Day 42 - Monday October 5th

Thompson Falls, MT to Sandpoint, ID
90.24 miles
6:05.48 hrs
30.3 max
14.7 avg

What an interesting day! When I started the day out, about 10 min into my ride, as I was leaving the town of Thompson Falls, MT, I noticed an increased cyclic noise coming from my rear wheel. I noticed a lower decible cyclic noise the previous day but when I looked briefly at the wheel I did not notice anything significant. Today, the amplitude of the noise was 10 fold. I immediately stopped and thoroughly examined my wheel. I found that the seam of the wheel had fractured and the wall of the rim had peeled away from the tire like a corner of a sheet of paper being lifted off the surface of a table. I spent the majority of the morning trying to located a bike shop in the local area and with little luck I was told that the nearest shop was in Sandpoint, ID (90 miles away).

I got in touch with one of the bike shops in Sandpoint and had them order a new wheel. Of course it was going to take 2 days to get it in so I was forced to take a break in Sandpoint, ID. The bike shop told me that the wheel that I had should still be under warrenty and that Trek should replace it for free. Since I am on tour, this was not that easy and I opted to order a new wheel and lose one day versus waiting 2 weeks for Trek to send me a new wheel.

With little to lose (the wheel was already past repair) I changed the tire back to an old defective tire and performed ductape surgery on my rim. After placing the "fixed" wheel back on the bike I rode off with the rear brake unconnected.

Two broken spokes later I pulled into Sandpoint, ID with news that I passed my mom's cousin's house about 10 miles back. This was on purpose as nobody informed me that I had relatives in this area. After a phonecall from my mom I connected up with my mothers cousin Karen and she gave me a contact to stay with in Sandpoint while I waited for my wheel arrive.

Day 41 - Sunday October 4th

Missoula, MT to Thompson Falls, MT
111.27 miles
7:13.09 hrs
36.2 max
15.4 avg

With the cold weather moving in fast and snow falling in the mountains the course of action has changed for my route. I, sadly, am no longer going up to Glacier National Park. Instead I am taking route 200 from Missoula, MT towards Sandpoint, ID.

The ride today was very gloomy. I felt very poor for the first half of the trip. It must have been a combination of weather and stress from the trip. Or, it could very well have been from the snickers bars that I consumed in the early morning. I have noticed the effect that candy bars and nutritionally deficient food has on my body.

As I was pedalling along, the scenery along the river kept getting better and better. There are many moments of this trip that are engraved in my memory for eternity! It would have been an unbelievable ride if the weather was a little different. If the temperature was raised 20 degrees and the sun was out I can't imagine much better of a ride!

Tonight I am staying with a connection I made on CouchSurfing.com. They have put me up in a little cabin in the woods and it is great to be able to cook my own food on a real stove and have a 'large' space (comparative to my tent) where I can relax on my own. Thank you to the Gross family for allowing me to stay in your cabin, supplying me with some food and good company!