Sept 2nd: Lost Trail Hot Springs to Salmon, 93km 862m

Stopping at the hot springs was very nice but we were only part way up the mountain to the pass so we had to ride up the access road to get to the main road and then cycle 10.5km and climb 600m to Lost Trail Pass at 2137m. A tough start to the day but it kept us warm in the chill morning air. We checked out the Visitor Centre and then diverted to the east to ride a further 1.5km uphill to Chief Joseph Pass at 2214m which is part of the continental divide. This is also the border between Montana and Idaho and we are now in Idaho for a few weeks.  
 A quick photo stop and some warm clothes for the downhill run and then we were on our way back to Lost Trail Pass and south towards Salmon. We hardly pedalled for over 20km and had an easy ride for another 18km downhill to North Fork where we stopped for lunch. At North Fork the North Fork Salmon River runs into the Salmon River which turns west through the mountains.        We had to continue south for 34km to Salmon against the flow of the river i.e. uphill but only gently. In fact the scenery was so spectacular we did not notice we were riding uphill and after many photo stops we finally rode into Salmon at 5pm and booked into the first motel we saw.   A brief tour of the town assured us that the microbrewery business is alive and well in Idaho also.