Tag: The Big Sky State

Conrad to Lincoln

Conrad to Lincoln

gavscyclingadventures

The Road To Nowhere – Tuesday 31st May to Thursday 2nd June

Tuesday 31st May – Conrad to Great Falls (Stage 25)

We woke to blue skies once again & I set off in shorts, short sleeved jersey & sun tan lotion! As we left town, we could see “pepperpots” in all directions, a sure sign we were heading into remote farming country. As we approached the I-15, we took a right turn & joined a small frontage road – once upon a time in pre-freeway days this would have been the main road, but today we would have it almost to ourselves.

The two lane road offered views of the mountains to the right & views to infinity straight ahead! With a light tailwind behind us, we had perfect cycling conditions in a stunningly beautiful location.

After about 10 miles we reached the small agricultural town of Brady – in the last census it had a population of 140. It’s a hub for the collection of grain from the surrounding farms, so in spite of its lack of size, it’s still an important town.

Leaving town, the road picked its way between wheat fields as it continued to track the freeway, with the railroad tracking us on the other side. Round about here we saw our first car for 15 miles, which matched the number of deer I’d managed to photograph!

The next major event was crossing the freeway & passing through a small section of shrubs & small trees. As we reached Dutton we found a small diner where we stopped briefly for coffee & a cinnamon roll. Pepperpots continued to dominate the human landscape as we continued on our way – just after a small airfield the road turned to gravel for about 5 miles, which made an enjoyable change. All the while we continued to mirror the route of the freeway – at times we can’t have been 15 yards away from it!

Montana continues to offer stunning views of The Big Sky – mountains were always visible in one direction or another. We also got early warning of our only descent of the day – as you’ll have seen from the photos already, today had little in the way of elevation changes.

The road remained our own personal playground as we enjoyed the descent – as we reached the turnoff for Vaughn we’d travelled about 50 miles on backroads & we’d seen 6 cars in that time!!

The final 13 miles took us along more populated roads – our first surprise was an oversized load of 4 John Deere combine harvesters heading towards us! We also spotted our first & only wind farm of the day.

As we headed into Great Falls, we spotted a few aircraft overhead – I then remembered that the Malstrom Air Force Base is located just to the east of town & they appeared to be carrying out exercises above us. Thanks to David Higgs for confirming the photo shows a Hercules C130.

I’d forgotten to update my route when we booked the Super 8 Motel, so we had to manually navigate across town, but I’m pleased to say it all went smoothly & Sean was still talking to me when we toasted another glorious day in the saddle!

Stage Stats – 65 miles, 1,240 feet of climbing. Virtually pan-flat with a gentle tailwind for most of the ride.

Wednesday 1st June – Great Falls to Lincoln (Stage 26)

The first 13 miles of today’s ride were a reverse of yesterday’s final 13 miles, so I kept a few details back to use here! As we left town under blue skies, we crossed the Missouri river on our own bike bridge, before passing a car on a pole which was advertising a local auto repair shop. Finally, a livestock auction was in full slow with animals being delivered at one gate & being transported away by their new owners at the other.

At Vaughn we crossed the Sun river (more on this later) which was a small torrent at this point. Joining the relatively busy Highway 89, we were provided our first view of the mountains we’re due to visit tomorrow. We were also back into “Eagle” country – I use the term loosely, as the majority of the birds we see are one of the many varieties of hawk.

Leaving Vaughn behind us, we spotted the first of a number of buttes in the distance – my favourite shot shows a small dust trail being kicked up by an SUV as it speeds across the gravel road. Not long after, I spotted a small bridge that I planned to pose on for a photo, but when I got to it I realised I’d be going for a swim if a tried to balance on a couple of thin planks while wearing cycling cleats!!!

As we reached the small settlement of Sun River we stopped at a Historic Point to learn about its strategic importance. Back in the early 1860’s, a bridge was built over the Sun river & a toll had to be paid to cross it. The bridge was built on an old Blackfeet Indian ford & a thriving town built up as a result of the gold rush in southwestern Montana. In spite of the arrival of the railroad in 1887, the town continued to be hugely important until after 1900. The current bridge is the 4th incarnation.

The most important white settlements in Montana were the mining camps in the western mountains. A series of military posts was established in the 1860’s & Fort Shaw was one of these. It also protected the stage & freight trail from Fort Benton. In 1876 General Gibbon led his troops here to join General Terry & General Custer on the Yellowstone, just prior to his disastrous fight with Sioux & Cheyenne Indians at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Fort Shaw Indian School became World Champions at Girl’s Basketball when they beat all-comers (from the USA & around the world) at the 1904 St Louis World Fair. I learned all this from following a Historic Point sign that had directed us both down a narrow gravel road.

