Back in Montana...and Loving It.

Well it has been 9 weeks now since we packed up and headed north.  It is FINALLY warming up here, but we are still getting weekly storms and our rivers are swollen with 100 year flood runoff.

I fished until the water really began to rise.  It has been a torrent of chocolate colored rapids for a few weeks now.   It was a blast and I hooked and landed several 16-18" fish.  Of course, I lost a couple that were significantly larger, but still managed to enjoy myself.   :)

With the weather so rough, and the new job, it has been easy for me to put off cycling (and racing for that matter).   It seems that this year is not going to be the year that I get back into racing.  Instead, I am going to ride for pleasure.  I have been doing a lot of off road riding at a much slower pace...all solo, since I don't have any groups like in Roanoke Rapids or Clovis.   It has been nice to take in the county side and to get reacquainted with my home state.  

Man have I missed the Mountains!

Running has been my main source of therapy and training though.  It's nice to still be able to put in some long runs on the weekends and the endless trails and forest service roads have made running a real joy.

I raced 11 Miles to Paradise back in May and had a blast.  I finished 15th male at 1:21, 5th in the 40-44's.  Not bad on a challenging up and down, singletrack course. 

It has been nice to mix up the elevation on both the bike and the run.  

Next up is a Century around Anaconda this Saturday with TONS of climbing, then I am riding the RATPOD, a 130 mile charity ride for Camp Mak-A-Dream, a summer camp for seriously ill children.  I haven't ridden this ride for several years.  It used to be 154 miles, but was shortened a few years ago to its current distance.  Everyone seems to like the new route as it is more scenic and has much less traffic.  I can't wait to ride it. 

And if anyone would like to donate to Camp Mak-A-Dream, please go to my Firstgiving link.  It is tax deductible.

Last but not least, I have put together another Web Album.  It has some nice shots of the Dillon area from my perspective.  We have a lot of town photos too, but I just haven't gotten around to organizing them.  So there will be more photos to come.

Adios for now.