Greetings from Great Falls

It seems as though we had gotten into a good groove prior to reaching Missoula: waking early, quickly making breakfast and breaking camp, and logging a good amount of miles before noon. With a couple of days of immobility, Claire and I both feel like we're out of it. We have been sleeping in and been slow at getting started in the mornings. This morning was no exception. Luckily we had a short, quick ride to today's destination of Great Falls. The road was flat and we averaged about 18 MPH. Our plan was to stay at a hostel that our maps listed, but unfortunately we rode up to the house to find it was for sale. We decided to stay at a hotel and we feel like we're living in the lap of luxary with a shower, cable tv, and a fake fireplace.

While fixing Claire's flat in Lincoln, a man there informed us that there was a bus that would take us to Great Falls for $5. "It would be faster and easier," he said. "Yeah, but that's not the point," I told him. We are often asked our motivation for this journey, and it's something we kind of struggle to answer. Our usual response is that a few years ago we both decided that we wanted to bike across the country (we have obviously shortened that goal since) and decided to do it at this time because Claire would be graduating from high school. When thinking about it recently, I remembered a poster in a high school English classroom that showed a picture of a man on a motorcycle with the words, "It's the journey not the destination that counts." Yes, it would be infinitely easier to hop on a bus and rid ourselves of the challenge of physically propelling our bodies to our next destination, but that's not what we set out to do. Although we face difficulties like flat tires, steep hill climbs, and the occasional angry motorist, it's these hardships, along with the joyous downhills, friendly locals, and beautiful scenery that make the experience memorable and completely worth it.