Up at 5:30 feeling good. Goal is to make it to Helena today. Will be a big day 110 or so miles so I need to get moving. 50° outside and nice, but calling for thunderstorms in Helena this afternoon, so it may be an interesting day.
On the road at 6:30am. Stopped by the soda fountain restaurant for breakfast. Country omelet, bagel, and coffee.
7:52 AM 9.2 miles in on a huge climb out of town. This is one of those climbs that just keeps going and going. Stopped and removed my jacket nice overcast day but I still get warm.
8:20 AM 11.6 miles in at the top of this climb. Nothing like a nice 1,500 foot climb in the morning to get the blood flowing and to burn off that hash brown I ate for breakfast.
8:40 AM stopped at a Sinclair station in Noris picked up a V-8, pure leaf iced tea, M&Ms, carrot cake and a peanut butter cookie. Sky is dark. I think I’m gonna get rained on a lot today.
10 AM 34 miles and no rain yet thank goodness. I just dropped down into a huge valley. I’m at 4,217 feet. I think this is the lowest elevation I’ve been this entire trip. I have a feeling I’m gonna pay for this by having to climb out of this thing a little bit later, but it was a nice long downhill anyway. Nice morning right now. Still rain clouds all around but I’ve been lucky so far.
12:15 AM 51.1 miles and about at the top of the big climb out of the valley and on the left-hand side I see a bunch of what looks like horses on top of a hill. As I get closer I see that it’s somebody’s artwork. Looks like they’re just made sculptures out of big pieces of steel and placed them all over the hillside. Took a picture, pretty neat. About 60 miles to go before I’m done today. So far still a nice day, fingers crossed it stays this way.
1:26 PM 67.2 miles and just crossed the Missouri River. Still a nice day can’t believe it but I hope it holds. Just turned left following a railroad track that goes for as far as I can see. That’s good because railroad grade is good grade, that means flat riding.
5 PM 102.3 miles and storms finally caught up with me a few miles back. First time it rained hard enough to actually get my feet wet. I am soaked to the bone and it’s still coming down hard. This big black cloud is right over me following me. I felt like if I would’ve just stopped and let it move on everything would’ve been OK but I kept riding and it kept following me. But it’s not too bad…at least it washed the dust and dirt off me. I’ve got about 10 more miles to go, find a hotel take a rest, it’s been a long day.
5:46 PM I’m in Helena still about 5 miles from where I want to get a motel. Huge thunderstorms coming through with lightning so I’m sitting outside an Exxon station. Got a couple corn dogs and a Diet Coke sitting under the awning out front trying to wait for the storm to pass.
6:15 pm, the lightening has moved on but still raining. Projected to rain for the next couple hours so I’m just going to ride on to the hotel…called ahead and they have vacancy.
6:40 pm at the Budget Inn Express in downtown Helena and checked in. Long day, wet, cold and tired. Checked in for two nights. Need a rest day tomorrow to recover a bit, do laundry for the first time on this trip, but a new rear light to replace the one I lost a couple days ago, and plan for the rest of the trip. I have 371 miles to do. Hoping to finish on Monday or Tuesday next week. Need to start thinking about logistics to get my bike shipped home and get a flight…when I finish I’ll be 75 miles from the nearest airport in Kalispell, MT, so will either need to ride there or find a ride. Will spend tomorrow looking into that.
Pics:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q7hq6hmo4g1a2aw/AAA2R2Qd-LR34Y6_N6c9p3pza?dl=0