Leaving Fort Shaw behind, we continued to head towards the big mountains until we reached Simms. We stopped briefly for a coffee & cookie at a gas station (the first place that had been open since we left Vaughn about 90 minutes before. As we set off again, we took an immediate right turn onto another deserted road & within minutes we’d spotted another eagle, this one perched in a tree waiting for us to move on. I also met a herd of cows, who made it clear I should moooooo-ve on!!!!

After gradually climbing for about 45 minutes, we finally got our well deserved payback – a long, straight descent! We stopped for a selfie at the top before enjoying a rapid descent with a stunning view of the mountains ahead of us.

As we were freewheeling along the flat at the bottom, we spotted what on first inspection looked to be a ghost town – it was only when we checked out a “Private Property” sign that we realised it was actually a local gun club. Just a couple of fields later we spotted a couple of white tailed deer, although they kept their distance from us. Continuing on, a new section of The Rockies revealed itself – somewhere over there must be the Pass we’re crossing tomorrow.

We got to enjoy one final descent before we joined the 287 for the final couple of miles into Augusta. Our motel is called the Wagons Rest & along with the rest of the town has retained its wild west heritage & some of its physical history too. We arrived slightly early & the owners weren’t in, so Matt (the previous owner) kindly checked us in, sorted us out with room keys & ensured we were comfortable.

After a relaxing dinner from the local grocery store (salad, crisps, chocolate & Dr Peppers in case you’re interested) I stood & watched a stunning sunset as the sun dipped its head behind The Rocky Mountains.

Stage Stats – 57 miles, 869 feet of climbing. Virtually pan-flat with no wind to speak of. Glorious sunshine all day.

Thursday 2nd June – Lincoln to August (Stage 27)

Today we’re back in the mountains again, but first we have to get there. We set off about 9.30am under blue, but cloudy skies & almost immediately we spotted a couple of herds of deer in the same field – there must have been 10 of them in total. The mountains were on our right hand side as we started a gradual climb of the non-categorised variety. As we reached a short downhill section we were overtaken by a huge truck carrying an oversized load – we’ve encountered a few of these on our adventure to date & like all the others, the driver made sure to give us plenty of room.

At the 19 mile point we took a right & re-joined the 200, which we’d been riding yesterday (until we turned off at Simms). Immediately we hit a short, sharp climb, which isn’t really what the legs need before a hors category ascent! What also became clear very quickly was there would be a number of false climbs where we’d keep giving back the ground we’d climbed……

We’d been crossing small creek valleys, which was why the road kept rising & falling – eventually we crossed the last of the rivers & the climb of Rogers Pass started for real. We also returned to National Forest land, this time it was Helena.

While the early slopes of the climb were quite friendly, it did get steeper the further up we went – sections were 8%, which on a fully loaded steel touring bike is slow going as I only do about 4mph in these bits. I recorded my thoughts at about the halfway point of the climb;

We stopped near the top to take a couple of photos to remind ourselves of the climb & the scenery we’d ridden through. I know from experience the mind soon forgets the detail of each of the days, especially when so many new experiences are happening day after day!

Rogers Pass forms part of The Continental Divide, so this became our 2nd crossing in a week (after Marias Pass last Friday).

This was another simple & straightforward descent – a very gentle slope, with no bends or turns to talk of. Sean simply had to tuck in behind me & enjoy the free ride! As we were climbing, it was overcast above us, but almost as soon as we summited we had sun & blue sky again.

As we descended further we started to cross creeks again & pass small lakes. We also stopped briefly at the Ranger Station to learn a little more about bears – we don’t plan to meet any at close range, but do want to know what to do in the unlikely event it happens! We also saw gates to a Sculpture In The Wild exhibition, which Sean investigated further when we reached our hotel. It looks an interesting candidate for a visit on our rest day tomorrow!

Stage Stats – 57 miles, 3.176 feet of climbing. A long drag up a non categorised climb before the Hors Categorie ascent of Rogers Pass.

Ione to Heron

Ione to Heron

gavscyclingadventures

From The Evergreen State to The Big Sky State – Wednesday 18th to Friday 20th May

Wednesday 18th May – Ione to Sandpoint (Stage 16)

The alarms were set for 7am, so we could have breakfast in our room & be on our way by 8am. Today was the longest stage of our adventure so far – Sandpoint was 86 miles away! As we set off under overcast skies, we crossed the Pend-Oreille river with beautiful views back towards town. We joined the LeClerc Road, which we would be following for the next 50 miles!

