Eureka to Grave Creek

After our epic voyage yesterday, we needed a day off the saddle. Plus, it was Carrie’s 30th birthday. We started the day off right by going to the best and only cafe in Eureka for some good old American comfort food. The eggs, hash browns, and pancakes were delicious.

After a grocery run, we made our way down the road about 8 miles to the Grave Creek Cabins. We timed it just right because as soon as we arrived it started drizzling. Each cozy cabin has the essentials for a good day off: a comfy bed, a shower, a fridge, a microwave, Internet access, and a great porch, where we spent most of the day reading and relaxing.

For Carrie’s birthday dinner, we microwaved some jack cheese and refried beans in a tortilla and topped it off with a grocery store mini cream pie. Not luxurious but oh so tasty. The joy of bicycle touring is that everything tastes good after a long day in the saddle, or even a short day in the saddle if your metabolism is still playing catchup from the day before.

That night another thunderstorm rolled in. This part of Montana has been having record-breaking rain for the past month. We woke up to more rain, so we had to decide if we were going to head out to our next campsite in the woods or stay another day at the cabin and do twice the mileage the following day to get us to Polebridge. We decided on the latter. It was a good choice because it rained really hard off and on for most of the day. The forecast for the following day looks more promising.

We’re looking forward to the ride tomorrow. We get to climb another pass in a supposedly beautiful setting and then stay in another cabin at the Square Peg Ranch. If it rains during the day, at least we’ll have a dry place to call home for the evening.