Day total 78
Trip total 3,094
Today was our last day of intense climbing (that we know of) before we hit the Cascades. The down hill was our longest descent, seven miles at an eight percent grade. We were flying. Down through the Montana mountains, which we can only really see when we are right up underneath them. Montana (or at least the valley we are in, Bitterroot, named for the native plant often used by native nations), is covered in a haze of smoke. Biking into Darby felt like sitting too close to a campfire, you can actually feel the smoke in your eyes.
After the descent the wind and the smoke really got to us, blowing in our faces all afternoon. By the time we got to Darby or more specifically the new brewery that just opened there, Bandit Brewery, we were spent.
It is amazing what a revitalizing force good craft beer can be. We spent some time chatting with some Brooklyn/San Fran transplants who are working on building a ranch based on sustainable ranching practices. Pretty fascinating crew.
Tonight we are staying with super generous warmshower hosts, Haley and Patrick. Patrick runs a family winery that makes mead from local Montana honey (Montana is the number two produce for honey nationwide, who knew?). We spent the evening chatting with him (while his four year old daughter ran around in energetic circles, cause she loves "biker friends") and sampling all of the meads (there were twelve); it was a good night. Breakfast made from eggs I collected from their chicken coop with their daughter, Auburn, (she will turn 4 this Sunday at a pirate themed birthday party she graciously invited us to).
No comments:
Post a Comment