Catching Up (and Pictures!)

Refueling

Into Idaho

Wow! A lot has happened since I last updated the blog...We got across Idaho in three and a half days! Today is our first rest day and my legs are loving it. We got to Columbia Falls, MT yesterday afternoon and connected with Pastor Matt Nelson and his family.

They just moved here a week and a half ago and this morning was his first sermon at his new church. They are extremely hospitable! Diane made some great pork chops and corn on the cob last night...I was too full to even have ice cream for dessert which does not happen often. Their son, Andrew, is an up and coming mountain biker so we've talked bikes quite a bit. Their daughter, Claire, is a very good artist and I'm thinking I may commission a painting of our tandem.

After my last post from the Grangeville, ID library I walked back to the sporting goods store to see Jenny. She had made friends with the owners and since the rain was not stopping they invited us to stay in their barn for the night. We got a fire going in the woodstove and set up some cots next to the saddles.

Camping in the horse barn

Stan and Mel Hawkins and their children, Haley, Caleb, and Emily, invited us to joing them for their dad's birthday dinner. We had fresh Idaho steelhead for dinner and chocolate cake with ice cream. It was an awesome evening and we were amazed by the hospitality of these 'Angles of Grangeville'.

Make a wish

We set out the next day and rode 48 miles to Lowell, ID. The last 15 were in the rain. Since there were no services for 65 miles past Lowell, we decided to stay there for the night. Although it was pouring rain we decided to camp instead of get a room so that we could go out for dinner that night...I think we have our priorities straight!! The tent held up well and we only got a little damp at the feet of our sleeping bags. I had a great BBQ rib dinner that night and I definitely needed it for the big day that was to follow.


We got up early on Thursday, not knowing what the weather would be doing. We had a great devotion the night before on releasing our fears and trusting God so we prayed and headed out. Our goal was the Lochsa Lodge...65 miles up the road. It was an incredible ride! Clouds hung low all day, but it never got more than a drizzle. We rode along the Lochsa River for 60 miles...it is a wild river and I enjoyed watching it roll by. We got to the Lodge after 65 miles of steady uphill in time for lunch and learned it was only 12 more miles to get over 5,200 foot Lolo Pass...and once over Lolo Pass it was a easy 48 miles to Missoula where we had a place to stay and shower with the Christensen family. After lunch we decided to go for it. We got over Lolo Pass after a pretty intense 4-mile climb and started the descent.

Lolo Celebration

Into Montana

We passed a group of four cyclists on the way down and chatted for a while. We rolled into the Christensen's house and the odometer read 119.77 miles for the day!! Huge!


Had a nice time with Mark, Helen, and Sarah Christensen and some friends. Jenny checked the weather and decided that it would be best to keep going and have a rest day on Sunday in Columbia Falls rather than Friday in Missoula. After a visit to Adventure Cycling Association in Missoula (and some free ice cream!) we headed north from Missoula. Both our legs were spent from the day before so we took it easy. We were both overawed with the grandeur of the Mission Mountains and the Flathead Valley.

Mission Mountains

And now we are lounging and eating in Columbia Falls, MT. It was great to worship this morning with the people at Our Redeemer Lutheran. We plan to drive over to Whitefish, MT later today with the Nelsons to get ice cream and microbrews. Hope to miss the forecasted rain by leaving early tomorrow and getting to East Glacier, MT. We will be pretty well out of the mountains after these next two days. We will be praying for winds from the west!


We've had some really funny times and memorable encounters. Jenny and I are laughing a lot and we are definitely creating memories that will last throughout our lifetime. (We had a couple of animal encounters...we saw a female moose on the the side of the road who skirted off after sighting us and a great greeting in White Bird Idaho by a half dozen cute shepher puppies.)


The people we've met have made this trip very special. And knowing that our friends and family are tracking progress and prying for us is very inspirational. You can post a comment by clicking "post a comment" at the bottom. It would be great to hear from any of you. I talked to my sister yesterday and she siad that her son, Eliott, has set aside a special piggy bank for Thirst Relief donations and they are planning a cookie sale to raise funds! Knowing that he is able to understand that we are doing this for a cause and that his parents are using it to teach him about the imprtance of clean water is just as important as actually raising money. Speaking of raising money, I got an update on our progress towards $5,000. With the newest round of donations added to the previous subtotal, the new total to date is $5,545! INCREDIBLE!!! We've met the goal of $1 per mile and now it seems like we can strive for $2 per mile ($10,000).


THANK YOU ALL and please continue to pass along the info about Thirst Relief.

Lots of love,
Scott and Jenny