Montana-rama

We're back in the land of computers (Missoula, MT) after several days of wilderness isolation (a.k.a. riding through the Clearwater National Forest). When we were in the woods, I found myself itching for "civilization," namely good food, cell phone service, and hot showers. And yet the second we rolled out of the mountains and into a truck stop for sandwiches, I found myself yearning for the mountains and rivers of the last few days. The grass is always greener, eh? I think it's a good thing that we have a mix of wilderness and urban travel on our trip. Otherwise I'd overdose on one and ache for the other.

Riding along the river through the forest was spectacular. All day long, we heard the rushing water of the river, listened to birds singing, and watched rafters and kayakers navigate the rapids. We camped for two days, and the last day we got a rustic room at the Lochsa Lodge. Our first day of wilderness riding was idyllic, but the second day was painfully hot, so much so that all I wanted to do was sit down and cry on the side of the road. (I've actually cried a few times on the side of the highway, but it didn't happen this particular time!) But besides the painful day, the other two days in the forest were ... wow. I'm not sure how to put words to the feeling of riding along a river in the woods for three days, other than to say I'm really glad we did it. I hope the pictures give you some sense of how fresh and green and peaceful it was. This is definitely my favorite part of the trip so far!

Here's something I never thought I'd say: Yesterday, we got cold! We knew we had to ride up and over Lolo Pass (elevation 5235 feet, some of which we'd already gained in the 2 days leading up to our major climb), and we were planning to get up at 5:30am to ride over the pass before the worst of the heat. (For those of you skeptics who think I do not have the wherewithal to get up that early, let it be known that we did actually get up at 6am the previous day to avoid the heat!) Instead, though, we awoke at 4am to the sound of rain. We'd left our bikes and much of our gear outside of our cabin at the lodge, so we rushed outside and brought it all in. We opted to bike later in the morning, and so at 10:30am, we set out on our first overcast and cool riding day. It couldn't have been more perfect! If you have to climb a mountain, overcast skies are your friend. As we reached the pass and prepared to cruise down the peak into Montana, we actually had to put on windbreakers, tights, and gloves to stay warm! Once we reached a flatter section of Montana, though, it warmed up, and we had a light, cool breeze and scattered clouds to keep us from overheating. It was bliss.

Today was our first day off in 2 weeks, and we've spent the day wandering around Missoula, which has been a nice break from riding. We even visited the headquarters of Adventure Cycling Association, the group that makes the maps we've been using. They took our photo and added it to a wall of photos of cross-country cyclists who've cruised through Missoula!

Now that we've been on the road for three weeks, I'm starting to accept some aspects of traveling that I hadn't anticipated. Often, when I go on vacation, I feel like I should be having fun the entire time; if I'm not having fun, then I've done something wrong, or have failed at vacation. (What a thought!) But Rose pointed out that daily life has its ups and downs, and that this truth about life stays true when we step out of daily life and embark on huge adventures. Don't get me wrong; I'm not regretting this trip for one second! It's just stretching me in more ways than I'd imagined. I was prepared for the physical strain, but I also feel the tug of missing home, family, and friends. I feel out of sorts sometimes, and I'm finally realizing that that's OK and normal. Doug also helps me remember to enjoy and appreciate whatever moment we're in, even when it's not the moment I was expecting.

Last but not least, if you've been sitting at home wondering if you should call or email me to say hi, the answer is yes, definitely, I'd love to hear from you! It's really good to hear from people, whether via email, phone, text, or otherwise. It helps me feel more at home in this new and wild chapter of my life.

P.S. Our next stop is Glacier National Park, about 4-5 days' ride from Missoula. We'll hang out for a week there with Doug's parents. I'm looking forward to staying still for awhile and having lots of lounge-around-and-read-by-the-lake time!

P.P.S. I forgot to mention our newest travelling companion! We added Jugsy to our family back in Lewiston, Idaho. He's a 1-gallon hard plastic water jug that we fill with ice at every opportunity. Saved our sanity on the hot days!