I really like Steve Hackenburg's "hitch-biking" term (from his guestbook entry). That's much better than hitchhiking!
I had a quiet and enjoyable day today. I started by stopping by Adventure Cycling to say hello and get a quick tour of the operation. They have a cyclists lounge complete with complementary ice cream and soft drinks, along with Internet access. I wanted to thank Paul Adkins in person for putting a link to my journal on the Adventure Cycling web site. He was on vacation, so I wasn't able to say thank you in person - but I did try Paul! Hope your vacation is wonderful.
I rode out to REI to replace my travel wallet which was starting to self-destruct, and I spent some time browsing through bookstores. Then I came back to the hotel to rest the bike and to change from biking shoes and clothes to wandering around clothes. I headed to a cafe for lunch where I had a delicious hummus and veggie sandwich. Then I walked around the downtown area and headed to the river to visit Missoula's carousel. It's a beautiful carousel that is made up of both restored and new components. I found it interesting that there were more adults riding it than kids. A ride on the carousel was tempting, but I'd probably turn green and puke from going up and down and around in circles - the curse of being prone to motion sickness! I just wasn't willing to chance it, but I did stay there and watch for a while.
After the carousel I did some walking through the parks by the river, then sat and read a book for a while.
I found the wonderful Le Petite Outre bakery again and picked up a mid-afternoon treat. I visited the bakery originally on my 1998 trip, and I was hoping I could find it again. If you ever get to Missoula - they have wonderful shortbread and scones.
I had a fantastic dinner at Tipu's. They told me it is the only Indian restaurant in Montana, and it is an excellent one. Dinner tonight tied the dinner in Frisco for the best of the trip.
I really enjoyed being in a decent sized and nice town today. Someone I was talking to during the week heard I was planning to stop in Missoula and tried to talk me out of it. I didn't let them because I'd been here before and I knew it was a nice place. In fact, I think I could live here. Well, at least in the summer - I don't know how bad the winters are here. But that's not a decision for right now...
