Last Montana Ride of the Season?

Last Mountain Bike Ride of the Summer, Probably?

We really love Montana.

I think in the three years we’ve lived here, we’ve taken our mountain bikes up canyons and gulches all over this part of the state.

I had a friend here say, “Rick, you and Kathy know the backcountry better than I do.”

There are many more experienced backcountry Montanans, but we do do our share of exploration.

When we came to Montana, we were strictly road cyclists.

We quickly learned that Montana doesn’t have many paved backroads, so we invested in some nice mountain bikes.

Almost every Saturday, we are cycling up canyons, climbing 2000 feet or more each trip.

This week, we’re headed to Oregon to produce some Truth About Timber videos, but mostly to spend time helping our son and his wife with our new grandson for about a month.

We have a great kid who is going to watch the house, yes, he’s a Montanan, so he has a gun and knows how to use it.

My point being, today was probably our last ride of the season.

You don’t ride bikes when temperatures dip to minus 52, lol.

We went out past a place called York and were blown away by the ride.

It is probably one of the most beautiful rides we’ve done since coming here.

Nice way to cap off a season.

We climbed 2500 plus feet in 20 miles.

Coming back took a long time because we kept stopping to take pictures.

We’re taking our road bikes with us to Oregon so we can remember what it feels like to be on the road again.

I still like road cycling, but if I had to choose, I’d take mountain bikes, in Montana, in a heartbeat.

I’m gonna load you up with pictures, sorry.

I can’t wait to meet our new grandson, and it will be nice to be back in Oregon; you guys always have such a nice Fall.

But I’ll miss my life in the wild lands of Montana.

The motto here is “Get Lost in Montana.”

I know why.

When you’re out there like we were today, it’s rugged, dangerous, remote, and challenging.

All the things many humans avoid, but for Kathy and me, they are the ingredients that make us come alive.