Jeff's 2016 Transcontinental Bike Trip: Day 8 - Missoula MT to Butte MT, 134 miles, 5400' cumulative climbing

Today was a difficult riding day. One long climb over much of the day sapped a lot of energy and we didn't finish until nearly 5:30pm. Not a terrible outcome, as the scenery was one spectacular view after another, but tiring and wearing, and hotter than the previous few days. While most of the country has been dealing with a massive heat wave this past week, the Northwest has been spared. Except finally today it reached the upper 80s and we felt the difference.
Pedaling out of Missoula this morning, I remembered with fondness the day fifteen years ago when I began my first multi-day cycling adventure.

It was the Montana AIDS Vaccine Ride, a journey of 575 miles over 7 days from Missoula to Billings Montana, with over 1000 riders. I made friends on that ride that I still am connected to today. That week was the beginning of my affair with long-distance cycling, and now I'm right in the thick of it!
Our long climb today started out innocuously enough; just enough uphill that we couldn't go as fast as usual for several miles. The steeper section was in the last 8-10 miles and was difficult. We were rewarded with a really great 20 mile downhill run, on good road surfaces and yet more spectacular views.

One new experience today: we rode on Interstate 90 for 22 miles! If you live in Chicago or any other metropolitan area you're probably thinking "what the...?!". In the west it is not that uncommon to have an interstate section as the only realistic road to use, without taking a major detour to avoid it. Of course, you must stay on the shoulder and watch for debris - tire tread pieces, wires, glass, other miscellaneous stuff - but it's not as scary as it sounds. My previous rides on interstates have occurred in Arizona, Montana and Missouri. Not that it's fun but rather a necessary chore that you just get through in order to move on to better things. More pictures from today: