July 5, 2023 to July 7, 2023
Day 19, 20, and 21: Hamilton to Bozeman
Montana!
I haven’t been able to blog for a few days, so this is a big recap; if you are looking for the abridged version, we made it to Bozeman and are in a swanky hotel for our anniversary that is on Sunday, July 9. We have been married twenty-nine years; pretty amazing! We are staying at the Lewis and Clark Motel in Bozeman. It is really not that swanky, but it is comfortable, the rooms are big - good for our bikes and gear, it is close to the center of the town - historic district, and it has an amazing spa. I so needed a steam shower to open up the pores that have been clogged for twenty-one days. We also had a hearty dinner in town at Coppers and then ice cream, and now here we are, relaxing in the room and getting ready for the next big phase of the trip. Like today, the route is in more wide open spaces subject to winds, rain, and maybe hail; hopefully no tornadoes. We do have a small pass tomorrow, the Bozeman Pass, but other than that, it should be pretty gentle riding. If you are interested in what has happened over the past few days, read on.
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Wednesday, July 5:
Aunt Sally’s worked out very well. We were so glad we took the risk; why do I say risk? Well, we just didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. It is not like there are stars and reviews as there are for any campground or hotel. Even though we were glad to have the tiny cabin in the woods, or horse pasture…it was a bit of a rough night. The twin bed actually worked out well, and the temperatures were perfect sleeping weather, but the fireworks were kind of annoying. We could probably hear the fair grounds and then everyone else’s fireworks in the vicinity as well. Then there were the barking dogs; they were pretty bad. However, I would stay there again and use my ear plugs next time.
We left Aunt Sally’s at 7:00; we had a big day of 64 miles and 5,800 feet of climbing, and most of the climb was on a dirt forest service road. Well, it started out as a forest service type road, but then it became State Route 38. It was a pleasant grade most of the way on the dirt section. This initial climb was on Shalkaho Road and it went on for miles. It went over the Shalkaho Pass which topped out at 7,260. Most of the ride was in the Bitterroot National Forest, and then a small part was in the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest. There were remnants of an old fire, so our ride was not shaded the entire time. After the downhill from the summit, and once we hit pavement, we had another climb reminiscent of a Death Valley climb. At first it seemed kind of uncomfortable, and you needed to look behind you to actually see that you were indeed climbing. Also, we could see for miles; ranch land dominated this side of the pass.
Once we hit State Route 1, we turned the corner and had another major climb towards Georgetown Lake. Our final destination was SpringHill Camp Ground. It’s a forest service site, so that means we had no shower.
Overall, it was a pretty mellow day in terms of navigation. There were few cars, but no amenities, so we had to finally break into the freeze dried Pad Thai with peanut butter sandwiches for dessert!
On the ride today, I was thinking about Montana in general; it seems to be the land of big skies, big mountains, friendly people, and considerate drivers -when on the paved roads but not so much on the dirt, they seemed to like to dust us. That was the only uncomfortable part of the dirt. Montana is also the land of breweries, dispensaries, casinos, and gun shops; they seem to dominate the towns. However, it is a pretty nice place to bike tour.
Thursday, July 6:
We left Spring Hill CG around 8:30; it was another chilly Montana morning, so we left camp with our rain gear on, and good thing because it was all downhill to Anaconda, about seven miles. The town of Anaconda is supposedly an affordable ski town; there is a small ski area near Georgetown Lake, so not too far. However, maybe there is good backcountry skiing. The town was interesting; old and new buildings, and it appeared to be catering to the outdoorsy crowd; it was once a copper mining town. We could see the old smelting stack from a distance.
Our ride was filled with diverse landscapes today; it was an 82 mile day with 2,500 ish feet of climbing. We really wanted to make it to Lewis and Clark State Park, which is popular for its cave tours. We didn’t plan on taking any tours, but we wanted our following day to be shorter as were planning on heading to Bozeman and really wanted to explore and have a good meal.
We did make it to the park, and this state park would be an interesting place to come back to; the scenery is spectacular, and I wish I had taken more pictures on the way through the canyon. However, we were in a rush to get to the campground so we could get a site. The website did list that it had a hiker/biker site, but it also listed that there was only one tent allowed. This park is on the Adventure Cycling Association’s Lewis and Clark route, so we thought there might be others getting to the site before us, so that would be a bad situation, and it might have been time to beg other campers to let us set up at their site, and of course we would give them some cash - but that did not have to happen. The hiker/biker site rocks! There are four tent pads, charging stations, a covered table, and a vice for bike repairs. There is a water pump right at the site as well. This is only one of two hiker/bikers in the state of Montana, and I find this annoying considering Adventure Cycling Association’s headquarters is in Missoula. Anyway, we are the only two at the site. We did have a visitor, Curt, a gentleman from New Hampshire; he was camping close by and saw us arrive. He took an interest in us as he had traveled by bike with his wife for five years around the world. We were intrigued by his adventure, and chatted for a while. He wanted to take some photos of Mike and me together as he knew that we didn’t most likely have many of the two of us; he was right.
Besides a lot of miles, we did have another storm over the pass. It started to thunder and lightening, and I did not want to be on the pass in the storm, so we temporarily hung out at a forest service bathroom to wait out the storm; we did not have to wait long. Besides the pass being a beautiful ride, many other sections of the day were as well. We spent most of the day on State Highway 1 and 2. There were forests, rivers, wide open high plateaus ranches, and towering mountains. Montana is really something amazing. Again, I am shocked by how courteous the drivers are and how friendly the people can be. Mike says when there are few cars and people, giving cyclists space is not considered an inconvenience like mor congested areas. I want to believe that they would do it anyway.
Friday, July 7:
I am going to make this one short; we had a pretty easy day of riding, got into Bozeman early. We pretty much followed the ACA route, and it was pleasant. Few cars and great scenery. Today’s scenery was of ranch and farming valleys surrounded by mountains. Once we got close to Bozeman, the traffic picked up, but we were able to ride a bike trail for a bit of the busy section. We are intrigued with this town because we love to ski. The historic town is filled with restaurants and bars; it is definitely a college/tourist town, but still has quaint neighborhoods.
On route today, we stopped in Manhattan at a park for a bite to eat and met other tourists who had started their ride in D.C. They were with an organization that organizes multi-day adventures for veterans; we have a nice chat with them. They are headed to La Push, Washington for their final destination.
Good night, all!
The adventure continues,
Team Bean
Tour Stats
- Cribbage Game Wins: Mike 5, Dawn 6
- Tortillas Eaten: Mike 43, Dawn 21
- Jars of Peanut Butter: 3
- Flats: Dawn 2
- Bike Haters: 3
- Bags of Salad Consumed: 9
- Dog Encounters: 2
Today's ride: 204 miles (328 km)
Total: 1,148 miles (1,848 km)
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