September 27, Saturday – Up and Over

Yesterday was spent all day on my computer catching up on my blog and working on keeping up with the bills. Then we all gathered at Beccah’s house in front of the television set for the presidential candidates’ debate. I think folks know where I stand on the choices so I’ll not spend time waving a placard.
I decided that on Saturday it was time to look west again even though Missoula felt like home. With sadness I bid goodbye to my friends. While they started their day, I pulled old Snee-Oosh’s anchor to continue adding mileage onto the already 14,832 miles traveled on the RV’s odometer. This does not include the 6,005 miles put on the VW which would make 20,837 for a total run. Okay, okay, you want to know what the fuel costs are. I’ll check. If there are no more entries in Ron’s Circle Tour, it’s because I past out from shock. $6,500…………………oh… my…god……………
But wait. My cell phone rang after just 10 blocks of driving in downtown Missoula. Archie wanted to know if I wanted to go to the farmers’ market with him. So I dropped anchor again on the busiest street in the city and spent the next three hours strolling with Archie past the vendors and talking to folks. A grand time with a good friend. It was so nice again to have the flexibility to stop and change direction.
At noon I was back in the big rig heading for Lolo Pass on the Lewis and Clark Trail – Highway #12. It is just a short climb to the 5,235 foot pass from the Bitterroot River but when you top out and enter the Lochsa River drainage and start the drive down, the descent goes on for over 170 miles with no power lines; no cell phone connections to tell you that you have past from the Mountain Time to Pacific Time. After driving three hours in a new time zone, my cell phone still was on Denver time.
Pullman was on my next stop but I collapsed for the night on the Clearwater at a tiny Forest Service campground called Wild Goose near the outpost called Lowell, Idaho just downstream from the confluence with the Selway River. The stern of my land boat was almost on the bank of this amazing river. Idaho, my 34th state on my trip.