There was no coffee maker in my room in Eureka and so, in preparation for yesterday’s (Wed., 7-3) 70-mile ride to Libby (pop. 2,628), I bought one of these high-octane coffee drinks to launch my ride. I had thought you needed to be under 30, or at least under 40, to drink one of these, and was a bit nervous about the consequences of a geezer guzzling one first thing in the morning. But I am happy to report that my ride was a success. So, in addition to honoring Independence Day today (and taking a day off the bike), I am also celebrating yesterday’s long ride on a stunningly beautiful route with near-perfect roads almost entirely free of traffic.

You might wonder how I could ride 70 miles without encountering much traffic. First, I was able to take a bike trail for the first couple miles out of Eureka.

Then, for much of the day, I was able to ride along the lightly traveled west side (Hwy 228) of Lake Koocanusa, which was formed by the damming of the Kootenai River by the Libby Dam in 1972.

I did not have the chance to take Hoodoo Loop Road but passed it and liked the name. I bet there aren’t too many road names that have six “o”s in them. I understand that “hoodoo” refers to a formation of rock (not a spiritual practice with that same name) and believe the road draws its name from these rock formations.

There are notices posted on a stretch of Hwy 37 indicating that there will be road construction on a 12-mile stretch starting this coming Tuesday. Whew! I just avoided that. I chatted a bit with an engineer who was surveying the road in preparation for the work and commented that the shoulder on this road was actually in better condition than the road itself. (Usually, it is just the opposite.) He agreed the road was in really bad shape.

Here are a couple of views showing a fairly smooth shoulder and a rather damaged section of road right next to it.

I needed to cross the Koocanusa Bridge on my way to the remote west side. You may wonder how Lake Koocanusa got its name. It was named in a contest won by Alice Beers of Rexford, Montana, and created from the first three letters of the Kootenai River, Canada (where the river both originates and ends), and USA.

Here is the bridge just before I crossed it.

Here are views from both sides of the bridge.

Shortly after crossing the bridge, I encountered three warning signs. One warning of the limited road maintenance assigned to this isolated stretch.

Another warning relates to a falling rock hazard (more about that shortly).

And, finally, and most ominously of all, was a warning about bears in the area, including grizzlies. There were no places to stop for food on today’s route, and I was nervous about taking out any snacks for fear the scent would be picked up by some enterprising bear. This road on the west side of the lake had almost no traffic of any kind–I think I counted only one or two passing cars each hour I was on it. I almost wished for a little more traffic, thinking that might scare off the bears.

Here are some of the breathtaking views I encountered on my 45-mile ride along the lake.

Shortly before noon, I heard voices, and wondered whether I might be hallucinating in this exceptionally quiet place. No, I was hearing cyclists Shawn and Eric, from Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, respectively. They stopped to talk for a few minutes, and we shared some stories about our rides. They have been cycling buddies for 30 years and are currently on an eight-day trip in Montana, mostly camping along the way. They didn’t think I had much to worry about due to the presence of bears since I wasn’t camping.

Like Dave, the cyclist I met yesterday, they marveled at the older technology of my rear derailleur (Dave had referred to my rear hub as a “corncob”) and extolled the advantages of the “granny gears” on their much-newer gravel bikes.

And what’s this? More people! I stopped to talk a bit with a U.S. Forest Service crew I came across who had paused for a lunch break. They are clearing the road of trees and branches obstructing the roadway and said this necessary work hadn’t been done in a while.

I asked if they had ever experienced any issues with bears on the job, especially when eating food, and the response I got was “no, but of course there are a lot of us, and they wouldn’t want to mess with a group.”

I also asked about falling rock and was told that rock falls on the road every day, and one of them once saw a rock that had fallen that was as big as a car. (I asked if there was a car underneath the rock and he said no.) Here are a couple of rocks I saw along the way.

When I was nearly done with the ride along the lake, around 4 p.m., I reached the Libby Dam, which was formally dedicated by President Gerald Ford in 1975.

Don’t bring drones with you if you should happen to visit the dam. They are forbidden, presumably because of the security risk.

I made a quick stop at the Visitor Center at the dam and can save you the trouble of opening the “Q&A box” that tells us how deep the lake is. Here you go…

I crossed the Fisher River at the end of my route along the lake, and then was on an equally solitary 15-mile stretch of Old Haul Road, which follows the Kootenai River on the other side of the dam all the way into Libby.

Here is a view from Old Haul Road high above the river, where there are no guard rails. An accident on this stretch of road could lead to a pretty serious disaster.

Here is Libby Creek, which I crossed on my way into town.

By the time I reached Libby and checked in at the Venture Inn, it was nearly 7 p.m. and I had been out on the bike for nearly 11 hours. I was ready for a rest!

Before checking in, I had no idea that Libby, and the Venture Inn, are hosts to a preeminent celebration of chain saw art each year. Chain saw artists from all over the world (including Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa) compete for prizes in creating a wooden sculpture with a chain saw in a mere four days. This year’s event is from September 5-8.

There are a number of examples of chain saw sculptures in and around the motel, including this dramatic rendering of two eagles fighting.

And various benches featuring wildlife.

This eagle stands next to a fireplace in the lobby.

I was greeted by (and got most of my information about Libby’s annual Clash of the Carvers from) two exceptionally gracious motel employees, Cheri and Tawnie. When I commented to Cheri on her misfortune in having to work on July 4, she said that she hadn’t been scheduled to work that day but did so to cover for an employee who had family coming in for the holiday.

I had breakfast this morning at the 4B’s Antlers Restaurant across the street from the motel. I learned that the 4B’s restaurants have now been in business for 75 years and that their founder, Bill Hainline, Sr., named the restaurant “4B’s” in honor of his family–including his wife Buddy, son Bill Jr., and daughter Barbara.

If you happen to want to eat at 4B’s in Libby, you won’t be able to pay by check unless you happen to have a local bank account.

I have three gifts to offer you in honor of Independence Day today. First, a story about an enterprising 16-year-old who raised his grade in a history class from a B-minus to an A by designing our 50-star U.S. flag (courtesy of the July 3, 2024, Montanian, which is published each Wednesday in Libby).

Second, I discovered this agenda for “Fourth of July at Libby 1896” in a book in the motel lobby on the history of town written by Jeff Gruber. The agenda indicates that at 6 a.m., 20 guns will be fired, and that at 10 a.m., there will be a meeting at the east end of 2nd Street featuring patriotic songs sung by the children, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and an oration. The General Picnic that afternoon featured a shooting match, jumping, a foot race, and horse racing. Management of the event put up $70 to be allocated among expenses for the various activities, and augmented by receipts from the Grand Ball the night before.

Finally, I leave you with this quote from Abraham Lincoln (also from the Montanian): “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”

I have back-to-back 50-mile rides ahead of me tomorrow (Fri.) and Saturday. Tomorrow’s ride will take me to my last stop in Montana before heading into Idaho.