:: shift7 ::

:: north/south adventure ::

montana: day 04, mon 1 sep
missoula - sula

stats:
78.2 @ 17.7 = 4:24:22, max 28.2, trip total: 312

eats:
waffles, chocolate covered doughnut, hot cider, oreos, banana, m&m cookies, gold fish, 2 burritos, onion rings, cheetos, gatorade, salad, rolls, spare ribs, garlic mashed potatoes

sleep:
Sula KOA campground, $6

thoughts:
the smoke is gone today. turn my gray skies to blue. big sky country. huge. so wide open and inviting. 75 degrees at noon. done by 3pm. fast ride. up and up and up.

when you wake up in a motel it's always a bit easier - no packing up the tent, the stuff, the extra prep- just leave the dirty towels and grab your bike. free breakfast is not bad either. the waffles were self serve (self-make too) with a huge load of syrup and butter to round out the plate. so it was on the road with little to do.

and it wasn't cold, don't get me wrong, it wasn't hot either- there was still a need for long sleeves and some gloves but it wasn't chilling to the core. the road was wide and full of sun. the warmth was well under way. mmm, it was so much easier to warm up the legs, get the engine going, get the groove on.

after the first 16 miles we stopped off at one of the legendary espresso huts. these huts are all over the place- drive through coffee. each is individually owned and decorated. the themes are all over the place but what they have in common is that they're loud. so you can spot them from way down the road. and you can find them as close as 100 yards from each other. its an interesting culture. i had a hot spiced cider. and it was hot. so hot i burned my entire f*k'ng mouth. but it tasted good- and at $0.75 how can you go wrong.

slowly but surely we climbed over 1000 feet in elevation. but it was never on one hill, gradual all day long. smooth and consistent. until you get stung by a bee on your quad- what are the chances? man, did it sting and swell up. it wasn't bad later in the day although it left a welt.

dillon is tomorrow-- and that's over 100 miles away. its a long day.