Bitterroot

After biking yesterday and stopping in Darby, I decided to make it my rest stop. It was raining, my knee was a little sore, the bed was warm, WiFi and four other reasons made it a good stop. Darby is a small town in the Bitterroot Valley nestled between the Bitterroot Mountains to the West and the Sapphire Mountains to the East. I was told that a lot of mega-rich have made the Bitterroot Valley their home and I can certainly see why. The Bitterroot Mountains are still snow capped and makes a beautiful backdrop for any ranch. I stayed at the Traveler's Rest Resort (cabin #3) hosted by Vaughn & Debbie. Great couple who went out of their way to make my stay enjoyable. This weekend Darby was hosting a horse riding and six gun shooting competition and the European six-gun champion, from Sweden, was bunked in cabin #4. I didn't get to see this morning's competition but was told due to the rain it was moved indoors. And, Vaughn said the Swede was afraid his horse would run into something so that caused him not to place very high in the competition. Hard to imagine a Swede beating these cowboys out here anyway. The Championship stays in Montana. Tomorrow I cross Chief Joseph pass. Chief Joseph the Nez Perce Indian that defied the demand that he take his people back to the Idaho Reservation. He led his people almost 1700 miles, about 38 miles from the Canadian border before being stopped. The part of Idaho and now Montana that I have been lucky enough to travel through is rich in Western History and particularly of the plight of American Indians. I've traveled the Lolo Trail along the Clearwater River and now down the Bitterroot Valley and tomorrow Chief Joseph Pass, all part of the route the Nez Perce took trying to make good their escape.