Wednesday, July 2, 2008 – Day 10

Start: Missoula, Montana
End: Avon, Montana
Miles: 104.29 Total Miles: 732.85
Time: 7 hours 21 minutes (avg 14.1 MPH)

We had rain last night in Missoula. So this morning was a wet and cloudy start. Heading out of town, the clouds were so low they were covering the mountain tops. It was cool to see them so low, but this also meant that we would have weather to deal with at least during the beginning of the ride.

As we began the long climb for the day into the Rocky Mountains, the drizzle started. The road was pretty wet. I have been hoping for a flat day for one of the upcoming rides and I was rewarded today. The only problem was it wasn’t the kind of “flat” I was looking for. I experienced my first flat tire today. I am pleased that it actually took this long into the ride to get my first flat and it was a quick change due to all the practice I have had on the Northern Virginia roads. The sad thing was that there were quite a few people that got flats today. I think there was around ten or so. It was mainly attributed to all the road debris sticking to our tires due to the wet road surface.

Along the ride today, I found the answer to how that big wagon in Spokane can be pulled. There was a really big cow at a convenience store we had one of our stops at.

The total ride today was just over 100 miles, so we logged our second century. Actually, the ride was just a little less than 100 miles, but some of the riders added a few miles to go over the century mark. It was a beautiful ride with a mixture of weather. It was cloudy, then drizzly, then rainy for a little bit. About three quarters through the day, the sun came out and I had to break out the sun screen. Overall, it was a much cooler day than the ride into Missoula. Much more comfortable and easier to ride.

Dinner tonight was fantastic. It was catered by a local restaurant that is known for their pies. We had pasta, bread, vegetables and fruit. Then we topped it off with an assortment of pie slices. It was delicious!

Tomorrow morning will start with an 11 mile climb to McDonald Pass, which is our way over the Continental Divide. From what I hear, the climb up is tough, but the reward on the other side is well worth it. A huge downhill ride that I am sure we will all enjoy. Note to Rachel Anne...I won't be stopping at the top of the mountain.