After arriving in Lochsa Lodge, I took a shower, ate lunch, then took a two-hour nap in my tent. I had a post nap dinner then went back to sleep until morning.

The camping is very good as long as you don’t mind the hum of a fan (from the general store next to our camp site) all night.

The lodge’s breakfast was huge. I was stuffed. We broke camp and began a 90-mile downhill ride through the Lochsa River valley. It was just beautiful. White water, massive mountains covered in evergreens, curvy road.

I saw a muledeer, a white tailed deer, and two eagles during the ride.

We stopped at a couple of towns along the way but decided to continue on to Kooskia and stay in the pavilion in the town park. My tent is not free standing so I’m lying in a big net that caves in on both sides.

The park has a splash park which we used as a sort of shower. The water was cold and refreshing.

We are no longer in dry mountain air. It’s warm and muggy. This is my first day below 2,000 feet since eastern Kansas.

Mark got a traffic ticket for failing to ride to the right of the white line. A pick up truck passed him on a curve and nearly hit a sheriff’s car head on. The sheriff pulled the driver we over and the driver said “I came upon the bicyclist so quickly there was nothing else I could have done. He was riding to the left of the white line.”

Apparently the driver was unfamiliar with the brake pedal.

Then the Sheriff probably a deputy (he was young and chubby) let him go and pulled Mark over.

We are all kinds of pissed about this. It’s impossible to ride to the right side of the white line. There’s not enough room, but Deputy Fife wouldn’t listen to Mark’s explanation.

Tomorrow we ride up a very nasty hill then pass through the county seat where we intend to talk to anybody who will listen about Deputy Fife and the unwarranted traffic ticket.

One oddity we are dealing with is time. Some places operate on Mountain time, others on Pacific. I feel like I’m stuck inside a Chicago song.

Mikes today: 90 Tour miles: 2,485