24 July 2012

Darby to Missoula MT 67 miles (TransAm 3,320)

Sometimes bike trails are boring, like sailing Puget Sound in a sea of fog. The safety they bring, the separation from traffic, is most welcome. But when the trail does nothing more than parallel a major highway, it leaves little to the imagination. The sense most engaged? Hearing. The noise level on the bike trail is nearly as high as being on the main road. But at least over here on the trail, when you hear that semi-truck bearing down, it’s the Fiat that has to worry, not you. So this 36 mile stretch of trail that looked great on the map turned out to be not much to look at at all.

What was great about today? Arriving in Missoula for a layover day, checking out the ACA office to find a birthday gift waiting, seeing that the accommodation for the next two nights is actually not as bad as its #38 out of #39 ranking on TripAdvisor would suggest (low expectations always help), and the family reunion with Aunt Verla and Uncle Duane. All of these events, however, paled in comparison to dinner at The Montana Club steakhouse, where the birthday girl got the percentage equal to her age taken off her bill. This is when it pays to be old. Literally.

While Gina was saving money, I was spending. Nothing improves a five hour flight to Newark, New Jersey quite like upgrading to an exit row. A poor man’s Business Class, if you will. The drinks aren’t free but I could buy a lot of bottles of booze at Costco for that kind of upgrade.