Wes Malinchock
Today we had a beautiful ride up the western side of Lake Koocanusa. We started out in Libby riding old logging roads through the forest on a chilly morning. Eventually the road joined highway 37, where we would spend most of the rest of the day on alongside the reservoir.
Wes and Brian at the Lake Koocanusa Dam
Highway 37 is a long, hilly, and very exposed road that skirts the western side of the reservoir. Because it is state highway, we went into the day expecting heavy traffic passing us at high speeds as we struggled on the many steep climbs. However, we found that the road was almost deserted all day! I think we were passed by maybe five trucks all day.
Bridge across the Lake Koocanusa
By the numbers this should have been a very hard day of riding. When we got to Eureka we had done 73 miles with 7,600 feet of climbing! Luckily we had some help from a strong tail wind and beautiful views from the road of the lake and its rocky cliffs. We were definitely very tired at the end of the day, but I am sure that we will remember this as one of the most scenic days of the trip.