July 24, 2016
Seeley Lake - Missoula, MT: Finale!
Breakfast was at 8 AM across the street at the Filling Station restaurant. We were not so sure about eating there because they have an attached casino. I am very leery of eating in casinos after our experience at the casino in Espanola. Laziness won out. We had planned to eat at the steak house to celebrate our anniversary, but I didn't want to walk that far. In the end, we ate here last night and it was good.
Initially we planned to have something in the room and leave early to try and beat the Sunday back to town traffic. But we agreed a good meal to start a 60 mile day is a smart idea. I had a Denver omelet with a pancake. My first pancake since 2013. It was good.
Oren and I were ready to go by 9 AM. My rear tire seems just fine. I guess we hadn't tightened the valve stem all the way?
Oren thought it was quite chilly. I thought the weather felt nice and crisp. Whichever it was, temps were going to warm up. Forecast for Missoula was 88 for today.
Off we went with 14 miles to finish Highway 83. Mostly we had a shoulder. Sometimes it went away. The view was a little more open now. We passed an Island Resort six miles from Seeley Lake. That would be an interesting place to stay.
Mile 20 was the start of the only climb of the day, if I dare call it a climb. Mile 24 was the top. I was hoping for more of a downhill, but that pesky southern wind had started. Traffic was getting heavy with people heading back home after playing in the mountains all weekend. We expected that.
We counted down the miles. I enjoy counting down the mile markers. I think it shows progress. I had another rider tell me he didn't like seeing the mile markers because he always felt like he didn't make enough progress.
We rode through Mill Town. On the left was a row of identical white houses with dark trim. They looked a little big for workers' houses. Perhaps they belonged to the supervisors? On the opposite side of the street was a HUGE building. I saw a real estate banner on the fence. Is the mill closed? Past the mill, I did see stacks of logs.
At the end of 83, we turned on to 200. That was better riding in that we had a big shoulder. Traffic seemed much lighter. I don't know if that is fact or just a perception now that there was a little more wiggle room. There was also more wind. Sigh.
I looked around, consciously checking out the view. I didn't want to have tunnel vision on my last day of the tour. I tried to figure out the route we were taking through the mountains. Mostly I guess correctly.
Oren was in charge of navigation. He stopped a couple of times to make sure we were going the correct direction for East Missoula. The highway directions for 200 funneled us right on to the interstate. There was a road next to the interstate that we followed into East Missoula. Oren paused at the Aspen Motel and asked if that wasn't the place we were supposed to stay (except we couldn't leave our vehicle there the entire trip). It was indeed. Oren thought it was very good we didn't stay there. I was sad we hadn't stayed there, because then we would be finished. Oren thought it looked bad because there were mobile homes next door. But the actual motel looked tidy and nicely painted. $55. to stay there. $85. to stay at the Super 8 on Reserve by the airport. However, we did get the really good price at the Super 8. Oren overheard the clerk quoting someone $147. for a same night stay at the beginning of the trip.
I kept checking the mirror for Jacinto. I never did see him. I was happy we were riding through Missoula on a Sunday. We were routed straight through downtown. I'm sure it would be much busier on a weekday. Mostly we had a marked bicycle lane. Except when it disappeared. We were following a route Oren had mapped on ridewithgps. We went straight down Broadway to Reserve. I was pretty sure the route Jacinto was following was less busy. But you know me. I get lost easily. Maybe he was going the same direction? Except I'm sure he isn't.
I was watching the computer. We were supposed to have seven miles of city riding. At one mile to go, I asked Oren if we weren't almost there. Yes, he answered. Just over that interstate bypass and we should see the Super 8. Over we go. As we approached the hotel from one direction, who should we see coming from the other direction but Jacinto! We literally turned into the parking lot at the same time. What is the chance of that?
Jacinto said he had been right behind us, but had gotten caught at a stop light. Then his directions took him one street over. He could see us as we all passed through intersections. We had no idea he was there. How funny.
Oren had to ride around back first to make sure his truck was still there. Yes, it was.
We took some photos and agreed to load the bicycles up before showering. We dug through the panniers and took out only what we needed for the evening. Oren was in charge of loading the bicycles. He likes things just so. Finally the bikes were in and it was time to shower.
We went for lunch at 3:30 to Arby's. The guys agreed they wanted a light lunch before dinner. I asked if we were really going to be hungry again for dinner. They thought we would. The plan is Mexican for dinner with a celebratory beer. I still don't think we'll be hungry. We're going to have to ramp down the eating. Now we aren't bicycling 55-60 miles a day, the engine doesn't need much fuel.
It has been a good trip. Tough because of the bad weather along the Parkway in Canada. That was a real shame. Even on the days we didn't get rained on, the clouds were so low we didn't see a darn thing. Overall, it was fun and I wasn't ready for the riding to end. I feel extra strong this year. I think it is losing that last 15 pounds and also losing weight off of the bike.
At the end, we rode nine days/484 miles without a rest day, due to lack of lodging availability in Swan Lake. I'm surprised how good we feel. Most of those miles were pretty easy. We had a couple of passes at the beginning of the nine days. But the finish of the ride was rolling hills with short climbs. I think that helped keep us fresh to ride so many days in a row.
Thank you for following along. I've enjoyed writing you each afternoon.
Today's ride: 58 miles (93 km)
Total: 1,715 miles (2,760 km)
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