It has been a busy past few days with a trip up to Missoula to drop the Airstream (http://mintageairstreams.com/) off for the fridge installation & other sordid updates. We are going to have them install the fridge, do a couple of cosmetic patches, re-do the cabinetry around the fridge/sink/stove. The idea is we want a small 2 burner stove on top of the fridge (in order to save counter space), and downsizing to a 1 bowl kitchen sink (also an attempt to save counter space). They will also be going through the tin can to give it a once over and see if anything else needs to be swapped out. I got to take a looksie at some of the work they are doing on some other trailers and was very impressed. I look forward to seeing how it will all turn out.
While in Missoula, I took the bike up with the intention of exploring the Rattlesnake Rec area. I have heard great things about the riding up there and was anxious to see what in store...The intention was to take the main dirt road up for a while and then catch spurs & loops of singletrack along the way. After 13 miles in, I saw some US Forest Service folks camped out and decided to ask them where the stash of great trails were and whether I was getting close. They explained that the singletrack was all at the very beginning (contrary to a couple of maps I had been looking at). So I turned the bike around, pointed downhill in search of the holy trail...I did see a couple of spurs on the way back and explored them for a while until they got steep and hike a bike was in order...After getting my fill of hiking I turned back around and headed back downhill to the next spur...more of the same. At this point I had 20+ miles in and was coming to grips of it being somewhat of a bust of a day for trail riding...got back to the car and headed back to Butte...maybe the next Rattlesnake adventure will be fruitful!
I started Saturday with a nice road ride. I rode up Hwy 2 over Pipestone Pass and then tucked and dropped about 2,000 ft into Whitehall...then it was time to grind up and over Homestake Pass and pay for all that descent...the 2,000 ft climb along the Freeway (I-90) was a good barometer relative to how the legs felt earlier in the season. The climb felt easier, albeit still hard considering the 8 mile ascent. It starts to let up towards the top couple of miles so it is a matter of finding your happy place for about 30-40 minutes of constant pressure on the legs. I managed to hold a consistent wattage for most of the climb and was happy to peak and head downhill. The speedometer ticked up to 48 mph on the way down...as I got close to home I went over a patch of gravel/dirt and quickly realized that in the process my rear wheel flatted. Fortunately I was close to home and was able to ride all the way in...but the bike sits in the garage with a flat tire. Both bikes will be requiring some lovage over the next couple of days so that they don't take out their hostilities on me...must take care of bikes so they take care of me (theoretically).
Erin's friend Nicole came up to visit from Denver on Sat a.m. She flew in to Bozeman and then drove to Butte. By the time I finished my ride, her and Erin were already out and about. We miss our friends in Denver and it is always more apparent when we spend time with them. Evel Knieval Days were in full regalia this weekend in Butte. We managed to avoid the crowds and mayhem by just avoiding the whole sordid event.
Sunday rolled around and the weather was supposed to tickle the 90's on the thermometer. I made plans to get out early on the singlespeed with Sean and go ride part of the Nez Perce CDT trail. We got out early enough such that the heat was not too bad, but the price to pay for the early-ish start was a battle with swarms of hungry mosquitoes. We quickly got moving in order to avoid the little bastages! Before we rolled I noticed that one of my pedals was toast...I must have hit a rock while riding in Rattlesnake and the eggbeater pedal now looks like a beaten up trashed piece of scrap metal. We persisted and managed to ride regardless. Sean was on his new Tallboy and was enjoying the trails. It ended up being a nice mellow ride and it was good to get 3 days of solid rides in.Time to head out to dinner with the wifer and Nicole - with a little luck there will be little collateral damage to the town from Evel Knieval's legacy and festival.
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