Go West; they said, It will be warm and dry compared to last year’s ride. Well, not exactly.  We stepped out to a steady drizzle and 60°, but we were prepared from our UK experience. It was actually a beautiful morning, the hills were covered in clouds and the rain and cool temps kept us from getting overheated, as we began our climb through Hell’s Gate.  We pedaled up the crystal clear Blackfoot River;where yesterday we had planned to take a dip to cool off, certainly not necessary today.  It was a continuous wet climb, the clouds concealing the highest of the Rocky mountains from our view.  The scenery remained stellar,the luscious smell of the Tamarack pine (hemlock) filled the air and the cloudy mist added a mystery to the hills, not often seen in the summer.  We rode along the Lewis and Clark Trail through the Potomac Valley, steadily climbing.About 30 miles in, we had an unexpected and much appreciated downhill.  Not a mind-blowing down, but a couple miles of leg rest before the climb kicked in again.

Sage brush, reminiscent of the dessert, seemed out of place on this cold afternoon.Scenery continued to delight and surprise as we slowly pedaled along; the trees became more sparse on the hills that rose beside us.

 At 40 miles, we found a rest and fuel stop.  It was what we needed to manage the climb of our remaining miles.  Just shy of 54 miles, we reached our stop for the night.It had been a very tough first day.  Though the grade was gradual, the climb had been continuous (with the exception of the two miles of down).  Never before have we had a single day of a 50+ mile solid climb.  We are looking forward to our legs springing back to shape before our long ride tomorrow.

Dinner was not remarkable, but on our (half mile) walk back to our lodging, the clouds were leaving and Montana gave us a taste of “the Big Sky country”.Still waiting for our legs to feel better!