Big Hole Valley
Wisdom, MT
Boys climbing the pass
Lee at Chief Joseph Pass
Zhenya and Sasha in town of Sula
Playing in the river behind Rocky Knob Lodge
Lee, Zhenya, and Sasha rode 65 miles today. The weather was gorgeous -- 85 degrees by mid-afternoon, sunny, and no winds to fight. They needed to use mosquito spray again as they rode through the valley before beginning a gentle 1300 foot climb up and over Chief Joseph Pass (7,264 feet) and Lost Trail Pass (7,014 feet). Both of these passes are on the Continental Divide, although the second one is downhill from the first pass and not another climb. Lost Trail Pass dips into Idaho for 1 whole mile, so the boys have now been to another state on this trip! Lee says that climbing into the Bitterroot Mountains is the most scenic ride they have had so far. The Bitterroots are simply beautiful.
A side note about the mosquitos--perhaps they are not using enough spray. Zhenya's back has so many mosquito bites on it that Lee and Sasha stopped counting them. Sasha got a pen a was playing "connect the dots" on Zhenya's back. :)
The guys are staying in a little place called Rocky Knob Lodge. It is listed as being in Sula, MT, but they spent 30 minutes in the tiny "town" of Sula today looking for Rocky Knob only to discover that it is actually located 6 miles north of town! That is 6 less miles they will need to ride tomorrow on their way to Missoula. :)
The guys are borrowing a GPS from Steve Cross. It tells their altitude when they are climbing and has proven to be a very useful gadget to have on the trip. Thanks for the loan, Steve!
DAILY STATS:
65 miles from Jackson Hot Springs to Sula, MT
10:15 am to 5:00 pm, sunny and 85 degrees
1300 feet elevation gain
858 total miles to date
Please continue to pray for stamina for the guys to finish the course. They are dealing with warmer temps and some weariness, but the final stretch is in sight. Thank you for keeping them in your prayers!
