Day 84: Idyllic Idaho

Into Idaho! Eleven states down, two (not “ish”, I didn’t end up going to Alberta) to go. This is my first time visiting Idaho marking state number 33 for me in my life.

We got rolling this morning at about 7:30. Heat wasn’t a factor today, but we had about eighty miles ahead of us. It might not look like we went super far as the crow flies, but we had mountains and lakes to go around.

The road south from Troy was gorgeous. We biked along meadow abutting mountains, sometimes with meandering streams or a lake as well. The road didn’t have much shoulder, but very light traffic made it a pleasant ride.

At the end of that road, we expected to find a grocery store. Instead we found what used to be a grocery store two weeks ago, but is now being renovated and turned into a pizza place. We still stopped there a bit to have a bite to eat and refill water.

The road to Idaho was busier and a bit hilly, but it was very satisfying to get to that border. It’s been a long time without a new state. When we first crossed, we only saw an Idaho Panhandle National Forest sign (which had seen better days at that), so took a photo there. Thankfully, a proper greeting awaited us a half mile later at a turnout.

It turns out the Idaho panhandle is idyllic. Clark Fork offered us a great rest stop with coffee, treats, groceries, and very soft grass to lie in. And then Lake Pend Oreille is stunning. I don’t know how I hadn’t heard of it before this trip. The lake itself is super deep due to glacial flooding and it has these islands and marshy lowlands, but then the mountains rise straight out of its banks and tower above. We took a break in a marshy section, MJ going for a swim and me having a snack in the shade.

We’re staying with Judy and Steve, Warm Showers host tonight. We were having trouble finding a place to stay here, so were super greatful when we hear from Judy that we could stay with them. They have an amazing bike collection and excellent backyard. Steve is a retired bike mechanic and was able to help solve the mystery of MJ’s slowly lowering seat. They also treated us to a heart dinner of taco salad and excellent conversation. Judy is retired from the Forest Service so we got all of our public land questions answered.

Tomorrow, we’ll leave Idaho (it’s only 50ish miles wide up in the panhandle) and cross into our last state of the ride.