Today was one of the easier rides of this trip. At only 135 miles, little climbing and plenty of tailwinds, we were here in Missoula by 3 pm. The better scenery is closer to Missoula as you begin to follow the Clark Fork River for many miles through many canyons and forests. The highlight of the day for me was coming around a curve in the highway and finding probably around 100 cattle being marched down the road by ten cowboys and two border collies. I had to proceed very slowly because for a while there was nowhere to go without hitting a cow or a cowboy. In addition, I was a little worried my bike might spook one of the horses and I didn't want any of the riders to take a spill. But the horses seemed really sure footed and not affected by either the few cars that were around or me.
The riding seemed easier today than in 2014 when we did this exact course in reverse. Again, the only thing I can think is I'm better prepared now than I was then. It certainly makes the trip more fun because you can enjoy the experience more and not have to constantly be distracted by aches and pains and fatigue. I feel about the same now as I did when I landed in El Paso twelve days ago other than chapped lips and some windburn. The chapped lips are from the wind and also I think from the plastic end of my water bottles scraping against them. I'm not sure what can be done about that but that's about the only discomfort I have. My energy level is still high which is nice.
Tomorrow is the last day of the trip up to Kalispell. I've ridden this day in reverse as well. I remember as we get to about the halfway point there are several really nice lakes that we follow. I'll focus on getting some pictures of those plus I think there will still be plenty of snow on the mountains as you look north up toward Glacier National Park. At 148 miles we should be in Kalispell by 5 in the afternoon.
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