Missoula, MT

Today was a "Friday" of the bike trip. Chris is taking the next 2 days as rest days so we can make a side trip to Glacier National Park. A lot of anticipation here for time to relax and see a place we've wanted to visit for at least a decade.

Chris left early to try to give us more time in Missoula tonight. August and I tried out breakfast at the Sula Country Store. It was pretty good; scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and french toast. These fishing lodges don't mess around with their portion sizes. I like supporting mom and pop operations, especially if it means I don't have to make breakfast in the RV and then clean up before we take off.

We got ready to go and took off towards Missoula. We passed through several nice looking small towns that I would have loved to explore, but since the little napper was doing what he does best within minutes of departure, we continued on instead of stopping. We were luckier today than yesterday and caught up with Chris around Hamilton. There were 35 miles of dedicated trails along his bike route today, a real luxury for a touring cyclist.

The scenery today reminded me a lot of Wyoming, with lots of brown mountains. There are several rivers in this area, all of which are shallow enough to wade in at most spots. Missoula is a city with a population of roughly only 70,000, yet several of the neighboring towns we went through had Park and Ride lots for commuters. I don't see that much at all in Indiana, at least not on the west side of Indy or the other larger cities. I wonder why it's not more popular at home. Paying less for fuel, less wear and tear on my car, and having to drive less myself seems like a no-brainer.

We beat Chris to Missoula by about 2 hours so we stopped in to check out the library. August, of course, had fun exploring the kids' area. He has not yet grasped the concept of sharing, so I was happy that after a little coaxing he voluntarily shared some chalk with another little boy. Baby steps! Libraries definitely seem to be the best way to give him time to roam on his own while on the road.

We met up at the Adventure Cycling Association headquarters in downtown. It is a mecca for touring cyclists. This non-profit organization was behind mapping out all of the major routes across the U.S., and continues to sell maps, organize supported groups, and provide other general help for cyclists. Here travelers can find a lounge to rest in, free cold drinks and ice cream, as well as chatting with the staff.

Of course, you must get your picture taken so you can be on the wall (the staffer insisted support people be included too, so now we're famous). I knew this was a tradition, yet I was floored by the number of cyclists and variety of hometowns and routes on the wall. Each season goes from approximately from late spring to early fall, and this year already there were probably 500 photos. I thought it would be almost entirely TransAmerican Trail riders, but there was a ton of different routes. People riding just to or from their hometown and a destination, people on the Northern Tier, and people doing south to north routes (El Paso to Banff was one I recall). Amazing!

They had a bit of gear for sale, but said they try to keep it a small operation so as not to take away business from the shops in town. I especially enjoyed seeing the memorable bikes on display, like a tandem that was the pioneer TransAm machine. A husband and wife team rode it to map out the route in 1974 in preparation for the Bikecentennial in 1976, and hence the Adventure Cycling Association was formed. 4,000 people participated in the Bikecentennial, thanks to those two. We looked around, thanked the staff, and moved on to get some city errands in.

We had a late lunch at Doc's Gourmet Sandwich Shoppe. All of the sandwiches are named after famous doctors, which I thought was brilliant and hilarious. Chris got the Doctor Hawkeye Pierce, a twisted version of a reuben. I got the Doctor Ruth, egg salad and bacon on multigrain, and little Auggie got the Doctor Seuss, a peanut butter and strawberry jam on sourdough with ants on a log on the side. All were very tasty.

I appreciated August's kids' meal a lot. Some of the restaurants we've been to are a real ripoff, charging regular menu price or more for something really basic with a side of fries. Just the other night we ordered him a grilled cheese off of a kids' menu - it rang up at $8 and was accompanied by deep-fried chips. Not exactly a parent's dream.

Tonight we are staying in a hotel in downtown Missoula. I am looking forward to a hot shower that lasts more than 4 minutes. We biked around downtown for a while, enjoying the evening's perfect weather. There is a Riverfront Trail here that runs through the heart of the city. It looks out over Clark's Fork River and it was a lot of fun watching people floating in tubes, kayaking and even surfing on the shallow rapids right here.

Also in the downtown park is a carousel that was donated by a local cabinetmaker. As long as the city promised it would be free and remain open, he said he would supply it. He had already built 4 ponies by the time the city agreed. The carousel was in 16,000 pieces when he purchased it, and by the time it and all of the animals on it were completed it had become a whole community effort. We had fun taking a spin, and figured out quickly why there are leather straps you are required to fasten when sitting on the animals. It was fast, and a little more like a roller coaster than a typical tame carousel!

Looking forward to spending some time in Glacier National Park the next couple of days and seeing if it lives up to the hype.