#acaNoTier Whitefish, MT |A Day of “Rest”

Our day of rest in Whitefish meant only that we didn’t cycle to a new location. It was actually a very productive day and anything but restful.

• Finally we were able to find a Catholic Church and we got to hit Mass up. We’ve been doing the daily readings most days but to get Communion felt like getting back to our normal.
• Second breakfast (our NEW normal) that included huckleberry pancakes
• New tires for my bike. Gotta love the name of them: Marathon. Aptly named for a couple of runners I think. Since the bikepacker racers are still in town we did all the labor on our purchases ourselves and finished still smiling even though we goofed on one of the tire rotations and we had to redo.
• We also bought a front rack so I can carry front bags. Thanks bunches to our bigs, Anne and John for coordinating. They will overnight the bags and warmer gloves, General Delivery to West Glacier, MT where we will be two days from now.
• Did a short shakeout ride to Safeway for food, fuel and bear spray (not to be confused with hairspray which is what I’m really needing). Yep some Paydays mighta also jumped in the basket also.
• We talked or FaceTimed with most of our bigs and their littles and checked in with Mamaw and Aunt Lee Lee.
• Finalized cycling and campsites for the next four days.
• And finally, we re-visited Great Northern Brewery and the Farmer’s Market across the street for food and bevvies, finishing the night with more ice cream.

And in case anyone is wondering, our streak of doing 100 push-ups a day and a three minute plank continues. Wonder how long we can keep that going. PS: I wasn’t doing any before we got here. #ouch

Having eleven days and a little over 700 miles complete we came up with the bicycle traveler truths. They all apply to our ride so far and many to life. Maybe even your life.

• You always ride down into a town and climb up out of it.
• Everything tastes good when you are truly hungry.
• When you change the tire make sure to look for the rotation arrow on the side wall before mounting the tire.
• Trust the locals over the map.
• Kettle Corn can always be found at a Farmer’s Market.
• Eat local, drink local.
• Rely on family, friends, and followers. You can’t do a journey alone.
• Yes, you CAN do one more climb.
• I should have brought those warm, waterproof gloves.
• Don’t believe the media about people. People are very generous, kind and always have a story to share. Lean in and listen.
• You only need one pair of whitey tighties.
• Huckleberries taste good on everything.
• God has something to say to you if you listen to Him.
• Deb can always tell when Tom needs a Snicker Bar.
• Sometimes you just gotta have faith in the equipment. When you are flying down hill just trust your bike.
• Showers are way over rated but appreciated when actually needed.
• Rok straps are indispensable.
• Montana brews some pretty good beers.
• Bike shops care about riders and not just selling a product.

What might you add to the list?