This leg of the trip began with a 60-mile jaunt from Seeley Lake to Missoula, a university town of around 70,000 in western Montana. Missoula allowed us to be tourists for a few days, and we ended up staying three nights in a campsite not too far from the Downtown. As luck would have it, the campsite was located behind a REI store - REI is an outdoor/adventure cooperative store, which includes a comprehensive bike section. Our bikes, needing a service, only had to be walked a mere few hundred metres in order to get the attention they required. And it was excellent service, I will add.
For the record, and for those interested in the bike-mechanic side of our trip, I required a new chain, cassette, rear brake pads, and a crank (bottom bracket) re-grease; Alia needed a new chain (but not a new cassette - he explained that once the chain becomes too loose, it creates grooves in the cassette that doesn't allow for a new chain to sit properly - Alia hadn't let her chain get to this point, while I had) plus some new rear brake pads. Both also had a general check of our spokes/wheels (both had slight wobbles that were fixed with some tightening of the spokes), and some general tightening of gears. My service (incl. parts) cost $120, Alia's $85.
The rain is now pounding down, slanted from the west. So glad we're holed up in this room. We've had excellent weather of late, temps around mid-80s (high 20s), and minimal humidity. Rain is welcome is these parts, and it does help keep the dust down on many of the roads we travel along (our 2,400 mile route had us on backroads 80% of the time).
Missoula was pleasant, it's Downtown laden with authentic 1900s buildings and charm. We visit the Adventure Cycling Association head office (this is the organization that plans the route we're on); they have a policy of taking your photo, and giving you as much free ice cream and pop as you want. You can also do some research there in a room set aside for bike riders. It's a very welcoming place.
From Missoula, which isn't on the 'official' Great Divide Trail, we aim to head to the mining town of Butte, around 130 miles to the southea
Pools of water are now forming in the gravel parking lot downstairs. The rain seems in a hurry. It's almost rushing to quench a thirsty ground. We had only just returned from a short walk to 'Ma Barnes General Store', about a half-mile from here. We were stocking up for our next leg, which will see us out and about for two days without going through a town. The lady who served us was a lovely woman, very intent on knowing what we were up to. She had sign a book saying we were passing through on the Great Divide trail. As we were leaving, she offered us a booklet on the Lord's teachings. Not my usual bedtime reading but I take it anyway, cautious not to offend. Maybe my indifference to this sort of literature brought on the heavy rain. Better see about a boat perhaps...
Butte was fantastic. A true mining town if there ever was one, it's entire Downtown remains locked in the late 1800s/early 1900s. The pace is slow, relaxed. The locals amble. It's hot but dry. The town is rimmed to the east by the Rocky Mountains, although even more startling is the open-cut mine that sits adjace
Our next three days have us climbing. The first, which sees us ride around 30 miles (and up 2000ft) to Highland campsite literally on the Great (Continental) Divide, offers majestic views back towards Butte. We pass through rock-strewn pastures, likely deposited by glaciers of many years ago. Much
The next day sees us climb some, and then descend sharply to Interstate 15, before climbing to almost 8000ft (or 2000 ft over 12 or so miles on this part - Interstate 15 sits just under 6000 ft in altitude) just under Fleecers Ridge. Here we tackle the toughest part of the entire trail, a sharp but thankfully short descent down the side of the same Ridge. We're forced to walk the bikes down 0.25 miles of it, it's that steep. Loose stones make the walk treacherous, although we both make it down safely. The next 8 miles are downhill to the town of Wise River, where we camp for the night.
The next, and final part of this section, sees us travel on paved road along the 'Scenic Byway' of Highway 73. For the most part we have this glorious piece of bitumen to ourselves. It's initially a gradual ascent, although as we draw nearer to our present location it becomes tougher. Breathing becomes more labored, for me at least - that's the altitude, or so I believe. As with the two previous days, we're gaining 2,000 feet today, topping out at just under 8,000 ft near Crystal Park. We pass some meadows near the top, one of which is likely named after the moose that are no doubt present. The grass flows with the westerly breeze. Sharp, jagged peaks sit proudly to our east, the result of tectonic movements 70 million years ago. The mountains to our east are rounded, smoother - the result of being capped by erosion-resistant sandstone.
And, so, back to Elkhorn Hot Springs, which is where we hitched our bikes after a winding descent that began just after Crystal Park. Our next leg will see us enter Yellowstone National Park, somewhere I've always dreamed of visiting. We remain in good health, and apart from a few flat tires, the bikes continue to purr. Our muscles do ache most days, and our stomachs are rarely full, but we continue to savour the good fortune we have been presented with. Maybe I should begin reading that booklet, as a form of thanks to the Lord above? After all, the rain is continuing to fall...
Hi Simon & Alia,
ReplyDeleteI feel like I am somehow on this journey with you both, even though I am in my comfy arm chair. lol.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful adventure with us.
xxxx
Hi Jules!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. Sometimes we wish we were in a comfy arm chair. We'll have to make do with this comfy dent in the grass. We're about to head into Yellowstone, so Simon's next blog should be interesting ... plus a grizzly bear encounter!
Alia