Biking For Wishes and Quest West: July 16th

July 16th - 44.10 / 1,992.55 - Grass Range - Lewistown

Woke up really early today to the very noisy Magpies. They were landing on my tent and squawking away at 5:00 in the morning. I walked about 100 feet to the gas station/cafe/casino and had breakfast and headed on down the road. It got hot really quick, in the 90's with no breeze to keep cool. For the first 22 miles I climbed uphill but then I had a fun downhill descent into Lewistown. The route took me through the very pretty Judith Mountains and I could see several other mountain ranges off in the distance. Lewistown is the center of Montana and the first thing I did after getting into town was check out the museum. There was a lot to see in the museum and I was able to get information on camping in the area. I set up camp, relaxed at a coffee shop and updated the blog, checked out a couple of parks in town, cleaned the grasshoppers out of my chain, got a Montana burger, and worked on my plans for the upcoming week. It was nice having a short ride on such a hot day and being able to get some stuff taken care of.

Magpie

Leaving the peaceful town of Grass Range

The view from the road

Judith Mountains - first mountain range of the trip

Heading into Lewistown

Just outside Lewistown

The Museum

View from one of the several town parks

July 17th - 102.59 / 2,095.14 - Lewistown - Fort Benton

Woke up early to a beautiful morning but once again it got hot quick. It was in the 90's by early afternoon. I left Lewistown and the Judith Mountains and was soon passing the South Moccasin Mountains. I saw many more mule deer and antelope which seem to be the two most popular mammals in the area. After crossing the Judith River I climbed a very big hill and then made a stop for lunch in the town of Denton. I had planned to camp here but decided I would push on and try to make it to Fort Benton. The entire afternoon I was biking towards, around, and past Square Butte. It was quite a sight and could be seen for many many miles away. I got to ride down a very large hill with an 8% grade, pretty steep! It was a lot of fun but I had to slow it down when the road turned to gravel for a short distance. I made a stop at a place called the Square Butte Country Club. Took a nice long break from the heat and had a pitcher of ice water, a couple Montana microbrews, and some pretzels and delicious Montana mustard, yum! The couple that owned the bar were very kind and joked about the people calling and asking what kind of activities the "country club" has. It is more of a bar than a country club. I was told the main activity is shooting pigeons of off the deck and you can go swimming when the horse gets is head out of the pool. Ha! The bar was filled with some pretty incredible artwork. A local artist had painted portraits of many of the townsfolk and they were displayed throughout the bar. After a nice long break I pushed on to the town of Geraldine where I visited the historic Milwaukee Railroad Depot. I filled my water bottles and pushed on the last stretch of 25 miles to Fort Benton. The end of the ride was a very pretty downhill stretch into town. I crossed the Missouri River, checked out the town, and set up camp in the city park right along the river. After getting set up and showering I walked the very nice riverwalk and got a big bowl of chili and a strawberry shake. Totally hit the spot!

A common sight in Montana

Crossing the Judith River

Leaving the Judith Mountains

2 hawks on a fence

Grain elevators and trains - also a common sight

All the horses stare at me, same with the cows

Square Butte

Very pretty scenery all day

Fast downhill section

Riding between rock walls

Road turned to gravel

Square Butte from the other side

Horse gang

Some water in a very dry part of Montana

Town of Square Butte

Square Butte Country Club

Milwaukee Railroad Depot in Geraldine, Montana

Antelope

Just outside of Fort Benton

Amber fields of grain

Looking back after coming downhill into Fort Benton

The Eastern entrance to Fort Benton

The Missouri River

The old Milwaukee railroad

Bridge built in 1888

Fort Benton

View from the campsite

Enjoying the riverwalk near sunset

Sunset on the bridge

July 18th - 62.22 / 2,157.36 - Fort Benton - Great Falls

Woke up early and made a stop at a really nice coffee shop. Had a tasty blueberry scone and some fresh roasted coffee. It was a beautiful morning for a bike ride! The ride was pretty hilly today and the wind was against me but it was still enjoyable. After arriving to Great Falls I visited the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and then biked the Rivers Edge Trail along the Missouri River. I took my time and had a nice break at the dam where there were large waterfalls and fast moving water. It was quite a sight! After getting lost in Great Falls, which is pretty big considering where I have been the past few weeks, I found a motel and checked in. It was nice to get out of the heat and in some air conditioning. I walked across the street and had some Chinese food and then went back to the room to relax.

Leaving Fort Benton

It's hay bailing time in Montana

Headed towards Great Falls

Not so flat road

Always seeing mountains in the distance now

Just a pretty picture

Missouri River in Great Falls

View form the Rivers Edge Trail

Interesting flowers

Rivers Edge Trail

The dam

One of the waterfalls

Another view of the dam

Waterfall near dam

Burlington Northern Santa Fe

July 19th - 18.68 / 2,176.04 - Day off in Great Falls

Took my time waking up and getting ready since I had an off day and check out time wasn't until noon. I literally biked across the street to a campground and set up camp. I could see it from my room so it was an easy decision. Shorlty after arriving to the campground several figther jets flew over and landed very close by at the air force base. Very cool to see! I headed into town to check out the bike shop but just about everything was closed being a Sunday. I decided to bike along the Rivers Edge Trail again, this time on the other side of the Missouri. It was a really nice and relaxing ride with awesome views of the river and the bluffs. I took a nice break and really enjoyed watching the pelicans trying to catch fish with there enourmous beaks at the base of the waterfalls. After spending most of the day along the river I went back to the campsite and did my laundry. I met several people out on adventures of there own. There was a family from canada RV'ing throughout the states, and a man from Michigan who was on his return motorcycle trip from Alaska. We talked and had a few beers around the campsite. Always interesting meeting new people and hearing about there travels. I walked to Subway and got a $5 footlong, which truly is $5 in Montana, no sales tax. Loaded up my phone/mp3 played with music and went to bed. Every week or so I put a couple hundred diffearant songs on my phone and have a speaker attatched to my bike so I can listen to music while riding. It's wonderful having music while biking through the beautiful countryside. Often times the sounds and lyrics fit the landscape just right!