July 31, 2023
Day 80 West of Dixon MT toThompson Falls Mt
After waking up, I gave Henry two CBD cookies. I then fixed breakfast for me and Henry. Peter noticed that Henry often won’t eat or drink when I’m gone so this is the new routine. The boys then dropped me off in front of the bright red barn where they picked me up yesterday. The morning was still cool but about 10-12 degrees warmer than at the campground.
Highway 200 continued to follow the Flathead River until it joined the Clark Fork River just south of Paradise.
After crossing the Clark Fork, I went around a bend and thought I saw some road kill on the shoulder. As I went by it, I saw an owl curled up on its side but it looked at me with clear yellow eyes. I stopped and called Peter who is much more of a bird person than me. I doubt there’s an animal rescue organization out here. He thought that since its wings were tucked, it might just be stunned. I couldn’t get that owl’s face out of my head. I then passed through Paradise which was basically a VFW post and some homes. I rode on to Plains which was a bigger town with multiple businesses, doing much better than Paradise. I stopped at a picnic bench and ate lunch. Then I noticed an old school building across the street.
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I started down the road when Peter and Henry passed me and pulled over. Peter said he looked for the owl but it wasn’t there. Hopefully it was just stunned and flew away. There are so many dead birds on the road in Montana, more than I’ve seen in any other state. Montana also posts white crosses along the roadside for each traffic death. There are a lot of them. Sometimes family or community dresses them up.
Speaking of traffic, this being a rather busy road, Montana drivers are not so courteous; they pass me very closely and I’ve been honked at in a rude way more times in Montana than the whole rest of my trip combined. I guess a lot of people here don’t think bicycles should belong on the road. I would say it’s my least favorite state from that perspective.
I was happy to arrive at the Birdland Bay RV Resort. It’s family owned, well treed, and the sites are well spaced and staggered. It’s very quiet except for the occasional train that passes on the other side of the road. I think I’ll probably sleep through any trains that pass tonight.
After dinner we all three went for a walk. There are many lovely trails through the woods here. We went down to the river and Henry chased sticks in the water. Now it’s time to turn in. Got a big day tomorrow.
Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 2,998 miles (4,825 km)
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