The first task this morning was to return to Lolo, where
I left the through route yesterday to take the side trip to Missoula. Today and
partly tomorrow the road onward is common to the TransAm Trail and the Lewis
& Clark Trail. When they part, in Kooskia, ID, I will be going South and
continue on the original TransAm. I had one final mountain pass to cross today
to get clear of the Rockies and enter a new region of this diverse country.
From Missoula to Lolo Pass the distance is 45mi (72km).
Most of the way, the
climb is so gentle as hardly to be noticeable. Only the final 4mi is steeper –
but frankly speaking it was a “piece of cake”. I stopped at Lolo Hot Springs
resort for a Huckleberry cheese- cake before tackling the pass.
When I reached
the summit, I passed from Montana into Idaho and turned my watch back an hour. 
To
the left of the road was the Lochsa River, road and river winding together
through a narrow valley with steep, thickly wooded hills on both sides. The
lightly trafficked road descended very gradually for most of the way, levelling
out towards the end.
The smell of the cedar tree forest was there all day - this smell just feels so good! A breeze got up about two thirds of the way through. It
blew along the canyon into my face with enough strength to counteract the
benefit of the remaining downhill. However, after a long 10hours of a riding
day I was happy to check-In at the Motel in Lowell. I was hungry, therefore quickly
showered and had an early dinner.
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