Day 44 – Rest Day in Missoula! (The Answer to the Riddle)


There is not much to report about today except for a tune up on the bikes and the end of the day DU! Dad and Mom had gone out for groceries only to return and tell us all that we were going on a DU. Now for those of you who are unsure what a DU is, let me inform you. When the Hyink children were young, Dad and Mom would periodically tell us that we were going somewhere and they would then not tell us where. DU stands for Destination Unknown. Our parents would know but none of the children would have a clue. The best DU our family ever went on was to Toronto. Dad and Mom actually got us out of school for half a day and we drove to Flint, MI where we hopped on a train. After spending the day touring the city of Toronto, Dad and Mom told us to dress nicely because we were going to somewhere special. They took all of us to Phantom of the Opera! It was awesome and an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Other DUs were not as elaborate but they were no less exciting and adventuresome. So when we were told we were going on a DU we all got excited! We piled in the car and drove away. They took us to a carrousel, but it was not just any ordinary carrousel, all of the horses and gargoyles were wooden and hand carved. It was one of the first completely hand carved carrousels made since the Great Depression.


It was great and very beautiful. The detail showed that the master craftsman loved and took great pride in his work.
There was one other thing that happened earlier in the day. We were going to the bike shops to find a certain brand of tire for Dad’s bike and outside of one of the shops we found a bicycle gondola. Not one that goes in water but on land. Joshua gave me a guided tour around town! He will take a good nap this afternoon!

This was not originally a planned day off, so tomorrow we will combine two days into one and will give us 110 miles to ride. It was early to bed because it will be early to rise!