Day 11 - Avon to Townsend

61.96 miles
12.3 mph average

I was tired this morning and my left knee hurt. Once I started riding, things felt much better though. I rode half the day on my hard, painful butterfly saddle (without the ghetto padding) and then in Helena (the capital of Montana) I got my new saddle and even picked up another backup, just in case. I will not leave this ride because of my saddle. The new one is a cheap specialized dolce. I used it the second half of the day and it was really ok! Not as hard on my sit bones at all! Life just got so much better!! Today is Ane's 21st birthday and she got her bike outfitted with streamers and a birthday flag. The Townsend highschool we stayed at had wonderful homemade desserts for us to eat and 70 surprise cupcakes for Ane - a sugar celebration. And for a huge group of people who are ALWAYS hungry, we were in heaven. The climb up to the Continental Divide was only 4 miles long and the grade was really nice and gradual. MacDonald pass was nice, but nowhere near as breathtaking as the "going to the sun road" pass through Glacier National Park that I got to ride over last summer. The Rockies aren't as steep here. It was a hot evening and most people decided to sleep in the gym tonight because the field was practicall unbearable in the hot sun. Great scenery today!!