Missoula, Montana - Day 9

Today is a rest day in Missoula, Montana and seeing as I have internet access today, here is another update!

Day 6 - A small group of us left the Gonzaga campus from the Centennial Trail and rode across some very nice rolling hills until we got to a small town hosting some sort of festival. There were Lion King floats and people dressed up as old Scottish soldiers marching through a small downtown area. We rested here and then made our way into the state of Idaho. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Idaho is not all like Napoleon Dynamite.

We arrived in Sandpoint after a little while. It is a really nice city with a cool downtown and lots to do and lots to see. The buildings kind of remind me of the East Village in New York City. A group of us went to the beach and cooled off in the water before dinner back at the high school where we stayed.

Day 7 - Leaving Idaho was incredible. This section of the trip has been the most breathtaking so far. Everywhere as far as the eye can see, there are high mountains, deep blue lakes, and amazing evergreen trees. I rode with Noah for most of the day and we just kept our mouths shut as we tried to soak everything in.

Eventually, everyone crossed into Montana and we stopped to take pictures. After the second rest stop about halfway in, I set out with Nick, our mechanic (also a very strong rider who I probably should not have been riding with), for about twenty more miles until we saw a lake that we wanted to jump in. A lot of places in Montana have huge bodies of water surrounded by about a quarter mile of fields with white and purple flowers followed by immediate hills speckled with evergreens. So, about one hundred feet from the last rest stop, we pulled over onto a dock and dove in. The cold water was refreshing to our tired legs, and after refilling our water bottles at the rest stop we rode the last twenty miles into Thompson Falls. We had a catered dinner from a restaurant called Minnie's. I ate until I was almost comatose and went to bed shortly thereafter.

Day 8 - Minnie's allowed us to come in for breakfast. I thought that I was going to eat a small plate of something light; but, after they brought out four biscuits smothered with gravy, with a side of two huge scrambled eggs and a tall glass of milk, I began to think otherwise. Being the idiot that I am, I finished everything on my plate and made the first twenty five miles of my ride miserable. After digesting, I felt a lot better and then set out by myself and went through some incredible hills, lakes, fields and mountains. The day began early so the shadows playing through the thick forest of trees as the sun rose were nice and cool.

After a quick climb to our halfway point, I set out by myself again and made it into Missoula County. The heat was beginning to get to me so I resolved to make it to camp as quickly as I could. The day's ride was just over a hundred miles and with twenty left to go I put up my camera and sprinted to Missoula before I could pass out. The picture above is the view behind me as I rode towards my destination. It was curious to see how far I have gone in so little time.

The heat was getting to a lot of people, so after unloading all the gear, our rider leader Daniel had to make a few calls to organize how to pick the struggling riders up. In the meantime, I took a shower and then Reuben, Tony, Chuck, and I went to a sports bar for a snack. After we got back, we immediately went to dinner and ate even more. And by the way, I have decided to do the Burger Tour de America and try a cheeseburger (or two) every single day.

We stayed at a dormitory at the University of Montana and there was a piano there. After some songs and singing, it was time to sleep.

Today, I woke up and went grocery shopping. After coming back I printed out some sheet music for piano and Noah and I rehearsed Ben Folds Five's Brick, which we plan on performing to perfection later on in the trip. After walking around town for a little bit, I cleaned my bike and now I am just waiting to go to dinner. The University of Montana has a very nice layout with some beautiful green lawns reminiscent of Polk Place back at UNC.

Tomorrow, I will be in Avon, Montana. Our next rest day is in Billings, Montana July 6, so you can expect another update then.