Shakendown SLowBoken

Soo, hordes of pictures have been uploaded and they're allll for U! Among other things the Missoula Section of SlowBoken has and continues to be sweeeet. A friend of a friend, Jordan, was kind enough to put me up, and we've hit it off famously. Thus far I've spent some QT at a sweet bike shop, The Bike Doctor, and they were kind enough to accept my new front rack shipment, and allow me to install it. Generally I am confident in any shop with paintings, and this one had two big ones and they were excellent. SO much so that I continued my wrenching program, which I've been slowly taking care of, and installed a new chain, cassette, derailuer pulleys, and will hopefully make it across without having to do so again. EC and Marlayna(?) the beau proprietors were also unloading kegs of fine local brew and having a B-day party which I was only too happy to attend. The back of the shop has a sweet yard and they had dug up an old barrel in which a fire roared, and I managed to get sufficently drunk-ed. ENough so that I was in top form at about 1 when a law enforcement officer of the highest order pulled me over. It was true that I was without lights, but he was unaware of this stomparillaz excellent drunk biking skillz and I carried on without any trouble after a round of friendly banter; He said he was a county cop and the coroner and didn't want to have to deal with my corpse. Yes sir sirsir..

Amidst the partyin' crew were a couple of goofalopes on extended tour from Vermont of all places, drivin' their truck around the west shreddin singletrack on their single speedz, so we talked the talk and they were directed to Durango for the Rally of the Dead , and the renowned Stompa timing continued to prove itself with a chance run in with another touring crew, who just happened to be those same Pisgah bums we kicked it with at Freds well in the Nevada Desert and at sswc in napa. SOo we all managed to just about get hit by cars saturday morining during missoula homecoming madness spotting each other in the streets.

It was also swell to excercise my 'Mericaness and do some shopping for rocks and other important things I would like to carry. Nothing like a bike tour to make shopping a challenge, as if it wasn't enough. Annywho, as per SlowBoken protocol, I planned on leaving on Saturday, but managed to lay about long enough that Sunday it shall be. For thousands of words check pix. .peas