Day 18 -- Wisdom, MT to Darby, MT -- 66 Miles

Kyle offered me an early ride back to Wisdom, and I graciously accepted his offer given that I wanted to get riding as soon as possible to try and beat the heat. The major climb of the day to Chief Joseph Pass was as expected long but not too bad, although at the top I had to fight off biting flies as the gradient steepened and my progress slowed to a crawl. Amazing how those flies just know where to be to get a cyclist right when he is least able to speed away.

On the way up the mountain, I met a couple from New Zealand riding the whole TransAm to Oregon. They were having a great time and we chatted a bit about other people, including Kurt, who we had all met along the way. We agreed to meet up later in the town of Darby, our destination for the day.



The descent from the pass was a little nerve-racking since I was sure my tire could blow out at any second. It never did! As the terrain leveled out along the Bitteroot River the heat of the day, and a healthy headwind, came to bear. To add more challenge, the road went from one with a nice shoulder to a road with no shoulder. At one point, an oncoming truck decided to pass another car and forced me off the road. I saw it coming, so there was no real danger, but I was definitely ready to get done with the day's ride.

The town of Darby is a quaint cowboy town with a tourist bent. However, walking down the main drag revealed that the local economy was in trouble. Declines in the timber trade, due to the sagging economy and some say the spotted owl, had left many storefronts empty. The Kiwis and I enjoyed drinks and a hearty dinner at the Silver Spoon Saloon in town. I absolutely demolished my chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and the possibly the best homemade clam chowder this side of Maine.