We left Hamilton in high spirits with the realization that we only had to ride 45 miles to the bike friendly town of Missoula, MT.  The latter half of the ride was spent on a trail, something we haven't done in a while, and something that was a treat for all of us.  We arrived at the Lutheran church, where we would be staying, and many of us set out to explore the town.  With four bike shops in the area many of us were occupied with spending most of the day oogling the bikes and parts at each one.

     We returned to the church for dinner to find that pizza, along with chicken and tacos, had been graciously donnated by some of the local pizzerias.  We engaged in a feast that would last all of fifteen minutes.  The rest of the night was spent exploring the downtown area and the campus.

     Today on our rest day, we visisted the Adventure Cycling Association in Missoula, which offered us free trial memberships, ice cream and drinks, and the use of a computer from which I am writting this blog entry.  Tomorrow we leave for Idaho and with close to two weeks remaning in the ride, many of us are very excited to reach our final destination.