15 Kinds of Snow

Just like the Eskimos that have 15 different words to describe the subtle differences of snow, Alaine and I could probably come up with just as many to describe the sometimes subtle, sometimes not so subtle, differences of the conditions of the backroads we are riding. But I don't want to bore you.

But I will say that when we hit a patch of "holy shit" (lose, deep gravel with intermittent tire-snaring angular rocks) and Alaine (who's never done a skid mark in her life), fishtailed left, then right, then a bigger left, then a bigger right all right in front of me... well, I thought she was a goner and that we were just about to have a trip ending crash. But she didn't crash, she didn't even stop (she was so freaked out she didn't even swear). She did slow down a bit.

All is well that ends well.

Day 6, Wednesday, July 2

Harry Morgan Campground, Ovando, MT,  to Lincoln, MT, via Huckleberry Pass 

- the day's riding was  through the Blackfoot River Valley Floodplain and  Helena National Forest,

35.9 miles, 8mph avg. (includes 6.4 mile climb of 6.2% grade followed by treacherous, "holy shit" downhill - no snaps possible on that part)