Unfortunately we passed on the Adventure Cycling weigh in this morning, opting to get an early start out of Missoula instead. This means there is no official verification of who is carrying more of the load, and I can continue to claim we are fairly even. "Fairly" is a term I am using quite loosely!
We rode all day next to busy highways (Hwy 12 out of Missoula to Hwy 93 from Lolo to Darby). Thankfully there was a bicycle path that ran right by the highway most of the way between Lolo and just past Hamilton, but this didn't take away the noise of the cars, trucks and buses flying past us.
A rest day every so often seems to be the way to go, as this was the first morning that my legs didn't burn as soon as I got on the bike.
Mountains surrounded us to our left and to our right as we cycled down the Bitterroot Valley. We are in Montana's cattle and horse ranching territory, the towns we passed through having preserved their buildings western saloon facades. We also passed quite a few craft breweries along the way. We had to hold ourselves back from entering any of these establishments, otherwise we would never have gotten to our destination!
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| I hope we don't have to climb over this tomorrow |
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| Found this in Victor, MO |
We tested our bikes for a short distance on a gravel back country road in order to get off the busy highway for a while. Our tires grip quite nicely. My only concern would be to take it easy on a downhill gravel section. It's also really nice that my gears change smoothly now once again.
As we arrived in Darby it looked like the heavens were about to open up. We were not keen to camp in the rain but didn't want to pop for a hotel after our past two hotel nights in Missoula. Steve found that the Travelers Rest Cabins and RV Park also has a 6 bed bunk room for $20 pp and as the rain, thunder and lightening came down, we were instantly sold on this option.
CRANKING ODYSSEY STATS
Total Odyssey miles: 1,074
Overall Fastest Speed: Steve (39.9 miles per hour) Mandy (35.3 miles per hour)
Bonks: nil
Dog chases: 3
Dummy Spits: Steve (2 - Day 10 because it rained; Day 16 - because the rocks in the river were slippery)
Mandy (0.5 - Day 14 those freakin' wreckless Idaho drivers!)
Flats: Katie (4)
Wrong turns: 6
Beer of the day: Kettle House Cold Smoke Scotch Ale
Lesson of the day: blue skies follow a downpour in Montana
No. of our luxury items that Katie has used: 5 (duct tape + rope + pliers + a confused cup/bowl + can opener)
No. of days with no shower: 7
Starting weight: Steve (90kg) Mandy (51.5kg)
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