Getting about in Missoula

As I looked through today's pictures I noticed a theme... transport. Missoula is a very bike friendly place to be, for one thing it's flat, and for another it has the typical wide roads of US towns, many with designated cycle paths. It also has a wide variety of bikes.  Today was a special event when some streets in the centre of town are closed off to cars to allow all sorts of activities to take place.

This picture has one, two, three, and four-wheeled cycles all together. 

Fellow student Karen taking to the road for the first time in a 4-wheeled bike and trying to decide whether to aim for the man on the unicycle or another fellow student, Cindy, who is trying to record the event (and hoping not to be part of it).

Three wheeled cycles can have the single wheel at the front or the back...

This may even count as a six-wheeler...

The four-wheeled bike... suspension, disc brakes, electric motor...

... and a very friendly owner who is happy to let complete strangers loose on his machine. He builds the bikes himself apart from the final powder coating finish.

Me on the bike in my new hat... not very good protection against a crash but it works wonders in keeping the sun off!  Temps today were in the low 80's so a good bit warmer than previous days.

Other modes of transport seen today were...

skateboards...

canoes...

surfboards...

And in case you were wondering where they get to use a surfboard in Montana, the answer is right here in town.  This surfer is riding Brennan's Wave, a man made wave that is right next to  a viewing platform. The wave is popular with kayak riders too. 

The past few days have been a great introduction to Missoula and to some of a great bunch of students. Tomorrow the real work starts at 8.30 a.m!  

Photographer's convention? ... reports are coming in of a very high number of heavy duty cameras on the streets of Missoula today.  This situation is expected to last for several months!