Day 18: Missoula, MT to Darby, MT

Saturday, June 24, 2023 - Missoula, MT to Darby, MT - 66 miles

In the Bitterroot

We got an early start out of Missoula leaving around 7:15am in order to beat the 5K race, one of the events connected with the Missoula Marathon which will be run on Sunday. It was chilly and very foggy all the way out of Missoula.

As the fog burned off, it turned out to be a spectacular day.

Although one of our longer days to date, it was relatively flat, and most of the route was on the Bitterroot bike trail which runs along Highway 93. Traffic noise was a constant but the scenic views of the surrounding mountains were stunning and we felt very safe being off the road.

We stopped for lunch in Hamilton which was at about mile 48. Sharon found a great place called Seppi's, a European deli. The owner spent many years living in Austria and found that when he came back to Montana, he had difficulty digesting products, particularly bread and beer, produced from domestic wheat. Therefore, he imports bread partially baked in Germany and flash frozen. This was the genesis for his restaurant. We certainly enjoyed it!

Just after Hamilton, we took the option to get away from HW 93 and to follow a hard packed gravel road called Sleeping Child Road. It was a beautiful road with many nice homes and ranches, some overlooking the river. Toward the end we crossed over the Bitterroot River on a one lane bridge. There were only a few cars and trucks on this route. I met a man who lived on this road. He slowed down and rolled down his window wanting to talk. He had lived there for 40 years and recently lost his wife. We talked about our ride and where we were going. He told me that I should try to get my whole family to move out to Montana - he said we would live longer. He was 88. He then told me to hug that wife of mine. I said, “speaking of my wife, I had better catch up with her” as she had ridden ahead. He replied, “Oh, there are so many guns on this road, nobody’s going to get hurt!”

We rolled into Darby and checked into our home for the night, the Mountain Spirit Inn, and then rode our bikes to Saloon 406 for dinner. It was one of two restaurants in town. The atmosphere was very nice but the food was just okay - expensive, overcooked bison burgers. It did get us some needed calories though. We will need them for tomorrow’s big climb!

Foggy morning heading to Missoula