Well its bloody hot outside and I rode 25 miles to the bottom of the pass I have to climb on a minute..erm so I've taken an early lunch stop on Virginia and nevada cities for ice cream! These are old cowboy gold mining cities of about ten houses each! Yes haw..hot diggady dash..there's gold in dem dare hills!

Shinto at the bike camp here in twin bridges this morning next to the river bank. The camp is free to touring cyclists and there is a donation box. There is a communal dining room bar b que hot shower wash room and camp ground. The UK should have facilities like this. Looks like the organized supported tour is going my way...hmmm..think ill take my time and let them get ahead..don't fancy another night of listening to teenage giggling all night !

Ok it looks like its going to be another hot day on the road and I have an 8000ft pass to climb..aiming to be on west Yellowstone tomorrow night here.

In twin bridges tonight in Montana. There is a bike tourer faculty here with all a bike camper needs including hot shower! I thought I had it all to myself as well until an entire gang of kids riding with a full support crew turned up . Was goi.g to sleep inside the hut but looks like the tent will be needed if I'm to get any peace.
I'm just fully realizing the extent to which the bugs got me. I sprayed bug spray all over me but forgot my rear end...so the buggy bastards attacked in strength there while I was riding...ouch.
Montana has been less Inspiring than Oregon or idaho. It's a beautiful state if you like big skies and huge landscapes though. The car drivers here are less carefull and pass very close and to fast mostly. They don't seem to understand the word...slow the hell down and pass wide! Seriously they seem to think that a bike has no place on the road and god forbid they should have to exercise their hand and pull out left even just a little...the same people however are your best friend in the supermarket queue.
I rode 76miles today over two passes and on top of yesterdays exertions I am tired. Tomorrow there is another pass to deal with and then I should be I'm Yellowstone on a few days. I've been reading about camping there and it all seems very regimented and expensive. There are lots of rules and advice to avoid any bear encounters so best I listen eh!
This mornings waterless ride taught me one thing...never leave town without a fully charged set of 4 bottles...oops!
I'm still finding that there is usually no phone signal between towns out here. Same with WiFi. So what I do is type up the blog e mails when I can and upload th when I have WiFi.
So many things happen each day that it'd hard to relate it all. Like yesterday I met a cyclist from Denver who went to Sussex university and at the big hole battlefield o met a guy who had worked in Worthing for 4 years...small world eh!

Be more careful dear please

So the bike tour of 25 arrived ...one of them told me " well I didn't ride today but some of us are so awesome and rode nearly 50 miles today"...yep awesome...and the support truck even managed to keep up...ooops..lol!

I just don't like braggers...anyway no problem at least they are cycling and having fun.

I have just realized I am missing the Olympics...such a shame lol!

The ride from jackson to   Dillon was tough. No water hot and a strong headwind. I made it to McDonalds in Dillon and didn't die of thirst afterall.
This part of Montana is tough cycling..today I rode over two high passes to get out of the big hole and much of the ride was about thirst and wind insstead of the scenery. It had its moments. Though. I dontike dillon so I'm going to push on to twin bridges this afternoon.

As I took this shot an elderly lady asked me if I wanted to be locked up in jail...apparently they do it for kids and wannabe outlaw accountants etc. But what I really wanted to do was lock up the low life who threw a beer bottle out of the car window at me as they passed to close and to fast . It happens a lot in the UK so it didn't bother me..in every barrel of apples there can be one rotten one.  The road out of Missoula is a fast busy road and it seems Montana drivers are less considerate than Oregon or idaho. I had a good ride though...80 miles in hot sunshine with one hot summer downpour to cool me down. My legs took hours to loosen up this morning but by the afternoon I was rolling! I stopped to help a young guy who has his bike upsidedown . His rear wheel was buckled and needed a bike shop wheel true. He was 50 miles out of missoulla hungry and had no clue what to do. I couldn't fix it but loosening his rear brake at least got him moving a bit. I gave him some biscuits and fruit and he said he would hitch a ride to a bike shop. I couldnr do anymore to help. I'm in my tent next to the bitterroot river just outside sula.

Shinto outside the adventure cycling headquarters in misoulla Montana.

