Day 8 Bigfork to Condon

51 miles (82 km) – Total so far: 386 miles (621 km)

The camping area of the site got busier as the evening went on. In the late afternoon Fred arrived. He had said he was going down the bigger road, but I wasn’t surprised when he turned up. Also a family of Mormons from Fort Collins, Colorado, mother and father and three teenagers. These were of the most interest. Mum was very stressed, and gave the kids a hard time for kicking their ball around and being loud, although they seemed extremely helpful from thirty metres away. Once I had said hello she was less stressed, the kids chatted about soccer and as pretty much everywhere, everyone is asleep by 10:30 pm. I wandered out to get some food and had tremendous lasagne at a place called ‘When In Rome’ which is highly recommended. Two Flathead IPAs also.

Though I broke camp early I left town late as I caught up with some emails and uploading the blog at a cafe. Consequently it was 11:15 am, partly as I needed to read the cricket reports carefully after two successive good days. The downside of this was riding into the afternoon heat. It has been building the last few days,and by 4 pm today was 30 degrees.

The route took me down Flathead Lake and then off into the Swan Valley, lots of ups and downs, and overall gaining height. I was aiming for Condon at the centre of the Swan Valley and arrived needing to get out of the sun and rehydrate.

Distance 51 miles Riding time 3 hrs 56 minutes Average Speed 12.8 mph Max Speed 34.2 mph Departed camp at 9 am, town at 11:15 am, arrived 4:15 pm Altitude 1133 metres

Beer report

Tonight two Flathead IPAs at an Italian restaurant a short walk from the campsite. Very good. Typical American IPAs, strong in alcohol content,but I think all quite similar. Difficult to even tell apart. One will need to be pretty especial to score more than the rest. This would be another 8. At the moment, the Moose Drool, darker, but not quite a porter, leads the way with 9 out of 10.

Book report

The Road to Reckoning by Robert Lautner Although a classic story of revenge in the Wild West this is beautifully written, and by an Englishman. It is the story of a 12 year old boy who is orphaned and reluctantly taken on by an ageing cowboy, a real hero and role model. There is humour, and parts are haunting, especially the unwise visit to the hut in the woods.

The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair A novel about a cold case murder and a wrong accusation set in New Hampshire and written in French originally. It is a long book, but deservedly so, as more and more is unveiled as the case proceeds, with plenty of twists.