Big News - We've made it! To Montana, that is. It's not Washington D.C., but it's close(r) to the finish.
The ride out of Spokane after our rest day marked the biggest accomplishment we've had to date. Seeing the big "Welcome to Idaho" ignited a small, albeit excited, celebration amongst our team. Only a few miles from our lunch stop that day, we all felt it important enough to stop and take a little more time to snap photos, text loved ones back home, and let out a few little shouts before continuing on through our second state of the trip - Idaho. One state down! There is still a ways to go, but it feels good to be able to start making check marks.
One I can say about the last 3 days of travel is that the scenery has been unexpectedly spectacular. I wish I could post photos, but my lack of cameraphone knowledge is a bit of a hindrance. The area shifts quickly from the scablands of Eastern Washington to an arena of mountains, completely covered in a lawn of pine. We followed the Priest River most of the way through Idaho to our first (and only) stop there in Sandpoint. Sandpoint treated us well, with beautiful scenery as well as a luxurious stay at the Sandpoint Health Club. The owners of the club were gracious enough to let us camp out in their backyard and have the entirety of their facility at our disposal. Really, the whole thing. After a day of biking, the hot tub, full pool, sauna, steam room, and showers were real luxuries to our bodies and minds. We were even given use of the HydroMassage machine, with mixed results.
The takeoff from Sandpoint marked our short-lived jaunt in Idaho as we crossed the Montana border about 30 miles in to our ride. Somehow, our arrival in Montana seemed a little less celebratory, as we have a long road ahead of us here. I counted, and Montana will be our home for a good nine days, the longest stay in any state on the ride. I have heard, however, that Montana is the favorite AND the most beautiful of all the states, so perhaps this is a blessing.
On a personal note, yesterday was a big day as it marked the completion of my first century ride! We rode 103 miles from Thompson Falls, MT to here in Missoula, where we are taking a well-needed rest day. I'm pretty excited :-) I must say that thinking about the first 100-miler brought on a bit of anxiety. The longest I've ever ridden outside of the ride had been 60 miles, so 100, almost twice the length, seemed daunting. Not to mention I had ridden in the sag van for about 30 miles the day before to Thompson Falls because of some shooting pains in my left knee. However, once breakfast was eaten and everyone had started off on the road, the anxiety mellowed and the ride became exactly that- a ride. Just like any other. Regardless, I can check one more thing off my Big Ride "list". If I complete all the boxes, does that make me a legitimate rider?
If I could write more about our journeys, I would, but a three-page blog post just seems a little much. Tomorrow we push off from our dorms at University of Montana on a 99 mile ride to Avon, MT. One more day in Montana, one more day closer to D.C.! Also, one more day closer to Madison, because a rest day at home sounds pretty amazing right about now.
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