Alright, today we ride again! We’re going to go out and try to find some trails we found on a map, the Cabin Creek Trail and the Cub Trail. They’re supposed to meet with each other , five miles each, as an out-and-back, so a possibility of doing twenty miles! Off we go!

Ok, it was interesting. First of all, Sonny (Junior was confusing, because that’s the truck’s name, so … sorry, Adrian, your nickname gets changed!) decided he wanted to ride into town, and then – why not – all the way out to the trailhead. Ok, no problem, we got some things squared away at camp and headed out. Caught Sonny about five miles out of town, with about 18 to go to the trailhead, so we just blasted past him with nary a wave, onward to find BOTH trailheads so we’d know the scoop on them. Found the first one, so we went hunting for the second … and hunting … and hunting. Well, we must not be very good hunters, ’cause we never found it, so back we went top get Sonny, but first I had to get past this guy:

Anyway, I got past that guy and headed back. Sonny had just left the first trailhead towards the second, and we stopped him at the highway, to go back and start the ride. The trail looked as though it had never seen a bike, so we got a little hesitant and asked Sonny to go have a look. He came back in about ten minutes with the verdict – it’s a hiking trail, not a bike trail, and it’s narrow, with a steep drop-off – I’M OUTA HERE! The decision was made to go back towards town and investigate the trail situation. Besides, this is REALLY bear country, as a couple of weeks ago a pop-up trailer (like ours) was ravaged by a bear looking for food. Not really the place to hang out. Don’t believe me? Here’s the sign:

We headed back to the ranger station to get some maps – they were gone to lunch. Ok, good idea, let’s US go to lunch. On the way in to town, we saw a place advertising Tapas and Paella – Mmmmmm! Let’s GO! Yeah, but they’re closed … until five. Ok, we’ll be back at five. Had a quick bite at a pizza place, and noticed the place across the street had Guinness on tap – always something to look out for. We will be back there later! Went to the ranger station to get maps and advice, talked to some VERY nice rangers who gave us all sorts of info, and who talked us into trying the local ski trails, as they are much flatter thn everything else out here. It’s called the Rendezvous Trail, and it’s a series of loops that are used for cross-country skiing in the winter. Pretty cool, and VERY nice! I wish we’d known about these the whole time! GREAT training loops! So, we did a couple of loops and decided to go back to Beartooth Barbecue for that Guinness! Great brew after a ride, and we finished up … just before five! Let’s go have Spanish food! No, that’s not a euphemism for Mexican food, REAL Spanish food!

The place is called Cafe Madriz, and it is owned by a rather young Spanish lass, who is VERY hospitable. They ask first if you have a reservation, but we got seated even though we did not. We ordered a pitcher of Sangria, a meat and cheese sampler, and the Paella for two. Yes, there were three of us, but we’d just had a hydraulic sandwich (the Guinness), and we were also having the sampler platter. Great choices, it was definitely enough food. The menu tells you it’s going to take 30 minutes for you to get your food, because there is no pre-prep. It is all made after you order it, the way it should be. We did not mind the wait, the sampler platter came out fairly fast (it’s not hard to slice up meats and cheeses), as did the sangria, and then, a half hour later, the Paella! I have a photo I will post. Ok, I’m somewhere where the WiFi works, so here it is:

This is some of the best, if not THE best Paella I have ever had! Ohhhhh…. and then of course dessert – Sonny and The Bear had a Tarta de Santiago, a sort of cupcake made with almond flour, and I had the Crema Catalana, which is sort of a Creme Brulee. Oohhhhh … EXCELLENT! Here’s the photo of those … well … I remembered AFTER we’d bit into them … a bit … quite … a … bit:

Absolutely excellent! Everything was excellent! If ever I return, I hope they are still here, because it’s number one on my list! If you are ever here, make SURE you make it part of your visit. Very well worth the trip! Damned near orgasmic, it is! Best. Food. Ever. Or really, really close!