Turn up the tunes for climbing hills

Greg and I pushed off from Riggins early but had two flats right away, one on his bike and one on his trailer(a Bob).  I was following him and he ran over some thorns which I miraculously missed.  I have been warned about these tiny thorns which can plague cyclists.  Perhaps my marathon tires are paying off.  Once back on saddle, neither of us were a ball of fire but still managed thirty miles to White Bird.  Pokie place but there is evidence that it has been quietly discovered by a few in the know.  How many towns have I seen which have been ruined because of some journalist writing a feature article on how charming the place is?  The trick is finding a nice place and keeping a lid on it.  Based on my travels so far, the northwest is peppered with smoky little nowherevilles which would be ideal for a purchasing a small house as a secret getaway.  

      Now for the fun, ten miles of switch backs on old route 95 to crest the mountain and down to Grangeville.  How many miles have I push my bike up hill when my legs needed a break, 10 miles? 

This  ascent had me walking about two miles.  Monotony for sure.  Solution?Bring out the blue tooth ear phones.  The Stones, BB King,  Dylan, The Beatles, ZZ Top.... Rock and roll to the top. Why did I not do this earlier.  Change often requires a "necessity" before happening.  With almost no cars the whole climb, I took the centerline and rock away up the pass.  Great tunes, fantastically beautiful mountains and plains stretching out as far as the eye could see, totally alone with nature.  You got to love it.  Greg came down looking for me because he cranked his way to the top and I walked several miles to save energy.  Youth! Isolated as I was, it was good to know someone was checking to see if the Hump was Ok.  I was tired, hot and parched despite having hydrated the whole way up. He had a mouth watering orange peeled for me at the top.   I treated him to a late afternoon lunch and a cold IPA when we cruised into Grangeville.  Afterwards with my battery reading a bit on the positive side. we picked up some food and checked into a camp ground where Greg cooked up a pretty decent dinner.  With a rough day behind me, having someone cook up a dinner always does the trick. The sunset was perfect with the big sky and the beautiful mountains. Life is good on the road out here.  I feel myself more in the groove as I crank across America mile after mile.  Missoula, Montana, can you hear me?  I am closing in for hopefully a rest day.