GOLDEN Grass

Day 13—Sunday, August 14—Elko, BC to Eureka, MT

47 miles; 50s in the morning

Woke up sore and tired from the previous day but we packed up in cool temps in the 50s. The moon was still high in the sky and during the night it had illuminated the tall dry yellow grasses of our impromptu sleeping site. 

Ate breakfast and got on the road: cheddar, raisins, and chocolate wrap.

The landscape has changed dramatically from the previous days as we dropped from 4,500-5,500 to eventually about 3,000 feet in elevation. Mountains were beautiful but less dramatic and bore evidence of major logging operations. The valleys and foothills were covered in golden dry grass interspersed with dark pine trees.  Looks more like Northern Arizona or Northern California.

Crossing the Elk River one last time…long climb out.

Landscape starting to flatten out

We made our way through Tobacco Plains which is land owned and managed by the Kootenay Nation, although any irrigated field appears to be growing alfalfa, possibly for feed. 

Very dry and the sun was hot but the ever-present headwind channeling up the valley had some coolness in it.

Hitchhiker looking for moisture;  these guys are everywhere so best to bike with your mouth closed…seriously 

We eventually made our way to the border, spent our last Loonies (Canadian dollars) on a cold drink and candy (duty free!) and our crossing was smooth and easy.

Fenceline along the US-Canada Border

We wound up on an alternate route to get to Eureka and found our way into town…generally a long roller coaster into Eureka.

We grabbed a bite at the Front Porch…free refills on drinks always a good thing in this heat.

We contacted hosts through Warm Showers (website) and Latimer and Kari (and Phoebe!) warmly invited us into their comfortable home, engaged us in scintillating conversation on a range of local and national issues, and fed us with roasted beet and veggie salad AND pasta and venison-tomato sauce.  

We look forward to tomorrow which we decided to take off and rest.

Phoebe, the welcome kitty

Editor's note: Received an update from Noreen that she is "biking a mix of roads and trails and enjoying the time for contemplation and reflection. Riding strong, enjoying many experiences along the way—including seeing the new Brad Pitt movie, attending the Huckleberry Festival, the Glacier Symphony, being hosted by wonderful folks and taking a side trip pilgrimage to Adventure Cycling headquarters in Missoula." She can be reached at noreenhogan@hotmail.com.