A Biker Rides Through It

Aaah… Montana. Land of beautiful wilderness, big skies and fly-fishing-movie-stars. A relaxing and beautiful ride.Yet if we were time-warped to the area 150 years ago, the feeling would have been quite different.

We would have seen…

Legendary mountain men, those trappers struggling to make it rich before the beaver hat ran out of style.

Gold-prospecting pioneers being ambushed and robbed by corrupt sheriffs

Corrupt sheriffs being hanged by vigilantes in the lawless frontier land.

Nez Perce tribes being chased and massacred by US troops in one of the dark pages of American history.

We would have seen all that and more.

But Montana, luckily, is not too fiercely stuck in the past. It’s turned to the future. And as we know the future is bikes. Montana is indeed home to the headquarters of the Adventure Cycling Association, authors of the maps we’ve been following throughout the country. Stopping there was a milestone of our journey, as we got the chance to discuss our trip, eat free ice cream and go for a little photo shoot with Dynamite and Fireworks! What’s not to love!

Le mimetisme … notre meilleur atout face a la vie sauvage

Our backyard for the night

No messin’ round

Cuddling time after the hot springs

Une ancienne mine d’or a Virginia City

L’humble demeure d’un chercheur d’or

Uh-oh. They sure know how to push that consumer pulsion

Another windy day in paradise

With Ethel, our host in Missoula. Ethel is in her mid-70s and still bike tours every year in the US and Europe!

You guessed it. It’s beaver head rock!

Real cowboys in the mountains… After seeing we took his picture, he chased us all the way down the mountain

Morning donut snack

We did set foot in Idaho!

Photo shoot at Adventure Cycling’s headquarters

With Lander and Fien, another Belgian cyclist!

Nos nouvelles voisines nous font une visite de courtoisie

Intermodal mobility in Missoula. Biking with skis!