August 26, 2024
Day 8: Going to Llama Ranch?
Alpaca My Bags
Blah blah blah, a bunch of stuff about today’s riding (100km, 1535m, big climbs, 1.5km hike-a-bike, views, met some other riders finally, etc).
The real star of the show today is where we were aiming to spend the night: The Llama Ranch. Having heard about it I really hoped the timing would work out for us to be able to stay, and it did work out.
The Llama Ranch is run by John and Barbara and provides accommodation to hikers and bikers in a series of cabins on a beautiful property in one of Montana’s beautiful valleys, about 40km short of the city of Helena.
They stock these cabins with food, wine, stoves, drinking water, books, solar power, a take-it-or-leave-it box, a Polaroid camera so you can add your picture to the wall, etc. They invite everyone to chat on their deck for a while when they arrive. There’s a fridge on the deck, available 24 hours, with soda, beer, chocolate milk, and sandwiches. But where it gets interesting is the price: it’s free and they don’t accept donations. John explained that they want it paid forward. Whatever we might have thought would be a reasonable donation, give it to someone else. He said if we paid $20 for someone’s groceries we’d be making a difference in the world whereas if we gave it to him he’d just buy beer. They have had over 700 people stay this year already, and the season runs until late September. People from all over the world come to ride the GDMBR or hike the CDT (Continental Divide Trail) and many stay here. John and Barbara are doing something unique and it’s hard to capture the overall effect in writing.
There aren’t any Llamas at the ranch any more, but they do have three Alpacas, two dogs, and some geese.
I remember seeing John and Barbara in a video by Ryan Van Duzer and it wonderful to meet them and get to experience this unique place. Video Here
It’s almost a shame that two of the most famous stops along the route are back-to-back nights for us, but that’s just how it works out. There will be other amazing stops along the way.
Tomorrow we will pass through Helena, possibly the biggest city along the route, and possibly have our biggest climbing day yet.
Today's ride: 100 km (62 miles)
Total: 924 km (574 miles)
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