Libby MT to Eureka MT
73 miles
Travel Time 9 hrs
Saddle Time. 5:45
Before I tell you about today, one more story about yesterday. Around 2pm I pulled into a rest area to eat lunch. It was nice clean area, with a manicured lawn, picnic tables, bathrooms, water fountain. Perfect. Except, I didn’t notice the large 18 wheeler parked on other side of parking lot. Well as soon as I sat down, a stench overwhelmed me. Sure enough, the truck was stacked with three levels of pigs heading to slaughter. Thank god the truck took off relatively soon after I sat down!
Today started off great with a big plate of huckleberry flap jacks at the Libby Deli. Plus the waitress was really nice and her husband just retired from selling insurance. But the day quickly turned sour
As soon as I started cycling, my left knee started acting up again. I couldn’t pedal with that leg without pain. But if I stood up, like when riding up a hill, it didn’t bother me. I was kicking myself for not buying anti -inflammatory medicine when in town. I decided not to take the AC recommended scenic route because if I stayed on the main route I would hit a marina in 25 miles. It would be the only stop on this ride, and cyclist Mike from yesterday had told me they served decent food and had a store. Perfect breakfast stop.
At about 20 miles I passed a camp ground where I pulled in thinking they might have a store. The manager told me they didn’t have a store but she gave me three Aleve tablets. An hour later the pain was gone.
At the campsite I met Al, a cyclist who I had heard about over the last week. She was known for going really slow, averaging 5mph and doing 50 miles a day. She told me today she was going to take a short day and bike 6 miles to the campground at the marina for the day. Her blog is BigAlbucketlistride.
As I biked DOWN the steep long driveway to the marina, I was thinking this better be worth it. Sure enough, it wasn’t. The restaurant wasn’t open yet! I bought some Advil at the store and biked back up to the main rd
The route was beautiful. It basically followed Lake Koocanusa the whole way. This 90 mile lake was created in 1975 when the Libby dam was built and Kooteney River turned into a lake that extends between both Canada and USA. The lake was named by a local school girl during a contest. She took the letters from the name of the river and the two countries. I learned this fact from a retired German couple traveling thru the states. They learned it from Wikipedia!
I arrived in Eureka around 3 but before going to the warm showers home of Michele and Greg, I sat in a park and got on a business conf call. While on the phone I saw another touring cyclist bike by, and it looked like he turned down the street I was headed to. Well 61 yr old Dennis from Boston was staying at the same house. He is biking from Canada to Mexico along the Continental Divide, a two month trip. He and I went to dinner together and he told me stories of his many previous bike journeys, including one around the world.
I was going to take tomorrow off to rest the knee, but I don’t know if this is the right place to rest. I think I will try to make it to Whitefish Mt to rest.
I hope your knee feels better. Ice and Aleve will be your new friends!
Spit on your knee and rub some dirt on it..
Hang in there!!!
Those flap jacks look delish! Hope they were. So my question is how are you remembering everything to write….. when at work you forget things the second you leave your office. Things that make me go hmmm. (Louise, I am just wondering; Ken, she told me I was yelling at you a little because of the duplicate pix, didn’t mean too!) Looks like no one was in town, where is everybody, anybody, cars, people, cyclist? Great Pix, take care of the aches and pains early, don’t be a hero! may the wind be at your back always. Enjoy! Be safe.
I can’t imagine a truck with 3 levels of pigs. Wish you had gotten a picture!
The flap jacks look amazing! Sorry your knee is bothering you. Make sure you put it up and ice it any chance you get.
PS. Advil works better, try it.
Ken your blog is great. I love hearing all of the details. Photos are terrific. Hope you knee feels better.
Three things:
1) Promise me that you said “Eureka!!!” when you got to Eureka.
2)How do you talk about the great huckleberry pancakes that you had for breakfast and then tell us that you figure “It would be the only stop on this ride, and cyclist Mike from yesterday had told me they served decent food and had a store. Perfect breakfast stop.” I thought my kids were the only ones that had a breakfast and then a breakfast.
3) Peter is mean and bossy and took over the LFA blog so I am going rogue. Look out for “Priscilla, Queen of Insurance and The Desert”
What a great trip you are having. Definitely envious! Living vicariously through you. Keep up the good work.
Ken got your email today so made it a priority to start reading your blog, but could not read my iPhone well sitting in the sun drinking coffee so asked my daughter to read it out loud to me — as you can imagine, this 13 year old was not so excited about the task — but turned on Siri so now Siri is reading your blog to the both of us. We are so far impressed by your journey, was happy to see uncle roger, and enjoyed Lydia’s comment. Esme wanted to point out that sentences should not start with “And” or “But” — She is willing to edit your blog for $20/hour — what a bargain!
Keep moving!
PS – Ohio is flat