Greetings from Missoula!

Due to my recent purchase of an iPod touch, I will now be able to update my blog more frequently. I can even type up notes when I don't have wifi and then post them when I do. Technology is amazing. I do not, however, understand why Apple would sell you a product that needs electricity to charge, yet not give you the means by which to charge it. The only way I can charge this is by plugging it into a computer, which really aren't all that available at campgrounds. We are currently in Missoula staying with friends of Claire's friend, and my mom sent me my old iPod charger, which is apparently not compatible with my fancy new one (thanks though mom! The cookies are delicious!), but because it's Apple and the thing looks freaking sweet, they can get away with it. 


We arrived in Missoula yesterday afternoon and headed straight for the Adventure Cycling Association office. ACA is the organization that publishes the maps we are using (provided to me by an awesome friend from my NOLS trip, JP) and we were tipped off that we would get free ice cream if we stopped by, which we did, along with soda. They took our picture and put it up on the wall, so if you're in Missoula anytime soon, you should check it out! We also saw the pictures of most of the other cyclists we've seen, who all appear to be about one day ahead of us. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around town and then we ate a lot of pizza. I am kind of in love with this town and am excited to be spending a few days here. Plus it's nice to have cell phone service again.

It's kind of amazing to think that we are already in our fourth of seven states, but sobering to look at a map and realize that this state is larger than all the area we've covered so far. 

That's it for now. Below are two entries from previous days!

6/28 It's 11:30 and I am lying awake in our tent. I can't decide if I have fallen asleep yet or not. Lightning intermittently makes the tent as bright as a florescent-lit showroom and thunder rolls continuously. Our first rain since the first night on the road. I actually love being in a tent during a rainstorm- something about being right below the constant pitter pattering of the drops, yet being able to stay dry. It's just rain in the morning that I am not too excited about. I may have learned all about setting up a tarp over the kitchen and storm-proofing everything last summer in Alaska, but those lessons tend to slip your mind when you bike into camp and there isn't a cloud in the sky. I had to run out when I first heard raindrops to put away kitchen stuff (and a lot of Claire's clothes). 

Claire and I are currently about 20 miles from the Idaho - Montana border. We are camped at a US Forest Service campground in the Clearwater National Forest, alongside the beautiful Clearwater River. All that is standing between us and our fourth state is the 5325 foot Lolo Pass, our highest elevation thus far (but not the highest we will encounter).

We entered Idaho two days ago and were greeted with arguably one of our most difficult days of the trip. The new state introduced us to altitude we hadn't yet experienced and my legs felt incredibly jelly-like. We slowly made our way up and down the rolling farmlands (though I must confess it mostly felt like we were going up). We stopped in the tiny town of Culdesac for a rest and were asked several times if we were headed up or down. Having felt like I had already either been going up all day or that my bike was broken (it wasn't) I was disheartened to find that our final destination for the day was atop a 13 mile hill, that at least at some point included a 7% grade. It took us about three hours to climb it with my speed maxing out at about 6 mph. People who know me well know that I am not easily frustrated, but the hill caused me to reach my breaking point. I began thinking crazy thoughts, like, "I want to flag down a car and have someone drive me the rest of the way."  : ) But we did it, and were rewarded with a fairly easy day the next day. 

(Side note to all my BW friends- I just heard a Bard Owl!)

At some point in that first day in Idaho we crossed into a new climate zone. Gone are the dry grasses and tree-less fields of the high desert. We gladly welcomed the sight of tall pines that provide the occasional respite from these cloudless summer days. Claire and I are both already sporting great biker tans, complete with shorts, jersey, glove, and sock lines. Also, because of our positon on the road, our right sides are darker than our lefts. 
It sounds as though the storm has subsided. I suppose I should try once again to get some sleep so I will be ready for the steep climb tomorrow.

6/29 We tackled Lolo today. Well, Claire tackled, I pedaled at a slow but steady 4 MPH. My bike has more gears than hers, which means it's easier for me to pedal on an incline, but also a lot slower. That is really my excuse for just being a slower biker. After a short stop when the incline first got really steep, I rallied, slipped my chain into its oft-neglected lowest gear, and began my ascent. As cars sped past me, taking probably only a few minutes to complete what would take me over an hour, I thought that I should probably be pondering something profound, perhaps something about the modern day speed of life and how everyone should just slow down and take it all in, but in reality the only thoughts coming to mind were expletives and, "I'm pretty sure that little yellow butterfly is going faster than me." Of course I can't really complain. No one forced me to do this, and in some strange masochistic way, I like the pain. I knew that when I reached the top, sweat-drenched and panting, I'd feel good, and that I'd feel even better as we cruised down the other side. And I did. And I'm exhusted. 

We made today a short one and are camped only seven miles from the pass. We are actually in the midst of another thunderstorm, this one with hail. Tomorrow we ride about 40 miles to Missoula where we plan on taking a few days to relax.