Day 5 - Helena to Three Forks - 64 miles plus 16 touristing miles...

First of all, the place we're staying is about the opposite of the place we stayed last night... We hit the road at the crack of dawn with the very nearby rumble of a long coal train as a send off. 

It was pretty flat, so we cruised along at

20-24 for some time... We didn't know it but we were being transported by a cafe in Townsend.

Sort of a "biker" place...

After an enjoyable visit at the cafe we were on the road again, cruising toward the Montana Wheat restaurant for awesome sandwiches. Ride to Eat, Eat to Ride.

By the way, this is a truck with a wedge of cheese sign:

That's my sign, baby!

One of the things that's so great about this kind of travel is that almost every time we stop pedaling, someone comes over to visit. We talk about all sorts of things... At lunch we met a  couple who were on their way to Missoula to watch their grand-daughter play soccer. She had a full ride soccer scholarship at the University there. Yesterday, I had a discussion with my "sandwhich artist" about causes and cures for sore butts while bicycling... 

Three Forks, by the way, has nothing to do with how much I eat at the end of a day of riding. Lewis and Clark finally made it to the headwaters of the Missouri River, and what did they find? Three rivers feeding into it - which way do we go now, boss? Major decision. They were hoping to find a waterway all the way to the west coast. Jefferson had just swung the Lousianna Purchase and a waterway trade route coast to coast would be pretty sweet. Beats sailing around the tip of S. America!

Anyway, we stopped in at the Sacajawea Inn and had the best beer we've ever had, then came back to the campground  and had the best showers we've ever had.

Signing off - we have a 90 mile plus ride tomorrow.