COVID CROSS

Covid Cross Day #40 July 14, 2020 Missoula, MT to Lochsa Lodge, ID 68 Miles Start 6:25 AM Finish 5:00 PM Ride Time 8:42 Ascent 4410 Feet Descent 4164 Feet Tour Total 3334 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200714-0625-31348 I slept well last night at the Bel Aire Motel in Missoula. Before going to bed I talked to Linda and Henry of Team Spokane, whom I'd be joining in Clarkston on Friday. I set my alarm for 6 AM and was on the road by 6:30 AM. Two years ago I did this ride with Scott and Eileen. We never had a 6:30 AM start ever. It was cold out, and I was wearing my sweater. Bill had made to Lincoln yesterday and Andy was nearing the Idaho border. Jane was in Seaside, and Chris and Sidd had camped next to Rosauer’s Supermarket in Libby where I camped last year with Chris and Brian. Chris and Sidd had spent the night camping alongside a cyclist named Robert. Today would be my last day in Montana. It had taken me nine days to cycl...

Covid Cross Day #41 July 15, 2020 Lochsa Lodge, ID to Apgar Creek Campground, ID 58 Miles Start 10:11 AM Finish 5:21 PM Ride Time 4:25 Ascent 376 Feet Descent 2138 Feet Tour Total Miles 3392 Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200715-1011-51249 I shouldn’t have let the server last night talk me into taking a roadie back to my tent. She poured me a 16 ounce jar of Cold Smoke and covered it with saran wrap. It was cold outside, which meant that I had no other choice but to return to my tent. I had the munchies so I retrieved a bag of trail mix from my rear pannier. Long story short, I fell asleep with a three-quarter full jar of beer beside me. In the middle of the night I woke up to a big mess and set the jar outside my tent. I was exhausted, and rolled over and went back to sleep.  I woke up with the sun and the birds and my tent smelled like a brewery. I got paper towels from the bathroom and begin the long cleanup. The other fo...

Covid Cross Day #42 July 16, 2020 Apgar Creek Campground, ID to Kamiah, ID 47 Miles Start 7:13 AM Finish 7:32 PM Ride Time 4:01 Ascent 372 Feet Descent 727 Feet Tour Total Miles 3438 Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200716-0713-09331 I slept well alongside the Lochsa River at campsite three in Apgar Campground. I had gone to bed early, and soon afterwards I'd drifted off to sleep. At one point I awoke startled by what I thought was a giant spider climbing inside my tent. I shrieked so loudly that everyone in the campground must have heard me. I turned on my headlamp to make a thorough search to no avail. I thought it must have been a black tent strap. Who knew. I rolled over and went back to sleep. Later I had a nightmare about my Brooklyn loft being flooded, surely because of the rushing sounds of the nearby river. I also had a stress dream about getting my bike ready to go on a plane. My tent had condensation in the morning. I ...

Covid Cross Day #43 July 17, 2020 Kamiah, ID to Clarkston, WA 63 Miles Start 6:38 AM Finish 4:49 PM Ride Time 5:54 Ascent 245 Feet Descent 654 Feet Tour Total Miles 3501 Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200717-0638-82913 I slept alright in my tent alongside the Clearwater River. The small sandy beach was pitched and I set up my tent parallel to the river. I slept partly on my Thermarest and partly on the sand to compensate for the slant. The occasional motor traffic from nearby US Highway 12 was loud. I was terrified that a car or truck would come crashing through the jersey barriers and land on top of me. In between were the pleasant rushing sounds of the river. In the morning I spotted the moon up above. It was a thin sliver and a glimmering star appeared between the open points, like the Turkish flag. I did my best to keep the sand out of my tent. It was fine sand, and I allowed as little as possible to stick to me. There was a fair...