June 24, 2021
A big day - The passing of the passes.
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After the short day yesterday we decided to have a big day and try to get to Cut Bank, Mt. While at the Izaak Walton Inn, we tried to get a place to stay for today in Browning, Mt. about 45 miles from Essex. There was no place to stay and the next town with any type of lodging was Cut Bank, about 75 miles away. We booked a room at a Super 8 in Cut Bank and decided to go for it.
We got up early and we were on the road at 7:20 am. Our first task was to climb Marias Pass. The pass was about 18 miles from Essex and we needed to climb 1800 feet. The weather was cloudy with times of rain, the road was ok, mostly a small shoulder, the traffic was interesting. In Essex they were doing road maintenance and had only one lane open. They had a pilot car that would lead one side and then the other. What this did was bunch up traffic so we would get passed by several cars and then had a segment of no cars. The climb wasn’t too bad and the summit area was beautiful with great views of mountains. This is the last pass we will see for quite a while. We were just getting good at climbing the passes. After the pass we had a 12 mile downhill, with one major hill in the middle, until the town of East Glacier. In town we stopped for a quick takeout breakfast. Then we went on our way. The change in scenery after East Glacier was dramatic. We left the Rockies with trees and entered the grassy plains.
As we said goodbye to the mountain passes, we said hello to one of the plains friends. We were introduced to cross winds (the other friend is heat, which was not present today). The rest of the 45 miles we had a 15-20 mph cross/head wind to deal with. We lived for 35 years in Rochester, Mn. where it is windy all the time. Janet and I know how to ride in the wind. I take the lead and Janet finds the pocket of blocked air to ride in. Today it was to my right with her front wheel overlapping my rear wheel. The shoulder on Us 2 was very wide so we could ride like that for the entire 45 miles.
After East Glacier, the next town was Browning. In Browning we grabbed a quick Subway sandwich and started the final segment of 32 miles. The road was flat but windy. It took about 3:45 hours to cover the distance. We were very tired as we entered Cut Bank at around 6 pm. The worse part is that the last 1/4 mile was a big climb, which was pretty difficult because we were so tired.
We have not decided what we are doing tomorrow. It will be either Shelby, Mt. which is 25 miles or Chester, Mt. which is 67 miles.
Today's ride: 77 miles (124 km)
Total: 975 miles (1,569 km)
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3 years ago
Racpat
3 years ago
You are on for the competition. Ross has been wanting to do a 100 miler in the plains. Janet and I not so much.
Thanks for the road conditions tip!
Terry
3 years ago
3 years ago
Thanks for the scouting report. Very helpful! We are in Havre today. Our plans for the next few days are: Harlem(33 miles), Malta (48 miles), Glasgow(68 miles) then Wolfpoint (54 miles).
We heard some bad things about Wolfpoint and we were told that if we stay there to stay in a motel. We would appreciate any scouting report if you get to Wolfpoint and also where you stay.
Stay safe!!
Terry
3 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago