Day 12 Ennis, MT to West Yellowstone, MT

Once again, Western Montana is amazing me with its beauty.  Even though today wasn't always easy (head winds and up hill), the scenery makes it worth it.

Not far out of Ennis, I saw antelope!  Of course, that made "Home on the Range" start running through my brain.  I didn't see any deer, though.

More beautiful images:

Soon, we entered Raynolds' Pass.

We had a lunch stop with a view of the valley we had just ridden through.  I rode most of the day with Barb.  She's getting ready for lunch, which is called "picnic" on our cue sheets.

In 1959, Montana experienced its worst earthquake ever, and you can still see evidence of a deadly landslide that happened as a result of it.  Many people who were camping there lost their lives.

Another view up Raynolds' Pass.

We rode many miles around Hebgen Lake.  It's huge!  And, very beautiful!

A water stop with a view of Hebgen Lake.

This road sign has both today's destination and tomorrow's!  That last 8 miles was tough, but we made it.

We're camping in a huge RV park.  I wonder if the park has quiet hours . . .

Dinner tonight was at Bullwinkles restaurant in town.  We were, once again, very well fed!

We're not going to Yellowstone National Park.  The ride leader was told that they won't let bicycle tour groups ride through the park.  Probably a good idea, since there's no shoulder and there will be huge numbers of cars, trucks, and RVs.  The leader did, however, offer to take some of the riders for a quick trip to the park tonight.  I've already been, but some of the riders who are from far away (Australia, England, the East Coast, etc.) did take them up on the offer.

I am very impressed with Cycle America.  They are very organized, and we are well taken care of.  I'd recommend them, if you're thinking of doing something like this.

Day 11 Townsend, MT to Ennis, MT

Last night and this morning we ate our meals at the little Wood Family Grill in tiny Townsend, MT.  We are so well fed on this trip!  All the meals have been great.  No one is going hungry.

Today's ride was absolutely beautiful.  My pictures don't do the scenery justice.

We spent most of the day on Route 287.  South of Townsend there were lots of fields, mostly wheat, I think.

North of Three Forks, there was some great art on one of the hills.  At first, I thought they were real horses!

I spent much of the day riding with Kelly, and we had a nice stop for baked goods at Wheat Montana.  Next time, not on my bike, I'll be buying souvenirs.

We entered the Madison Valley, following the Madison and Jefferson Rivers off and on, throughout the day.

There was more art, this time outside of a veterinarian's office.  I've seen more public art in Montana than anywhere!

We had a four-mile climb, and you can see Kelly riding up the hill.

At the top, the view of the Tobacco Root Mountains made me think of The Sound of Music.  It was much prettier than it shows in these pictures.

There was another steep, hot climb.  A sag vehicle drove by and I was tempted, but I kept going.  At the top I was rewarded with another amazing view of the Madison Valley.

I could also see a bit of the historic Bozeman Trail.

We're camping at Ennis High school, with beautiful views of the mountains.  My tent is the one with the towel drying on it, and in the background, you can see Scott, one of the mechanics riding my bike.  I've been having small issues with my bottom bracket.

Downtown Ennis is very cute.

Right now, as I'm finishing this blog, I'm inside my tent, and a storm is raging outside.  It's been very windy, and now it's starting to rain.  I think I should've camped in the gym tonight!!

I've decided that any ride over 70-some miles is too long!  Today's ride was 77 miles - just right.  Yesterday's was 92 -- about 20 miles too long.

So, if you want to plan a bike ride for me, remember that, please.  Thank you!

Day 10 Lincoln, MT to Townsend, MT

Late last night, I woke up to rain!  Fortunately, it didn't last long, and it was gone by morning.  The tent was wet, but that wasn't a problem.

The morning was great!  It was cool, the scenery was gorgeous, and I felt good.

Today was the day to climb Flesher Pass, which is also the Continental Divide.  It was a beautiful ride up and not as hard as I thought it would be.  Actually, of all the passes we've pedaled across so far, this was the easiest for me.

Hilary and Kelly are looking forward to more climbing!

There's the road just pedaled.

Barb is reaching the summit.

I made it!

Tony, the 72-year old from the Netherlands, arrived at the top just before I did.  I heard a big crowd of people calling, "Tony, Tony!" and cheering.  It turns out that there was a group of Dutch tourists on motorcycles who happened to be at the summit just as he was arriving.  It was fun to see all of them together.

After we left the summit, it was a long fun descent.  (I am a descent rider.)

Down on the flat lands, we stopped at the Canyon Creek Store.  It's a great little shop with snacks, groceries, antiques, and it has the cutest outhouse ever.

The scenery has changed.

We rode up and down Birdseye Road, then made our way into Helena.  Downtown Helena looks like a great place to visit (without a bike).  Soon, we passed by the capitol building.

Not far from there are a couple museums with great public art outside.

After the leaving Helena, we were on the highway all the way to Townsend.  It was loud, hot, and not too fun.  The last 20 miles of this 90-mile day were really hard.

As soon as I got to camp, it started to rain.  Many thanks to Pam and Jose for helping me quickly put up my tent!

We had a great dinner at the Wood Family Grill.  Tomorrow, we stay on the same highway all the way to Ennis, MT.