The scenery on the past two days' rides has been nothing short of amazing.
The 56 mile ride from Sandpoint to Noxon, and the 52 mile ride on to Libby were beautiful to the point of over-saturation. Much of this area has been set aside as a preserve, so the usual resultant ugliness of the logging industry is nowhere to be seen. Throw in snow covered peaks and massive lakes and you have an unblemished landscape ... stunning.
My ride to Noxon was highlighted by a slight mechanical problem ... the front derailleur bracket loosened ... can't pedal the bike when this happens. After a frustrating 30 minutes of trying to find the right derailleur position, I managed to get the shifting from middle ring to small ring (and back) to operate. I only use the big ring when blasting downhill, so no great loss. Tom and I were riding together out of Sandpoint, so I suggested he travel on rather than sit and watch me work on my bike. We then met-up in Hope, ID where he had stopped for lunch
That evening we shared our campsite with a couple from Belgium, who have been bike touring since late March of this year. They started in Phoenix and traveled up through Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. They will be finishing their tour in Seattle in July. Interesting couple ... they have done extensive bike touring in Europe, as well as North and South America. Back at the time of the attack on the World Trade Center, they were touring in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Backpacking treks have also taken them to Asia. The discussion regarding the differences in social services offered in Belgium versus the U.S. was very interesting.
The ride into Libby, other than the landscape, was not very exciting. A short hike in to see the Kootenai Falls was a welcome break. It felt good to feel the mist of the falls on this warm day.
Tomorrow Tom and I will be heading in different directions, so we will be saying our "goodbyes and safe travels". Tom has been a joy to ride with, and I wish him an exciting and memorable bike ride.
I will be heading to Kalispell, MT tomorrow ... 90 miles or so ... yikes!!
The weather has been great for riding ... life continues to be good.
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