Good Bye Mountains, Hello Prairie

[Cool little Waterfall at a rest stop on the way up to Marias Pass]

[Joe and Ben at the Continental Divide]

[Kevin at the Continental Divide]

[Eastward View: Hello Praire - nothingness]

[Westward View: Goodbye Mountains]

Today we departed the familiar surroundings of the western mountains, but not before enjoying one of the most scenic rides to date. We started out of West Glacier about 7:30 this morning and were greeted by clear blue skies and sun lit mountain peaks. The area in and around Glacier National Park has always been one of my favorites and anyone who has been there knows why. It is simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, due to time contsraints, road construction, and the fact that Logan Pass was just opened a few days ago we decided it would be best to avoid riding Going to the Sun Road and circle the south end of the park on highway 2. The ride was still spectacular. We spent the morning climbing over Marias Pass. The road was steep and difficult at times, but it was much more forgiving than the climbs in Washington. We stopped to eat lunch at a memorial park on Marias Pass offering an obelisk, several informational signs, and an amazing view of the mountains. From there it was a nice coast downhill (mostly) to East Glacier. At this point the ecology of Montana makes an abrupt change. Within a ten mile span the lush mountainous evergreen forests gave way to flat, wide open grasslands (see above pictues. Kevin and Ben are standing in the exact same spot in the last two). We continued on highway 2 from East Glacier to the little town of Browning where we had planned on spending the night. The wind changed our minds, however. The entire 12 miles for East Glacier to Browning were ridden at about 20 - 25 mph with minimal pedaling due to a huge tail wind. We decided the wind was to good to pass up, and as it was only 3:45 we should try to make the next 33 miles to Cut Bank. The wind held strong and we rolled in to Cut Bank at 5:30. We averaged over 20 mph the last 45 miles of our trip and finished with an unexpected 105 miles on the day. Not bad considering we had to climb over a 5,200 ft pass. We are now hoping the wind continues strong out of the west and pushes homeward across eastern Montana and North Dakota. While I find myself utterly exhausted, I am in very good spirits after today's ride. By the way, did I mention it's much hotter down here on the plains...