Day 23: Park Lake to Basin

Ride time: 2:56
Average: 6.9 mph
Distance: 20.40 mi

Finally, we both woke up early enough to be out of camp before 9AM.  We rolled into our destination at Basin at lunchtime, which is a first for us.

The ride today was tons of fun with quite a bit of climbing and a super fun downhill stretch that followed a roaring creek downhill at the end.  There were lots of rock and root gardens at Lava Mountain, and I had to dismount and walk my bike frequently.  Nate was a champ and rode most of it, but considering how often I fall, I thought I'd play it safe.  However, when we get back to Milwaukee and ride at the Kettles, I'll be able to do all the trails with no problem...

We had a ridiculously huge lunch at the Silver Saddle here in Basin, and their bread pudding is out of this world.  Their sign said, "Best Bread Pudding in Montana," so I had to give it a go.  YUM.  Afterward, we got a campsite at the Merry Widow Campground and RV Park just outside of town.  Turns out, it's a low-dose radon mine that they call a "Health Mine."  ???  Anyway, everyone here is crazy from the mine, so we picked the furthest campsite from the entrance of the mine.  I did laundry for $1.50 a load (the cheapest yet!) and hung it outside to dry.  Tide detergent + outside drying = delicious smelling clothes

Future GDR Riders: Definitely stop in at the Silver Saddle, and even consider breaking up Park Lake to Butte into 2 days.  Even though the Merry Widow is bizarre, it might be worth checking out.