It was candidly a relief to move into a more inhabited area. Seems I’ve lived around too much action and lots of people. The small towns on my trip have been so rewarding, particularly the warm, welcoming locals, but remote eastern Montana got the better of me. I arrived in Bozeman seeking to be anonymous, possibly also because the Trump-Vance rally was in town on Friday when I arrived! Will avoid politics and stick to “not” politics. My scenic ride and associated pics from Big Timber to Bozeman were absolutely the best yet. While my bro’s family was doing the “Sound of Music” Tour in Austria (instead of attending the Eras Tour!), I sent them my “Hills Are Alive” selfie to lighten the mood. I was gobsmacked riding in the remote canyons close to Bozeman. It was mostly downhill the last 10 miles and what a thrill! Then you hit town, but not before you run into the Bozeman suburbs, the Bozeman big box shopping district, and the Bozeman urban housing complexes. The place has exploded in growth and cost of real estate, hence the disparaging nickname “Boz Angeles”. For my two days in this wonderland, including a full, R&R day on Saturday, I was ready to just soak in the experience and not be “on”. I got my “footy” fix, celebrating the US Women’s Olympic gold medal soccer victory over Brazil by eating (Brazil’s) lunch at a Brazilian eatery. I consulted with the experts at the “go-to” Owenhouse Cycling and replaced my heavily worn, wider gravel tires for new sleeker, faster ones for climbing. Those original tires got me through so much, it was hard to let them go. My off-day cruise with new “slicks” led me right into the Montana State, pre-season, intrasquad football scrimmage. The campus is ideally situated blocks from downtown but with unimpeded views of surrounding mountain ranges. Lastly, of course, I reveled in the coffee culture of this mountain town. All in all, just what the doctor ordered.
