Day 60. Kalispell, MT to Libby, MT. 90 miles

I awoke in my recliner at the early stroke of 11:30am. I have no idea how I slept so long in a recliner but I was refreshed. I packed up and said goodbye to my new friends and headed to a bike shop and grocery store. By the time I ran my errands it was 1pm and I was just getting started. One nice thing about being this far north is that it's light until 10pm allowing for endless rides.

I headed out with no destination in mind. The only thing I knew is that there weren't any real towns or stops between Kalispell and Libby so I pressed on, only stopping to snack on snickers and drink water. The ride was beautiful through green-wooded mountains, along rivers and lakes. Fortunately the ride was mainly down hill as the elevation dropped from 2900 to 2100 over the 88 mile course. Occaisionally I climbed and descended and climbed again. The wind would hit me from the front and then push me along. Several small white-tail deer hung out near the side of the road and would either run along side with me attempting to escape my incredibly menacing presence or would cross directly in front.

I was hanging out on the side of the road, looking at a map and snacking when a driver headed in the opposite direction turned around and pulled up just to ask if I was alright. It was nice to see that kind of concern because for some reason I got the feeling that most people were just upset that I was clogging their narrow mountain road. The gentleman and I chatted for a while and I basically just rattled off a series of questions and listened to him tell me about his life. Where he was from, where he was going, his numerous jobs were just a handfull of topics. He was also a volunteer EMT in the area - good on ya, man.

The sun was setting and I had nearly 30 miles to go so I stepped on the gas and poured into Libby at nearly 9pm, the sun still glowing. I was surprised at myself for pulling off 90 miles like that but was glad to know that I'm capable of such distances so late in the day. A small campground sat behind a grocery store where I stayed for a mere $5. After setting up camp I went into the store for some ice cream and since I don't have a freezer with me, I just get to eat everything I buy. A nice pint of Half Baked accompanied me back to the campground where I chowed, talked to some friends and called it a night. The night was crystal clear and the stars were shining brightly. I stared up at them through my tent until the sandman came to me.

We're moving now.