Day 56 - Crossing The 45th Parallel (3 times!)

Trip Start May 19, 2008
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Trip End Nov 08, 2008


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Where I stayed
Warm Springs Campground, Bitterroot National Forest
(Sula hotels)

Flag of United States  , Montana,
Sunday, July 13, 2008

After a leisurely morning packing up we left the site late morning with Mel once again at the helm and began our climb through the mountains up to Willow Creek Summit at 7161 ft. After a leisurely descent down the other side, we stopped on the outskirts of Challis for lunch on the banks of the Salmon River. The next 60 miles or so were a very pleasant drive through the scenic valley, following the river turn for turn.

Half-way through the valley our camera batteries ran out of juice before the other set had been re-charged and so we had to just commit the images to memory. And then out of nowhere, just a few miles south of Salmon, we passed a sign that announced that we had just crossed the 45th Parallel, the half-way point between the Equator and the North Pole. Now we could have crossed it many times before without our knowledge, but this was the first time that we had knowingly crossed it, and without functioning camera batteries. So we turned around, loaded the camera with the partially charged batteries and drove back past it the other way Columbian Ground Squirrel
Columbian Ground Squirrel
 . And then of course once again after turning back round to follow our original course.

After a brief stop in the town of Salmon for fuel, we began yet another climb, this time through heavily wooded mountainsides and at quite a rapid rate of ascent, (rapid in terms of the altitude, not our speed) until we reached the Lost Trail Pass at 7014 ft and crossed the state line into Montana. After a swift descent down the other side, taking in some very sweeping curves, we reached the small settlement of Sula. Just a few miles north of Sula we arrived at the turning for our camp-site, the Warm Springs Campground in the Bitterroot National Forest. Again basic, but so far very peaceful, and as it's Sunday night it should stay that way. We are hoping to see a bear (preferably from the inner safety of Chip) as one was spotted here recently.

Miles travelled: 172

Total miles travelled: 3792

Days on road: 36

States visited: 8

National Parks visited: 6
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