Bishop Bike Adventure Day 17 July 17, 2010

The feel of our journey changed today with the crossing of the Continental Divide at Roger’s Pass. It is hard to believe that we are now on the eastern side of the Rockies, and as the long day’s ride continued into Great Falls, MT, the mountains of the west grew smaller and smaller. We found ourselves in “Prime Beef Country,” where the expanses of land grew and the enveloping hills shrunk and faded into the distance.

Close examination of the left side of the picture below shows Debbie coasting down the eastern side of the pass. Once over the Divide, we also found the temperature lower and the wind came into our face, what we believe to be contrary to the typical wind patterns. The headwind provided for a more difficult ride. We discovered new meaning to “interval training” as we found ourselves going up 200 feet and going down 200 feet, seemingly time and time again until the rolling hills became lower in height and further between in distance, a roller coaster sort of terrain on roads with rumble strips that were not biker friendly. So after an 88-mile day, we bid good-bye to the Rockies and look forward to our first day of rest tomorrow.

We were joined for part of this ride by a biker/lawyer from Bozeman named Jason, shown here riding with Debbie. He was on a road bike and we conversed for several miles before his schedule moved him on. It is always interesting to get a local perspective on things. He, as most, was supportive of and intrigued by our adventure.

We arrived in Great Falls around 9:00. We found ourselves scouting the locals at Dairy Queen for accommodations close to services and churches. After a few referrals, we landed at the Quality Inn downtown. Great Falls is comparable in size to Missoula, at about 60,000. The streets are grid-like, with numbered avenues in one direction and streets in the other. We will learn more tomorrow. Good night from Montana!