Then off to "hike the M" above the university. It was an easy and fairly short hike; totally worthwhile to get great views out over the university, the city, and the various surrounding hills and valleys.
We wandered around campus a bit. Then downtown and eventually back to our hotel.
Breakfast outside at the trailer at 8:30 this morning. It was just a few degrees above freezing, so many people retreated inside to eat. We were away around 9:30. Lots of bike path and then road turns to get out of town, but Joyce flawlessly led the peloton. Other than for a short stretch in Missoula, we were on bike path all day. The bike path paralleled US93 (a 4-lane highway) so we still had the steady noise of traffic but it was so nice not to have to think about it. I'm often asked what I think about on these long trips. Frankly there isn't much time for idle thought. I'm always thinking about traffic, holding my line, avoiding anything on the road/shoulder, etc. It was so nice today to not have to think about any of those things! It was a pretty flat ride all day through the Bitterroot Valley, between the Bitterroot Mountains to the west and the Sapphire Mountains to the east. Lots of farmland - some crops as well as horses, cattle, goats & sheep - some acreages and other rural properties and some National Forest lands. The scenery didn't change a whole lot throughout the day, but it was quite pleasant. I didn't take many pictures today, but here are a sampling.
At about mile 20 we went through the town of Florence. Wait! What? Didn't we start in Florence?? Have we just done a big loop? No - Florence MT vs Florence OR. No ocean in sight here......
A bit of snow high up on the mountains.
Stats for the day:
76 km / 47 miles from Missoula MT to Hamilton MT
1023 feet up, 712 feet down.
Temps: 5C to 18C. A bit of a chilly start, but sunny and warming up nicely in the afternoon.
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