Day 11, Avon to Townsend, 62 itty bitty miles

Best:  Crossing the McDonald Pass for the second time.

Worst: Glasses fogged up in the rain making it really hard to see.  Not great on a descent.

Most Unexpected:  The Continental Divide sign was not there after I expected it to be there.  The sign above in the 9th and 10th words says Continental Divide.

Breakfast was once again supplied by the ladies of Avon, and included fresh cinamon buns. I figured they would make them again after the ride two years ago, but didn't want to have too high an expectation but of course my expectations were met.

It was misty this morning before breakfast as I agonized over what to wear on a potentially wet day.  However just before I started, the rain began, making my choice easy of going with the rain jacket.  I strategically placed my bike in the bathroom before breakfast as I knew I would probably visit after breakfast, so I jumped on the bike and left without extra walking. 

We got rained on as we approached the McDonald Pass (not the take out line) but it cleared up just as we got to the top.  This was short lived as it started raining on the 12 mile descent meaning we had to be a little careful not to wipe out.  

The pictures above are climbing the pass, and at the top of the pass.

I stopped partway down the amazing downhill to take a view picture, and that was the only time I used the brakes on the wet descent.

I went through the first checkpoint without stopping because it was still raining and i just wanted to get out of it, and amazingly I did. Cruising through Helena and East Helena and then my chain started a conversation with me like that with the Tinman.  Oil me, Oil me.  The oil had completely washed off the chain so I had my first phone call to our mechanic Gene asking for an oil job.  He arrived, we put oil on the chain, and off I went.  Kenny had caught up with me and got a similar job.  

The lunchstop was great because it was leftover dinner and breakfast, pie and cinnamon rolls in addition to the usual fare.  I chose the cinnamon roll, followed by carrots and hummus and a dessert of string cheese.  We got stopped at a construction project and had to wait while they routed traffic through.  While waiting I talked to the flagman who was the retired postmaster in Avon.  He said he got bored in retirement in Avon and took this job.  I asked how the winter was last year and the impact on the roads.  He said it was minus 20 degrees for a period of time, but in Avon on the other side of the McDonald pass there were two weeks of minus 40 degrees.  I doubt I will be able to talk my spouse into moving to Avon anytime soon.

After the construction area, we enjoyed traffic free periods and the traffic behind us had to wait to get through. I even went out into the fast lane of the road (gasp).  We rolled into Townsend and got our gear with the direction we had to set up our tents in the football field due to the new gym floor.  I talked to the janitor and it turned out the floor had not yet been started, asked Chalton if he could check with the principal, and wonder of wonders we got the opportunity to sleep inside.  Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but the forecast is for thundershowers tonight with rain in the morning.  I know I will get wet tomorrow on the ride and I prefer to start dry.  We had one more shot at the pie after unloading the truck, and Lynn went crazy squirting whipped cream in some of the riders mouths, moi included.  Her technique was sadly wanting, so I gave here a quick course on how to correctly fill someones mouth without squirting it all over their face.  Sadly I have no picture of this event. 

We walked to downtown Townsend all of the four blocks, and Kenny bought us all a Miller lite beer, probably my first one in 20 years  We walked back to the school, and I am in the library getting educated.  

Crossing the Missouri River in Montana.

Here it is, downtown Townsend in all its glory.  Final shot below is of Columbine flowers to make me seem autistic, I mean artistic.