Days 17&18

June 18, 2005

I’ve enjoyed my two days off in Missoula. My knee has surely enjoyed the days off the bike and is feeling better each day.

Yesterday I got up and made my way out of the hotel a little before noon. I walked around a bit and ended up having another memorable sandwich at a little restaurant called the Staggering Ox. They make their sandwiches in coffee cans; I took a picture since I knew I wouldn’t be able to describe it justly. It was another excellent experience for the taste buds as I continue my survey of American cuisine.

One of the draws and highlights for cross-country cyclists is a jaunt up to Missoula and a stop by the Adventure Cycling office. Adventure Cycling is the organization that puts together the maps and routes for the long distance cyclists. I swung by before lunch to see if a package had come yet from back home and also to sign in and have my picture added to the wall of cross-country cyclists of the year. They didn’t have my package but I did register and have my mug shot nailed to the wall. I also saw Chris and Chaz were there two days prior.

After a romp through the town, I came back to the room and made a few calls trying to tap into the local media here in Missoula. I was rather unsuccessful, but was given hope to try again before I left town. I also made up some business cards to have run off at Kinko’s. After a little rest, I headed back to Adventure Cycling to see if the package had come yet. It hadn’t, but it was a successful trip regardless.

I started talking to the nice lady at the front desk about my trip and the story behind it. She, Luanne, was very interested and said it was a shame the co-founder and resident photographer wasn’t in town to hear the story; he is on vacation. As we were trying to think of how I might be able to get in touch with him, he called the office. Luanne got on the phone, explained the situation, and passed the phone to me to talk with him. Long story short, I went back to the hotel, got my bike and went back to the office where they had other guys in the office take my picture. After the little photo shoot, I met Susan, the communications director, who sat down, interviewed me, and gave me a little tour of the offices afterward. They have two publications for the cycling community and are very excited about highlighting the trip in each of them. It was a really encouraging experience and I thank everyone at Adventure Cycling for their support and interest in my journey.

After the nice stop by Adventure Cycling, I went back to the hotel to drop off the bike and unload the gear again before heading to Kinko’s. When I got there I found Mac who had run into the girls and was going to be camping out in our room for the night. I chatted with him for a while and then headed out to have the business cards run off.

I had a rather successful trip to Kinko’s. They lined everything up and said they’d be ready in the morning. After that, I decided to run up to the grocery store and get some dinner there to take back to the room. While on the ½ mile walk there, I was doused by one of the passing showers. It doesn’t matter if I’m on the bike or not, I still seem to get rained on somehow.

The rest of the night included fried chicken, laundry, and a lot of hanging out with Mac and the girls on our last night together.

Today I said goodbye to those guys. It’s always sad – well, last time and today – taking a day off and losing the pack you were riding with. I hope some more good people come along for me to ride and hang out with…

After I said goodbye to them and left the hotel, I went for a little ride and saw they were having an open-air market that spanned three blocks of town. I parked my bike next to the Adventure Cycling building and went for a stroll to enjoy the festivities. It was really great. There were tables and tents lined up all along the streets. On one street there were all kinds of handcrafted goods: wood works, paintings, jewelry, clothing, etc. On the other two streets there were all kinds of fresh, beautiful, organic fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers and exotic plants. They had an intersection closed off and rounded into a food court of sorts with carts selling huge, delicious pastries – I went for a warm, caramel-apple danish, myself – as well as juices, coffees, and cappuccinos. There was a pair of ladies playing the guitar and fiddle while singing, hoping for a small gift to be left in their instruments’ cases. I also saw a boy playing the violin on another corner with his case open for tips as well. It was a really great atmosphere. There were people with handfuls of cute little carrots being carried by their locks of grassy, green hair chatting with other people with bunches of long stemmed flowers in theirs; as if they all just came down to pick up some produce, have a cup of coffee, or fresh squeezed lemonade at one of the several lemonade stands, enjoy the brisk morning, and mingle with friends or whoever they should encounter before going back home to enjoy the rest of their Saturday. And there were signs that read, “Missoula Saturday Market: 9am – 2pm,” which made me think this happens every Saturday, as it should. What a great memory for the kids there with their parents who may one day grow up and move to a town where things of that nature are long forgotten.

