I forgot to mention that yesterday we changed over to Mountain Time. I am now one hour different from Memphis. . . At 45 degrees the day began real chilly, especially with a heavily overcast sky. The sun didn't break thru until early afternoon. Riding from Libby to Eureka along SR 37 and going north all day proved to be quite challenging. There seemed to be one long climb after another. I got off to a show start by dropping the chain at .5 miles out and getting it lodged so tight that I couldn't get it to budge. A nice man was walking and offered to help. When I said that he'd probaby get his hands black with grease (mine were) he said, "Do I look like the kind of guy who cares?" We laughed and he proceeded to dislodge my chain and help me get it in the proper gear. So, for all of you who offer prayers for my safety, etc., please join me in giving thanks for this "angel." Then, at 15 miles I began a long climb and noticed my rear tire going soft. I turned around and rode .5 mile back to the SAG car where Jean, Jona and I completed the tire changing process is record time. (My friend Jean is a fantastic SAG driver.) The MHBC tire changing clinic really came in handy. We knew just what to do. The culprit was a piece of tire wire that stuck thru to the inside of the tire. During the course of the day I managed to drop the chain again, but this time I was able to put it back in place.
The good news of the day is that I stopped twice to watch a deer and just hope I got a good picture. I really needed more 'zoom' than my Nikon has. I also observed osprey on their nests. They make the sweetest sound.
For the entire day we road along he Kookanusa Lake. As we climbed higher and higher, we still could see this beautiful body of water nestled at the bottom of the mountains. There were no services along the way today since we spent the entire day going thru a National Park, at least until the last 10 miles. Then, there were pretty farms and naughty rolling hills that took us to this facinating place where we're staying. The Ksanka Inn is a combination gas station, mini-mart, fireworks stand and truckstop motel right on Hwy. 93. We checked in at the mini-mart, got our room key, picked up a towel to clean off the bike and got an ice cream cone.
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