Spent the last two weeks of June doing another "loop" from/to Missoula. Relaxed mileage this time as the the whole plan changed die to road construction affecting my original plan into ID and back. Must say that it was nice to feel more energetic after each day. It was also nice to not have snow like last year.
Route map showing overnight camping spots:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/55964325Photo gallery:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/204744467@N05/The map does not show all the mileage such as that logged while tooling around Hamilton to shop, once to pick up a new stove after the pump for my Dragonfly decided to quit on me after the frost day.
Shipped the bike to Hellgate Cyclery. Once again, the folks there did a fantastic job. Spent the first night a couple of blocks away at the Shady Spruce Hostel, which is very nice.
Finally got to visit Lake Como. I imagine it's more dramatic when there is more snow on the peaks. ("The Roots" had little snow remaining compared to other years.) Spent two nights at Painted Rocks State Park (The park is on a reservoir but has no drinking water.), taking a 13 mile ride from/to camp to see some sights, including the oldest standing structure associated with the U.S.F.S. The park was a nice find, and the ride up W. Fork Rd. from U.S. 93 was most enjoyable, even with headwind most of the way. Heading back down was even nicer. Saw two doe elk. They took off before I could fire up the camera. The day up Skalkaho Pass from Black Bear Campground was a challenge, with the final 7 of the 13 miles being unpaved and rough in places, but the falls made it worth it. Encountered 5 women doing their own supported tour on the way up. Nice group, and their driver offered me snacks and water. We rode together down Rock Creek Rd. beef they headed over the hill to Philipsburg, where I ended up the following day. Drummond to Ovando required a tough climb early, but then I was treated to 15 miles of gorgeous ranch land during the mostly gentle descent. The direct, unpaved road to Ovando was in great shape. I am sure it was much nicer than taking the state highways. The two days at Placid Lake were somewhat disappointing because of the wet weather. As mentioned in another thread, I encountered a grizzly the first day during a shopping run to Seeley Lake via backroads. That, the weather, and the lack of a shoulder on that section of MT 83 made me reluctant to head back there the next day. Note that Placid Lake is one of the Montana state parks that has special areas for hikers/bikers that include several amenities, including tent pads, covered picnic tables, and power outlet. Wet weather on the day back to Missoula to stick to MT 200 to Bonner rather than take the dirt roads pn the other side of the Blackfoot River as I had planned. As usual, the wind was howling up the canyon, making for slow going.
Startnng to think about a loop starting own Spokane into ID and MT for next June.
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. What sucked was that I had to cut the Pioneer Mountains portion out of my route. 6-8" of snow was forecast for up there.