Moose Creek to Basin 7/13 29 miles

More pics here

Another early start today, 6:30.  We of course wanted to beat the heat, but more importantly wanted to get to Butte to see Steve, Tamera, Atle and Aryton.  We decided it would be too tough to ride all the way to Butte so we ended in Basin another run down remnant of a mining town.

We started climbing steeply almost immediately and didn't stop for 15 miles.  Along the way we herded many stubborn cows and passed some beautiful country.  We worked our way up to my least favorite part of any ride so far, the 4 mile 4-wheel drive destroyed segment.  We easily walked 3.5 of the 4 miles.  I fell for the first time( I know, shocking) and lots of expletives were heard by the rabbits and chipmunks.  Eventually we made it out to a beautiful canyon with rushing creeks, old mine remnants and incredible rock walls.  Basin had many historic buildings but little else.  Again, a welcome site to see "Rocky" waiting to take us to Butte.
Butte pics here

Butte was great!  We walked to "Uptown" where we had a great dinner at the Uptown Cafe, then walked a few short blocks to Kevin, Amy and Calvin's house, where Steve and Tamera were staying.  Kevin and Amy are old friends of Steve and Tamera's, and who we have spent many wonderful trips to Bitteroot with.  We had a very enjoyable evening with them all, and even had time to walk down to the folk festival that was kicking off that evening.  We listened to Congolese music and a bit of Zydeco, then headed home.
The next day we spent at the folk festival and then had a great dinner at Kevin and Amy's.  Daren opted out, and went in search of bike shops to supplement our stock and nap.  Sarah spent most of the day working on job apps and then heading to folk festival.