I traveled rapidly through the Idaho panhandle into Montana, a much different state. My first impression is amazement at the open, beautiful, unpopulated wilderness. The Adventure Cycle route takes state and US highways but not the fastest routes for those driving to the east. There were striking landscapes of forest, rivers and lakes with very little human impact visible. The weather was nearly ideal: cool, sunny with broken clouds, and no rain. All I had to do was keep pedaling and before long I reached a lunch spot, a coffee location in an historic bar (Halfway House) and my motel in Troy, Montana. I cruised along, making liberal use of low gears for climbs and stopped to enjoy viewpoints.

I biked for a while with Alex, a young man between farming jobs from New Hampshire. Super friendly and great to talk with as we biked. His destination was Libby, farther than Troy, so we parted ways so he could keep pace to reach Libby.

I stopped for the night in Troy, a small town, population 797, with the essentials: High school, motels, and a few restaurants. The mountains nearby include the Cabinet Mountains with new snow on their summits, probably from yesterday's rain. All in all it is not a big tourist destination but is beautiful. The biking was close to perfect.

I had dinner in the recommended restaurant in town which was just fine and very reasonably priced. The motel is clean and nice. The challenge ahead is to plan out rides that mix the distance I want to ride (50-70 miles) with available places to spend the night, I haven't yet figured this out.