Sasha, Zhenya, and Lee enjoyed breakfast and a relaxing morning with the McNeills before hopping on their bikes and heading toward McAllister, MT. The forecast was for a hot day but some cloud cover moved in a gave them great shade for their ride.At the 20 mile point they stopped to take a break and Zhenya noticed a bubble in Sasha's rear tire. Lee said that he had noticed it the day prior but forgot to mention it. They decided to see how far they could make it on that tire before needing to change it. It went flat in approximately 4 rotations of the tire! They changed the tire quickly exactly as Jason had taught them in their maintenance class and were on the road in short order.
In another 10 miles they reached the town of Norris. By this time the cloud cover began building into a wind storm and gravel from the road started to fly around them and pelt them with great force. That didn't feel so good! They climbed a 900 foot hill and on the other side coasted down into McAllister in the Madison Valley, which is absolutely beautiful. Bret and Rita Owens were waiting for them in their pick-up truck in McAllister to show them to their ranch. The guys are enjoying a homecooked meal with Bret, Rita, Gavin, Madison, and Race this evening (Gage left recently for the Air Force Academy). Tomorrow is a well-deserved day of rest from riding that is sure to be a fun time at the Owens' ranch.
DAILY STATS:
39 miles from Bozeman to McAllister
11:00 am to 4:30 pm, sun and clouds
900 feet elevation gain
669 total miles to date
What a delight to stay with friends in the midst of this adventure. Thank you to the McNeills and to the Owens families for welcoming the guys into your homes. We appreciate your kindness to them!
Please pray that this day of rest will be refreshing for Sasha, Zhenya, and Lee. They are in need of it! Thank you for your continued interest and concern for them.
