June 12 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

Huckleberry Pass, Tour Divide Riders and a Big Black Bear

Cooper's Lake to Lincoln MT

Mileage - 25.43

We climb out of our tent early in the morning.  Shawnee and Carlos are already making cowboy coffee and invite us to join them.  We sit and chat with them for a bit, and enjoy their hospitality.  Then it's time for oatmeal prepared on our camp stove.  Finally it is time to break camp and load up our bikes.  This is our first time camping out, and the whole process takes us awhile, so of course we get a late start.  What a surprise!  We are further delayed by some workmen who have come to fix up the campground, and we stop to chat with them.  This is a beautiful, small campground, and is usually pretty quiet.  Most of the land around the lake is privately owned, and we are glad that this little section is open to people like us.

Riding up to get to the campground means riding down to leave, but that doesn't last long.  Soon we enter the Helena National Forest and start a 6.4 mile climb up to Huckleberry Pass.  This is the first significant climbing we've had to do, and Kitty is a little anxious.  We are starting out at about 4200 feet elevation, and Huckleberry Pass is over 6000 feet, so it is quite a climb, all on gravel roads.  We take our time, and it isn't too bad.  Much of the time we are able to keep going by "paperboying" - that is, switchbacking from side to side on the gravel roads where there is very little traffic.  When that doesn't work we use an approach which we decide to call RPR/Repeat.  Ride, Push, Rest - Repeat.  As always, the views along the way make it all worth it.

Along the way today we keep meeting tour divide riders.  First we meet Dylan, who has a picture of his sweetheart to motivate him.  Then we meed Catherine from New Zealand, who is a very happy person and seems to be really enjoying her adventure. Later we meet George from Germany and then Mike.  All of the riders take time to stop for a few minutes and chat.  They are very friendly and seem to be impressed that a couple of old folks like us are riding the Great Divide MBR.  We start to call ourselves "Gramps and Granny of the Great Divide".

We make it to the crest of the pass and stop for lunch.  There is snow here, but not so much that it is a problem to ride through.  Still, it is chilly and we are thankful for our warm clothes. We enjoy our lunch - PBJ burritos of course.  Then we start the ride down to Lincoln where we plan to spend the night.  The ride down is not too hard, but some of the gravel is a little tricky.  When we are almost to the paved road that goes to Lincoln, a big black bear crosses the road in front of us.  He stops on his way up the hill on the other side and looks back.  This is probably the biggest black bear we've ever seen, with a beautiful, thick, shiny black coat.  When he pauses CC yells to Kitty to take a picture.  But the bear turns and continues up the hill before she can get her camera out.   CC is disappointed, but Kitty is relieved that the bear didn't find us that interesting.

We ride into Lincoln in good time and decide to stay at the Three Bears Motel, which turns out to be a fantastic choice.  They have a sign out welcoming GD Riders, so we know we can't go too wrong.  The owners, Kevin and Louanne, recommend the Montana Steak House for dinner, and that's where we eat a very satisfying dinner.  Back at the hotel we chat with the owners, who are very friendly and helpful.  The rooms are clean and comfortable and the price is right.  It is cold and rainy out, so we are glad to be in a warm, comfortable bed.

June 11 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

Meeting Tour Divide Racers

Seeley Lake to Big Nelson Campground 

Mileage - 47.82
Monday morning we head back to the Chicken Coop for a hearty breakfast. We are the first customers in the restaurant.  We get an early start, and head out on a beautiful forest road.  It feels good to be off the highways and away from traffic. 

Kitty doesn't have much experience riding on gravel roads, but with hard packed gravel like these roads the riding is easy.  We have some rollers, but no big hills and we make good time to Ovando.  We are ready for lunch by the time we get there, so we ride a little out of the way to go to Trixie's, a bar just outside of town.  We order the standard Montana meal - a cheeseburger and fries.  Neither of us is used to eating a lot of red meat, but when in Montana, eat as a Montanan.  That means beef.

Trixie's is a treat.  Many of the bars in Montana also serve great food, and that is the case here.  The server is also the cook, and there are others in queue ahead of us, so it gives us some time to explore.  CC talks with a local who has obviously been at the bar for a few hours before we arrive.  Kitty explores the information about Trixie McCormick, who was quite well known in the area as a cowgirl and rodeo performer in the early 1900's.  She also ran the local bar, where we are now having lunch.  And, as you can see, she had quite a sense of humor.

