Day 56: Camping

July 31, 2022 in Wilderness Gateway Camp, Idaho

Today, to my despair, we got back on the only bike path I have ever disliked. First, though, our host gave us a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes, eggs, yogurt, and coffee.

One thing I've found about this trip is that I've come to appreciate every component of every meal, even when it's Kraft noodles with cold prego and cheese powder and croutons, which is what I had two servings of for dinner.

I rode with Eliza, who is definitely one of my best friends here. After our brief but still irritating time on the bike path, we turned onto Highway 12 West, which is a super busy highway with no shoulder to ride on.

(Pictue not mine)

Also notable: before we started our ride, one of the clips that attached my bike shoes to my pedals had broken off so that my foot got stuck every time I clipped in. I switched which clip was on which foot so that the foot I usually clip out on was free. It's not a permanent solution, but it'll do for now.

Anyway,] we pulled over on the side of the highway to recuperate a couple of times and ultimately decided that it was too busy at that time of the morning, and the risk wasn't worth the reward.

We hopped in the van to first lunch and missed a pretty cool-looking mountain pass, but I don't think I regret it because it's way more important to me to feel like I had done the right thing for my friend and I.

After some cold pizza, I was feeling ready to try the road again, so I hopped back on for the descent with Juan.

The descent was really, really awesome––probably my favorite of the trip so far. It was all through a forest, with winding turns and a fly fishing river running alongside. It also had thousands and thousands of pine trees which looked a lot like the part of Oregon where Twin Peaks is set.

My only complaint is that it was very, very hot. 106 degrees. When all was said and done, I jumped into the river mid-ride and completed just over 71 miles. I'm very proud of myself.

There are virtually no towns between Missoula and our next destination, so we stayed at a National Forest campground, which was also unmatched in beauty.

After rinsing off in the river and eating dinner, I spent my evening reading and sleeping in a hammock before my truck day tomorrow.