Keep in mind that this page was written on September 6, 2002. The information was good as of then, but if you are reading this many years after my trip, the places I liked may or may not still exist. I'd encourage you to check...
I've gathered the names of a few restaurants, hotels, and bike shops that I frequented on my trip. These are what I consider to be the best, and I'd highly recommend them as stops to others who bike through the same towns as I did.
The best bike shops -
These shops welcomed me and my purple Air Glide. They provided great service, route suggestions (always welcome from local cyclists!), and conversation.
- Great Divide Ski, Bike, & Hike, Pueblo, CO
- Missoula Bicycle Works, Missoula, MT
- Harley's Bicycles, Hutchinson, KS
- Belmont Wheelworks, Belmont, MA - I have to include my (somewhat) local bike shop in my "best" list. These folks have always provided great support for supplies, cycling clothes, advice, and of course they have a fabulous staff of mechanics. I spent a bit of time in there before I took off, and my purple bike spent some time there too getting its pre-trip tune up.
The search for great pie continued across the country.
- Pitkin's Restaurant, Schroon Lake, NY - the best banana cream pie
- Cowboy Café, Dubois, WY - great cherry almond crunch pie, best selection
- Fly by Night Cookie Company, Fair Haven, NY - Don't miss this one! It's off on a side road (not too far). Self-service, with tables and shelves loaded with a huge assortment of cookies and a jar to leave your payment in. I had a hard time choosing - I could have bought the whole place! I just discovered that they have a one-page web site, and it says to ask about their cookie mailing service. Hmmm... I could have their wonderful cookies every day!
- Ennis Café, Ennis, MT - _I had pancakes for breakfast and and ordered a cinnamon roll to go, a very good afternoon snack. Instead of putting the glaze on the roll (which would have turned into a gooey mess) they gave me a little tub of maple glaze that I could dip the roll into. Yum!
- Le Petite Outre, Missoula, MT - great scones, shortbread, & bread
- Tuscato, Frisco, CO - unbelievable eggplant parmesan
- Tipu's, Missoula, MT - Indian food to die for
- Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park, WY - great breakfast buffet
- Brown Bag Gourmet Deli, Poultney, VT - chicken parmesan pizza for lunch!
- Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park, WY - a fabulous old lodge
- Hotel Ordway, Ordway, CO - charming, and inexpensive!
- Shamrock Motel, Long Lake, NY - the best of the Mom & Pop places with the sweetest owners. They made sure I had heat in the room on a cold, rainy day, and told me to call the next day (and offered a ride) if I ran into trouble on the road
If you want to stay at one of the lodges at Old Faithful, keep calling central reservations. They recommend that you make reservations there 9 to 12 months in advance, but that's not possible when you're touring by bicycle. Or at least it's not possible for me - way too far in advance to know where I'd be on any given day. I called 2 days in advance, and was told that everything was full. There wasn't a waiting list, but the person I spoke to on the phone said that they have cancellations all the time. When I called back in a couple of hours I was lucky enough to get a room at the inn. So - keep trying!