After we enjoy our hamburgers and fries, we opt for a piece of homemade rhubarb berry pie a la mode.  A wonderful way to finish off lunch and get ready to get back on the road.  We head into the town of Ovando, and notice a bicycle that seems like it must belong to one of the Tour Divide racers.  The Tour Divide began on June 8 in Banff, and is a race along the Adventure Cycling's Great Divide Route, the same route that we are leisurely following.  We've read about it, and we know you have to be really tough to do it.  We've been kind of following the race, and are excited to meet one of the racers.

As we are admiring the bike, Erik Lobek comes out on the porch.  We've been watching the race, and we know that he was in third place the last time we looked.  But today he is nursing his Achilles' tendon.  He said coming over Whitefish Pass, Red Meadow Pass and Richmond Peak had involved pushing his bike through about 30 miles of deep snow.  That pushing had taken its toll, and he was taking a little time to see if he could recover and keep on.  We find out the next day that he has scratched.  

We head out of Ovando towards Big Nelson Campground on Cooper's Lake.  It's a little off route, and it requires riding up a big hill - but it is definitely worth it.  We pitch our tent for the first time and roll out our mats and sleeping bags.  We had a big lunch, so we opt for PBJ burritos for dinner.  There are signs warning about bears and fines for not hanging our food, so we hang all of our food as best we can.  Shawnee and Carlos from Helena are also camping there, and they invite us to join them around the fire they've built.  We sit for a spell with them, and then head to our "casita".  We are delighted to find that it is quite comfortable and we sleep well, with no visits from bears thank goodness!

June 10 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

It's All About The Weather

A Day in Seeley Lake 

We had hoped to get back on the Adventure Cycling route today, riding our Surly Long Haul Truckers out onto the Forest Roads for a night of camping out.  But the weather is still cold and wet, and the forecast is not good.  If we were twenty years younger, then maybe camping out under these conditions would be acceptable.  But we are in our mid-sixties and we enjoy the comforts of a warm hotel room when it's cold and wet.  So we opt to spend the day in Seeley Lake.

This town is a long strip along Highway 83.  There isn't really a "downtown."  We head out walking down the strip to The Chicken Coop for breakfast.  It is Sunday morning, and we walk by the local church and hear the choir practicing for Sunday service.  The restaurant is full of local people enjoying a good big breakfast.  On the way back, we stop by the farmer's market to look around.  We buy some yummy cinnamon rolls (one of our basic food groups on this trip) and also some Amish cheese for snacks along the way.

We spend the rest of the day resting and exploring the little shops here in this small town.  It is obvious that the town depends on tourism, and the tourist season is being delayed by the cold weather.  The feel of this town is different from Big Fork, which was very trendy.  This town is much more down home, and it feels like it caters more to local hunting, fishing, hiking and camping.  We like the feel of it.  Like many of the businesses out here, there are carved wooden statues at the entrance of some of the shops we walk by.

We spend time watching the weather channel and hoping for some improvement.  We have a little more of our camp food for lunch and dinner, followed by ice cream of course.  It's never too cold for ice cream.  Then we pack up all of our gear, planning on an early departure on Sunday.  We will be back on route, out in the woods.  We may even be glad for that expensive, heavy bear spray we are carrying with us!!

June 9 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

A Side-Trip to Holland Lake

Condon to Seeley Lake MT

Mileage 38.03
We enjoy the good hearty breakfast Bud prepares for us, and enjoy seeing the photography gallery he has.  He and his wife give photography workshops there, and their students leave some of their work there to display.  A very interesting place and person.  And a beautiful location, as you can see from this picture we took before breakfast.

It takes us a while to get on the road.  CC has warned Kitty about misplacing things, and this morning we both learn how frustrating this can be.  Kitty can't find her bike computer and wastes time looking everywhere for it before she finally finds it buried in the bed covers.  Then CC can't find his gloves.  He took them off when he discovered that the garlic oil we have brought along for camp meals has leaked.  He got the oil cleaned up, but now his gloves have disappeared.  Again, we both spend time looking before we finally give up and CC gets out his fingerless gloves for today's ride.

