Lolo Pass & Big Sky Country

Between Kooskia, Idaho and Lolo, Montana there were limited services. At one point there wasn't anything but two campgrounds for 66 miles. So, I had to plan my stops so I would have food and water and a semi safe place to stay for the night. After leaving Kooskia, I biked for 50 miles to a camp site. I got there pretty early as I generally get on the road around 6:30 or 7:00 so I can get some good riding in before the traffic gets bad. It was a good site, next to the river and off the road. After looking around the campground for a site with minimal amount of bear poop, I pitched my tent. It was around 4 O:clock in the afternoon, too early for bed, yet I was tired, so I just lay in the tent relaxing. A car stopped about 20 yards from my tent and two men got out and started talking. At first I ignored them but when they started talking about bear tracks, I got interested. I flipped the fly back on the tent and went over and introduced myself. One man was about 70 years old the other I found out later was 23. Their car looked like it was on it's last leg, no hubcaps and crammed full of junk. A third person arrived with a two person camper and the elder gentleman excused himself to help, who looked like a Spanish male, station it. The younger man, Theo, started talking about the older man. He said he worked for the Defense Department, had been in Viet Nam, Kosavo, Afghanistan, and in the Navy. It got better. Theo added that the elder man was an informant as well. It seems the old man infiltrates communities and spies on people and turns that information over to the Defense Department. Theo said no one would suspect him. I agreed with Theo. When the old man shook my hand he slobbered all over himself and had to step back and wipe spit off his chin. It was early in the conversation that I realized that my camp mates might be more dangerous than the bear poop I saw. Theo invited me to join them after they got set up but I begged off adding that I was tired due to the miles I'd ridden. I went back to my tent and locked my bike and moved anything of value inside my tent. Great, first bears now the three amigos. I didn't get too much sleep and quietly left camp early next morning. Yesterday I biked to the Locksa Lodge 13 miles from Lolo Pass.The last two days involved an 80 mile slow climb culminating in Lolo Pass. The lodge is set back in the woods with a beautiful view but no cell phone or WiFi. Got a good meal and good rest and today at 6:30 I tackled Lolo. It only took me two hours to cover the 13 miles and along the way saw plenty of deer and very few trucks. Turns out Hwy 12 wasn't as bad as the map warned. After crossing Lolo and entering Montana I felt pretty good and today was able to do 65 miles and didn't get turned in to the Defense Department. Tomorrow I'll be on hwy 93 heading toward Chief Joseph Pass.