Along the Flathead Lake I got my first flat - go figure, and it had to be the rear, right? My tire is in bad shape. It's very soft in the middle and worn. I changed it in the heat with no shade on a busy highway - I wouldn't have it any other way! What a LONG day it has been. I rested at a gas station and drank some chocolate milk with protein.
Polson, on the southern end of Flathead Lake was a big town. There's probably a bike shop here, but I think I can still wait until Missoula.
My hosts in Ronan were Thomas and Anna Marie. Anna Marie was having dinner with two English cyclists (Deborah and Joanna) when I arrived. Beef stroganof and pea pods - excellent! We also had her strawberry rhubarb bars - frozen and delicious. Anna Marie is a very talkative person - passionate. She's very sweet. She's a triathlete and her husband and her try to keep in shape because of the history of their families. Thomas already lost 4 brothers to obesity. He likes downhill rides, not so fond of the ups haha. I quickly learned they are a Mormon family and Anna Marie kept talking about the "scriptures," and how there is a prophet in Salt Lake City. They have two "elders" missionaries living with them while on a mission. There is one "mission director" that they report to and is in charge of a whole region. Anna Marie is a seminary teacher which intrigued me until I learned they were LDS.
Joanna's Dad is retired and creates "quizzes," in his free time. They are not fans of brexit - Britain's exit of the E.U. Although they said it is a great time to visit England!
July 15 (Ronan to Missoula, 60.84 miles, 2,052 ft. elevation) Ronan - St. Ignatius - Ravalli - Arlee - Nagos - Wye - Missoula. We had a great road breakfast - eggs, bacon and pancakes! After Anna Marie handed us a card about Mormonism (so we can research it ourselves I suppose), I bid them all farewell and good travels. Mormons are not shy. It makes me wonder about Christianity - are we afraid or don't want to "Bible thump?" Today was another long and hot haul all the way to Missoula. There were a couple big hills, long and gradual. Ten miles from Missoula I hit 40mph on a descent.
At 5:00pm I came to the Smoke Jumpers Visitor Center which I heard about from the English cyclists. It was closed. I always have terrible luck. It must've just closed too. Earlier, the Animal's Crossing rest area just outside of St. Ignatius was pretty cool. I learned about the animals that cross the roads and trying to get them to do it safely.
As I was riding along, something hit me on my back - you never know what's going to happen to you on the road. I can never catch a break. I even met a few honkers today - sheesh Montana!
I wheeled up to Adventure Cycling Association in Missoula - they must've just closed - and will be closed all weekend long when I will be in town. What the hell ACA?? What the crap Missoula? Why did I even bother to come to Missoula in the first place? The whole point of me coming here was to see the ACA, have their free ice cream and drinks, get my bike weighed and browse their plethora of resources for bicycle touring. I am ruined. That ruined the trip right there. For being a "bicycle friendly community," Missoula is not nice. The motorists are so rude. That's rubbish. I'm ready to cancel my ACA membership. They don't deserve my money. I am super disappointed, frustrated, pissed off!! Why can't they have summer hours? 5:00 is so early!!
My host was very nice. Ethel is an older woman who has hosted hundreds of cyclists over the years. She is big into the cycling scene. Sue, another cyclist she was hosting was also there for the MT Bike Celebration. After that she was going to get back on the Continental Divide Trail. This weekend they were both busy with the ACA celebration. But that evening Ethel provided ice cream and fresh raspberries which were so good! Thank you! In my room downstairs I pored over my maps and journal determining where to go next.
July 16 (Missoula Rest Day, 00.00 miles, 0 ft. elevation) MISSOULA REST DAY. It was almost expected I spend an extra day in town without me even requesting to do so. I think this was because of the celebration and the fact that Sue was spending the weekend here too. It was a good thing I was planning on doing this anyway, even though I was upset with Missoula. I had coffee and toast for breakfast. Ethel and Sue were gone for the ACA celebration most of the day. I hung out with Lela the dog who was very friendly.
The first thing on my agenda today was to get my bike fixed. I made it downtown to the visitor center which shared a building with the Bike Hanger conveniently. I met Michael Allen at the Bike Hanger. We have been following each other on Facebook for a few years due to our mutual interest in cycling and now we have finally met. He worked on my bike and was able to replace my rear tire with a marathon. If I had kept my old one on, it would've blown out soon. He also replaced my chain and pulley set on my derailleur. It took them awhile but they finally found the culprit of the "feeling" my chain move through the derailleur. I thanked him for his service and it was nice to meet him finally. Seems like a great guy to hang out with.
I had a burrito at Taco del Sol - hit the spot! Then I went down and hung out at the Farmer's Market. It looked like they had some good food and veggies and booths. I saw a hot sauce vender and couldn't resist. After tasting a few of the bottles I ended up purchasing two from him - Dime Sauce and Huckleberry Ghost Pepper sauce! I'm excited to try them!
In the evening I got a dominoes pizza and a mocha coconut frapp and headed back to Ethel's house. Later that night I decided to walk down to Big Dipper Homemade Ice Cream and got a Chocolate Cardamon Cone. In the line I met Frocinnee, a Greek woman. She's also a biker from out of town, seeing part of the Bike celebration. The line for ice cream was long and I thought twice about whether I wanted to wait or not, but decided to have the experience. When I got up to the front, the girl asked how I got my hands that way and Frocinnee behind me lifted up her bike gloves on her hands. Yep, no hiding the fact I'm a cyclist - tan lines! Frocinnee cycled through Yellowstone and told me about her experience. Everyone I talk to about the park says it is very dangerous to ride through - it has no shoulder, etc. Well, I will find out for myself in about a week.
