Day 21: Deadman's to Helena

Ride time: 4:44
Average: 8.8 mph
Distance: 41.81 mi

We awoke at a reasonable hour after having slept really well.  Nate said it was because of the happy cow that was near our tent.  I think the presence of cows helps me in the bear department.  Cows = probably no bears.  I'm probably wrong, but it helps me sleep better.  PowerBars or Clif Bars for every meal is Nate's newest thing, so I forced myself to eat my 7th PowerBar in less than 18 hours.  "We'll eat when we get to Helena," Nate said after I whined.

Anyway, today was another 2 divide crossings (#3 and #4).  It felt like we were biking forever today.  We saw a couple of old mines which were pretty cool:

Oh yeah, Nate's mileage today is an additional 4 miles because he left his sunglasses up near the first pass and had to bike back to get them.  I, of course, stayed and made lunch instead of biking back with him.  I'm such a good wife...

I also fell today going about 3 mph.  I just kind of tipped over.  I'm not exactly sure what happened, other than I'm eternally grateful for my helmet.  When we arrived in Helena, we called Kris (remember Lincoln?) and she put Nate and me up for the night.  Before we got there though, we ate at Taco del Sol, on Last Chance Gulch in downtown Helena.  Bikers: definitely hit it up.

We got to Kris's house, and Patti and Dennis came over, too, for dinner.  It was a wonderful time, and Nate and I ate dinner again because Chris made meatloaf, and I couldn't pass that up.

Our wonderful hosts, Chris and Kris, in the Valley, not the Flatland:

Day 12: Whitefish to Arnone's

Ride time: 1:49

Average: 10.7 mph

Distance: 19.65 mi

Before we left this morning, I made eggs, potatoes, ham and cheese to get us geared up before our short ride.  We're supposed to go 40 miles today, but we opted instead to break it into two days, mostly because the lactic acid in our legs is still built up!  We also saw on the map that there was a "cyclist only lodging" about halfway to Swan Lake.

We did one last load of laundry and Nate went to the Safeway to shop for food before heading out of town.  Our ride was mostly flat, but had a seriously southerly head wind.  It made for beautiful weather, so no big deal.

We found our way to Tom and Pat Arnone's house on a beautiful piece of land.  They are an incredibly charming couple in their 70s, and they host bikers all season long.  They're fun to talk with and extremely hospitable.  We pitched a tent outside among the dozen or so hummingbirds that whizzed back and forth from the feeders to their nests.

Arnone's yard

Breakfast with Dan

Nate and I had a delicious breakfast with my good friend Dan this morning at the Iron Horse Hotel here in Milwaukee.  He currently lives in Boulder, Colorado and as we were consuming Wisconsin-sized proportions of oatmeal, poached eggs, pancakes, and an omelet, he stated that he'd meet up with us while we make our way through Colorado in August.  I'm holding him to it.

With that being said, if any friends, family members, or unknown weirdos want to meet up with us while on the route, feel free to drop us a line.  You can enjoy watching us eat copious amounts of food in some local diner while we relay our accounts of being chased by rabid dogs or stampeded by a herd of cattle.

Hope to hear from you!