today in 48 miles I climbed 3,851 feet. So yeah, a bit steeper.
So there’s this thing that a lot of bicycle tourists talk about that I think I’m starting to understand, it’s called second breakfast. And lucky for me there was Lochsa Lodge for me to get a second breakfast from today. The only gas, lodging and food for a great many miles in each direction. My animal brain took over and I ended up ordering a crème brûlée doughnut and fries, a cycle tourist wants what he wants. 
Right before the grade got even steeper, there was a beautiful grove of monster Western Red Cedar.
I have been following the Lewis and Clark Expedition route since the coast of Oregon. Sometimes I get cocky and think I am on a real adventure but when you think about what they faced, my tour pales in comparison as an adventure.
As I climbed higher, it continued to get steeper and more exposed to the sun. Even at the higher elevation it was hot. Finally, after an inordinate amount of climbing, I reached Lolo pass. I’m thinking it should be renamed “Hihi” pass. Crossing the pass I also crossed a couple of other things a time zone and a state line.
So instead of finding the nearest hospital or campground after all that climbing, I decided it was mostly down hill to Missoula and I should ride the rest of the way so I could sleep at my Nephew’s place, get a shower and Pizza. It was a sound decision. I have 2 Nephews in Missoula going to the University of Montana. One is off fighting wildland fires for the forest service this summer and the other one is staying in town and working 2 jobs for the summer.
Slow and Steady 
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