Mostly Mellow in Missoula (day 19)

Today we got up and drove back into Missoula for breakfast at a place called Hob Nob. Jules had a delicious sourdough pancake (supposedly the starter is 75 years old!)

And I had lovely corned beef hash.

Even though our diet on this trip has been, well, substantial, big breakfasts have been a bit rare. But that’s OK - we were heading out to go kayaking on the Blackfoot River. Using a tip from a kayak shop in town, we drove out to “park and play” on a glassy wave. Only one problem: there was a boat-munchy hole (recirculating water) blocking access to the glassy part of the wave, the wave was high and hard to enter, and the river ran swift with cold spring melt run-off. (OK, that’s four problems.) Still, it was a good workout ferrying from one side of the river to the other. We practiced rolling, which gave me an ice cream headache, but without the sugar rush.

Since I didn't take a picture of us paddling (camera isn't waterproof), here's a picture of the surfing wave downtown. It's great to see a city do more than tolerate kayakers:

A brief update for those playing at home - here is how often we’ve used certain items we’ve brought with us:

Sleeping in T@B: Every night, except for first night at parents
Backpacks and boots: Every other day
Bikes: Once
Kayaks: Once
Weber Baby Q Grill: Once (if grilling asparagus counts)
Big expensive screen room attachment for trailer: None
Port-a-potty: None

After spending 20 minutes strapping the boats to the roof rack, we thought of ditching some stuff to fit the boats in the van, their rightful place. But there‘s still more than two weeks left of camping….

Back into town for lunch (undistinguished Asian food), a trip to Target (they sell wine in juice boxes here!), a visit to the Airstream dealer (not impressed with lousy fit and finish and stupid high prices on the new ones), and then some cake. We whiled away more time in an internet café on comfy chairs and then had a great dinner at Scotty’s Table, a hidden-away place with great food and ambiance.

We’ll probably stop again in Missoula on the way back, maybe staying at a hotel (!) downtown so we can walk around the city. Back to the woods tomorrow.

Tom