He Said, She Said: Day 44-A 3 speed day through Montana

She said: Left the Hegben Lake area and followed the Madison River north to Ennis, MT where I met Paul for brunch. This neck of the woods (or I should say mountain valley) is fishing country, as you can tell from the pictures below. Spent a little time walking around, but Paul had a big pass to climb over, so off he went. Near the top of the pass was a beautiful overlook into the valley below, so I stopped for the photo op and off I went on to Virginia City, which is a town rich in history. A former mining town, complete with robbers, vigilantes, and Boot Hill. After the gold rush was over the town, like many that lived through the gold rush, began to die. In the 1940's a couple bought up most of the buildings in an effort to preserve the history of the area. It has become a sort of museum of the Wild West with all the old buildings being used for stores, museums, antique shops, etc. Left Viriginia City and passed quite a few historical markers where outlaws robbed tourists, miners etc. Also saw an area where gold was mined-the historical marker said the area financed Harvard University in the early 20th century. We are staying in Twin Bridges (a big fly fishing area) tonite and will head on toward the north and west.

He said: Got a little bit of a late start. We are close to Pacific Coast time so it takes longer to get

light. Once again the countryside started to change, greening up with more cattle grazing in the fields. We are traveling in a valley between the Bitterroot Mountain Range and Sapphire Mountain Range. Met Sharon in Ennis. If this area is the fly fishing capital of the world then Ennis claims to be the capital of the capital. As I was leaving town there was a large statue of a fly fisherman with his line extended. There was a young guy taking a picture with himself at the end of the line (the one that didn't get away). I had a big climb to do the next 10 miles and just after I left Ennis my cable for the rear derrailleur broke. So I am now riding a 3 speed instead of a 27 speed. I just had to keep pedaling and eventually made it over the peak. The rest of the ride was fast down into Virginia City. I had to keep tapping my brakes to keep it under 45 mph so I wasn't a complete idiot. Stopped in Virginia City, met Sharon for some homemade ice cream and was on the road again. Had another 26 miles to go get to Twin Bridges. We are staying at the Kings Motel in a very nice little cottage. The owners, Marsha and Don, moved out here from NH to buy this place and give their son's fly fishing customers a place to stay. While Sharon was registering at the hotel she mentioned my bike problem to the owner. Marsha called a competitor of her sons, who used to own a bike shop in Colorado, and told him of our woes. Craig came right over with what parts he had, but none fit. Oh well-will continue riding the 3 speed until we get to Missoula where there are numerous bike shops-we should be there Tuesday morning. We did our laundry in Craig's laundromat, had a nice dinner, and are now going to rest up for tomorrow. 96 miles