We enjoy the scenery along Route 83, and the traffic is still not too bad.  We come to the entrance to Holland Lake and decide to go on in, hoping to have lunch at the Resort there.  It is Saturday, so we figure they should be open.  It is a long 4 miles in on a dirt road with a hill, and it seems to get colder as we head in.  But the pay-off is the beauty of the lake.  As we pull up to the resort, three friendly dogs come out to meet us, but they seem to be the only living creatures there.  Another car pulls up just as we are finding that the door to the restaurant is locked.  We are all disappointed to miss lunch.  But we have the good fortune to meet Mary Lynn, who puts her arms around us and invites us to bow our heads in prayer as she asks for the blessing of safe travel for us.  The blessing, the beauty - a trip well worth it even if we do leave with empty bellies!

Back on the highway, we are eager to get to Seeley Lake, our destination for the night.  The weather seems to be getting worse, colder and the clouds closing in.  We have our rain jackets on to deal with the occasional sprinkles that we are riding through.  We actually get sleeted on for about 15 seconds, and are very happy when it stops.

 We have a room for the night at the Seeley Lake Motor Lodge, and it is a real relief to finally arrive there.  The rooms are clean, the people are friendly.  We find a safe place to leave our Surly Long Haul Truckers, and unload everything into our room.  We decide to use the microwave in the room to cook dinner.  We have been hauling around too much food, thinking we would be doing more camping out, but the weather has been cold and wet.  So we lighten our load and fill our bellies with camp food, and then head out for ice cream just down the road.  Cold and wet outside, warm and comfy inside.

June 8 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

The Senior Alternate Route

 Ferndale to Condon MT

Mileage - 41.25
We wake up hungry and enticed by the smells of coffee and good home-cooking coming from the kitchen.  Megan's breakfast is tasty and hearty - a soufle with roasted red pepper sauce, a fruit and coconut smoothy, and a pineapple coffee cake.  Breakfast is served at 8:30, and we take our time and chat with the other guests, Bea and Clain, who are from Canada.  We have already decided to bypass the regular Great Divide route today, which would take us up towards Richmond Peak.  Instead we will head to Condon along route 83.  Megan is kind enough to suggest a B&B there, and even calls to make sure we have a room.  What service!

When we finally get our bikes loaded, it is late morning again.  We don't seem to be able to get an early start, but we are enjoying our mornings.  Route 83 proves to be a pretty nice alternative to the Forest Roads we chose not to follow.  There is traffic, but it isn't too bad. 

There is weather all around us, so we spend a lot of the day watching the skies.  It is raining or snowing all around us, and we figure it is just a matter of time before we get soaked.  We stop at the Trading Post in Swan Lake, hoping for a cinnamon roll and coffee, and have to settle for just coffee.  Things seem pretty dead around here.  The late snows and wet weather are delaying tourist season, and it has an impact on the local economy.

Along the way, we meet a couple of young bicyclists  who are on their way from Buffalo NY to Alaska!!!  What an adventure.  We chat across the road for a while, and exchange URLs for our blogs.  Hope things are going well for you, Emmalee and Joe!

We're not sure exactly where The Standing Rock B&B is in Condon.  Rain is threatening when CC suggests pulling over to call.  Thank goodness we do.  We thought we had about 6 miles to go, and we are only a little over a mile away.  Bud tells us that the only place to get food between here and there is a little place called the Mission Mountain Mercantile just up the road.  It is just starting to rain when we get to the store, but then the skies open up and it pours down.  What a good break for us!

The turkey and provolone sandwich, chips and chocolate milk make a great dinner, which we enjoy on the deck outside the Merc.  George strikes up a conversation with Butch, who has lived in the area for a long time, has been a logger, and has some suggestions for the Forest Service.  We also get a warm welcome from Jost from Holland, who met his wife when he was biking in this area and got lost.  The Merc seems to be the center of social and economic activity for Condon MT.

The rain finally lets up, and we head down the road to The Standing Rock B&B, where Bud is waiting to show us where to leave our bikes, and then to our room for the night.  Nice and comfortable.  Out of the weather, warm and dry.

