Day 27, Monday, August 13, 2012, Rest Day, Missoula, MT

Day 27, Monday, August 13, 2012, Rest Day, Missoula, MT

Two of the three in our room slept in and Mike, being one of the two, slept in until after 8 AM, which I thought to be almost miraculous for the man who wakes with the sunrise. Geno and Mike agreed we should meet at the Adventure Cycling Association's headquarters at 9:45. Mike and I tried the continental breakfast provided by the motel. Then we were off to the ACA headquarters.

Jim Sayers, executive director, was on duty as the official greeter of cycling tourists passing through. All cyclists passing through get their picture taken and posted on a board in the foyer. Jim pointed out there had been so many cyclists passing through this

year they had to add a second board and may need to add a third as there is still a month left in the touring season.

Back row: Left to Right: Bob Anderson, Dennis Engblom, Herb Lee (pointing at a picture of Herb, Geno and Jim Regan on display in the front door foyer.) Jay Okada. Kneeling: Left to Right: Frank Gerace, Mike Broderick, Geno Masuda.

Then he took us on a tour of the building. They have expanded and remodeled, all finishing within the last year. ACA appears to be on a good financial foundation looking forward, which was good to hear.

 

A triple on display in the foyer.

 

The front office. Every bike on display has crossed some part of the US.

 

 

 

The library space, a work in progress.

 

The cartographers office space. Before the remodel eleven other people were crammed into this space.

 

Meeting space.

 

A recently remodeled space for the multi-media staff.

 

Jim Sayer, finishing up our tour.

 

Oh! Look! a red Rex. Too bad that green Kona is in the way.

After the tour we split up, some going into the cyclists' lounge, others looking around, and I filled out our picture card, but I did not call us the Flowmax Seven as I had not known we wanted that name to get out into the public.

Jay, Geno, Herb, Mike, Frank, and I went for coffee followed by a lunch at a different establishment then Mike, Frank and I headed back to the motel room where I worked on my blog entries. 

Mike washed clothes for us while I typed away. Frank went for a walk. At 6 we stepped out the door with our bikes to ride to Caffe Dolce for dinner. It was another epicurean delight. Presentation did not match The Laughing (not Crazy) Horse in Swan Lake, but quality of food was equal. 

Our waitress though had a problem remembering what each of us ordered. We almost always ask for separate checks. Rarely a problem in the U.S., but not acceptable in most of the places we ate in Canada. In Canada they would either come to your table with a portable credit card reader and tick off each individual's items or they would do the same at the main cash register. Anyway, Mara, our server, forgot what we ordered or confused the orders between us. It took quite a few returns to the cash register to correct. I almost got away with not paying at all, but I reminded her of my order and she billed me correctly. As a result I was the last out the door.

Tomorrow we leave Missoula and travel to Hamilton, MT. on our way to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. The last two national parks on our Great Parks Tour.