Big Ride Day 9: Singing (Cycling) in the Rain

We cycled to the trailhead of the Bitterroot trail today, which AB had never been to before. It feels like a particular piece of work has been completed. In the other direction, there's another 40 miles of the trail to explore - beyond Lolo Hot Springs. That's as far as we have got in a southerly direction. We could even go as far as Stevensville.

AB & SB tell me that if I do more of the Milwaukee/Kim Williams Trail, then I need to take bear spray with me. There are black and brown bears in that part of the wilderness and I need to be prepared. Apparently the spray is really effective and will see off an attack. 

Very wet and cold weather has arrived in Missoula and is forecast for a week. This makes riding more difficult, but not impossible. We just have to gear up. My bike had no mudguards. This was a particular problem with the rear wheel. I was getting spattered with spray. So I went to a bike shop and got a rear mudguard fitted. It makes a big difference in this wet weather. 

I got chatting with the bike mechanic. Turns out he had been to the same rides in Utah that we had been on. Also he had had a bad case of altitude sickness, too. Much worse than mine, by the sound of it. As he was a young man, I came away feeling I'd actually got away lightly with my illness in Utah.

AB has got me a week's pass into the University of Montana gym. It's a large, well-equiped facility. I had a good weights-room workout there this morning. 

One of the additional exercises I did was a very long period on a sophisticated cycling machine - hence the photo. I'll be regularly visiting that gym for the rest of my time here - which is another week.

Big Ride Day 8: Milwaukee Road Path - The Kim Williams Trail

Today, AB is at work all day, so I intend to explore a new ride by myself. Last night, I was kindly given a nice new hat for my birthday with 'Ride Missoula' as the legend on it. Well I'm certainly doing that - along with two big rides in Utah and another great ride in Idaho. I feel lucky to have this opportunity.

Today I cycled the Milwaukee Road Path deep into the Hellgate Forest. The path was all gravel and ran along the Bitterroot River for many miles. It was beautiful with very few people around. Just the occasional hiker or mountain biker. I stopped and chatted to some folk. They seemed pleased to be talking to someone who was 'English'. It seems that everyone here has heard of Cambridge. "Are you a Cambridge Don"? I got asked. Well, hardly. In fact it's difficult to explain what I do in layman's terms. I said I was a retired Mental Health worker.

The ride was not as tough as yesterday, but still had its challenges. The rough gravel was jarring for my arthritic wrists, but I'm not complaining when a ride is as spectacular as this.

The trail was mostly on the level. I think this is my favourite kind of cycling: remote and dramatic, forest paths and no big hills. 

There is more of this Kim Williams Trail to explore. That's what I intend to do while I am here. I've got another week yet.

Big Ride Day 7: East Missoula Loop: Hellgate Canyon

The plan is to ride the East Missoula Loop today. The weather is good.

6.30pm: It was a very tough ride indeed, but quite spectacular. Both agony and ecstacy. We cycled the aptly-named Hellgate Canyon route.

We cycled out of Missoula on the main highway. After many miles of road riding, we entered a truly enormous pine forest that was situated in the Montana mountain range. 

The ride up to the top of the mountain through the forest was the longest, hardest hill-climb I have ever done in my life. If you are reading this and are thinking of donating, I can tell you I have truly worked hard for It! It was very, very tough, but I didn't get off and push. I was too stubborn. But I had to stop for breathers. At 3000 feet, the air is a little thinner than I'm used to. 

Probably the total climbing time was only an hour or so but it felt a lot longer. I was at the very limits of my physical capacity. Eventually getting to the top of the mountain felt momentous.

What followed was the longest continuous down hill forest ride ever, with lots of tight corners and long straights. Spectacular forest views. It was ecstacy, and was many miles long. It took us right up to the edge of town without a single pedal stroke.

It's my 65th birthday today, so we are celebrating with a nice meal and special birthday doughnuts - American style.

For someone who is 65 and with

rheumatoid arthritis, I think I'm doing quite well. This is definitely the happiest period of my life. I got a video sent me today from my granddaughter Hazel saying "Happy Birthday, Granddad!" That was the cherry on the cake for me.

Big Ride Day 6: The Bitterroot Trail

Today is a beautiful day. My tooth extraction is settling down nicely, and I am in no pain. I'm keen to get out on the bikes.

6pm: We have cycled a good chunk of the Bitterroot Trail today, and it was tarmaced all the way. We were seperate from the traffic. The weather was 20°c. It was a great ride. 

However, I felt a bit unfit. Because of all the various illnesses I've had here, and being away from the gym for so long, I struggled a little. However, doing the ride will get me back to fitness a little. Each ride I do makes me that much fitter. I am also going to try to temporarily join AB's gym at the University.

The scenery was spectacular today. I look forward to seeing more of Montana on the bike tomorrow. We plan to do a mountain ride. Probably the East Missoula Loop.

Teething Problems (hopefully resolved)

Things are improving. We plan to be back on the road tomorrow to cycle the famous Bitterroot Trail Loop out of Missoula. 

Most of it is a road ride through wonderful scenery on an actual dedicated cycle path. 41.6km of mountains, forest and wide open spaces with bison and eagles in likely evidence. The bird life here is fascinating.

After that, we plan to cycle the East Missoula Trail Loop, The Clark Fork River Loop, The McCormic Park Loop and The Jacob's Island Loop - all very good rides. We may also ride the Stevensville Trail, too. 

By the end of this Big Ride, I'll have ridden a lot of the State of Montana, together with a chunk of Utah.

Being at only 3000 feet here in Missoula, my altitude sickness is gone and I'm breathing normally. 

This morning, I got an emergency appointment at a well-run charity dental facility, which charges affordable prices. It was a long wait (they were running behind) but eventually I got good treatment. X-rays showed I had a non-recoverable right lower molar that was set to cause me immense pain and hassle. My wisdom tooth was just behind it. The dentist extracted it there and then. I'm sorry to lose that tooth, but it was unavoidable and set to get more painful. Good thing I wasn't in the wilderness somewhere. It was going to happen wherever I was.

This afternoon, I walked several miles of The Bitterroot Path, whilst the anesthetic on my tooth extraction wore off. The weather was lovely.

Who knows what's in store next.

I have booked a train trip to Inverness for 14th May - a week after my return from USA. The second leg of my Lands End to John O'Groats Big Ride ended in Inverness in Summer of 2021. 

I have unfinished business there. Inverness to John O'Groats is only 150 miles. I need to complete it. Just a few days ride, and then I can say I've truly cycled the length of the UK - every inch of the way.

The Bitterroot Path