Montana....not Wyoming.

Aug 6

Over the past several days, we have relived some of our least favorite parts of other states.  Allow me to sum it up as concisely as possible:  1. brown, 2. dry, 3. too warm during the day, 4. sagebrush.

I have repeatedly referred to Wyoming as "Kansas with a view" and Montana continued the legacy but without the benefit of wide shoulders and National Parks.  The exception to this has been the Bitterroot Mountains.  In addition to having a plentitude of double letters in the name, they are also quite lovely.  Like the Tetons but with a more relaxed, mature look.

I also found Montanans to be much like Coloradans...that is to say, in a hurry to get somewhere distant to do something extremely (!) important and seriously irritated that I should dare to be using the road at a slower speed.  Luckily, there are so few people, that passing is a relatively safe affair.

When we arrived in Missoula (pop 59,000) yesterday evening (6:30pm !) we stopped at the grocery and were greeted in the parking lot by an older, very eager, cycling couple who immediately asked, "How's Montana treating you?" with the expectant smile of one who lives in a cycling crazed town.  Sam and I exchanged an urgent and calculating look...tell the truth or be nice?....we opted for nice.

"They've been okay...."<slightly distressed look> hurridly I added, "but Wyoming is hard to beat."  This was meant to smooth over the distress, but with a knitted brow the husband asked,  "How so?" so, of course, I mentioned Wyoming's wide shoulders and scenery and services and failed to say that Montana drivers rival Kentucky drivers for poor skill and that the shoulders that do exist are too rough and some of the towns smell like Kansas (as in, not good).  Still, Montana does know how to set up coffee houses and this may be their redemption.  Also, Dillon MT is home to the very, very tasty and, now, much loved Taco Bus.

Today is the day we went to cyclo-touring mecca.  I refer, of course, to Adventure Cycling Association World Headquarters...note that World bit.  We had our photos taken (twice), were presented with a free bandana in one of five colors, drank a free (tepid) diet coke and had our bikes weighed.  This was the shocking part.

It even looks like a temple.

We had been presented with a photo waiver/ survey which, among other things, asked us to estimate our bikes weight.  I guessed 70, Sam guessed 75 lbs.  In actuality, mine weighed 80 (OMG!) and Sam's weighed in at a supremely plump 100 lbs! (Double OMG!)

Sam executes his rites by submitting to photographing.

And what do you think we did about this?  We went to the health food store and bought more food because the next three days of riding features very widely spaced services but fabulous scenery as we head along the Lochsa River toward Grangeville, Idaho.