Day 79 Missoula to Arlee MT

July 30, 2023

Today is different from previous cycling days as we’re diverging from Adventure Cycling routes and making our own course. We did get some advice from ACA regarding Montana SR 200. I hope I’m not embarking on a nightmare, white knuckle ride home. I will hook up withe the ACA Northern Tier or Sierra Cascades route somewhere near Twisp WA.

I left Missoula on Broadway which eventually blended into US 93 which is a fairly busy road but has a decent shoulder.

I saw this train graffiti on Broadway in Missoula. How do they do that kind of artwork on the fly?

These horses started galloping in their paddock as soon as I put my phone away. It looked like such fun!

Near the top of the 3-4 mile climb, I entered the Flathead Reservation. The mountains were mystical.

I continued on and passed under an animal bridge. What a considerate investment.

Upon entering Arlee, I picked up a bike trail that ran almost through town.

I arrived at the Jocko Hollow Campground way before check in time but Kathy, the owner was gracious and showed me to the campsite. It’s a sweet little campground with lots of shade on a beautiful babbling river. She even has a flower box on every picnic table. There are toilets and showers and a laundry and areas for tent camping as well.

Shortly after arriving, I got an alert on my phone that the winds will pick up and due to fires in the area, you should be prepared to seek shelter. Thinking of my 77 mile day tomorrow, I thought I should try to get part of that under my belt today. So I took off toward Thompson Falls and rode about 24 miles on top of the 25 miles to Arlee. The traffic on US 95 had really picked up from earlier in the morning but wasn’t quite as bad when I turned northwest on SR 200. The shoulder would’ve been great if some idiot hadn’t filled half of it with rumble strips; I did my best to ride the diminished rideable part of the shoulder because- it’s Montana, not Kansas.

Another sad historical fact that probably can’t be taught in Florida

After 20 miles, I called Peter to meet me down the road for a ride back to camp. On the way back, as we were approaching town, we could see a lot of smoke from the mountains. It was 97 degrees; my backup m&ms melted.

That’s billowing smoke behind the middle mountain, not clouds.

We spent some time relaxing by the Jocko river which is very clear and has beautiful rocks in a myriad of colors.

In spite of the heavy traffic, I felt it was a peaceful day.

Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 2,944 miles (4,738 km)

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