June 6, 2024
To Anaconda, MT
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This was another relaxed morning without an alarm clock. Today we had miles to ride, but needed to wait for it to warm up. I ate my granola outside, so as to not be crunching right in Jacinto's ear. It was quite chilly outside. I didn't linger. The llamas were all asleep. I did not know that they sleep with their long necks stretched out on the ground.
I putzed around and was still out the door at 9 AM. Jacinto was staying until they kicked him out. He said it was far too cold, at 51 degrees. It was a mighty fine bluebird day. It was still a downriver slope. I was riding 15-17 mph with very little effort for an extended amount of time.
I'm a little afraid we are getting used to this life. I don't remember Montana as being this traffic free. Are we too early in the season? Is school not out yet around here? Whatever the reason - we are loving every minute of the good pavement, and empty roads. The amount of climbing we've done doesn't seem commiserate to the downhill. That's not a complaint, it's an observation.
A major reason I enjoy cycling in western American is the variety of terrain. We went from marshlands, to rocky bluffs, to pine trees, all in the space of 28 miles. When we took a left on Road 569, sagebrush appeared. That's also where the climb started. It was 12 miles to the top, with plenty of breaks along the way. I was three miles from the top and struggling more than seemed appropriate for the conditions. I gave in and ate a Perpetuem tablet. It seemed wasted, on a day like today, but I appeared to need it. At MM11, There is the Sugar Loaf Lodge. They have cabins for $125., use the bathhouse. They are off the grid - so don't bring your coffee pot. That is specifically mentioned. That's it - Jacinto will not be a customer if coffee pots aren't welcome. There was one more mile to the top of the climb. It was stiff. Road conditions had deteriorated at a magical point. I didn't see a county line sign, but there was nice pavement, and then there wasn't. At the very top, I saw a motorcycle. I thought perhaps this was a pass (that would validate how I felt!). I pulled over and chatted with the retirement age motorcyclist. He lived down at the intersection, and was out for a spin. He said that in the winter, this road would have five feet of snow.
The downhill was marked as 7%. The road had many patches, I kept my speed down, the better to swerve around the holes and patches. There was more traffic on 569 than I expected. The motorcycle rider said it was 'the major highway' to Anaconda. I thought it was a back road, that's why I wanted to ride it! There were a number of semis on the road. That surprised me a little. It's not that there was a lot of traffic, but more than I expected.
We had a slight tailwind on 569. I wondered if that would turn into a headwind for the last four miles into town. I was surprised to see a divided four lane road at the turn. Traffic was light, comparatively. Almost all of the vehicles switched to the far lane, but I also had an interstate size shoulder that was reasonably clean. I could see a gas station in the distance. I presumed it would have some sort of food service inside. I called Jacinto. He answered! He was at mile 35, on the climb. I'm surprised his phone even rang. He took quite some time deciding what flavor of soda he would like today. Dr. Pepper was the choice.
I walked around and around in the gas station. They did have full size nut rolls here. But they were $2.99 each. Is that a good price? It seemed expensive to me. They didn't have V-8, so I didn't get a nut roll. In the end I bought a beef jerky stick. Could I tell you the last time I bought one of those? No. But that's what I wanted. There wasn't any seating, so I planned to eat my jerky as I rode. As I got organized outside, a man asked if 'that thing' is comfortable. He said it looked comfortable. I agreed that my butt and back never hurt.
I had two more miles to the motel. This is a layover town for us, so I was extra interested as I looked left and right, scoping out potential restaurants. There weren't many.
When I arrived at the motel, the lady was talking on the phone, and had a person on hold. She gave me the key and sent me on to the room. Later, as Jacinto was arriving, she came over and asked if we wanted to put the bikes inside or out, and did we want a sheet for the floor. I told her we would do whatever she would be comfortable with. She said whatever we were happy with. If the room is too small, we could put the bikes in the laundry room. Heck, this is a great room!
We ended up with a day off sooner than we expected because we adjusted the start of the trip to accommodate Jacinto working. We agreed a day off early in the trip is a fine thing that we should continue.
Jacinto said that each day has been better than the last, and he thinks today was the prettiest day. He's not usually into scenery. That means it was extra nice, for him to comment.
We are off to dinner now. The Firefly cafe closes at 6.
Edit - Firefly quits serving at 5:15, takeout at 5:30. We could have taken take out, but didn't. The brewery across the street was packed, but they didn't serve food. There was a taco truck outside that the Firefly lady said we could get tacos and then take them in the brewery. We didn't do that. Instead we walked to Donivan's. It was a fail. We won't be back. My philly cheesesteak was more bread than anything and very dry. Jacinto's hamburger was $21. and looked good enough, but not priced appropriately, IMO. The only good thing was the habanero sauce.
While walking back, Jacinto noticed a movie theatre on a side street. We walked down to take a photo. They were open and playing Garfield. $7. admission!
When we got back to the motel, I went to settle up with Faye. Boy howdy, she can talk. I got the lowdown on all of the tourist stuff, and confirmation that we are taking the best route to Drummond. She said Phillipsburg is an entertaining town to visit. They have a huge candy store (closed Saturday), and Montana's Sapphire Mine and a sapphire store. It sounds like Virigina City, MT. She also highly recommended going back to the Firefly during their open hours.
That was our evening. We have the room window open. We are at a lower elevation tonight, 5,276 feet. Plus, I think the weather is warming up in general. There hasn't been any wildflowers to speak of. I think it's not warm enough. I kept looking for wild iris in the marshlands around Wisdom, but didn't see any. They like lots of water.
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Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 187 miles (301 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 12 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 7 |
You're on a loop ride, so every foot you shed now will have to paid for eventually.
5 months ago
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Next month I plan to pedal through the southern Montana river towns of Livingston, Bozeman, and Three Forks (headwaters of the Missouri river). The river towns had less mining than the mountain towns like Butte, Anaconda, and Helena. The river towns are more built for farms, railroads, and Yellowstone tourism.
Maybe someday I can figure out a route of the mining region of western Montana. Every time I study the map, it seems like you can't go anywhere without riding on an Interstate or climbing 5000 feet on forest roads.
5 months ago
5 months ago