Montana

Just a week ago I arrived in a quaint resort town in the Rockies called Whitefish. Beginning my journey there by slowly and methodically putting my dismantled bicycle back together from it's shipping box. After consulting with one of the local bike shops my route was much different than I had first planned.
The Seeley Swan Valley is one of the longest roads in the Western side of the state with the least amount of people. Grizzly bears and fast drivers were my worst enemies on this leg of the journey. 110 miles and I survived. I made it through some of Montana's best scenery. High mountain fresh air, ponderosa pines, blooming wildflowers and the occasional tourist attraction were some of the joys that I experienced. Smiling most of the way too!
Arriving in Seely Lake my good friend Nathan Johnson and his son had planned to go camping with me in the surrounding mountains and photo one of the larger waterfalls in the area. I found a laundry mat with a shower at which point I thought I was in heaven. I started a batch up of "less than fresh" laundry when the downpour started. With my arm half in the water of the wash basin there was a great flash of light and a shock that jolted me. I jerked my arm out of the washer as the thunder was still shaking the building. I've never been shocked by lightning before and I was really pretty happy once I checked myself over for any damage or burns. Wow, good times in Montana. There was some hail and more rain and a really amazing lightning show. I talked Nate and Tristan into heading back to Missoula...