Day 9 was our first full rest day, although it was full of chores. After sleeping in and enjoying a wonderful breakfast with our hosts- Katherine, Gordon, Julie and Jack- we spent the day cleaning and tuning our bikes, grocery shopping, charging electronics, blogging, calling family and of course lots of eating.
Day 10 we woke up refreshed and eager to get riding again. Katherine pointed us towards a bike path that would get us back on route, and we were so grateful- the first 10 miles were paved, rolling curves through brilliantly colored farmlands. 1 hour later and we were already at our day's destination, Ferndale.....so, we kept on trucking. Up and over the pass, we descended towards Swan River, eventually crossing paths with an ACA tour (Adventure Cycling Association runs supported cycling tours throughout the U.S.). We were happily treated to gatorade and rice krispy bars (Jenny's dairy faux pas #1). Rolling along, we set up camp at Fatty Creek Campground, right along the Swan River (a 60 mile day). Josh bolted for the riverside with his fishing pole, and I took a snooze in the sun. After a few hours Josh reported back- one catch and release, and one catch and escape. Remembering that we forgot to buy dinner in Ferndale, we hunkered down with our own style of PB&J: Peanut Butter & Jerky. We were stoked to have enough energy to have a little campfire, which was then quickly put out (but we made extra sure or course) by the ensuing thunderstorm that sent us into the tent early (after seeing two full rainbows over the river).
We slept well, and woke up hungry. With coffee and oatmeal on the riverbank, we both experienced a moment of perfect bliss while listening to John Prine's "Angel of Montgomery." Moments later another thunderstorm threatened and we packed up hastily. We headed toward Clearwater Lake on Day 11, excited to find the only grocery store along the way in Condon.....and passing right by it. Hungry and hot, we pulled in to a diner and our last chance for food. We both ordered lunch, then ordered dinner to go, which we packed away for later. Again, thunderstorms chased us along, and 36 miles into the day we found our stopping point- Clearwater Lake. And what an amazing place to be! After the anglers left the lake, we had the run of the place to ourselves (minus the deer we saw, and the bear footprints we found). I was happy as a clam to go for a swim while Josh set out for some more fish. It was a peaceful and spectacular day- such a great reward to a day of riding.
After falling asleep to yet another thunderstorm, we woke up hungry (again). Still with no groceries, we ate more peanut butter, nutella and Hammergel (Julie you are a saviour!). Our destination for day 12 was Ovando and Trixi's (a famed bar josh heard about "thanks Eric!"), 56.8 miles. The beginning of our day was a long steep climb up Richmond Peak. Halfway up, we finally discovered that music made us zoom....it only took us 12 days. We crested the peak in no time, and pedaled ourselves as quickly as we could to a restaurant in Seeley Lake. Having hardly eaten in a couple of days, we wolfed down a little too much food. With half our day's ride still ahead of us, we waddled to the grocery store trying to find decent food to pack for dinner. Not having much luck, we left with white rice, deli turkey and a half gallon of lemonade that Josh somehow convinced me to carry. We left feeling too full, unsatisfied with our upcoming meals, and really, stinking, HOT. Our upcoming climbs were not substantial, but it was all we could do to keep pedaling. We hopped from shady spot to shady spot, Josh desperately regretting that strawberry milkshake. We eventually cruised into Ovando, our saving grace. We found Kathy, the resident Great Divide Fan, who helped us set up shop. The town of Ovando boasts their hospitatly towards cyclists, featuring very unique camping options as riders come through town. Our options ranged from a teepee, a covered wagon, the jail, or the yard in front of the museum- we chose the covered wagon. The day was still hot, so we walked up to Trixie's- the grandest bar around. After some drinks, a delicious salmon dinner, and chocolate cake to boot, we strolled back down to our wagon (which, turns out, might not be the best choice on a hot summer's night).
Day 13 started out fairly wonderful- our first full breakfast since leaving Kallispell sent us feeling revived towards Lincoln. We crested Huckleberry Pass in no time, and found ourselves finishing our 40 mile day before lunch. Not wanting to spend all day in the tent, we chose to treat ourselves to bunks at the Three Bears Motel, a fun family-run cabin style hotel. It felt like a rest day- more food, lots of gatorade, showers, a toilet (!), clean sheets and an oscillating fan. It didn't take long for us to get cabin fever, and we were excited to wake up early and set out again.
We woke up on Day 14 expecting to ride halfway to Helena. We started the day along with 40 other bikers- the ACA tour had caught up with us again and it was the last day of their journey. It was a fast-paced morning on the flat approach to our climb. At the base of the climb, the ACA guides invited us to share the group's snacks. We certainly didn't say no, and we spent some time chatting with the cyclists. We set out towards the steep side of the mountain, while the tour went around Stemple Pass....and man was it steep. I dismounted twice to walk my bike, and was beyond impressed that Josh made it up the vertical 4 miles without putting a foot down. We met the group at the top, said our goodbyes and parted ways. We set off on our descent, intending on finding a good place to set up camp. We ran into some dividers heading North and stopped for a quick chat. A few miles down the road we found the guidebook's recommended campsite...with signs posted everywhere that it was private property. Feeling discouraged, we were forced to keep riding to look for a spot by water (we were running out), and the only way was up. It was a tough climb for me- I had pushed myself hard that morning, and even harder the previous two days, and was ready to be done for the day. It didn't help that there was a 95 degree sun blaring down on us. We kept on climbing, eventually summiting our 2nd pass of the day, only to be met with thunderstorms dead ahead. So, down we went, looking for a place to camp, and running into another divider heading North. He seemed to think we could make it to Helena in no time. I personally wanted to cry and throw up at the thought of continuing, but we really didn't have many great options. We pressed on, cresting our 3rd pass of the day, with three thunderstorms converging on us from all sides. Now we were really pedaling fast, and I really was crying (my bum hurt), but I was also so excited to know we had family, food and rest waiting for us in Helena. Jamie and Sol weren't the least bit put out that we were 5 days early- so, 70 miles and 3 passes under our belts for the day, we rode straight to the Brewhouse for very large dinners. That night we experienced that wonderful feeling of being clean, laughing with family, eating popcorn and settling in for a movie before a great night's sleep. Truly fortunate.
We have 5 days of rest ahead of us....stay tuned for pictures and stories of our adventures in Helena!!
Catch and release, bubble fly (Day 10)
Is anyone else enjoying your journal? Thank you for the humorous prose and gorgeous pictures! After seeing The Way and now this, we are inspired to do something ourselves!
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome! It inspires us to keep trucking along, knowing that we can encourage others to do the same. We've told many other people that are interested in doing the Divide- the first 5-7 days are pretty rough, but if you can get through that, it's cake from there! Let us know if you want any other info or tips...we've certainly learned quite a bit so far!
DeleteReally Cool!!
ReplyDeleteYou two Rock!
Keep it between the ditches :)