Today (Fri. 7-5), I rode 50 miles from Libby to Noxon, MT (pop. 255). Before I leave Libby behind, however, I want to introduce you to Frank, a gentleman I met yesterday afternoon while he was smoking a cigar outside the motel. I noticed he was wearing a Vietnam War veteran’s hat and thanked him for his service. Frank grew up in this area of Montana, but following his wife’s passing now lives with his daughter in the State of Washington. We talked about Frank’s time in the service. He served in the Army in Vietnam for 2 1/2 years and came home in 1971. He said he saw a number of very beautiful areas of Vietnam and was particularly impressed by how clear some of the lakes were, but he has no desire to visit the country now.

I told Frank I used to smoke a couple cigars a year a few years back but that this wasn’t too popular at home and when I would come home afterward, my wife would always make me take my clothes off on our deck before I could come into the house. He thought this was pretty funny. Frank took up smoking cigars, which he doesn’t inhale, when he stopped smoking cigarettes.

My route from Libby began on Hwy 2, which had a fair amount of traffic, but also a nice wide shoulder.

Off to my right was the Kootenai River.

About 10 miles from Libby, I reached Kootenai Falls. According to my Adventure Cycling map, Kootenai Falls is a 20-foot-high waterfall that is one of the few waterfalls along a major northwest river that is not harnessed for electricity. I walked down to a viewpoint for the Falls but didn’t get close enough to see the full waterfall. (I understand there is a swinging bridge over the river where you can get a better view of the Falls, but I didn’t make it down there.) Here are some of the views of the area around the waterfall I did see, as well as some warnings about the hazards of getting too close to the water.

Here is what the river looks like on the other side of the Falls as I continued to pedal north.

About 15 miles into the ride, I headed west on Hwy 56, which had less traffic than Hwy 2, but a much narrower shoulder. At about mile 25, I stopped at Little Joe Montana Saloon, hoping to get some lunch. The Saloon looked open–there was a flag hanging on the front of the building along with a hummingbird feeder and some paper bags (the purpose of which I was never able to determine).

But then this gentleman walked over and told me that the place closed about a year ago and had no immediate prospects of reopening. He said his name was Gary, and that he is a musician (“anything with strings”) but hasn’t played since he broke his hand a while back. He said he helps take care of the place even though it isn’t open. Gary is carrying a rocking chair that a friend gave him to give to his young nephew.

“Guitar Gary,” as he said he likes to be called, told me that in his younger days, he once rode a bike from Boston to San Francisco. I asked him what kind of bike it was, and he responded that all he can remember is that it was a Schwinn.

About another six miles up the road, across from Bull Lake (shown below), I discovered the Halfway House Bar and Grill, where I was able to get a late lunch around 3 p.m.

Noxon is in the middle of the Kootenai National Forest, at the base of the Cabinet Mountain Range. I had an exceptionally beautiful ride into the late afternoon when I crossed the Bull River several times and had a chance to look for bighorn sheep on the surrounding hills. No luck there.

The weather has been getting a lot warmer. Temperatures were in the 80s today and there is a heat advisory beginning on Tuesday, when highs are supposed to reach the mid-90s. I think this was the first day since I began this leg of the trip in May that I didn’t have to start out my ride in the morning wearing a jacket. You can see there is still a little snow at the top of this mountain, but I don’t think it will be there for long.

I am staying at an Airbnb in Noxon known as the Kallis Family Kabin, a really charming place with a rustic but very homey decor full of antiques.

I had a very pleasant chat with Kathi, one of the Airbnb owners, who showed me how to use the outdoor shower.

I enjoyed resting from the day’s ride on the cabin’s porch, where I saw a number of birds, including a hummingbird, and where these flowers were hanging nearby.

In case you’ve not seen an outdoor shower before, here is what it looks like.

And here are a couple of examples of the antique furnishings here. If you like this sort of thing (as I do), you would love this place.

I have another 50-mile ride tomorrow that will take me across the Montana border to Sandpoint, Idaho, where I will move from Mountain to Pacific Time.