July 6, 2003 Today was one of those dream rides. We wanted to get from Darby to Missoula, MT, and we wanted to get there fast. The route was slightly downhill, and we had a bit of a tail wind - the rest is history. The bike came through the day in fine shape, and is waiting for some TLC at the bike shop in the morning. The Team did well too. Our recovery seems to be improving each day, so we are feeling really good. We left Darby at 7:00 AM because we wanted to get to Missoula as early as possible to start our rest. Monday is a scheduled rest day, and we intend to do just that. It was a bit chilly as we left (46 degrees), so we both wanted to put the hammer down to warm up. We did that, and taking advantage of the slight downhill and a bit of a tail wind, we were soon averaging about 19 mph. It was a kick in the pants! We went straight up Highway 93 until we reached a turnoff that took us on a parallel, but less busy road. We were on that for about an hour, and then rejoined 93. That was about the time all the crazies in the RV's were heading home from a long weekend, and they were flying. We were riding the shoulder, so it seems that these drivers felt that since we were out there, they didn't need to give us any room. So, they were barreling by us at 70-80 mph, and we were riding a shoulder that was probably 2.5 feet wide. It was a little disconcerting, but we handled it. We got to Missoula, and took a bike path into downtown. It was not the greatest of bike paths, but it took us away from those crazy people. We passed a Burger King about four blocks from our hotel, and stopped for a BK Veggie before checking in. It was nice to have lunch at the lunch hour. The scenery today was wonderful. As we rode up the Bitter Root Valley, we had the Bitter Root Mountains to our left, and the Sapphire Mountains to our right. For the first 40 miles or so, the valley was very narrow, and then as we approached town, it widened out. Both mountain ranges are spectacular, but the Bitter Roots sort of take the prize. The Bitter Root River was with us a lot during the ride, but it drifted west as we reached Lolo. This is the town where the Corps turned to enter the Bitter Root Mountains. The Corps did not visit Missoula on the outbound portion of the expedition. Lewis visited on his return, but Clark did not see the area. The Corps, lead by Indiana, followed the Bitter Root River over the pass, and into Idaho. It was a harrowing experience for them, and seeing the mountains makes one understand that. They are very tall, still snow-covered and very craggy. This was another great day as far as weather is concerned. As was mentioned earlier, it was cool early, but soon started warming, and the ride concluded with the temperature in the 70's. We sat outside in the sun for lunch, and were very comfortable. It was another Montana partly cloudy sky for today. We wish we could bottle that blue color we have been seeing for so many days. The winds were kind to us, but are probably harassing someone as this is being written. They are an every afternoon occurrence. Tomorrow will be nice and lazy, we guarantee it! Ron Note from LaValle... Thanks to everyone who has written to us at bikingtherivers.com ...We really appreciate hearing from our friends and family. We hope you are all well and enjoying the beautiful Sonoma County summer and look forward to seeing you all soon. Take care! ... One additional note about Darby. The town has had various name changes. Doolittle was its first name and then Harrison. Finally Postmaster James Darby renamed it for himself and the town has been called that since. There are only 800 or so people who live here.