We got right into it today, 37 miles of uphill. Coming out of Dillon I went past Montana Western University. It looked very interesting. This was a small little college town. Rolling out of town the big ranches started to appear. The best part about getting out early in the morning is traffic is at a minimum. It was a beautiful sunrise behind me but the clouds quickly came and covered everything up. It took awhile for my legs to warm up and even though the grade wasn’t steep initially it just felt like it took extra time. About an hour into the ride and the real climbs came – 4, 5, 6, 7, 8% grades. Ready or not here we go. The first of two major climbs was just under 6 miles. Thankfully all the work I did changing all my gear ratios, before I left home, paid off big time. Needless to say now that Lisa Marie is carrying my bags it made it even easier. Maybe I mentioned this before but the hills on the East Coast were shorter but they were actually steeper. 9, 10, 11 and at one point I saw 16% grade. Some of the hills here are not to be laughed at but you got to find that gear and just grind it out. Getting to the top of the first climb earlier than anticipated gave me a little extra boost. Traveling through the next valley enjoying the ranches and scenery along the way, eventually I came to the major climb number two. This was a little bit shorter distance, 4.5 miles. But the elevation gain was almost identical to the first which made this one more challenging. Slow pedaling my way up I eventually reach the top and took a long deserved break. The temperatures were significantly different at the top of the peak. As I started to descend coming around the first corner the mountains appeared again in the distance. Looking down from that vantage point we found a historical landmark. From high top of the pass, the landmark made mention of the ranch in the valley that was ultimately a stagecoach stop and also a place where Lewis and Clark ventured through. From that point in my ride the general direction was downhill. It was an absolute blast to finally pick up some speed and quickly cover miles. Having the mountains off to the left hand side for the remainder of the ride made a world of difference in the attitude. There’s just something that doesn’t get old about seeing snow covered peaks. The winds up until this point were pretty mild but partway down the hill the winds turned and I got a push the rest of the way home to the town of Wisdom. Thank you God for the push! There wasn’t a single gear on my bike that I didn’t touch. From the early morning low grannie gear option to the big ring, flying down the hills at full speed. It was a good day. After checking in to the Pioneer Mountain Lodge and getting settled, Lisa Marie and I needed to go get some food. While in this little restaurant we ran across a bunch of motorcyclists that were a part of the Christian Motorcycle Association. They were coming from the Carolinas and various different places but ultimately heading to Glacier to see the wonders of that National Park. We had a great time sharing stories and one of them even gave me a little Jesus for my bike. I’m not sure how I can attach it since I don’t have any super glue. God has clearly been a part of this ride, watching over me, changing the weather, moving the wind, and providing peace.
Insights from Lisa Marie
Leaving Dillon this morning it was very hazy already and cloudy most of the day. Wasn’t a lot to see till later on in the morning except yes again cattle and horses. You can see for miles in this Big Sky state. I started book 4😁. I once again needed a bathroom stop in a very desolate place. So again I asked God to show me where. When I saw a state park sign, a detour was made with the promise to Norm “no off roading”😂. Fortunately it was only 4 miles to the turn for the park entrance. At this point I would have loved to see a porta potty 🥹. Yeah not only was I able to find plumbed toilets again (Courtney) it was another Ghost Town from the Gold Rush! The lovely young park ranger, Lilly graciously let me into the park office bathroom. We chatted a bit and I was now in the first gold rush town of the 9 and this was the Montana Territory capitol at one point. If you are reading both blogs you know Norm yesterday was told Virginia City was also a Montana Territory capitol. Drew, my history friend find out how many territorial capitols did Montana have😂 Anyway I took a few pictures and said goodbye to Lilly so I could go find Norm. Catching up to him, the scenery got so much better after getting over the pass! Mountains again to our west and sun filled skies in the distance. We arrived in Wisdom, Montana around 2:00. We are staying in a lodge that is someone’s large house converted into 4 apartment type rooms. Way more room than we need but it’s one of only 2 places here. Wisdom consists of 1 gas station, 1 small grocery store with a sign that states they are the only groceries for 50 miles, 2 restaurants (Mexican one closed on Wednesday), Fettys where we ate (great food) and a saloon that has pizza. I think you get it! That is all there was and nothing till this for the 66 miles from Dillon. 🙃