Leaving missoulla is a tough one as I've enjoyed my two days here a lot. I've met wonderfull people and had a great time. The city is very bike friendly and getting to meet the guys at the aca has been amazing. I could do with about a weeks solid sleep but I'd miss all the fun!
So for me its time to head out to the pass quite literally as chief Joseph pass awaits me soon..then the big hole and onto Yellowstone in a week approx.
A huge thanks go to the Sullivan family for being so hospitable and for a wonderful evening last night. David and anders I wish you happy trails and tailwinds...it was cool to meet you all. The adventure cycling association is such a cool thing. I encourage anybody thinking of riding in america to make contact with them on the website!
So...time for this wandering rider to saddle up and ride out of town onto the adventures that await me on the road...now where is my cowboy hat? Lol!

This morning I popped back over to the aca office to pick up a high vis triangle for the busy highway to come as I ride out of Missoula. There was a local radio station there doing an on site broadcast and they saw I was from England and on a loaded touring bike and a few minutes later they had me on air being interviews about my trip etc. The station was trail 103.3 and they said the show was streaming online as well. So..after that I rode to Hamilton and in a gas station on the way I met chuck...chuck is in the band northern lights with rick who I met in the bar two nights ago. Rick was the drummer in spinal tap ! The funniest film ever made :)

Missoula has a great music scene!

Outrunning a summer downpour riding out of Missoula this morning

Todays ride was all about big climbs , bugs, Indian battlefields, more bugs, then the headwind from hell in the big hole, Thunderstorms, intense heat, rain, dust and then I met up with anthony again in jackson suffering with exhaustion . He was the guy with the broken wheel yesterday. He'd been through the same hellish ride I had from wisdom to Jackson on a crappy mtb no food or water or money. I was really worried he could die out here and there is another big climb to get out of the big hole tomorrow. I bought him a drink gave him Ice creAM BREAd peanut butter jelly and chips at least he'd have half a chance. Earlier I had stopped at the battlefield at big hole where I think the local indian tribe the nez perce got wiped out by the us army. The chief Joseph pass was easier than I thought so I must be getting fitter..as this was over 7000ft and its the first of two continental divides I must cross. As soon as I got over the pass and into the area called big hole I was eaten by bugs. Big hole is a huge crater like areA surrounded by mountIns 360 degrees. In the hole its just one huge swamp and the bugs are everywhere. They should call it bug hole not big hole. As I type there is a big thunderstorm going on. I just got my tent up in time. I am pitched on the school basketball pitch in Jackson montana. The lady at the local store said it was ok and nobody would mind.

I met Susan from Colorado riding to missoulla.

On the montanna idaho state line guys get to go in montanna and girls in idaho. I stayed in Montana and headed over to Jackson.

The big hole battlefield where bad things happened to Indians who did not deserve it.

Montana roads go on forever. Next time you eat a steak think of these guys!

Crossing the continental divide at the sumit of chief Joseph pass this morning.

The view from my tent here on Jackson Montana at sunset tonight. Jackson has a population of 38 people.

The wall of those riding the transamerican route at the adventure cycling offices in Missoula I'm on there somewhere now!

Ok here I am in the adventure cycling offices in missoullA. These are the people who make the maps for this trip and I can highly recommend them if you are thinking of doing this little ride yourself! They also have free ice cream which is worth the trip in itself ha ha. I've already used up nearly 6mb of my phone card with pi tires and videos so I bought a new card so I will have space to capture everything yet to come. I tried drop box but life is to short lol! Looking at the maps on a real chair is novel..lol! And at a table instead of in wind on the bike! Chief josephs pass looks dauntingly high but ill do it no problem. I've had a lot of support from my friends here in the USA and it means a lot to me ..I feel very at home in the states and so far have met only cool friendly people. I checked with at&t my cellphone network and basically it wasn't my fault there was no signal across idaho...apparrently it is an issue there because of the high hills and low population.

Well i made it missoulla montana yesterday and today I got shinto his New saddle. Today my ass is happier! I hooked up with david from Denver and anders from Oslo as i rode into town. Se hit Two bars and I ate to much pizza again. I was invited to stay with a very kind family last night and had a real bed and a shower for the first time in a week! This was a warm shower host and id you dont know what that us then google it. Ita Luke couchsurfimg but for cyclists. Today i had to
GO to the bike shop for the saddls and new brakes ad the downhills here are almost ad long as the climbs LOL! Apologies for spelling on this blog i still have to master this Tony phone keyboard. I just got back from the drugstore where i met Wilson WHO gas been cycling since january with his dog in a box on the bike! He id cycling to every state in america from virginia! Ove list weight on this small ride and am getting my power thighs back again! I met a giù WHO id from hammersmith london he came on tour here with his band in 1978 and decided to stay in missoulla!