July 17 (Missoula to Hamilton, 50.61 miles, 920 ft. elevation) Missoula - Lolo - Florence - Victor - Hamilton. I had some raspberries this morning - this time with yogurt. I said goodbye to Sue Westfield from Australia, signed Ethel's book and she gave me directions to the start of the Bitteroot Trail. The ribbon cutting ceremony was yesterday to open the section from Missoula to Lolo. I would be among the first to ride it. The Bitteroot Trail went all the way to Hamilton - 50 miles! I love trails like these. The only drawback is at times the trail just seems so long because there's nothing else but no car traffic!! Also, many paths and trails are bumpy and not well maintained. And you have to get off the trail and find it again if you want/need to find a service or resources.
Before I came to Lolo Pass, I was approached by an older cyclist who was leading a group I guess. He works for ACA. He asked me, "You going east or west?" South actually - same as you weirdo! but east for now - roads are weird. "Where did you start? Astoria?" No, I'm doing a loop... "Oh, so you're making it up as you go along?" he asked perplexed. Yes I am. He didn't understand. This was a real person asking these questions. Can you believe it? Is he for real? I am so surprised that people are surprised that I do my own thing. Everyone asks me if I'm doing the Trans Am or Northern Tier or one of the other ACA routes. Where is the damn sense of adventure folks in this nation? Everyone wants it spelled out for them - safety and caution.
I arrived in Hamilton. Cassie won't be here but left the door unlocked for me. Her husband Tim would arrive late. I said hi to their cat and walked to Safeway for groceries and dominoes again before the online promotion ended.
Today on the bike path I didn't have to worry about motor traffic so my thoughts drifted. I thought more about the ACA vs. doing your own thing! There needs to almost be an Anti-ACA Organization - advocating people to do their own routes in all weather and go where they want to go - rather than everything spelled out - it's like someone holding their hands - Unknown, Risk, Danger - THAT'S where adventure lies! I passed many "roadies" out on the road and bike trails. They are all snobs. Cyclists suck. I am one, but I say hello and wave but almost 0 of them acknowledge my existence. They are so unfriendly - even walkers and runners are mean.
I've been thinking a lot about community. Everybody says we need it, it's in the Bible, etc. No man is an island, we need to do life together, blah, blah, blah. Well, I've tried all that. Do I really need it? Community hasn't really worked for me - it hasn't played nice. There is no niche for me in my 30s, male, single...etc. There is not much in terms of men's ministry at my church. No one seems to are about singles, etc. My friends aren't there for me anymore. If it's in their own interests, great...leave me hanging - then of course there's the ones that die...
Camp - my thoughts turn to camping. Will I ever work at one again? What happened to my dream? I haven't really been given a leadership chance. Bicycle adventure ministry? Maybe, but what will that look like? Perhaps. I do love kids. Church kids and church ministry is much a different thing.
...searching for a reason...my place in this world...
...quiet vs. shy - they are so much different. It amazes me how many "mature" people cannot differentiate. I am quiet which is a good thing But not shy. I don't need to break my shell!!!
...loneliness vs. alone - there's a difference between the two. Though there are some that overlap. Am I alone? Yes. In life, I do feel loneliness though surrounded by people -
...community? Again I come back to community. Does it always work? In my experience, I'm not so sure. Where's my community? Is it community if it constantly changes?
I long for the simplicity of childhood - play, food, just having no care - the community of children. Innocence - the loss of it - how I wish time machines were a thing. I'd live in one. "But is that wise?"
Riding along, I saw a deer following the road, then it crossed the road when a car was coming along, it skidded to a stop. I almost witnessed a deer/car collision. Cars are murderous weapons - or can be. Where's the "car control" law? Tim came home. He's a nurse. It was nice of them to host me even though they were gone mostly. You don't see that much. I talked to him about my "tours" and the past and how I make my own path forward. He's a nice fellow. But now, it's time to sleep - so tired!
July 18 (Hamilton to Lost Trail Ski Area, Powder Mountain, 48.89 miles, 3,869 ft. elevation) Hamilton - Darby - Sula - Lost Trail Ski Area, Powder Mountain. When I got up, Tim had already left for work. I ate breakfast cereal and said goodbye to Kitty and rode away. It's yet another HOT day - it must be summer or something. A fly flew into my sunglasses and instantly died. I had a little chuckle.
In Darby, a nice man at the ranger station helped me with some info of the area and where I was headed. In Sula, when I arrived it was only 2:00pm. They had a campground but it was early and it cost too much. I filled my water and hit the road up the pass. It was long and hot. I climbed up 3,000 feet today. In Sula, my camera stopped working - "Lens Failure." NO! Taking a few pictures with my phone, but it's not as easy or the same.
I stopped at Spring Gulch Campground in the Bitteroot National Forest for water and a bite to eat. They have a nice bicycle spot where I took a breather.
Riding up the pass there were tons of flies! It's such a nuisance. I walked, I rode, I swat flies, I repeated. I made it to the nice rest area at the top again with tons of flies. A few bees and lots of chipmunks in search of food. They like to hop into the garbage cans in search of something to eat. Chipmunks at rest areas are like homeless people if you think about it. This is the border of Idaho and Montana. I pulled my bike to the ski area a few yards away to have a look around. I decided to set up camp and no one bothered me here. I just hope a bear doesn't come by and have me for breakfast.
There was condensation in my waterproof pouch. Grrr...I am safe from the flies and bugs inside my tent - otherwise I would've gone without the tent and slept underneath the stars because it was a beautiful night!
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