After that little piece of small-town heaven, I headed off to meet a friend and co-worker of my cousin David’s who was in Montana and flying out of Missoula this afternoon. It was great to meet and chat with Derek and his family. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to chat too long since they had to get over to the airport, but it was nice of them to swing by and say hello before flying out; just another example of the tremendous support I continue to receive from people I had never even met prior. Thanks again Derek, it was great to meet you and your family.

As they drove off, I realized I forgot to go pick up my little business cards from Kinko’s – whew, I should really be getting some kind of compensation for dropping these names like this, I feel like I’ve mentioned “Kinko’s” 8 times already, see, that makes 9, maybe not… Anyway, I picked them up and they turned out pretty good for the quick little whip-up job I did on them. They’ll just be nice to leave with people so they have something to remind them later of what’s going on.

From there I went to the bike shop to pick up a spare tire, inner tube, and degreaser. And after that, I went on a hunt for cheap lodging.

I ended up checking into another cheap motel. These things aren’t terribly expensive, but I am a little over them. Today was the first time I really felt sick to spend the money on it. And again, it’s not necessarily even the money, although it is starting to add up, I’m just getting tired of hotels, motels, and the whole deal. But I’ll be in good shape. I think I’ve realized why I’ve held Missoula up and thought of it as a significant point in the trip.

The two weeks it took to get to Missoula were like the prerequisites: Freshman Orientation. Now I know I can do this. I’ve worked out a few kinks, I’ve gotten to know my bike pretty well, I’m starting to develop a little form on the bike, which will continue to strengthen my muscles and take the strain off my joints: Play Time’s over…

I’m pretty serious though. I have a long way before I can even dream of the Atlantic and it’s time I settle into a routine and get a little rhythm under me. I’m actually looking forward to it. I think I just miss moving already. Tomorrow will be my third, and last, consecutive off day and I’m already looking forward to Monday when I will get back on the bike and get rolling again. I love Missoula, but part of me just felt super antsy tonight, mainly while I was looking at the maps which is understandable, I reckon.

Once I checked in, I went up to the grocery store and came back and started cleaning the bike. And I forgot to mention it – on Thursday I logged the 1,000th mile on the tandem! It was a nice moment of actualization. I also forgot to mention, Thursday when I wished against the thought of someone letting the air out of my tire that morning – it was just a really, really slow leak; I didn’t think anyone would do that.

But the bike was in desperate need of a cleaning. You don’t realize how cruddy it is until you go to get rid of it. Luckily, between the degreaser I picked up at the bike shop and the denture brush I snagged at the grocery store, miracles were performed and all moving parts are as good as new, almost…

As I was cleaning the bike, I met a nice couple from Alabama staying in the room next to me. We chatted a bit and they left for dinner. I finished with the bike, cleaned up, and went across the street for a nice $1 Whopper Jr. to-go to come back and eat with my 2-liter coke and pretzels. As I was walking back through the parking lot, Sherri, the wife of the nice couple, said they were going to be hanging out by the pool and I was welcome to join them, so I did. I sat with them while I ate my little dinner and enjoyed their company. They’re a great couple and it was good to talk with them. They took an extended weekend to get away and celebrate their 10th anniversary and are flying back tomorrow morning.

And that’s been the two days in Missoula.

Please keep praying for the knee. It’s feeling better, but it’s still letting me know it’s not quite there yet. But other than that, things are still great. I’m looking forward to enjoying tomorrow and getting ready to head back out on Monday.

I’ll be sure to let you know what excitement tomorrow has in store. Until then…