The ride today from the small beach onthe river at Lowell to wemdover campsite was 60 miles of riding along the river lochsa through magnificent pine forests. This area reminds me s lot of Germanys black forest but this is far better! It was a cool day after last nights thunder. I was tired as I got no sleep on the beach as I was watching the rivet rise as the rain increased and a flash flood at 3am was looking on the cards..not good. I won't pitch on river banks again! I
HAD breakfast at a diner and headed off along the river, a 60 mile ride with nothing but trees river..
No water or food except what I carry. I would like to point out that its likely the trick driver who actually touched my left arm at about 50miles an hour when he had more space to pass than an aircraft carrier would need has a co k smaller than a female chipmonk. On the way I met Hayden from virginia riding west to Florence without a map. We chatted and he took some notes from my maps . I am still without phone as the deal I got in Portland for whatever reason isn't working on idaho. I've been washing in the river as I haven't seen a shower in to long a time and I'm starting to smell like a roadkill on a hot day! Big pass to climb in the morning so I'm off to bed.

The climb out of whitebird this morning was ok. My knees hurt. Lot so I took it slow and only used low gears. The view from the top is amazing and there are no cars on this road as they all get to climb up the new road..ha serves them all right!  The more I do these climbs the better o get at them. Mentally I am strong and I know I will beat every hill simply because I have no alternative but to prevail. I saw dear bouncing across the road in front of me...man they can jump! I went to the old battlefield at whitebird where the cavalry met the Indians. I could really see why the terrain was so important in the fight. I'm typing this in the subway shop in grangeville idaho where fat women with tatoos  and foods on cowboy hats are alll eating three times as much as I am. It's 11am and having done the days climb itts mostly flat for the rest of today. I don't feel like a foreigner here.
Sent from my HTC

Todays ride has been breathtakingly beautiful. Riding along the lochsa river with its dense pine forests and pure fast flowing water was more than special. Tonight I am camping right on a pure white sand beach right on the river at Lowell. I also got a new brooks saddle on hold for me to collect in missoulla any my thanks go to bear on vs planet for literally saving my arse! My cell network isn't covering me here..dunno why.the barmaid let me use her cell to call the bike shop so I should have no problem...hmm. 68miles of perfect cycling today and a big climb as well. Swimming in the river and sleeping on my own beach..paradise. tomorrow I'm off out into the wilderness as the 66mile ride has no water or services marked on the map at all...can't wait.

Do any of my good American friends following this blog have any clue why my cell network isn't working here? I bought a deal In Portland and the guy said it would cover me nationwide. I think it was at t or something. I'm paying $ 50 a month for this. Icant get any signal but locals here can no problem. Tim do you remember the guy who sold it me? Maybe he knows what I have to do? I am sure its some kind of mix up my side but I have no clue how to get connected again. Can't call them either. Round here I could send smoke signals I guess lol!

Sent from my HTC

So here I am at New meadows city park idaho...campo.g here tonight..I have a washroom WiFi power tocharge the phone and my own swings and rounabputs to play on lol!
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Sitting in the shade of the visitor info centre at council idaho. The heat is intense and I'm stopping a lot just to get out of the sun. The roads in idaho army as good as Oregon and the shoulders have potholes and loose shingle in places. I seem to attract butterflies and wasps today..as with women I prefer a butterfly lol! There are a lot of motor bikers here and the spirit of easy rider is alive in idaho. As we pass most of them wave or salute to say have a great ride and I wave back..those I have met have been good people. One pair of biker were amazed that I kept catching them up..even though they were stopping a lot..so am I lol! At the biker cafe I read the local paper..apparently porcupine is plentifull here and it carried a recipe for porcupine ha ha! My saddle has split and it is pinching my arse as I ride...eek...so I urgently need to get to a bike shop that sells brooks b17 champion saddles. The Issue cyclist I met today said there was one in Montana...just hope my arse will make it that far.