Odometer: 383 – 463 ( 80 miles, 129 kilometers)
I woke up around 7am. I did the normal site cleanup. It always seems to take longer than I figure; stuff my night shorts and t-shirt with my sleeping pad, deflate and roll up my sleeping pad and pillow, take down and roll up the tent, take down the bear bag from a near-by tree, and load everything on the bike panniers and rollers. It all takes about an hour and I was on the bike a little past 8.
I didn’t make my porridge. Instead I hoped to find somewhere to have some breakfast down the highway. Any place will do for breakfast. There is not much you can do to wreck breakfast unless you order lots of meat.
I was lucky to find a small roadside cafe that did the trick. I was the only patron since by this time it was mid-morning. I ordered a vegetarian omelet, toast, fried potatoes and three french toasts. Yum.
The GDMBR turned off the main road and I rode mostly off-road in Flathead National Forest for most of the day. There were lots of ascents and descents. A few times I walked for a break from the long hard climbs in first gear. The scenery was great. There hasn’t been much rain and the fire hazard is on high. I could tell because the streams were dried up. I was becoming anxious as creek after creak was nothing but rocks and I needed water.
At 2:30pm after a long ascent I found a small stream running through thick moss. I finally filled my water bottles with the cold stream water and was on my way.
I arrived in the town of Seeley after a long descent, fast without a lot of rough ground. It was there I discovered I had left my water bottles by the stream.
The thought briefly crossed my mind to return to the stream to retrieve them but the ascent dissuaded me. I resorted to finding poor replacements at the hardware store.
I had supper at a road side food joint (potato salad and pulled pork sandwich). I managed to fill my new water bottles. I debated about staying in town for the night since it was 6pm. However I am reminded daily that the evening is the most enjoyable time to ride after the afternoon heat.
So I decided to press on the next town (Ovanda or something). I turned on my lights in anticipation of night riding through what was now called Lolo National Forest and set off. About 10 miles short of Monture Campground clouds rolled in behind me accompanied with thunder and lightening. I decided to set up my tent in the darkness just as it was starting to rain about 8:30pm.
At bedtime I also discovered I had misplaced my toque. The toque keeps my head warm when the night gets cold (needed when you don’t have a lot of hair).
