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I was going to title today’s offering: “Nothing happened”. Most of the riding day was very typical: we rolled out of Missoula, we stopped for breakfast, we traveled some desolate highways, and of course we needed a dose of I-90. It was all quite normal; starting to feel routine.

Vincent van Gogh: “Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.”

For days Lecy has said that the mornings are always lovely; he remains cautious of the afternoons. In the afternoon, someone gets figuratively punched in the face. Today, it was again my turn.

Today’s ride was planned for 84 miles; invariably the actual mileage at day’s end differs as decisions are made along the way. Today, we were going with a new app (Ride with GPS) that Jeff at Adventure Cycling HQ recommended; we were loving it and didn’t question any suggestions. Finally… we’ve found the perfect routing app for our travels!

74 miles behind us and 10 to go to our VRBO in Deer Lodge, Ride w/ GPS sent us to the Old Yellowstone Trail. We could’ve opted for a 9 mile cruise on I-90, but we put our faith in our newfound friend. When the Old Yeller looked like a gravelly mess, we opted for a parallel dirt road route. Then, that route turned into equal parts deep ruts, heavy gravel and washboard surface… for 7 miles. We then had an opportunity to rejoin the Old Yeller, which treated us to nearly 2 miles of bone-rattling cobbles, followed by 5 miles of dirt roads that were ideal for mountain biking, though at times they were thick with tumbleweeds.

For the guys on their new wider tires, this variety of terrain was a joy. For the Gypsy riding an unforgiving steel frame and 30mm road tires, this was torture. A few times I had to stop just to get feeling back in my hands after 30-45 minutes of rattling vibration. I was back to bike envy mode, feeling like I showed up to a gun fight with a soft pillow. This is why Lecy never gets optimistic about afternoons.

But, on the whole the day was great; we got loads of video to share. We rode 86 miles. We had dinner next to the historic Montana State Prison. We met some nice people along the way. Today I think really felt like a “normal day” in our nearly two weeks of travel, and it was excellent.

A few other newsworthy notes: The valet at the Hilton this morning thought the three of us were brothers (ugh, I really thought I was much better looking). Geeto’s wife (Two-Pan Chew) went to the grocery on her own today for the first time in 30 years. We got to see my sweet Caroline on FaceTime settling into Corvallis (it’s her fault we’re on this silly journey!)

For the Strava crowd… here’s our route tomorrow… on Ride with GPS (Day 14). We’ll hit our highest point tomorrow on Pipestone Pass at 6,463 feet (our current elevation is 4,532 feet); then downhill to our planned camping in Cardwell MT. Nearly 80 miles, big climb, 92 degrees… after tomorrow things get easier (Lecy says I say this nearly every day, but this time it’s in the blog).

For the playlist, it was hard not to smile through most of the day. This morning I shook my head a few times, incredulous that I have this experience right now. When I was beat down in Bickelton a week ago, I wasn’t expecting to feel so good when we departed Missoula. Then after getting punched in the face this afternoon, I briefly forgot this feeling. But it need to remember: Keep On Smiling