I spent 24 hours travelling to get here, and all three flights and connections went smoothly. AB picked me up Missoula airport at 12.30am today Friday 5th. Went back to theirs & immediately slept deeply. I am delighted to be here.
Yesterday started at 5am with a thunderstorm & torrential rain walking to Cambridge station for the 6am train. With newly-announced train strikes, I wasn't taking chances, and took a string of trains to reach Heathrow on time.
Travelling Club class on the Virgin Atlantic flight (thanks to the generosity of Sangha friends) meant some space to spread out and relax on the 10 hour flight to Seattle. Watched 'Intersteller' and 'Oppenheimer'. Both good.
I cleared US Customs & Immigration in just 5 minutes (I was irrationally anxious about this but paperwork & visa were in order). Then I took a local flight to Salt Lake City (see pic above - from the plane) and then a final late- night flight to Missoula. I was falling asleep on the last flight.
AB & SB are attentive and welcoming hosts. Delightful to see them. I slept well and feel fine today. No doubt jet-lag will soon kick in.
Being in the USA for the first time feels strange - but in a good way. Everything is on the 'wrong' side of the road. So many folk wear baseball caps and there are significantly less folk about than densely-packed UK. The mountain ranges around Missoula are jaw-dropping. Strangers are friendly.
Had a great morning out and about with SB. We had a long walk to Missoula Fort & Museum, then went shopping to stock up for our road trip to Utah next Friday. It is great getting to know her. When we went to the grocery store I was amazed. We had an excellent lunch there very cheaply. 'Grocery Store' doesn't really cover it. More like 'vast, multi-functional food dispensary/restaurant with twenty brands of everything'.
Tomorrow, we go to the bike shop and buy last-minute bike gear. Then we begin the serious business of preparing the bikes and gear for the ride. The bike AB has got for me looks very good.
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