July 1, 1981 to July 2, 1981
The Montana High Plains
Statistics:
July 1, 1981 - Helena to Martinsdale - 102 miles;
July 2, 1981 - Martinsdale to Ryegate - 54 miles.
Description of Events:
July 1, 1981: We rode a century plus 2 miles today. Didn't really have a choice because Townsend was 33 miles from Helena and after that was around 70 miles of nothingness. Because it was very warm and water became a minor issue, we toughed it out and made it all the way to Martinsdale.
Below, is a recap of the day.
An early start was crucial to getting as far as we did today. It also helped to beat some of the heat. Our ride out of Helena took us directly past the impressive state capitol building. Enjoying a tailwind and gentle terrain, we clicked off the 33 miles to Townsend relatively quickly.
In Townsend, we checked on Paul's "care package," which hadn't yet arrived. He requested it be forwarded to Alliance, Nebraska, figuring it would likely be there by the time we would arrive (in 10 days or less).
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Since Helena, we had been following the Missouri River and we crossed it to get into Townsend. However, once through town, we would now be heading directly East and would be climbing out of the river valley, on US-Route 12. This also meant heading into the wind and through an area called Deep Creek Canyon (DCC).
DCC was beautiful, despite a 10-mile gradual climb that followed none other than Deep Creek. Once we topped out, the tremendously broad vista revealed that we had entered the high plains of Montana. Far in the distance, we could see the town of White Sulphur Springs. We would not be passing through it but in case of an emergency, we knew a town was nearby. Behind us (actually to the North of us) was the snow-capped Mount Baldy. Having taken-in as much as this view as we desired, we began the descent into vast fields with purple flowers. An absolutely stunning place to have been riding.
Another 10 miles down the road was the intersection with US-89. We took it (US-89), heading in a Southeasterly direction. By this time, it was very warm and we had covered more than 60 miles, at least half of which were challenging. We figured we were still at least 35 miles from the nearest town and getting low on water. Around a mile from the junction, we spied a ranch house that sat roughly a half mile down a gravel drive from the highway. We decided to knock on the door and ask for water. The door was answered and a very nice encounter with some ranchers ensued. They gave us water to drink on the spot as well as let us fill our bottles. We all ended up talking for about 20 minutes. One of the folks was an older man, hard of hearing but a real character. He was a hard-working Montanan, rough and tough but friendly and kind at the same time. This was a good stop and yet another positive encounter with local Montana residents.
As an aside, you could knock on a stranger's door with relative safety back in 1981. I'm not sure how welcome such an intrusion might be today.
We pushed on, with the security of now being adequately hydrated, to where our route called for a turn onto SR-294. The ride to Martinsdale was 27 more miles. Along the way, we passed through an area where a couple of ghost towns, Lennep and Bonanza Creek had been. There was not much there except for ranch lands and a subtle reminder of Montana's mining past.
The final 12 miles went relatively quickly. We surpassed the century mark about 2 miles west of Martinsdale. The main attraction on this part of the ride were thousands of prairie dogs living in the adjacent fields. We had a good time watching them come out onto the road and then, upon seeing us approach, they would high-tail it back to their mounded living areas screaming with excitement. It was quite amusing.
We made it to Martinsdale! This town is definitely off the beaten path. While sitting in the local cafe, we overheard conversation and gathered that the community code of behavior is very rigid. Some of the men were commenting on the length of each other's hair. They all appeared clean cut to me and so did Paul. I was the only outlier in the place. Thankfully, nothing was directed at me and we were treated well.
We used a pay phone to call our friends in LA, Bruce and Cindy. We did so because we hadn't been able to reach Billy for longer than what seemed normal. It was really good to talk with them and to learn that all was ok with Billy. To finish out the evening, we were able to camp at the reservoir that was a mile or so outside of town. In my memory, it seemed to overlook the town and it was a very cool campsite.
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July 2, 1981: We had our sights on Billings, 117 miles across the plains. But after the long day, yesterday, our bodies had other ideas. The morning started off very cold. This was a pattern that developed since we got into the plains of Montana... very warm during the days with nights that cool off so much that it feels like a shot of winter. The sun sets late up here and it stays light out until close to 11:00 PM. It also rises early, making it light out before 5:00 AM. So, there is a way to beat the heat but it means getting started early, when it is cold.
We attempted that this morning but my hands got so cold while breaking down our campsite that it was difficult to complete the task. We rode back into town to try and get warmed up at the cafe but it was not yet open. My journal doesn't say whether we ever got into the cafe, only that we were rolling down the road by 8:15 AM, after having consumed a couple of self made sandwiches.
The next town ahead was Harlowtown. We peeled off those 25 miles and then stopped for another self-prepared meal of oatmeal and wheat bread. Following that break, we completed the 29 miles to Ryegate in two intervals of 15 and then 14 miles. Upon our arrival, it was pretty warm and we found covered picnic tables in the community park. There, in the shade, we both fell asleep for more than an hour. Upon awakening, we were both a little groggy. We decided to call it a day, and to set up camp here (see upper right photo of the collage of 4 above). We discussed trying to moderate our daily mileage, for greater consistency, but that would all depend upon road conditions and distances between towns.
Around 5:30 PM, two fellows from New York stopped by and we chatted with them for a while. They were literally flying across country on their bicycles, telling us they intended to cover 40 more miles before the sun would set today. Impressive but not our style. We want to see the country and experience its people, not simply say we rode across. But it's their journey and it's a free country so individuals can do what they want. We wished them well as they headed out.
Today's ride: 156 miles (251 km)
Total: 2,522 miles (4,059 km)
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