Big Sky

Yep, Montana is Big Sky country. And long ride country.

In yesterday's blog, I mentioned our Warm Showers and Adventure Cycling hosts, Arlen Hall and his wife Shawn. One thing I neglected to mention was diet. When you are burning 5000+ calories a day, there is no diet big enough to stop the crew from eating. So we tried out the Big Dipper, which Arlen said has been named one of the top 10 ice cream stores in America. So, we all got double scoops in waffle cones! And look ... we're still all skinny!

Then this morning, we had a humongous and delicious breakfast prepared by Shawn, and we almost made it out the door by 7:00 am, which would have been 6:00 am just a few miles west of where we were. But we had a good reason for setting off 10 minutes late. Could you pick out your own bike in this garage?

Of course you've heard the bike aficionado's answer to the question, "How many bikes do you need?" The answer:  "One more than I have right now." For Arlen and Shawn, there was a bike for all occasions. My favorite ... when Arlen travels to trade shows or planning sessions, he puts his clothes in a carry-on backpack, and checks his Bike Friday folding bike as luggage. At the destination, he unpacks the bike, puts his backpack in the extra-rugged suitcase, and drags it behind the bike to wherever he has to go. An all-in-one solution for luggage, bicycle, and ground transportation. And since he's the director of tours for Adventure Cycling, I'll be he knows all the good routes. He said they did something like 109 tours last year (he didn't ride all of them, but helped organize them).

Anyway, by 7:10 am, we did manage to roll down the street, through a maze of bike paths in Missoula, then up Highway 200, which will be our companion for the next several days. Today, we did 80.6 miles with 2601.7 feet of ascending. Tomorrow, we do something like 96 miles, including crossing the Continental Divide via Rodgers Pass (in the first 18 miles out of Lincoln, Montana, where we are being graciously hosted by the American Legion), then a long and gradual descent, ending at Great Falls, Montana.

We are doing a fundraiser for Operation Comfort Warriors, so the Commander and Adjutant of Montana Post 9 in Lincoln presented us with a check for $200 to help on our way to our goal of $10,000. And tomorrow morning, they will host us for a quick breakfast before we head up the mountain for another long day!