Leaving Missoula and entering Idaho

I was really looking forward to seeing Missoula but am glad that I decided to stay for a night in Arlee. It was a real treat to meet Jennifer and Micah, two really nice people who live on a farm.  They had another guest at their house and they invited a friend to share a delicious pizza that Jenn made with cheese that she made from her goats’ milk. Awesome.  And we had apple pie, with home made frozen goat yogurt.  Delicious. Yeah, I know, I talk about food again… I also very much enjoy the conversation and it was, once again, hard to leave.

But before I left, I had a great morning, chatting with Micah over a cup of coffee and later watching Jenn milk her goats. I loved it, so peaceful.  If I didn’t like to travel, I think I would want to live on a farm!

It was definitely not warm when I left, and somehow my legs felt very heavy, I thought maybe I had eaten too much for breakfast.  But after an hour, I was really wondering what was wrong with me when I realized that the road was almost unnoticeably going up since I left Arlee. When I finally reached the top, it was a nice ride into Missoula, where I had a fourth flat tire. It was time to change my tires…

I stopped at the Adventure Cycling Association, which was my main reason to go to Missoula: I always joked (kinda seriously) that I was going to Missoula to get the free ice cream that the ACA promise to all tour cyclists who stop at their office. The staff was super nice and welcoming. Even if they see hundreds of cyclists every year, they really listen to your story and make you feel special. They offered the ice cream I had been dreaming about for months… I even had two, and another one the next day. They offered more but I started worrying that my membership fees would increase…

They showed me around and I was very impressed by the number of staff members: 42, I think.  They also have an amazing library of books about bike touring. I chatted with a few employees, looked at some maps and finally rode to Bruce’s place, another Warmshowers host.

But it was not the typical Warmshowers place!  Bruce welcomes hundreds of cyclists every year.  His house is big and always open to bike tourers.  I wasn’t sure that I would like the place, but it was actually incredibly well kept, clean and organized, friendly, relaxed, and thoroughly enjoyable. A perfect place to take a few days off.

Right away as I walked in, I was teased by Mark, another cyclist with whom I got along immediately. Mark is doing his ride for the Project Hero, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Veterans and First Responders affected by PTSD, TBI and injury. We walked, biked, ate and chatted together for hours. He also helped me decide which ice cream shop was the best in Missoula.  Sweet Peaks won over Big Dipper.

I also had coffee in a beautiful little café, Le Petit Outre, with Chris, a guy that I had met in a campground in Alaska in June. It was nice to see him again. We are both hoping to get our first book published in the near future…

Missoula was so much fun that I actually ended up staying an extra day. And I could easily have stayed longer. There was a book festival happening, lots of other cafés to explore, Nice people to spend time with and more ice cream to sample. But again, winter is coming and I need to head south…

So this morning, after another stop at Le Petit Outre to get an almond croissant for the road, I rode to Lolo with my new narrower tires (it felt a lot easier!!!). Beautiful ride, first on a bike path and then on a windy (as in twisty), quiet road, soon to be a windy and windy road… Idaho greeted me with a very stiff headwind that forced me to pedal downhill. But I finally arrived at Lochsa Lodge, where cyclists can camp for free as long as they eat our meals in the café. I liked that concept, as I’d rather pay for food then a piece of grass to pitch my tent on.

And it was a great evening, with two other cyclists who are going the same way I am going, at least until Bend, Oregon, where they live. Guess what we talked about?

Yes, mostly about food…