Statistics:

June 29, 1981 - Helmville to Helena - 62 miles.

June 30, 1981 - Day Off in Helena - 0 miles.

Description of Events:

June 29, 1981: Being strangers on the road can get to a person on a long distance tour. There seemed to be an oversupply of people who simply stared at us when we would ride by. Most of those kinds of stares were not friendly. Some were expressionless while others had notes of condescension, disrespect, or even contempt. We did not always feel welcome in some of these areas through which we were passing. Montana is like that. Thankfully, there are a lot of friendly people but there is a suspicious and somewhat hostile element of the population, as well.

The state is located in a relatively isolated corner of the country where some of the people are not used to seeing other people who they do not know and/or who not like them. We definitely fell into the category of not being known and not being like the locals. I had to keep on reminding myself of what the bartender at the Copper Queen (CQ) said, "It's none of their GD business." He was a good guy, who made me laugh on several occasions. For some reason, Paul started smoking again, occasionally, a few days ago. When we were standing outside of the CQ with the bartender, who was smoking a cigarette, Paul took one out and lit up. The bartender looked at him and said, "You're pretty tough, aren't you?" I couldn't help but laugh.

This ended up being a banner day. We finished off the major mountain ranges today by crossing over McDonald Pass, at 6325 feet elevation. We were riding side-by-side as we reached the summit. We paused for a couple photos, taken by a friendly trucker who had stopped for a break at the summit. Then we headed out for the thrilling 10-mile descent. By the time we had to start pedaling again, we were fairly close to Helena. Getting the rest of the way there was a breeze.

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We rode on Last Chance Gulch Avenue directly into the city center. Paul needed to find a bike shop. On the way, were a number of historical signs and displays, most of which we stopped to read and to look around at whatever the attraction might have been. Most interesting was the Last Chance Gulch area. This city has a rich history and has retained its Old Western character. A bumper sticker that passed us said, "Have a Helena Day!" On balance, I suppose we did.

June 30, 1981: We decided to take a day off here in Helena to rest up a bit and because Paul needed a new chain for his bike. While he was at the bike shop, I went to the Post Office and then to the AAA Office to get some maps.

Paul also got a haircut but I did not. I had my head shaved, back on August 12th, 1980... an unusual thing to do back then, unless you were in the military. My arbitrary deadline for getting another haircut was one year from that date, which was still a month and a half away. Who knows where we will be by then or what I might look like by then... if some Montana redneck doesn't do the job and/or kill me before then.

We met back up in the old street car, at the Last Chance Gulch Mall (see photo collage above on the 6/29/81 entry). The street car sits across from the Gretchen's Ice Cream Shop that we have been frequenting since having arrived in town. Darren, age 19 and one of the owners, invited us back to have some chicken soup and as much iced coffee as we could handle. We gladly accepted and had a good time talking with he and several customers. We were also receiving recommendations about our route and where we might possibly visit along the way. 

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The rest of the day was spent relaxing, which was needed after last night. We spent it in the TV Room, in St. Charles Hall, of Carroll College. Due to several student-insomniacs watching TV until 3:30 AM, we didn't get much sleep. The air temperature during the day here in Helena was 90 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the locals, we were in for a heat wave in the days ahead.

While we were shopping in a health food store, a woman who appeared to be in her mid-30s, invited us to spend the evening in her home. We had seen her earlier, riding a cargo bicycle around while shopping with a couple of children along as well. She leads an active life, departing again almost as soon as we had arrived and had been advised of the house rules.

Her name was Charlotte-H but that was about all we knew about her. She was gone for several hours and then, as soon as she got home, she retired to her bedroom. I suppose if you are on the go, as much as she is, you need your rest. We didn't mind and were grateful for the hospitality along with the peace and quiet of her place.

Tomorrow is July 1st, nearly 2 months since we left LA. We were in Elmira, Oregon on June 1st. Where we might be by August 1st is still a mystery but I believe we will be close to the finish line by then.  Despite a few negatives, Montana is a great state, so far.