Day 12. Dorr Skeels Campground to Koocanusa Marina & RV Park, 55 miles

I woke up a little late on MY BIRTHDAY: slept in until 6 (!) after crashing out at 8:30. I greeted the morning overlooking Bull Lake, watching a duck trawl for tasty snacks (me too, duck buddy!).

I got a beautiful, quiet morning of riding for my special day. Eastern Montana is just gorgeous so far: snow-capped peaks to the north, forested rolling mountains to the south, and me on some sweet, lightly trafficked, flat to rolling roads. The weather remains cool; even when it’s sunny, the air is chilly, and I find I don’t take off my leggings until early afternoon. This is some seriously pleasant riding weather.

I think I’m starting to recognize one or two bird calls, which is satisfying. I’m picking up lots of western wildflowers for sure.

There are many white crosses on the side of the road since I got to MT. I’m not sure who installs them; they have no names, and most aren’t decorated, though some are festooned with silk flowers, signs, and small trinkets. I’ve seen singles, pairs, and in one heartbreaking instance, five, each individually and lovingly decorated.

In the late morning I arrived at Kootenai Falls. The crowded-looking parking area turned me off, and I thought about passing it by, but a waterfall! I can’t pass up a good waterfall. I‘d be a fool. So I stashed my bike behind a sign and made the short hike–maybe 3/4 mile from the road. I skipped the swinging bridge attraction, instead making my way up the falls themselves. This turned out to be an excellent choice; the area was totally deserted, and I got to commune with the falls (i.e., stand around gawking) in total peace.

After leaving the town of Libby—very limited services next 63 miles, the map helpfully warns—I met up with Lake Koocanusa (KOOtenai, CANada, USA. Seriously.) and began riding north up it. Yes, I know north is not my primary direction; there’s a lot of going around things in the mountains, I’ve learned—none of your midwestern straight lines out here. Shortest distance between two points is NOT APPLICABLE. The climbing started again, with some steep babies as I approached and left behind the Libby Dam, a massive dam in the lower part of Lake Koocanusa.

I’d thought to do a longer day to a USFS campground, which looked lovely but had no showers. The closer marina & RV park was sure to lack charm, but I wanted a birthday shower, so I decided to take the short day. This was 100% the correct decision. Koocanusa Marina & RV Park was tops and turned out to be something of an oasis in that 63-mile stretch of attractive but amenity-free road.

I was the only tent camper and so got a perfect site (in a totally separate area from the RVs, deserted but for me and the birds) overlooking the lake and a very short walk from the camp store, shower house, and … wait for it … bar and grill. A BAR AND GRILL. I had salad and a chicken sandwich with tater tots and a shot of tequila and a couple of Coronas. I sat for three hours and charged all my items and wrote a post and dashed off a few postcards and avoided getting in the conversations about politics that occasionally cropped up as (very few) people came and went. I stayed there until nearly 10! Birthday shenanigans.

I walked back to my tent, checked out this view from the site, and crashed out feeling great.