Day 22 – Helena
July 14, 2012
Start: Priest Pass (Divide crossing #4)
Finish: Helena, MT
Today’s miles: 15.6
Total miles: 627.3
Splats: 0
Divide crossings: 0
Wildlife:
Last night, as I set up my tent high on the Divide line, it began to drizzle. Just as I was about to doze off, the back of my eyelids lit a bright blue, soon followed by a clap of thunder. As the lightning became more frequent and closer in proximity, I became nervous. When my ear on the ground suddenly started ringing, I wasn’t sure if it was random or could be caused by a build-up of charges in the ground. I wasn’t taking any chances, so I got into my best take of the ‘lighting strike position.’ I discovered, however, that my previously hurt ankle couldn’t support my weight in this position. I abandoned the defense and went to sleep.
Last night’s storm ended up not being that bad, but I woke to rain in the morning. I packed up quickly and headed down the mountain. By the time I arrived in Helena, the rain ceased. I was super excited to find the farmers’ market. It reminded me of home. I bought peas and carrots, zucchini bread, and coffee. I immediately consumed the bread and coffee and continue to munch on the veggies.
At 10:00, I wandered over to the Great Divide Cyclery and the accompanying service shop, The Garage. Chad replaced my brake with a new one, which is very exciting. I can’t wait to have a reliably functioning brake again! I spent most of my day rotating between Great Divide Cyclery and Big Sky Cyclery, where I picked up a pair of liner bike shorts to replace my bibs potentially. I also stopped at The Base Camp, an outfitter, where I searched for a new loose-fitting shirt to replace my jersey. While wandering the pedestrian mall, I got myself a fish burrito from Taco Del Sol, as Ed recommended on my Facebook page. It was, without doubt, the best burrito I’ve had.
I’m staying at the Lamplighter Hotel tonight and debating what to do tomorrow. I feel antsy to return to riding, but I was up and about all day. I need to sit down and figure out some logistics for the upcoming few weeks. Tomorrow’s post will likely be made from the Lamplighter as well.