Day 16 - Rest day in Ennis, MT

We’ve worked hard for this rest day, so we wanted to make the most of it. So far we have pedaled 925 miles and climbed 33,365 ft over 14 days of riding. I’d say that qualifies for some R&R.

Since we were in a small town in Montana, we thought the light pollution would be minimal and give us a good view of the stars. We didn’t account for the full moon being so bright that the stars were not quite as visible. All but one woke up at 2:30am for the drive to the top of the mountain that we just descended a few hours earlier. A few of the boys had phones with shutter delays and were able to capture some decent photos. Everyone voted for another attempt when we are in another remote town.

Because we were up until 3:15am, we turned breakfast into a brunch and allowed everyone to sleep in. A few of us were up at 8am and made our way to the laundromat to start our loads. I brought a rope along to hang my laundry outside, it just so happened that the trailer was parked near a fence, so I could make a line. The boys do their own laundry by room, so the line got used again by one of the rooms. I’m hoping this setup works for the next laundry day too!

I talked to one of the ladies working at the front desk and got some ideas for our day off. After brunch, we headed north to a lake. Having 6 nephews, I kind-of have a sense for what might appeal to young men, so I think our time by the water was enjoyed by all! While at the lake the clouds were looking a little threatening, and just as Al said “It’s moving away from us!” the sky opened up with drops of rain. We rushed to the van and started heading to the next adventure for the day.

Lee had a friend with a ranch near the lake we visited, so we took a short drive to meet with him. Brett was very generous with his time and showed us all around the ranch. We met chicks, chickens, goats, baby goats, and cats. We also took the van off-roading and climbed to the top of a hill to get an overview of his 2000 acre ranch. The cattle were off grazing in another field, so we didn’t get to see them. The view from the top of the hill was amazing!

After our ranch visit, we came back to the hotel to shower and change before dinner. We took Brett’s recommendation for dinner and walked 100 yards to the Sportsmans. It was my favorite dinner so far on the trip!

Tomorrow we ride to West Yellowstone… bring on the animals!