ROUTE:
Paradise to Stevensville MT |
DISTANCE:
103 miles (87 miles biking) |
TOTAL CLIMBING:
3256 feet |
Click here for
Garmin
ride data
(This is cool
if you like lots of data! It may take a few seconds to load but you can hit play
and time compress our ride)
DAILY REPORT: David,
John, James and Skip. The weather man was predicting that there were going to be
thunderstorms from 1400 to 1600 today. Sunny and hot. Expected high temp around 95 deg.
So
we were off after our nice stay at the Quinn hot springs feeling
refreshed and rejuvenated. We had another beautiful day to begin our biking for
the day. We had the wind to our backs and gentle down hill slope for the first
third of the ride. Now if that didn't make you happy what will....??
We made really good time. In fact our
average speed was 19+ mph for the first part of the trip. Even Skip was
impressed how far we had gone before he caught up with us. Then we hit the
construction in Arlee and the head wind which caused us to slow considerably.
After 7 miles of dirt, gravel and no shoulder and lots of traffic along Hyw 93
we found Skip and loaded up the bike into the trailer. Safety was our concern
here and it just was not safe with the number of RV's and tractor trailers going
by. I would like to thank the numerous motorists who did slow and give us room
as they went by. Our helmets are off to you. Thanks!!
We
continued biking at the I90 interchange about 10 miles outside of Missoula. We
had a quick lunch because the weather forecast predicted thunderstorms and we
could see the clouds building. We had aprox 40 miles to cover to get to
Stevensville..
We took the old hyw 93 and ran the
out skirts of Missoula passing the airport and then headed south. This was the
first major city we had been in since Spokane. Seemed strange seeing all the
stores and fast food places, etc.
Once we got father south it was
rolling hills. We were fortunate to run across several cyclists loading up their
bikes at a gas station we had stopped at for water and a bathroom break. In
talking with Mindy and Jill we mentioned we were on our way to Stevensville and
they said "Oh, you're taking the bike path?" So fortunately for us we
ran into them and we had a leisurely ride to our destination.
One of the things we observed once
south of Missoula was the quantity of grasshoppers killed along the highway.
There were literally thousands of them along the road and the bike path was just
crawling with them. You couldn't help but get them w/ your tires and spokes as
they flew.
We were staying in two hotels today.
Skip was staying at the Bitterroot Bed and Breakfast of which Tim was kind
enough to donate
for our charity ride. Tim and his wife started this B&B about 4 yrs ago and
they have a very nice place. They are just off the river. And Robby at the
Stevensville Hotel gave us good deal for the three of staying together. The
hotel is a converted hospital and all the rooms have neat names like
"Nurses Quarters", "The Insane Asylum", etc. The owners have
spent a lot of time remolding and giving is this hotel a lot of charm. Very
nice.
Tomorrow we have some major climbing
and the weatherman is predicting rain so we see what we are in store for.
Thanks for joining
us.....ride
safely!!
The Riding4Hope Team
(David, John, James & Skip)
YOU DON'T SAY:
John - Dad when you planned our route did
you intentionally try to have us stay in only small towns? How are we
supposed to enjoy the night life?
Dad - If you have that much energy, you
must not be pulling enough during our pace lines!
Skip - While loading up the vehicle, Skip
handed James a bag to take out to the trailer. "Here take this bag
of poker chips; this will be the most (chips) you'll ever
have."
James - "I have never seen so many
grasshoppers; I must have killed millions along the bike path!"
|
DID I REALLY DO THAT?:

Some times while we are on
the road we have hard time tracking down our SAG support. Know we know
why.
|
PHOTOS OF THE DAY |
Some of the local wildlife running across he
road. Pretty good I was able to get my camera out for this shot. And two,
I had flash back of when we watched our friend Greg Pelton got hit by a
deer during a triathlon. |
Some of the other wildlife on the road...Jurassic
Park 3??
|
Bike path from Florence to Stevensville (~20
miles). Thanks to several bikers (Jill and Mindy) that we met that told us
about this! Much nicer than riding along the road.
|
John was impressed that Missoula named a restaurant
after him. |
This was our accommodations for the night.
Robby the owner was very nice and helpful. She even called the local new
paper and arranged for an interview for us with Mike.
|
Biking sure does make you hungry...and nope
John was not able to finish it at one sitting! (He did later that
evening.) |
More
photos on Facebook Album
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