Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sula, Montana to Salmon, Idaho. Wednesday, June 5, 2024. I went to college surrounded by engineers. I was even going to be an electrical engineer myself, until I changed to biology. In the early 70s, engineers were a dime a dozen, so the field did not seem particularly glamorous. It wasn’t until I graduated thatContinue reading “Civil engineering”

Hamilton to Sula, Montana Tuesday, June 4, 2024. Today would be the easiest of the next four days, no major climbs, just 36 miles; would’ve liked to go further, but that’s how the lodging worked out. There was a big challenge today, however, 7 miles of a scary twisty road, busier US 93 this time,Continue reading “Shoulder strategies”

Hamilton, Montana. Monday, June 3, 2024 Heavy rain and a wind advisory once again compelled me to take a down day, just as well since I really need to firm up my plans over the next few weeks. Jane and I refer to this plan dismissively as the “parking lots tour”—biking to the trailheads ofContinue reading “Future plans”

Missoula to Hamilton, Montana. June 2, 2024. Sister Anne, once she heard I was in Montana, sent a link to a Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (AKA John Denver) song Wild Montana Skies that I’d never heard before https://youtu.be/wztUGHnSmAM?si=IJUFJiuU1QE-3wJ5. Never been a big Deutschendorf fan, but I had to admit the song was compelling. The firstContinue reading “A river runs through it”

Missoula, Montana. Saturday, June 1, 2024. Missoula was just too cool a town to leave after one day, and I decided after yesterday’s big push I deserved a down day. I lined up a Warmshowers host, finished my belated blogging, and went out to explore. The first thing you notice is a big white MContinue reading “The Divine Mount M”

Lochsa Lodge, Idaho to Missoula, Montana. Friday, May 31, 2024. My favorite Joni Mitchell song (actually, I like the Tom Rush version better), but not such a fun memory this morning. I worked out the time and realized I had to leave here before 6 AM. The temperature was 31°. WTF!? It’s May 31 forContinue reading “Urge for Going”

Wilderness Gateway Campground to Lochsa Lodge, Idaho. Thursday, May 3, 2024. I was delighted to see how the tent kept me dry in the steady rain all night, not so delighted with the situation when I woke up. The rain had stopped but the rain fly was soaked. Despite a clever apex ventilation system, theContinue reading “Marginal communicado”

Kooskia to Wilderness Gateway Campground, Idaho.    Wednesday, May 29, 2024  [note: the next three posts are coming all at once, since I was off the grid for three days. They are a little bit less tightly edited than the others, my apologies in advance.] Heading off today felt more formidable than my last accommodations desert,Continue reading “Incommunicado zone”

Orfino to Kooskia, Idaho. Tuesday, May 28, 2024 Today, finally, I will be joining the legendary Transamerica Trail, the original coast to coast bicycle route that was begun by a group called Bikecentennial in 1976 as an offbeat way to celebrate the nations bicentennial. A grassroots effort spread by word-of-mouth, it attracted over 4000 cyclists.Continue reading “Transamerica Trail”

Lewiston to Orofino, Idaho. Monday, May 27, 2024. Astute readers of this blog will recall I’ve used this line before, for Highway 41 in “The ultimate hypotenuse” post in Michigan on 5/30/21. The US highway system is the forgotten stepchild of American road building, largely subsumed into the interstate system, only a few remain intactContinue reading “Oh 12, 12, why hast thou forsaken me?”