Today was a hard day.
I didn't remember why it's supposed to be a good idea to get an early start on the GDMBR until it was too late.
The day started off well enough, beautiful, actually, with blue skies, fair breezes and ok roads - (well, the first part kind of sucked with their scrabbled and rumblly makeup - but they turned better after the first ten miles--how it's been most every day-- everchangeing).
It was when the skies turned threatening a little before our half-way /lunch/ water replenishing (filtering) stop down by the Red Rock River crossing - a perfect place for all three because of the mosquito protection it offered due to the squadron of birds (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jYRD-BBznQQ) - that I started to remember why early starts are a good thing.
You see, it is not unusual for Montana weather to include a forecast for "chance of afernoon thunderstorm." And the chance is quadrupled if you happen to be on a bicycle and in a valley or floodplain. This is how we came to be traversing below the slopes of the Centenial Mountains while the skies let loose and the valleys --and us-- were pelted with rain and hail all the while a thunder and lightening storm paced us for the final twenty muddy miles to our night's camp. Thank goodness for USFS outhouses with thier wee "vestibules." Too bad the birds at the gorgeous upper lake of the Red Rock River National Wildlife Refuge can't keep on task with the mosquitoes.
Today was a hard day for new reasons.
Day 15 of riding; Friday, July 11. 57.5 miles- 20 in downpour - 9.6 mph avg, 6:00 ride time.
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