Day 11 Wallace, ID to Thompson Falls, MT

38.8 Miles, 3886 Feet. So you might think this was a short day with less than 40 miles to ride. The first 8-9 miles were on a nice smooth blacktop road with little or no traffic. We followed a pretty creek to the side of the road and passed several abandoned mines and mining towns. It was a gradual climb. By mile 9, the gravel and the steeper climb began. The riders rode as much as they could and walked the rest. When we reached the top there was still snow on the ground in places. We could hear hikers on a nearby trail blowing their bear whistles. The SAG van had difficulty maneuvering on the steep rough surface.

At the top of the climb, the elevation was 5880 feet. We encountered a group of four wheelers and they told us we were about 7 miles from pavement - all downhill. While the road surface improved on the descent, the grades ranged from 12-18%. Once again many of the riders walked downhill. Fortunately the last 18 miles were nice smooth pavement. This 38 mile route took everyone 5-6 hours to complete. We are not quite sure when we crossed into Montana, but we lost an hour to Mountain time when we did. Tonight we are staying in Thompson Falls.Read more