Day 6 Kellogg, ID to Thompson Falls, MT

We woke up this morning to POURING rain.  Not just sprinkles.  Not just scattered showers.  Torrential rain!

"You're from Washington.  You're used to this."  No.  When it's raining like this, my first choice is NOT to ride my bike 68 miles over a mountain pass.

But, this is Cycle America, and we're on a schedule.  Nothing stops us!

We left Kellogg and backtracked a few miles on the Trail of the Coeur D'Alenes, then turned on to the road that would take us up to Thompson Pass.  It was a very quiet road through the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.  Because of the rain, I didn't take any pictures, but I was thinking, "This would be great to ride during the summer."

Oh, right.  It is summer.

Anyway, the road went up and up, getting steeper as we got to the top.  I had to take some "rest breaks" on the way up, and I thought I might have to walk, but I made it!  And, at the top was our lunch stop.  They had soup and hot chocolate!

Julie and Larkin (also one of the mechanics) served our great lunch.

There's no sign posting the elevation (or of course I would've taken a picture), but Thompson Pass is at 4859 feet.  There's also no "Welcome to Montana" sign on that very lightly-traveled road.  But here's proof I made it.  (My new rain poncho worked pretty well.)

Here's a view of the road just pedaled.

There was a brief sun break on the way down.

When I did the Big Ride Across America in 2008, we spent a night in Thompson Falls.  I remember that it was a beautiful ride, but it was hellishly hot.  The temperature when we got here was 115º!  It was much, much cooler today.  (Math problem of the day:  How much cooler is it today than it was 8 years ago?)

Since it's still raining off and on, it's another slumber party in the gym tonight.

Some facts about fellow riders:  There are two father-son pairs (one father is blind and is riding on a tandem with his son), there are riders from as far away as Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Australia, and at least one woman is 69 and one man is 72!  I told Tony, the 72-year old, that I hope I can still do this when I'm 72!

I am happy, though, that at 58 years old, I can do this ride as a fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Association.  Mom, I'm riding these hills for you.