Finally Out of Montana

 It’s August already. Some good miles behind us but some tough riding to come. All is well so far. No major issues, including no ‘undercarriage’ concerns - yet.  I remain hopeful if will remain that way. Montana is a great state, but a big one. Took some time but we finally put it behind us.

Updates from the past few days:

July 31 - Grants to Lima
A relatively short day. Only 40 miles. Lots of washboard roads and strong headwinds, which can tire you out quickly Stayed at a campground behind a sketchy motel. No saloon but a shower - think Psycho, the movie - for $10. It’s amazing what you are willing to accept after a day in the saddle.  Beautiful night here though. Cool temps, brilliant sky. But we could hear the interstate from our campsite. We got some rest but not a lot.

August 1 - Lima to Red Rock Wilderness Area
A long, tiring day in the saddle. About 50 miles of rocky washboard on undulating terrain that resulted in about 2000 feet of elevation gain. Really tiring both physically and mentally. The unending vibrations taxes you physically and, mentally, the need to constantly focus on the few feet ahead of you so as to avoid, as much as possible, the larger rocks and deep washboards is draining. The ride was through a vast, dry, treeless landscape of rolling brown and muted green hills that was beautiful in its own way. Not a lot of variety but you get a first hand sense of the immensity of the surrounding country. You also get a flat tire. First one of the trip. Unfortunately, it was a small slash in the rear tire sidewall, which meant it couldn’t be plugged. We had to patch it.  A real pain. Luckily, Chris, a fellow rider from Texas and a just a super guy is pretty handy around a bike because patching a tubeless tire and then reseating it in the field is no simple task. Took about half an hour - in the treeless heat- to get rolling again. Seems to be holding up. I’ll replace the tire at the next bike shop, which is, a bit ominously,, a couple hundred miles distant. My advice: don’t have a major breakdown out here.

The Red Rock Wilderness Area campsite turned out to be in beautiful location - on a lake with access to potable spring water. Very scenic. It was also home to countless mosquitoes, so strolling about admiring the scenery was not in our best interests. It is still grizzly bear country so you need to place all your foodstuffs and soaps/lotions, etc., in bear boxes, which are large, metal boxes bears cannot get in to. And you never keep any food or items that smell sweet in or near your tent.  Of course, if at some point you decide that you have had enough of someone - I’m thinking of you, Bill - sprinkling some Dorito crumbs around their tent might take care of the problem. (I’m only kidding - maybe.)

August 2 - Red River to Island Park
A good day but a short day. Maybe 40 miles and a couple thousand feet of climbing. The road was much better. Some nasty sections but not like yesterday.  A bit of a milestone, too. We left Montana and entered Idaho.. Nice to put another state/province behind us. We stayed the night at the Sawtelle Lodge. Figured we’d treat ourselves. Nice to do laundry and sleep on a mattress. And get something to eat other than a freeze dried meal. The price was reasonable. There is less than a hundred miles of the route in Idaho before we get to Wyoming so we won’t be here long. It looks like rain tomorrow - first time in a while - so it will likely not be very enjoyable. We’ll see. Also, we will likely be camping the next couple nights, hopefully not in the rain as it makes setting and breaking camp a miserable exercise. But, hey, while not wanted it is not unexpected. Just part of the trip. Cell service is likely to be spotty so for those that are tires of reading my random thoughts, you may be in luck.

A note on mileage. In a good day we might get 70-80 miles, but usually about 50. (Bill would be much faster but he's not here.)  Not setting any records but making progress. The amount is dictated by weather, terrain, the distance to ye next campsite or hotel, mechanical issues, etc., so it is a bit hard to predict day to day. But I can predict it will be in a southerly direction, which constitutes my contribution to our route navigation.