Monday, July 5, 2010

7/4 85 miles from Ennis to Divide
2,920 total miles

Today was one to remember. There have been many days that you just
pedal to get thru and don't look back. Almost all of Iowa and several
stretches thru Nebraska and Wyoming were like that. We all had frost
on our tents when we woke up. Fortunately we had planned to go to the
pancake breakfast at the firehouse so that allowed for plenty of time
for the tents to dry. When we were packing up camp, our neighbor just
happened to be from Missoula and just happened to have 3 spare
bedrooms. So, we have a place to stay when we get there.

The 4th of July Ennis parade seems to be what keeps that town going...
that and the rodeo. It's a town of 600 that swells to 5,000 for one
weekend every year. We left when the parade ended, just a bit before
noon. The climb out of Ennis was something like 1500ft in 10 miles.
Our total ascent for the day was between 3500-4000ft. We powered
through the first half of the day and stopped at Twin Bridges for
lunch. This town is amazing for cyclists. There is a bike camp
exclusively for people like us. Free shelter, shower, repair stand and
pump. Its also along a river that we floated down 3x... a very fast
moving, cold river.

From there, we took a dirt road that shaved off 20-30 miles. This was
our second pass for the day. The views were absolutely breathtaking.
Rolling lush green hills with snow capped peaks in the background. I
felt like I was in a scene from a movie. Maybe that's because many
movies have been filmed around here. Speaking of, we may take another
dirt road where 'a river runs thru it' was filmed. Along the way, I
found out that our new riding partner is a friend of Bill W. Who
wouldve thought. There is more to that story but that's the SV.

We ended our 4th not with fireworks but with a hearty meal. Missoula in 2 days.

--
Sent from my mobile device

2 comments:

  1. Awesome, glad to hear you guys having such a great time, take lots of pictures, you may never pass this way again.

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  2. I see that you are getting closer to your destination and seeing some great country. Good luck.
    Greg Gass
    Valentine

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