For the most part it was an easy day.  We rode from our Warm Showers Hosts home (more on this below) to another hosts home in Darby MT on a paved bike route.  We did have about 14 miles on a back road that provided some awesome views of the Bitterroot Mountains.   Other than another flat tire…Grrr… it was a chill day.  We stopped at two local bike shops, had coffee in a cafe, got groceries for the next couple days and had lunch at a local park shelter house.   We were steadily climbing but so gentle it wasnt very noticeable.  Along the way another rider, Luke, rode up and we chatted.  He is a Transamerica Racer and was doing a test ride with his setup.   Being a racer he will do over 200 miles per day and take minimal gear.  Meaning his bike won’t look like a pack animal like mine does.  We chatted a bit and then he took off like a shot. We did 56 miles for the day.  He was going to do 190!

Speaking of hosts the cycling communing shows an amazing level of hospitality!  We have stayed several nights in the homes of folks who support (and often have completed their own trips) long distance bike touring.  They open up their homes, cook food, show us around town, provide advice about the route, and support anything we need.  I have a host I contacted to stay with in a couple days.  They said they won’t be home but gave us the code to get into their house, told us where everything was, and said make yourself at home.  I’ll write more on this hospitality in a future post.  Such a blessing to have a community of encouraging folks on the route and a great group of friends and family praying from home. 

Day 17 includes a lot of miles and two mountain climbs. First time riding up to over 7,000’. It’s going to be a chilly ride!