Coast2Coast Day 15: Lolo Hot Springs to Missoula/Adventure Cycling, MT; Coasting to AC and a day off on Wednesday!

Up not-so-early today, as the  host/Geoff’s breakfast was not until 8:00A.  Melissa did a second dip into the Hot Springs before departure.  Saw Joe and Danielle, whom we met in the Hot Springs the day before, and they impressed by remembering the blog site!  Joe has a plumbing business, Straight Flush, in Great Falls, Montana, while Danielle is the finance manager for the business and has a primarily residential real estate practice.  She is also pursuing a RE valuation certification (Best Wishes!).

Cathy sent us off to again meet later at Adventure Cycling.  Saw elk and buffalo on the relatively  quick ride down Route 12, aided by a tail wind.  Just got a little damp on the ride, but managed to have dressed appropriately.  (Melissa continues on her Moose Spotting efforts, with no sightings yet though several on-road and road signs warning of moose crossings!)

We rode the Bitterroot Trail from Lolo to Missoula.  Great not to be on the shoulder of Route 93, as the speed limit on the highway is 70 mph.  Along the highway the Trail was grand, once inside of Missoula the Trail becomes a bit more urban with street crossings.  The wonderful, and pleasantly surprising, thing is that the drivers would stop at the trail crossings!

When arriving at the AC offices, despite it being a Monday, the offices were closed for Juneteenth.  (We will go back tomorrow/Wednesday for ice cream, virtual tour, some equipment shopping, and route discussions with the impact of the road closures/flooding that has occurred in Yellowstone National Park.  A bit anxious to have a viable path from the Transamerica Trail to the Parks, Peaks and Prairies Route to get us eventually to Fort Thompson, SD and the Missouri River.). [Arriving at the AC Offices completed Section 3 of the Transamerica Trail, another milestone of sorts.]