Day 10, Missoula to Avon 98 miles. Pie City

Best: Pie from the Avon Cafe for dinner.  You can eat as much as you want

Worst: Karolina had to be sagged after the first rest stop because her knee is really hurting.

Most Unexpected: A butterfly ran into the rider ahead of me, smashed into my chest and then flew past the rider behind who said it was still alive.  Montana butterflys are tough.

We left Missoula late at 7:30 because the cafeteria didn't open until 7:00.  Karolina had trouble with her knee for the last couple of days and decided to try todays ride, but ended up getting in the van at the first checkpoint at 20 miles.  We typically ride about 20 miles to first checkpoint to get water and some snacke, mile 40 for lunch, mile 60 for snacks and water, and potentially at mile 80 like today. WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG TO INFORM YOU THAT IT JUST STARTED POURING OUTSIDE.  

The ride was once again beautiful and full of special events.  The first picture shows just a bicycle with some trees.  Guess what the biker is doing.

I rode mostly with Kevin and Jenn who have been nice enough to stay with me.  They are a strong riding couple who really push me.  I really think they just want to kill me by exploding my heart.  

Our lunch stop was at my favorite cow.  The cow is still the same after two years and hasn't moved. 

We climbed in elevation today getting ready for going over the continental divide tomorrow.  There were numerous rollers as well to tax the legs. At one point a lovely driver with passengers thought it would be fun to throws firecrackers at us.  Unfortunately, about a mile ahead, all traffic was stopped for construction so we had the opportunity to let the car passengers know that it wasn't cool to throw things. 

This really was a site seeing day and the pictures below prove it.  We saw a kayak running course on a river and if you look at one of the pictures of the river you will see a finish sign. We stopped at the Avon cafe for milk shakes (chocolate malt for me, and then rode the final 2 miles to our sleeping spot for the night at a religious retreat.  I hope I don't get hit by lightning tonight.  Dinner tonight was by the Avon cafe and was salmon with as much pie as you could eat, cherry, blueberry, banana creme, lemon meringue, apple, chocolate cream and carrot cake.  There was a pie eating contest between Kenny and Anita, and Anita destroyed Kenny.  It was eating a piece of pie for time, and I think Anita must have a built in Hoover. I told the ladies from the Avon cafe that I would put their picture on my blog and here it is.

Mosquitos are looking for fresh meat at this camping spot, so I am inside in a room.  Cellular reception is lousy so this post may not make it on the day it was written.  I can only do so much.