I decided to go for luxury and stay in a motel for 4 nights (shower + real bed!), to get some rest and experience 4th of July.

That's what I said. It ended up being two nights at a motel, two nights at Joshua's, and half a day of resting.

I went to a bike 'shop' in Missoula, where you can use tools and used components for free to repair your bike. The owner is trying to improve the situation for bicyclists in Missoula, so when he found out I'm from Holland, he started asking my opinion about all different kinds of traffic situations and solutions to them. He also told me there was a short bike tour through Missoula that night.

After the bike tour we ended up in a bar and I got to talking to Joshua and Emily. Once again my being Dutch made me instantly popular (why doesn't that work in Holland?), and upon asking where I stayed, I answered 'in a motel'. Joshua immediately told me to cancel my motel reservations and stay with him for the rest of the week. That was the end of my break...

We ended up mountainbiking and hiking for the remaining two days. By mountainbiking I mean climbing on an off-road trail for 9 miles, then walking, crashing, and 'riding' on a trail that's barely walkable. By hiking, I mean walking to snow level, falling behind and losing track of the trail. Instead of wandering about in the snow, I decided to make it a rest day and just walk back and lay in the shades for an hour.

My 67 mile bike ride the next day was an easy day compared to staying with a complete stranger in a progressive city that lies in a state that doesn't seem so progressive at all.