Distance: 135.7 Miles
Climbing: 5,988ft
Ride Time: 8:40
Temp: 52-98
There has not been a boring day in the saddle this entire tour. Each day provides an immersion in the immense beauty of this land. The ride from Missoula to Butte provide great scenery the entire day. We continued to follow the Clark Fork River for the start of the day, winding between a number of mountains. Heading to Butte the landscape changed to more of a prairie surrounded by mountains. At the top of our mountain climb we passed by Georgetown Lake. A huge lake at an elevation of 6,300.
Today was one of our longer days with a sizeable climb over the mountains to drop down to Butte. The climb provide great views with each twist and turn, then a fast decent coming out on the back side.
After totally draining myself yesterday, I was very concerned about recovering enough for today's ride given the increased mileage with lots of climbing. I was surprised that I actually felt good the entire day and still had some energy left in the tank at the end.
The weather has been great this entire trip. A high pressure system has been following us providing clear skies. Cool mornings have been followed by hot afternoons, but with very low humidity it does not feel as bad as back home. My only complaint is that we have had a persistent head wind for a large portion of each day. For the last two days they have been forecasting a shift to a westerly wind, but generally that has not happened. Today we had light to moderate headwinds most of the day with strong gusts as we were descending toward Butte. Once the descent moderated, I had to keep pedaling to maintain speed. It is a shame when a headwind messes up a good mountain descent. We finally got a tailwind for the last 20 miles into Butte.
One interesting point (for some) - We have seen practically no road kill. Yesterday I saw several flattened snakes (one looked like a rattle snake) and a deer, but that has been it for the entire trip. The animals out here must be smarter than those in the Midwest. One rider speculated that the mountain lions or bobcats must be taking the road kill.
Pictures from today:
 |
| Getting close to the mountain climb. Can see snow at the tops. |
 |
| Pace Line leaving Missoula |
 |
| Leading pace line a few miles outside of Missoula |
 |
| The mountain climb begins |
 |
| The climb continues - looking down at the switchback we just came up |
 |
| Top of the climb - Georgetown Lake |
 |
| On to Butte |
No comments:
Post a Comment