As we continued along the banks of the river, we saw two Canada Geese fly from the opposite verge as they were frightened by a passing car, one of the few we saw in the first hour. The 2nd bird glanced off the windshield as he set off & miraculously carried on flying, having suffered no obvious injuries. Not long after, a couple of deer crossed the road – one in front of us & the other sneaking behind us!! They were kind enough to wait for me to get a photo of them!

The profile of today’s stage was rolling, so no long climbs to speak of. As a result we made good time along the deserted road – we were in wet weather gear, as the forecast was for rain to roll in from about 10am. I just managed to get a selfie of us with the river in the background before the promised rains arrived.

As we reached the 25 mile point of our ride, we reached the small town of Usk (some of my friends will recognise this is one of my regular coffee haunts when I visit South Wales. Like its South Wales counterpart, Usk in Washington also had a gorgeous bridge across its river.

For the first hour we’d had a tailwind, but this became a headwind as the rain arrived. This was going to make the day a bit more of a challenge, but at least we had learned from our last soaking in Gold Bar. My friend Jimbo had been in touch to remind me of the waterproof qualities of latex gloves – we’d packed a couple of pairs of these for bike repairs. They kept my hands dry, even if the rest of my body was drenched to the bone!

As we left Usk behind, we entered the Kalispel Indian Reservation, passing their Headquarters as we headed beyond their fish hatchery complex. Before long, we were back in farming country – some houses were palatial, while others looked like a bit of TLC was required.

After 25 miles of riding into a cold headwind with rain being blown into our faces, we reached our 2nd Welsh connection, the town of Newport. This was a momentous occasion, although you may not know it from my photo! This was where we crossed from the Evergreen State of Washington into The Potato State of Idaho – our first state boundary crossed after 16 days of riding. Leaving Newport behind, the rain stopped just as we reached the top of a climb – right on cue we saw Station 41 Espresso, a small ‘drive-through’ espresso hut, so we stopped & tried to warm ourselves up with an americano & choc chip scone!

We took what we expected to be a quiet backroad, but were regularly overtaken by logging trucks – today we guessed that we’d be passing a timber processing complex of some sort & sure enough we soon reached a plywood making facility. A short, sharp descent took us down to the Pend-Oreille river, but this time we were on the opposite bank. A pretty bridge linked the pine forest with the plywood plant. As we continued along the shoreline, we were treated to a stunning view across the water.

Things continued to improve, as our kit dried out & we found ourselves back in Eagle Country, with wooden pallets placed on telegraph poles for the eagles to use as nesting sites. All the owners were out collecting supplies as we saw lots of eagles soaring about us, but none came close enough to be photographed…….until one of a pair perched itself in a nearby tree!!

We even picked up a slight tailwind. All was good with the world again until the skies opened again 45 minutes from Sandpoint! That was long enough for us to get chilled to the bone as we crossed what was now the Pend-Oreille Lake on a cyclist only bridge. I managed to capture a shot of it, but I would certainly have appreciated it more on a dry day!

We made our way across town on quiet, cycling friendly roads & checked into separate rooms at the Cedar Street Motel & Suites – I had to say sorry for the puddle of rainwater I left as I checked in! Tomorrow’s a rest day, so we nipped into a couple of different bars to relax & celebrate crossing our first state line! We even got to listen to a local musician doing his stuff.

Stage Stats – 86 miles, 2,552 feet of climbing. A rolling day into a headwind & driving rain for most of the day. First state line crossed.

Thursday 19th May – Rest Day

Rest days now have a familiar feel to them – a bit of a lie-in, sorting out laundry, finalising routes & booking accommodation. As we’ve headed east, we’re reaching more remote regions & we’re beginning to adapt our routes to fit where we can get places to stay. At the moment we’re continuing to use motels, as the weather remains on the cold side of chilly & is very changeable.

It looks like we may be camping for the first time soon, as our next block of riding from Sandpoint to Whitefish has a big gap where we couldn’t find any accommodation. We also did a bit of shopping – Sean’s rain jacket has a temperamental zipper, so he’s bought a replacement just in case & he’s also got himself some new shades. Bearing in mind our upcoming camping debut, I’ve invested in a beanie & also splashed out on new shades too. I even left the label on for their first photo!

We celebrated our purchases with coffee & an apple fritter slice – tasty! Although we’re in the middle of a town, there’s a greenspace just across the way & when I returned from our shopping expedition, one of the residents came over to say hello.

Sandpoint holds an annual ‘Lost In The 50’s’ event & this year marks the 35th anniversary. Covid caused the cancellation of events planned for 2020 & 2021, so everyone is gearing up for tomorrow’s big show. There are a wide selection of classic 50’s cars in town, which add to the atmosphere. That’s enough excitement for today – the next stage of our adventure gets underway tomorrow.

