July 23, 2020
Seeley Lake - Swan Lake, MT
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We woke up this morning to cloudy skies and a wet parking lot. The forecast says 40% chance of rain after 1 PM. I hope to be in town near that time. Today we have a lack of services in Swan Lake. The little store/campground there is closed due to flooding. There is a bar that serves food and our B&B also serves dinner. We were last riding in this area exactly four years ago. To the day. Isn't that odd? We ate at the bar. This time we are trying the B&B. Jacinto is going to the grocery here for supplies before leaving town, as we are anticipating the dinner tonight will be strong on presentation, but lacking in food.
I"m getting slower and slower out the door. I'm still getting up at the same time. On one hand that's good, I'm not so anxious in the morning. The high temperature today is supposed to be 75 degrees and no wind. What the heck - why not leave late? I left at 8:30. The sky was dark. The forecast on my phone changed down to 30% chance of rain after 1 PM. I hoped to be in Swan Lake by then.
At exactly 15.03 miles I saw a woman filling jugs of water. She was crouched in tall grass and holding the jugs close to the ground. At first I thought I was interrupting her pee break. Then I realized she had water jugs. I didn't see a pipe. Was she filling them from runoff? I didn't stop to ask. Her license plate was from New Mexico. A local must have told her the secret spot.
I had a gradual rolling uphill for 17 miles. I didn't like them, but I knew Jacinto would.
Today I felt that there was far less traffic. The shoulder changed from perhaps two feet to nothing and back again. I passed a bunch of construction signs stored by the side of the road. Shortly after that was a rough road sign. They must be preparing to repave.
When we were exploring lodging options this winter, we really hoped to skip Laughing Horse B&B. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It was expensive and not worth the money. Jim had even mentioned sending family from Bigfork to reconnoissance the area. Our plan evolved into heading east from Missoula. Which evolved again with the Blackfoot Nation closure. We were back on this route without anyone to explore the area. Back to the Laughing Horse we went. As I bicycled today, I made note of places to stay. There were a couple of cabins and most notable, the Swan River Lodge in Condon. The mileage wouldn't work very well, unfortunately.
I had two brief periods of spitting rain. It was just enough to get the bike dirty. I could see blue sky in front of me, so I didn't panic. Later Jacinto said he had about five minutes of light rain. We've done very well this trip. That is the only rain we've had the entire time except for a similar amount of rain near Vernal, Utah. In two months! I'd say that's pretty good. Wind, on the other hand, we have had some of that . . .
I was putting away the miles, happy for the eventual downhill slope. At mile 32 I saw a bicyclist on the opposite side of the road. I crossed over to say hello. This was my first loaded cyclist since Jo and Steve. Kevin was riding ten days on the Great Divide. He didn't say where he was from. My intention was to friend him on Facebook - he put in his name for me but there was no service. When I went back to Facebook later, it hadn't saved. I feel bad, as I'd really like to connect. If anyone recognizes him, please let me know. Kevin had camped at a remote area last night and had a good stay, despite the rain. The previous night he had camped at a campground where someone was loudly celebrating their birthday - until the wee hours of the morning.
That was fun, but I still had 25 miles to ride. Dinner wasn't filling last night. For breakfast I had a V-8, a banana, and oatmeal with craisins and almonds. That's a strange combination, but I don't eat them all together. My food had burned off and I started in on bicycle snacks. I ate another banana, a Cliff bar, I finished the Spiz bottle. I was getting tired of sweet stuff. I think a stop at the bar for real food was in order. I had passed some food along the way. I recognized the Hungry Bear cafe. Oren and I had stopped there last time. There was also a combination Sinclair station/country restaurant at about mile 30. I didn't stop there either. But once I hit town, I knew where I was going first!
I saw a bear today. Or the top half of a bear. Maybe. It was a big black something crossing the road. There was a rise in the road, so I couldn't see the entire animal. Based on the size and the color, I think it had to be a bear. It was far enough away to be a no risk event, but it did highlight that those like Kevin who are truly out in the woods would be wise to take appropriate precautions. I did have a man tell me years ago that bears aren't interested in us, mind your business and they will mind theirs. I think that is good advice.
It was after 1 PM when I reach Swan Lake. The bar was on the right. The sign said Open, but I didn't see a single car. At the least they would have workers' cars? I parked the bike and tried the door - yes, it opened. I didn't see anyone inside. I didn't recognize the interior either, perhaps they've redecorated. I went back out and turned off lights, etc. then re entered the building. This time a woman came out. I asked if she had food. Yes. Friendly was not her strong suite. I tried to be nice, saying how hungry I was and I was glad they had food. Nope - I got the barest of communication from her. In the meanwhile a crusty rancher type came in. She was extremely friendly with him, how was his day, etc. A family group came in. They didn't get treated any better than I did. I don't know if she prefers men (although this fellow was easily in his 60's with a belly Santa would be proud of) or if she doesn't like tourists. She took care of me proficiently, but friendly wasn't in the offing.
There's no cell service here, but I did use their wi-fi. I hung around a little as my memory is that the wi-fi at the B&B is not good. I tried to see where Jacinto was, but Strava had lost him two hours ago. I made a birthday call to my daughter in law, then decided to move on to the B&B. I recognized the camp ground where we stopped for ice cream last summer. They had a nice little store there. They also had/have cabins. Their website says closed all year this year because of flooding. Their building was definitely closed, but they had hanging flower baskets all across the front. Someone is watering the flowers.
At the B&B they had a chalk board with the names and room numbers. We are in #4, way in the corner. Our bikes are under the overhang. The room is very small, it would be difficult to get even one bicycle inside. I was going back and forth bringing things in from the bike and Jacinto pulled up. He said it was an ordinary day. In his opinion there was more traffic today. I think the bad road surface bothered him more than it did me. At least he complained more.
The wi-fi here was bad to start, but now I'm sitting out in the attractive courtyard and it seems fast. I have my doubts what will happen when we go back to the room.
We have a dinner reservation for 6:15. It's expensive, but we've had poor food the past two nights. I'm ready for a good meal. At these prices, it should be good!
Jacinto bought two sodas and a beer and isn't happy there's no fridge in our room. He also has a container of tuna salad. Ice is my main concern. I will ask for that later.
We are supposed to be wearing masks in public areas. I'm the only one sitting out here in the courtyard. I don't have a mask on. Although I have it with me. The owner's golden retriever has been by twice and tried to take my mask from me. I asked if he didn't have any toys instead, but he didn't go get any.
Jacinto said he saw another touring couple, but didn't talk to them. He didn't see Kevin.
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Today's ride: 56 miles (90 km)
Total: 2,195 miles (3,533 km)
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