A Victor-y Ride

Is it Spring already? Because that's what it feels like in Missoula. We've had a stretch of unseasonably warm weather - highs in the 30s-40s - and a persistent high-pressure system that has my skiing friends (read: everyone) in a tizzy over the lack of fresh snow. On the bright side, this tropical heat wave means clear roads and riding conditions ideal for some unexpected mid-January outside training.

Tumblin' along the Bitterroots

So this Saturday Dylan and I drove just south of Missoula to Lolo for a ride along the Bitterroot bike path, which stretches 37 miles from Lolo to Hamilton. We took off from Lolo and rode side-by-side (one of the perks of riding on a trail) for 10 miles or so until Florence, where Dylan cut off towards a fishing access to spend a couple hours fly fishing on the Bitterroot River. It's not often that fly fishermen in Montana have any prospect of catching a fish in January, and Dylan had to jump at the opportunity to extend his fishing record to 12 months of catching a fish on a fly rod every month. And he did so by catching a nice rainbow, on a dry fly nonetheless.

While Dylan reeled in his fishing dreams, I pedaled onward to Victor, another 15 miles down the path. With the Bitterroot range on one side, the Sapphires on the other, the blue sky above and my bike beneath me, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. Even the icy puddles dotting the path that streaked my bum with mud and slush as I plowed through them didn't slow me down. Once in Victor, I turned around and retraced my route 25 miles back to Lolo, picking up Dylan along the way. He with his fish and I with my bike,  we returned to the car with tired legs and happy hearts.