June 7 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

On The Road At Last

Whitefish to Ferndale MT 

Mileage - 53.78
We finally get on the road on Thursday, June 7. Of course, we don't get started quite as early as planned, but we are happy to see beautiful weather. We are sorry that we missed the first part of the Adventure Cycling route from Roosville on the Canadian border, but are happy to be following their route now. We head out of Whitefish on side roads, through the countryside. Most of the roads are paved back roads with very little traffic, with a few gravel roads thrown in to keep it interesting. The views are breath-taking, as you can see from this picture.

 We stop for our lunch of peanut butter and jelly burritos at a city park in Columbia Falls.  We are finding Montana to be filled with friendly people, so we aren't surprised when a woman stops to chat and asks us where we are headed.  When we tell her New Mexico, she cheers us on by telling us about a horse named "Believe You Can" who had just won the Kentucky Oaks.  It was the first time a horse ridden by a woman had won that race.  Kitty remember this, and "Believe You Can" becomes part of her mantra when the riding gets tough.  
The afternoon riding goes well.  We are both very happy to be started on our journey, and the riding is great.  The road surfaces make for easy riding, there is very little traffic, and the scenery continues to be inspiring.  There are a few rollers, but the riding is relatively easy.  A great way to get started!  Even so, we are ready to arrive at our night's destination.  We find Candlewycke Inn B&B easily and are welcomed by Megan.  We drop off our gear, ask for the nearest place to get a good dinner, and ride over to Rosa's Pizza. This is a family-owned business with great pizza and excellent service.  We sit outside and fill our empty stomachs.  It is so nice to eat lots of good food when you know you've already worked it off!

On the way back to the B&B, we ride through Big Fork, a little tourist town that is filled with trendy little shops.  Then we ride along the Swan River Trail.  What a beautiful way to end the day!  CC soaks in a hot bath to soothe his aching knee while Kitty looks at the Great Divide book to get familiar with what is coming up tomorrow.  We fall asleep in our very comfortable bed, tired but happy that our adventure has finally begun, and what a fine beginning it is!!!  

June 6 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

Whitefish MT 

Man These Bikes Are Heavy 

We had a great afternoon in Whitefish on Wednesday, June 6.  We picked up our Surly Long Haul Truckers from Glacier Cyclery and began to get reacquainted with them.  Kitty felt really awkward on her bike, as she usually does when she hasn't been on it for a while.  CC lowered the seat, which helped a lot.  Both bikes were in great shape, thanks to the careful maintenance and packing that Anne at Twin Sisters in Silver City had done, and the careful unpacking and double checking that Glacier Cyclery in Whitefish did.  We did a lot of walking in the rain in Whitefish, and of course found a place with great food.  Just down the street from the Super 8 is a little local restaurant called The Shak.  We had been told to go for their barbecued brisket and pulled pork and to stay away from their fried chicken.  We ended up getting a little of everything, and it was ALL fantastic.  We chatted for a bit with Sherry.  She and her husband are the owners, cooks, servers, and dish washers.  They've come up from New Orleans and brought their good cajun cooking with them.  On the weekends they have special cajun entres.  If you are ever in Whitefish and want really good home cajun cooking at a reasonable price, check it out.

We spent the afternoon loading up our bikes.  We couldn't believe how much weight we have, and yet we really didn't see anything we are willing to part with at this point.  So we packed it all carefully, then walked downtown to enjoy the town.  Whitefish is a touristy little place that looks like it has been invaded by people from California.  We walked by one of the little espresso places and saw three bikes parked out in front, so of course we had to go in.  Three young people (when you are in your 60's everyone looks young) from Seattle were enjoying a meal in a warm, dry place.  They were doing the Northern tier Adventure Cycling route, and had come down through Eureka, where it had been snowing.  They were laying off a day because of the weather.

Kitty had been silly enough to go on this walk with sandals and no socks.  She stopped in one of the trendy little shops and bought a pair of wool socks for $20.  Those of you who know Kitty will realize how cold her feet must have been to spend that much on a pair of socks!  In spite of the cold, we found a great place to find ice cream for dinner.  Then we went ot a grocery store to buy more food.  Go figure!  We already had too much, but we HAD to have peanut butter and jelly.

One more night in Whitefish, with a promise to ourselves to get an early start the next day.