Cow river to PLC camp Goodbye Montana! What a great adventure this state gave me. I saw some incredible sights, met some amazing people, camped at some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited, gotten my butt kicked by weather and terrain, and wouldn’t change a thing. By my math I spent 11 days riding my bike across Montana, and took 2 rest days. All in all, an adventure that has already surpassed my hopes. Goodbye Montana, I’ll miss you until I see you again. My last morning in Montana greeted me with the first frost I’ve seen on the trip. Not just a little frost either—the kind that comes off in flakes. I was pretty motivated to get going; this wasn’t my favorite camp, and I was short on water and wanted to find some. I layered up and tried to keep moving so I could get down the road. I rolled out about 8:20–maybe a record for me! I limited myself to one cup of coffee, and just had a clif bar for “breakfast”. Once the sun cleared the horizon it warmed quickly, and so began a rather amusing first 10 miles: Ride for a bit, stop, take off my beanie. Ride for a bit, stop, take off my puffy coat. Ride for a bit, stop, take off my gloves. My last stop was at a small creek that was clear and didnt appear to have a bunch of cows in it. I filtered 2 liters of water and off I went. It took me an hour and a half to go 10 miles. I again tried to keep my pace reasonable and felt good. The road condition was very unpredictable, ranging from smooth almost tarmac quality dirt to very bumpy rock sections. I spotted my first antelope of the trip and several small flocks of trumpeter swans flying low over the marsh. And cows, of course. Thousands of them! The marshland and low hills slowly transitioned to flat wetland with conifers mixed in and impressive mountains rising from the flatlands. I expected to see a moose at any time! It looked like some terrain I’ve seen in Alaska. I climbed up and over a steep, rocky slope and met a group of 4 riders near the top. We chatted for a while—they were from Missoula and were traveling by car and doing day rides. After we parted I rode about another 1/2 mile on a gentle slope…into Idaho! See pictures! I sped into Idaho down from “Red Rock Pass” feeling proud to have crossed Montana, but a little sad at the same time. The sadness faded quickly with the anticipation of new territory to explore. I rode from pines to grassland, then back into pines again on my way to island park, Idaho. There was a nice little grocery store there, and I popped in and got some snacks and a soda. I had a cell signal, so checked in with a couple folks and went outside to snack in the shade and consider my dinner plan. Pizza won, and I pedaled about 2 miles off route to a small pizza place right on the Henry’s fork of the Snake River. I found an electric outlet to top off while my pizza was cooking, and I enjoyed the warm day looking at the river. When my pizza was done, I ate a couple slices there, then wrapped up the rest for later. I had seen an alternate way to get back to my route, so I avoided the highway and headed for my camp spot. I arrived back on my route, but there was one other thing that looked interesting only a mile off route. It was called “Big Springs” so I went and checked it out. It’s like Fall River or the Metolius back home—a big river that comes out of the ground. There was even a bridge where people could buy fish food and feed huge trout off the bridge. Last diversion accomplished, I headed for the spot on the map that said “unimproved campsite”. I wheeled in and found the perfect campsite on a crystal clear creek. I named it the PLC (perfect little creek) camp. I was able to rinse off a bit, and dangle my tired feet in the cold, clear water. My tent is 10 feet from the water and I can hear the gentle gurgling of the creek. Peace… Thanks for reading this far if you did!!!