Day 10 - Powell to Missoula, MT

 June 9 - EASY RIDE INTO MISSOULA

Camped out last night, not good but memorable.

1 - From bad decisions comes experience. . 

2 - From experience comes good decisions.  

I am at about level 1.2.

 

I have an ultralight bivy sack, on the right.  Though I had tried it in my living room, that is not quite the same as squirming into it in a campground.  Sleeping in it is quite a difference experience.  I felt like a fat juicy, worm trying to cram into a small tube. Then, of course, getting out of it and back in it the middle of the night to pee the rain – not great.  Did I say the bivy sack was wetter inside than out by the morning.  Bye-bye bivy sack, hello small tent. 

Woke up in light rain and got underway around 7.  Rain soon stopped and we had a very pleasant, gently downhill ride to Lolo.  Very little traffic.  Seeing the water flowing with us again was a delight. Lots of farming in the valley, beef and crops.  Saw deer and elk along the route.

Outside of Lolo we picked up a bike trail and stayed on it to Missoula.  We met up with Jeny & Jay in Lolo.  Jay is in the e-trike, quite a pair.  They are retired King County transit drivers.  Jay rode cross-country in 2003 but injuries, etc he is now in his whirligig trike. One of Jeny’s bucket list items, ride the longest bike trail in every state.  They are travelling the US in a RV to accomplish her goal.  They ride 20 miles a day when they are at whatever trail they are near, with the range limited by battery length.

 

From Lolo to Missoula on bike trail and sidewalk to the hotel.  Arrived about 1:00.  Now drying out at Holiday Inn.  Lay day tomorrow then a 4-day ride over the continental divide to Bozeman.

 

By the numbers:
Dist 37.0 mile                         Total Dist - 635 miles
Elev Gain 321 ft                     Total Elev Gain – 20,772 ft
Elev Loss  1,272                     Total Elev Loss – 16, 901 ft
Moving Time  2:44                 Total moving time – 53 hrs +/-