Even though our ride was under 30 miles today (another day off), we left early to beat the triple digit heat that was forecasted.  Fifteen minutes down the road, I realized the real reason for our early departure as we rode past Coldwater Creek headquarters.  No chance of them being open at 7:45 am…..nice one, Jerry!

It was a cool morning, warm sun and fiesty wind in our face, but we had all day to ride, all we had to do is stay upright when the wind whipped around to our side.  Then our course took a turn along the ever present Pend Oreille River as it flowed at the base of the mountains,offering spectacular scenery (many of which are in the gallery below).

The Pend Oreille Lake was shaped by a glacial ice dam with water massed to 2,000 feet deep.  The resulting ice age floods had a force “hundreds of times the explosive energy of Mt. Saint Helens.”

Shortly before ten, we stopped for coffee and donuts along the lake and started the discussion that was bound to happen…..should we go further?    We decided to stick with our original plan; rest in Clark Fork for the remainder of the day and get an early start for our 70+ miles (to the next motel).  That was until we actually reached our destination; a darling town, lots of local restaurants, beautiful accommodations…..but neither of us could pass up on riding longer on such a Gorgeous day!

Stopped at one of the many darling shops in town for food and water supplies for the extra trip.  Just before pushing off, we happened to secure a reservation at a B & B about 25 miles.  All we had to do is get there, which seemed like a piece of cake since it was only 11:30 in the morning.  Climbing out of Clarks Fork and away from the cool waters of the lake, the temperature climbed….and never stopped.We did find a shady place for lunch enjoying the breeze. The scenery continued to be spectacular. Somewhere on a downhill corner, we flew by the Idaho/Montana border too fast to take a photo, but did manage a shot of the time zone change shortly thereafter. The rolling hills in the heat were starting to add up and take a toll on our bodies, but the scenery…… Thank goodness for the vistas as it kept us going, that and the ice cream/water stop nine miles from our destination.  It was the only way we would make it.  It was a long nine miles and hot, but still breathtaking scenery. Made it to the gravel drive at 5:00 (local time) that pointed down into the woods, it was not something we would look forward to tomorrow, but we were in the middle of nowhere and “wild camping” was not an option in this wilderness.  At the bottom of the hill, we could not believe the bed and breakfast that appeared in front of us. The Big Horn Lodge was way beyond what we expected, even if we were not exhausted.  Our only regret, is we didn’t get here hours ago to enjoy it more and longer.We shared a toast, laughs and delicious pie with our amazing hosts, Dave and Karen (on the right) and their friends and family; it was a magical evening.  Though the sun was still up, we were beat and a bit dehydrated after 54 miles in 100+ temperatures; we fell asleep to the chirping of chipmunks.