Additional rest day in Missoula, Montana

We got up at 7:30 am and walked over to the University of Montana campus to “hike the ‘M’.” A dirt trail winds up the side of Mount Sentinel to the base of a giant white concrete letter “M” (which signifies the University of Montana). From the top of the trail, you also get a bird’s eye view of Missoula, Lolo Peak and the surrounding area. We took photos, and spoke to a couple from Corning, NY, whose son attends the U of M. We continued following a narrower trail above the “M”, where it became a straight and ridiculously steep push to the top of the mountain. We started up, but turned around when we couldn’t see the peak - just more and more steep climbing. Going down was probably more difficult - we took baby steps, because a twisted ankle would have ruined the Ride for Chiropractic!

We went back to the motel to shower, then met Paul & Monica Adkins at the Adventure Cycling headquarters to go for lunch. Wednesdays are “Out to Lunch at Caras Park,” with live music and your choice of food from many downtown vendors. We ate Mexican food and had time to talk with Monica and Paul about chiropractic and bike touring. They had to go back to work, and Lorraine wanted to ride the Missoula carousel - one of the fastest carousels in the country! It was the first carousel she had been on that actually had rings to grab - catch the brass ring, and you won a free ride on the carousel! Afterwards, we went to the library to check the website. When we came out, it had started raining. But by the time we went back to the motel, got our rain jackets, and began walking towards the grocery store, the sun started coming out. It was bright and sunny again when we finished shopping. We grabbed some burgers for dinner, and went back to the motel to pack the bikes for an early start tomorrow.