billydonn

Thanks guys. Today we rode from Missoula up the Bitterroot River Valley which drains in to the Columbia. Tomorrow we cross the continental divide into the Big Hole Valley, which drains in to the Missouri. Over the Divide we'll go through the town of Wisdom and on to the very little town of Jackson, which has hot springs.

According to our ride leader Tony, Wisdom is the "mosquito epicenter" of the U.S. But we are lucky because it has been cold lately and the bugs are just waking up. It got really hot this afternoon with a LOT of radiant energy and most us were glad to be finished (about 1:30 PM I think it was).

Fortunately, we should be finished climbing over the Divide (Chief Joseph Pass) by about 11:00 AM tomorrow before it heats up too much. It is a pretty big climb and easily the hardest part of the week. After going up about 3k feet we only go down about 1k feet, so we will be staying at higher elevation for awhile and Tony says it will probably not get as hot. Hope he is right.

FYI...I mapped tomorrow's ride: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/88379143

My little cabin at the "Traveler's Rest" is really cool... good AC, cable TV, frig, wireless internet... all the amenities. Five deer just bounded into the wooded creek across the road. I'm working on some video that I'll have to post when I get home.

I feel okay about my ride stats. I could have done better but I've got to do it for five more days so... you hold back. Using some stuff called Recoverite, and I think it works well... my legs feel almost fresh tonight. Tomorrow in Jackson, our group of 88 will triple the population of the town. May not have internet access from there, so be patient. I'll be back.