Day 52: Host Surprise!

July 28, 2022 in Jackson, Montana

Today I rode with my friend Ali! She has also had knee surgery so we sometimes bounce ideas off each other about how to best take care of ourselves on a trip like this.

The first chunk of the ride was absolutely beautiful. The weather was mild, it was mostly downhill, and we were surrounded by beautiful hills and a lovely sunrise.

I did make the decision to be shuttled about 6 miles over some very loose gravel to preserve my knee strength (the bumpiness is very uncomfortable), but I was able to hop back on in no time.

We made it to lunch with no problem, but the day was heating up very fast.

Ali started feeling a bit heat stroke-y around 40 miles into the ride, and I didn't particularly want to keep biking up hills in 100 degrees weather, so we decided to get off the road together.

As it turns out, a couple of our teammates were feeling the same and also got off the road. That didn't really help with my guilt about that decision, but talking to my dad did.

When we arrived at the host, we were greeted with the most wonderful surprise. All day, we had thought we would be camping in the heat.

Montana truly has a very big sky, and there is really no shade to be heard of. I was not looking forward to getting eaten alive by mosquitos and overheating all night. But no!

We were greeted with three cabins with bathrooms, showers, and BEDS. I truly don't think I've ever been so happy to see plywood walls.

We had a skimpy dinner of cold pasta and sauce, but I didn't mind because I had a wonderful night in a real bed ahead of me.