Wednesday, May 22, 1996
Day 11
Seeley Lake, Montana to Helena, Montana
Today's Miles: 101
Cumulative Miles for the Tour: 767
Degree of Difficulty: Medium/Difficult
Terrain: Flat Farmland to Continental Divide
It rained lightly last night. Camping by the lake was nice, waking to see the reverse reflection of the mountains in the water. We left too early in the morning to say goodbye to Sue, but her hospitality was greatly appreciated. I plan on stopping in if I ever pass this way again.
Once again, I was able to set up a good pedaling rhythm soon after leaving camp. We are definitely in mountain country now. Everywhere I look, there are snow covered mountain peaks and high country meadows. This is timber country. Logging trucks roar by all day long carrying tons of uncut pine logs and spitting road rocks from the side of their tires.Log cabins appear all along the road. I wonder if someday I might come back here to live. It's more of a romantic thought than a reality because there is nothing easy about the lifestyle here. The winters are long and hard. I can tell by the frost damage on the roads and the amount of snow still left in the mountains, even as the end of May approaches. Glacier Pass won't be cleared until the middle of July. Like I said, it's more of a romantic thought than a reality.We hit the intersection of Highway 2 within an hour of leaving camp. Adam, Ken and I kept moving, realizing that it was another 100 mile day with a climb over McDonald's Pass at the 80 mile mark. Lee stayed behind and went into "Stoney's", the store at the intersection of Highway 2. Evidently, we missed a hell of a time. I'll let Lee tell you about it.I went up the road 12 miles to Ovanda to see if I could find some breakfast. Ovanda sits at the bottom of a gully, has only about four stores and an auto salvaging business. I went into the general store and left without purchasing anything after I realized all there really was, was white bread and 40 weight.Lee caught me as I was leaving town. We didn't think we'd see any place to eat for the next 12 miles, so we pigged out on cinnamon rolls, apples and bananas while we watched the sand cranes flying over the fields to our left. Eating then turned out to be a big mistake.As we crested the next hill, 100 yards up the rode, there sat "Trixie's" restaurant and bar. What a great place. Lee and I walked into a large, log building with wooden floors and the great smell of something being cooked on the grill. I already told you that this is timber country. Well it's hunting country, too. There were snapshots of proud hunters tacked all over the walls.Trixie's is mainly a place for locals. As lunch time approached, the farmers and workers started coming in. The bartender hardly needed to ask what they wanted. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are big nights at Trixie's. Evidently, everyone within 50 miles of the place shows up to party. If the partying is as good as the food and the hospitality, it might be worth coming back to check out.It started to rain as we worked our way down the highway towards the 141 cutoff. Lee went on up ahead as I stepped into an empty log cabin by the side of the road to change clothes and contemplate taking a nap. This is "Big Sky" country. I would have liked to have stayed on that porch for hours, looking out over the vista of mountains, but I had to get going in order to reach Avon for a late lunch and then over the pass into Helena.The turn onto Highway 141 was a pleasant surprise. It was essentially all downhill for about 27 miles into Avon. 141 is a highway that cuts a farming valley in half, with views on both sides of the road. As you pull into Avon, there's only one place to eat and I can't say that I recommend it. It's the first time on our trip that we haven't been welcomed at a place. The waitress was surly, and obviously didn't want to wait on us. I just had a bowl of soup and left. There are too many good places who appreciate your business. There's no need to give money to someone who doesn't treat you right.The climb over the pass wasn't as hard as everyone thought it would be. It's not too steep and there is a good 10 mile, 30mph downhill after the crest. Dave rented a cabin and ordered Chinese food for dinner, helping warm everyone as we anticipate thunderstorms on our ride into Bozeman tomorrow. Oh, well, it's part of being on the road. I've been told I'll be wishing for this kind of weather when we hit the heat of the Great Plains and muggy humidity of the east coast. We'll see about that.
From the journal of Dave Blair
Waking up at the Tamarack Campground at Seeley Lake to the sounds of birds singing and loons floating gracefully on the lake is a wonderful way to start the day. After the morning routine of showering, breakfast, cleaning up and packing everything back into the support vehicles, we were once again on our way. . . Day 11 of the tour.
This year I'm getting a whole new perspective of the tour. Last year I pedaled virtually all the time with the group. This year my primary duties are finding the campground each day, buying the groceries and other supplies and assisting in the cooking details. It's very challenging and I seem to be just as tired at the end of the day as I was last year.Mom and I left Seeley Lake at 8:15a.m. and had only been on the road to Helena for 20 miles when I saw a Bald Eagle perched in a dead tree just off the road. I pulled over and took out the cam corder. The eagle soon took off and circled around the immediate area before landing in the top of a pine tree. We started down the road again and the eagle swooped down the ravine beside us and then dove towards the ground snatching a snake from the weeds so quickly I'm sure the snake never knew what hit him. It then flew off down the valley, bringing home another breakfast for its' young. . . I think I'll stick to bagels and Chamomile Tea!
From the journal of Joann Blair
Dave just described our eagle sighting. It was a thrill to watch those powerful wings carry eagle and snake over the rolling hills and into a distant pine tree. We also spotted two sandhill cranes farther down the road. One flew across the highway in front of us, the other was perched near some bushes
Yesterday our journey carried us through extensive ranch land where cows with their calves grazed and watched us roll by. Didn't spot "a little brown maverick" but saw many black calves, many lambs and one large brown pig. So the scene was rather domestic and became more so here at the campground where there is a large white goose in residence.His name is Gonzo and he visited our breakfast table this morning. We offered him donuts, rice cakes and bagels but he preferred to peck at our plastic containers and the metal ball on the back of Dave's pickup.It's time to hit the road for Bozeman, a university town which is our stepping off point for Yellowstone National Park where we'll spend two full days. Hope to see elk and bison and maybe a coyote or two.In a few days we'll be joined by Dave's sister-in-law, Donna, and her daughter, Sarah. They'll assume the shopping/cooking duties and Chuck and I will say goodbye to the cyclers and head back to Washington and Oregon.We'll miss them.
Bike America Tours
dblair@wtp.net
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