Big Ride Day 11: A Day of Two Halves

The University of Montana 

The Blue Mountain Trail

Woke up this morning to sunshine, which was very welcome.

Cycled down to the University of Montana to use the extensive gymnasium facilities. I had a really thorough workout among all the undergraduates. Its the biggest gym I've ever seen.

Then I cycled out to the Blue Mountain Trail, to the North West of Missoula. The ride out was nice with some sunshine and a good cycle path most of the way there.

I started cycling the trail through dense pine forest. There was the sound of birds calling, otherwise it was silent - just the sound of my tyres on the gravel trail, twisting and turning through the forest. I went deeper into the countryside and eventually came back to my starting point at the trailhead.

The sky suddenly went black and the wind got up. Down came a torrential hailstorm that went on and on. Things turned white very quickly. Got out of the trail and on to a country road which Google maps told me would eventually loop through the forest and back to Missoula. I was three quarters of the way round the loop when I encountered a bridge over a raging river. The bridge was being extensively repaired by workmen and I couldn't cross. They said sorry, it wasn't safe.

This meant I had to turn around and go all the way back, retracing my route out. It was just one of those things.....

The ride back to Missoula was challenging. The hail had turned to torrential sleet. The wind was in my face and my specs were sleeted up and my face froze. It was tough-going. But then, one must take the rough with the smooth on big bike rides like this.

Amazingly, with half a mile before returning to the house on Schilling Street, the sun came out! 

This is Spring in Montana, I guess.

This coming weekend will be the endgame to our big cycling odyssey. Perhaps even the highlight.

We are spending the weekend in a condo at Glacier National Park - a monumentally beautiful place. We will be cycling trails there and doing some hiking, too. Looking at pictures of it, I expect the experience will be unforgettable. It will be something else to cycle there.

Glacier National Park