It has been a tradition for my wife the last couple of years to get out for a long Mother's day ride with her friends.  This year after having a great Father's day breakfast she encouraged me to get out on for along ride for Father's day.  I didn't need too much arm twisting so I hopped on my 'cross bike and headed out for Petty Creek via Southside road.  It was a great Montana sunny day but the morning sky showed a definite threat of rain. No worries a bit of rain is always good for you.  Besides our bodies are 75% water.  The rain finally arrived at about the moment the pavement turned to dirt and the short first climb on southside road began.  The road which you can count on to be dusty in the summer had a nice thin layer of watery mud covering the surface and trickling down the hill.  It did not take long to find my self and my bike covered in this thin film.  At least the rain was steady so I was gettting washed off as my tires continued to spray mud all over me.  The road was in good condition so I pressed on.  Southside road along the Clark Fork River (thanks CFC) all the way to Petty Creek is super scenic.  At times you are well above the river and other times you are nearly at its banks but the whole time you have the whole view backed by beautiful mountains in the background.

By the time I reached Petty Creek the rain had been coming down harder and the road was a bit slushier.  I had the option of turning tail and heading home on the (paved) road on the other side of the river but the thought of playing in the mud a while longer had too great an appeal.  I plugged away pedaling a 42x21.  The road was thick and I couldn't push a much harder gear.  Yes, I was going slow but giving it a solid push.  I decided to go 1x9 on my 'cross bike this year...just an experiment.  It sure makes for tough riding when the roads or trail turn steeply upwards, and/or when the rain falls hard and the mud is thick.  Petty Creek climbs up and over a small pass and the road turns into Graves Creek One of the highlights of the ride down Graves Creek is the rest stop at the Lumber Jack Saloon.  Tater tots and a soda at the Jack are the best sort of food to recharge the batteries after several hours on the bike.

About a mile down the road from the 'Jack Graves Creek intersects with highway 12 which takes you back to Lolo and eventually to Missoula.  Just at the moment that I turned back onto the paved road the sun broke through the rapidly clearing clouds.  As an added treat the wind decided that it would give me nice light tailwind push back home.  I arrived home, pretty beat after nearly six hours in the saddle.  My kids were playing in the sprinkler in the front yard and My wife asked me where I managed to find so much mud.  Apparently the weather in town Missoula had been beautiful all day.

My kids were a bit stunned at my appearance (the photos don't seem to do justice) but they had a great time hosing me off.  Even better was the dinner my wife made.  We had a ton of veggies from the PEAS farm across the river and she even found some amazing lettuce at a yard sale of all places.  I had definitely not eaten enough during the ride so I was looking forward to stuffing my self after a warm shower.  It is only June but after the great ride I am very much looking forward to 'cross season.  There is nothing like a bit of mud to keep you feeling like a kid.