:: shift7 ::

:: north/south adventure ::

montana: day 06, wed 3 sep
dillon - ennis

stats:
72.2 @ 17.8 = 4:03:09, max 49.0, trip total: 488

eats:
banana, blueberry muffin, french toast (3), hashbrowns, bacon, red bull, kit-kat, chocolate chip cookies, DQ nestle crunch blizzard, moose drool beer, garden salad, fat tire beer, chicken pasta (best meal yet)

sleep:
campground, $4

thoughts:
drive. desire. determination. one mile at a time. but the desire is the strongest- it started before i knew it and it grows everyday.

the first 28 miles into twin bridges (our breakfast destination) was fast - averaged 21mph! that's a good start and makes the rest of the day that much shorter. the options for breakfast were limited- the blue anchor (in the middle of a huge valley in montana) or the gas station. why blue anchor i don't know- but it stood out that's for sure. and it had good food. hashbrowns were brown- that's a good thing- and the bacon and french toast hit the spot.

the rest of the day was cruising down the valley until virginia city - where we would climb a pass to make it into the next valley. it was faster than i thought, with some good breaks, and great weather. it was warm- you can tell we're slowly moving south. we were traveling right along the river (up river) and it got more rolling as we headed into the foot hills and ready for the pass.

climbing to the top of the pass, the heat kicked in like none before on the trip- it was brutally sunny and not a cloud in the sky. it was probably only 80 or 85 but the breeze was going at about he same speed i was (7mph) which made the air seem still- and hot. but it was incentive enough that after that point it was all down hill to town- to ennis, where we are tonight.

reaching the top i laid the bike down, shouted out in accomplishment, and noticed a tag on the ground-- photo shown: "bear down, try hard and never quit. NEVER!" - tuff
funny. appropriate. inspiring. i know its just a tag, marketing material, but its all about location, placement as they say. the top of the pass was flat almost like a plateau- maybe a mile long. it was quiet with a breeze that at times was the only hint that there was sound. it was very comfortable - no sweat, no chill- the heat from the climb was gone. you could sit there all day and wait for the stars to come out. scott and gregg met up and we hung out for a while just taking it all in.
top of the pass clip

then it was time to start heading down--- wow. it was like a roller coaster ride, at speeds in the 40's, up to 49! that's when you start to question the reliability of tires, brakes, tubes, bolts, spokes, and just about every other essential component. curves that were rated 45mph for cars with side slashing winds kept my hands on the handlebars and not really flipping through music or taking photos. and then the truck coming up the hill on the outside lane--
screaming down to town clip

ennis. another small cute town. not THE cutest but nevertheless it was a welcome site. and it had a DQ. easy choice- we waited at DQ with some treats until we figured out where to stay the night. once we made it into the campground it was time to do some bike maintenance. new tires were needed badly- the thread (from the sidewalls) from the current ones were pealing off slowly. and thomas changed out his tires as well. took a look at some gears and lube and before we knew it, it was time to eat again. we've been making it to dinner around 8 or 8:30 which sounds early enough but then we get back to camp around 10:30 which after getting up around 6am, biking through montana all day, setting up camp, and dealing with any other logistics, its a long day. then comes the journal. so you'll understand if the details are not as descriptive as they could be. every pass, valley, town and cafe has a unique story- the characters we're meeting are far too complex to explain this quickly- but we'll have stories (like margerie) to tell when we get back.