T minus 2 days to Glacier

It feels like we got a little of everything Montana has today. Wound out of Missoula following the Clark Fork around some sand-colored, dry hills early this morning. Just outside of East Missoula we switched over to the Blackfoot River, and went through this awesome gorge surrounded by pretty large, tree and grass covered mountains. The rivers we passed in the morning were still pretty clear, but the light gave them a more familiar brown/green tint. The gorge opened up a bit, and we found ourselves in this awesome cove with beautiful meadows (MT irrigates and uses sprinklers more than any other state I've seen) surrounded by pine-covered hills. It was a bit like a Cades Cove in the west. After the cove, we did a mini-climb (even though we were slightly uphill/flat anyhoo) and got a nice downhill on the backside. The roads did have broad shoulders for the first half, so we rode on those even though they were covered with gravel and glass. I have developed a strong dislike of gravelly shoulders - they're way too bumpy to use for long stretches. Cars get kinda angry if you take the road, though. Closer to the afternoon, we got more of the dry hills and farms with rolling terrain and lots of sunlight. We did pass a few lakes (Salmon and at the end of our ride Seeley), and that was great. Kinda made me want to go for a swim. The afternoon roads also had no shoulder (yay), which gave our butts needed respite. Though we could have done another 25 miles, Dad's a bit tired, so we've stopped after 55 miles in Seeley Lake. Pictures will come later.