Friday 20th May – Sandpoint to Heron (Stage 17)

We woke up to blue skies overhead & after a quick breakfast of cereal & coffee we were packed up & on our way by 10am. There was no need for an early start today, as The Amber Bear Inn in Heron was only 43 miles away on rolling terrain.

Leaving town, we immediately picked up a cycle track which took us along the edge of the Pend-Oreille lake. As we joined the ID200 we passed through Ponderay (the little city with the big future), which was busy with local traffic going about their daily chores. Within 5 miles the road was significantly quieter, as we continued on through Kootenai & past a couple of golf courses with glorious views of the mountains ahead.

As we continued along ID200, we skirted the edge of the Pend Oreille Wetland Wildlife Management Area, where we passed over Trout Creek – it looked like a saline estuary seen in Cornwall, but we were 2,000 feet above sea level! Within a couple of miles it had become part of Pend Oreille Lake again – this is an enormous expanse of water, with a surface area of 148 square miles which makes it the 38th largest in continental USA. The lake is 1,148 feet at its deepest point & we have been following its coastline for 2 complete days!!!

We continued to be surrounded by mountains on all sides as once again our route started following the railroad track. Good news, as it guarantees the road will be fairly flat!! I was once given sage advice to stop & take a look behind you every so often & see where you’ve come from – this applies equally to life & cycling & I made sure I took in the huge views behind us.

Taking in the big views & cycling is hungry work – we’re always on the lookout for coffee &/or cake stops, although now we’re in more remote locations they’re becoming as rare as hen’s teeth. I’m delighted to report I managed to sniff one out at Hope Marina, where we picked up some mementos for our bike boxes as well as coffee & cream cheese topped cinnamon rolls. I see this as essential refuelling, although some of my friends might just say I’m a cake fiend!! If we hadn’t found food here, I would quite literally have been beyond Hope – you’re welcome!!!

As we set off again, there were dark & angry clouds ahead of us. It very much looked like we might be racing the rain to reach our accommodation for the evening.

Turning inland, we left the lake behind for the last time & headed up the valley of one its tributaries, the Clark Fork Creek. Passing another wildlife wetland protection area, we saw a bale of turtles (a dole or nest is also ok!) sunning themselves on a log. As we passed there were 10 of them, by the time I’d clip-clopped back in my cleats there were only 5. We were also back in eagle territory as they soared on the thermals way above us.

The town of Clark Fork marked the start of another long section of tarmac that rose at a very friendly gradient, as it followed the course of the river. Although we didn’t realise at the time, this was one of only 2 places to cross the Clark Fork.

Continuing up the valley we encountered a few slate quarries & they all shared a common theme other than slate – they had collections of upwards of 100 ancient cars/trucks. As the road was climbing, it was compulsory that Sean sit on the front & set the pace as the road disappeared into the distance.

Today was a landmark as not only were we crossing our second State Line from The Potato State of Idaho into The Big Sky State of Montana, we were also crossing our first Time Zone as we passed from Pacific Time to Mountain Time & pedalled forward an hour in time.

At last we reached the turn-off to Heron – all that remained was to cross the Clark Fork, climb the early slopes of the valley on paved roads & then take a left turn up a gravel road to Amber Bear Inn, our home for the evening. The rain was chasing us & no sooner did we pull up than the skies opened & didn’t stop for the remainder of the day!

The Amber Bear Inn was an out of this world experience – when we arrived there was a pride (or ostentation) of 9 peacocks & peahens on the terrace. In the far distance we could just make out 5 deer grazing on the grass & a heron flying overhead. As if that wasn’t enough, later in the afternoon a gang of elk joined the party! Canada Geese also patrolled the lawn out front.

Mike & Cookie were superb hosts from the moment we walked in – our upstairs room matched the image of what a lodge in the African Serengeti would look like, it included enormous picture windows on two of the elevations, 2 huge king-size beds, a separate jacuzzi room & plenty of living space.

At dinner Jennifer ensured we enjoyed our evening meal of salad, ravioli & tomato sauce & my first ever portion of huckleberry ice cream – it won’t be the last!! We then sat with Mike for upwards of an hour as we learned about his life, including when the US Military took over the whole of the Amber Bear Inn to tackle an out of control forest fire – at one point there were 300 military field tents of various sizes on his grounds & they served in excess of 16,000 meals in a 2 week period!!

We also learned survival techniques in case we meet an elk, moose, mountain lion or bear – we’re now a bit less keen to have an up close & personal experience with any of them!! Mike, Cookie & Jennifer – thank you for making this an experience I’ll treasure for many years to come!

Stage Stats – 44 miles, 1,634 feet of climbing. A rolling day that began under blue skies that became overcast as the day progressed. Second state line & first time-zone crossed.