Regular Service is Restored

A darkness descended upon The Final Hurrah over the last several days on account of reasons:  scant intarwebz; scanter cell service; laundry; martinis.

It's a close run contest, but mostly not martinis.

On Memorial Day, Lewiston to Orofino:  

Orofino Cemetery.  Suddenly got dusty.

View from our hotel.  We watched a Bald Eagle snatch a fish from the river.

Forty-three miles.  A mere, barely, 2928 left.

When we checked into the Orofino hotel, Susan got a bad case of the squees over a fluffy piggy with a fairly convincing oinker.

The next morning, we found it sitting on our table at breakfast.  One of the staff had bought it for Susan.  

Then on to Three Rivers Resort, Outthere, ID.

Fifty-four miles.  2874 remaining.

On the 28th, a long, uphill, haul to Lochsa Lodge.  More scenery, nearly enough to fill our eyes to the bursting point.

The lodge from our cabin.  Beat the thunderstorm by twenty minutes.

Sixty-six miles up the Lolo Pass.  2808 ahead.

May 29.  As it turned out, we got lucky twice.  Besides coming in just ahead of a thunderstorm, we were awoken at 2am by pounding rain.   Had that happened, say, eight hours later, we would have been stuck.  When we set out at 9am,  it was 37ºF, and we wore everything we could put on.  That rain would have put us in hypothermia territory tout de suite.  

At the rate Susan is picking up stickers, there won't be room for her on the bike long before we get to New Hampshire.

The steeds, chomping at the bits.

Today's task: surmount Lolo Pass, with a five mile, 2200' climb in our way.  And it being bloody cold, despite being at the verge of tumbling into June.

A glacier puppy at the top of Lolo Pass

The first ten miles of the run down from the pass were seriously cold, even before adding 30 mph wind chill.

I badly wrong-footed myself with the handlebar mounted camera, so a bit skint on pics.

Fifty-seven brisk doesn't begin to say it miles get us to Missoula. 2751 remaining that just have to be warmer.

First order of business: laundry.  Whoda thunk an easily expensive enough Double Tree wouldn't have guest laundry facilities.  By the time we trudge to a laundromat and get back, plus dinner and three martinis, certified odds of catching up on posting?  Squanto moto.

May 30.  Missoula to Lincoln.  Cold all day, but with a tail wind, and more very gratifying sceneries.  

Thank goodness for Trixi's Antler Saloon in Ovando.  Without a recharge, we would have been suffering serious range anxiety.

Seventy-eight miles to Lincoln.  2673 yet to be traversed.