One last day, one last climb

Friday came with cool morning temperatures and the climb up Lolo Pass in the first 13 miles. Steve and I took off shortly after 8 and climbed steadily until about 9:30 when we topped out within a couple of minutes of each other. The first 8 miles were surprisingly mild, enough so that you could convince yourself that this wasn't going to be so hard. That's where my lifelong commitment to pessimism really came through for me. The meat of the climb -- the last five miles -- were steep and ugly. But there were no real surprises, and we were at the pass before anything stopped working.



(At the top.)

It was a tough one, especially after the six previous days. Lots of body parts ache. I will look like a collection of ice packs at work next week. Dad couldn't join us until a couple miles on the other side of the pass, as he's nursing some sore joints and fatigue. But we enjoyed the rest of the downhill into the town of Lolo.

After lunch in Lolo, we rode the remaining 8 miles into Missoula. After visiting the Adventure Cycling Association office, we had a great dinner, and then dropped off Aunt Wanda at the airport for her flight out. She did a great job for Dad for two weeks, and we really appreciated that.

Tomorrow's a rest day for the three continuing onward, and I'm sticking around to ship my bike home and help Dad with whatever he needs. I'll also probably post some random stuff that I haven't fit into any previous posts.

Then it's an early flight out on Sunday, a stop in SLC, and then to Boise, arriving shortly after noon. I'm very ready to be home.