Out of Lolo, I followed Rt. 15 south. It is the main highway that cuts through western Montana and by far the busiest road I've encountered on my trip. Fortunately, there are several sections that are accompanied by a bike path about 15 feet off the shoulder, which made the ride much more enjoyable. Twenty miles south of town, I left Rt. 15 and picked up a much more enjoyable backroad that meandered through the Bitterroot Valley. The road didn't have a shoulder, but the cars, trucks and RVs were polite and gave me plenty of room.

A little down the road a car pulled over and waited for me to catch up to him. He wondered how far I was going and where I planned on camping for the night. His name was Tony and ran a hostel just north of Darby. Apparently he'd been putting bikers up in his house for 15 years and was recruiting me to stay with him. He owned a ranch right along the Bitterroot River and said his house was open for showers, cooking, and internet access. Unfortunately, Darby was just about 10 miles away and it was only 3:00, plus I was getting pushed by a steady 20 mph wind. I thanked him for his offer, but this was the first day of riding without any mountain passes and I wasn't going to give up the tailwind for a nice place to stay, so I kept on going.

Around 5:00, I stopped right in front of a campsite to study my map and decide whether I wanted to climb over the next looming mountain pass or stay at the campsite for the night. While looking at the map, Natalie and Carl rode up behind me. I guess I passed them in Darby when they stopped to have lunch and walk around town. Soon after Ralie met up with us. They were planning on staying at the campsite and invited me to camp with them. Eager to have someone to talk to, I gladly accepted.