Epic Bike Ride Day 45 July 12th

Thoughts from Mark:  We got up before 9am!  I stopped in the grocery store, and they had just pulled some fresh brownies from the oven.  What was I supposed to do, not eat a brownie?  It tasted just as good as it smelled, and probably was the reason I felt good on the bike.  So I guess I now have to start each day with a breakfast brownie.  All of the other riders were already gone, but we still managed to hit the road before 10am (it was 9:59)!

I decided to ride on MT 83 again, and the shoulder was even smaller than before.  It’s a risky situation, but I’m able to ride soooooo much faster (at times twice as fast) as the unpaved roads, and the route is much more direct (we are cutting off a few miles from the “official” GDMBR route).  It really does “hurt” me to leave the true route, but this will hopefully help us finish by our deadline.  We stopped for lunch in Swan Lake, which had a nice sandwich shop/convenience store/ice cream shop/RV park place.  I had a sandwich, and some huckleberry ice cream, and chatted with a couple of Australian riders, who were southbound.

I rode on, and really felt strong on the bike all day.  We eventually stopped in ????????, and dipped our feet in the river.  The water felt really good, and wasn’t too cold.  We watched some teenagers jumping off of the bridge into the water, about a 20 foot drop, and wondered how anyone survives being young.  I got back on the bike, and rode on for about another 20 miles, before we stopped for the night at a “cyclists only” campground.  This was the property of Tom and Pam, a couple in their 80’s, who open their yard (and their bathroom) to cyclists riding the GDMBR.  We got there about 7pm, which is the earliest we have stopped for the night in several days, and there were three cyclists already there (two from the Netherlands, and one from Burbank, CA).  We had a nice chat, and played fetch with their dog, who was adorable, as well as indefatigable.  After we walked back to our truck to cook dinner, another cyclist showed up.  We walked back after dinner with oranges and pudding, and talked with the new guy, who was originally from France, but now lives in Squamish, BC.  Overall, today was a great day, and if I can keep up this pace, we should be able to finish the ride!

Miles for the day: 53.68         Feet climbed today: 1,233

Total miles ridden: 2,135.37    Total feet climbed: 129,537