Day 6 - Thompsn Falls to Missoula, Montana

Our morning routine was a little different today since we were staying at the overflow motel in Thompson Falls. This put us closer to dinner in town and the proprietor of the hotel was very nice. Our group gathered with our bags - we each are limited to one 40 lb. bag. The morning was clear and cool, which meant for a variety of arm and knee warmers and even some jackets.




Our route took us out of Thompson Falls along the Clark Fork River. The scenery in the early morning was awesome, but we didn't see any mountain goats, which live in the area. The picture to the left is typical of our view through most of the day. We followed the river for many miles. I was lucky to catch a fellow cyclist and a train in the picture.





While the river remained our companion into the afternoon, the terrain changed from heavily forested hills to brush and meadow in places. The roads were generally in good condition and the traffic was minimal. Logging trucks, enormous RVs, and pickups were the most prevalent and for the most part drivers seemed happy to share the road with us. A number of the roads we used paralleled I-90, so the traffic on those older routes was even thinner.



We actually rode on I-90 for a few miles here and there. In general, it was fine and on a couple of stretches we had our side of the highway to ourselves as it had been closed to traffic. The only challenge was a bridge that had been ground down to the rebar. While a couple of people rode across it, most dismounted and walked, which wasn't too easy in cycling shoes. Dave, with his ankle, took extra care not to re-injure himself. Given that we traveled over 136 miles today, we were fortunate not to have more road issues.




We rode with some different people today. Scott decided to venture off with some faster riders. The average age of the group is somewhere in the 40s, with one rider in his teens and three in their 70s. The typical rider is somewhere between 55 and 65 and at least semi-retired, which means there are a bunch of people who have a ton of miles in their legs. Scott's group averaged 17.7 mph and Dave, who rode a more relaxed pace came in at 16.2 mph. The beauty is that you can find people to ride with at a variety of paces and everyone enjoys themselves along the way.

We got to Missoula and went to dinner after cleaning up. The food was good, but the cheesecake was excellent. Scott ate the lemon cheesecake with the huckleberry puree and Dave ate the flower, which reminds me of a story from yesterday that we forgot. Typically when we arrive at the motel, we mix a water bottle of recovery drink to help the legs begin their recuperation for the next day. There are water jugs in the back of one of the trailers. There is also a practice, because of health concerns, that before you get food or drink from the trailer that you remove your sweaty gloves and wash your hands. The warm soapy water is also in a water jug. Yesterday, in Dave's haste to mix his recovery drink, he filled his bottle with the warm, soapy water. Fortunately, he caught it in time and even publicly fessed up to his mistake.

We're at it again tomorrow and the weather looks good again. Legs are tired, but this has been a great experience thus far.