Day 26 and 27 Back to Zero days Columbia Falls, MT

We were almost packed up at our lovely Airbnb in Whitefish and ready to drive to Glacier to drop me and my bike off, to camp till the road would open and my wife and son would drive back to the Missoula airport to fly home. Then I came to the reality of how uncomfortable it would be tent camping when it was 40 degrees and raining for a couple days. So even though I had made a camping reservation, I was all on board when my darling of a wife found the Montana Bike Hostel. I called and talked to Beverly and she said I would be welcome and gave me her address. I was extremely happy to have a roof over my head and not have to freeze my butt off in a wet tent for a couple days. The hostel may have been a port-a-shed but it was the finest appointed port-a-shed I have ever seen. It has beds, a fridge, a microwave, a hot plate, an electric kettle and a TV & DVD player.

Beverly and her friend German asked if I wanted to tag along to the Kalispell Farmers Market and visit Whitefish. I was excited because I knew a vendor at the market, remember Windy the market baker (Flathead Breads) that I dropped in on and got a bakery tour of her production space a week ago? Both Windy and Tim were at the market and I arrived just in time to buy her last two products an hour and a half before the end of the market. The croissant and orange spice roll. We’re both superb. I really enjoyed the play of the spices in the orange roll.

I made a real dinner in my comfy quarters, watched a movie and slept well.

Day 27 Montana Bike Hostel

It had been raining steady for over 24 hours and when It started to tapper off in the late morning, I decided a ride into Columbia Falls for lunch and to get food I didn’t need at the grocery. After my excursion to Columbia Falls I read some more of the book I found in the bike hostel last night. And then, the sun came out! It didn’t last long but felt so good while it was shining.

This book was recommended to me by the first Warmshowers host I stayed with on this trip. Thanks Liz! The author writes well. He has insight, a good sense of humor and just when you’re laughing, he hits you with a poetic line of truth.

Well, this is the first time I am caught up to date on this blog since the first couple days of my tour. I thought it would be pretty easy to keep up, ha!

Thanks for coming along for the ride so far.