Day 23 – July 6, 2015
Missoula MT, to Ovando MT – 52 miles
This day was unusual for us. We got up at 6am and got out the door about 8am. What a lazy morning. We started so late because Gregg had to, and I insisted, go visit the Mecca of Bicycle touring in the US – Adventure Cycling. We got there around 8:30am and spent a good hour there. Gregg will have to explain his thoughts about his visit.
After that we decide to solve my shoe problem and went to Big Sky Bikes, a Specialized dealer to look for larger bike shoes for me. We got there early and waited until they opened so we could leave asap after that. It was already 10 am. Found my exact shoes in one size larger. Ok, maybe that would solve my “hot foot” problem?
Finally got going on our ride at about 10:30am. That is nap time in our old scheduling. Our big question was whether we could manage to ride the 50 miles we needed to do in the middle of the day? The heat has been our enemy for over a week. We got going and things went well. It was a long winding road, like most of our roads, that slowly snaked alongside the Blackfoot river, up the valleys. It was tough, we fatigued easily in the heat and after our 2 day rest. It was hard to get back in the saddle again. But we pushed ourselves, drank our water, and finally made it to Ovando.
Where in the world is Ovando, MT? You will have to look on the map. But when we got here we went to Trixie’s bar, good stop for a beer and dinner, and tip about booking a room at the Inn. Called the inn and got the last room. Ovando is a strange place. It is where bicyclists and fly fisherman collide. Two different worlds in a place whose population is 80. There is a general store, the Inn above it, a historic jail, a fly fishing shop, and a bike camp. No one was there today but they have a Teepee, and a historic sheep herder trailer for bicyclists to stay for free, and they even have a solar shower. We decided to stay at the inn with 4 anglers from South Carolina who are just finishing a 10 day stay. It is a unique spot. Very surreal in a way. and very very far away from Culver City. Like Gregg likes to say, “We are definitely not in Culver City anymore”!
Mom & Dad
Hi! We just finished reading your two reports about Missoula and the ride to Ovando. The trip to see the bison herd and the PowWow must have been exciting. We too watched the Women’s World Cup final. 4 U.S. goals in 16 minutes!! Fantastic soccer. It was a well played game by both teams, but the US was unstopable. Soccer has come a long way in our lifetime!! Dad has followed World Cup men’s soccer since listening on the radio (no TV) in (1) 1954 to hear Germany beat Hungary, sitting in the Munich Olympic stadium with Henry Kissinger in (2) 1974 watching Germany beat The Netherlands, sitting in a high rise apartment St. Petersburg, Florida in (3) 1990 with his sister Barbara and her husband watching Germany win its 3rd World Cup and finally the (4) 2014 World Cup final in Brazil watching Germany beat Argentina 1-0 while sitting in a Santa Barbara hospital with Mom after she fell and broke her hip. Keep riding, stay safe and continue your wondefull and exciting reports. Love Mom and Dad