I slept in until 5:30, and was able to have breakfast at the hotel (I had been leaving the hotel before breakfast lately). While at breakfast I met Dan who was biking the Great Divide route. We chatted for a while, which was nice. I was riding at 7:00. Still had to start with cold weather gear, as it was only 50 degrees in the morning.
It was 25 miles to the town of Anaconda. I got there at 9:00, and looked to see if there was a 9:00 church service anywhere. Unfortunately, they all started at 10:30, or later. So, I picked up a second breakfast and got back on my bike. Anaconda is a very nice town, BTW.
From there I was on Montana Hwy 1 the rest of the day. The highway was a lot busier than yesterday, but there was a rideable shoulder for almost the entire length.
Once I left Anaconda, I was climbing up to the highest elevation of my trip. The climb was gradual at first, but got steep at the end. It topped out at 6,469 feet of elevation. Here are some pictures from the climb.
I was surprised that at the top of the climb were two beautiful mountain lakes. The first one is called Silver Lake.
The second lake was Georgetown Lake. It had several houses around it, which helps to explain the traffic.
It was a fast 20 mile downhill with some gorgeous views that I didn’t stop to take pictures of. Too much traffic and no shoulder on the steep downhill. I rode into the town of Phillipsburg at Noon and ate a great lunch at one of the local restaurants. Phillipsburg is also a very nice town.
The temperature was building and was approaching 80 as I continued on until 3:00 and the town of Drummond. Fortunately, the wind was not a factor today. Here are some pictures from this portion of my ride.
Drummond is not a nice town, but it’s the last hotel for 50 miles. And it had a room for me. By the time I arrived it was 85 degrees, so I was glad to have an air conditioned hotel room.
There was only one place in town that was serving food, and that was the local bar. So, I sat at the bar and talked with a local guy while I ordered dinner.
For the day, I rode 85 miles and climbed 2,400 feet.
My sit bones are starting to feel a little tender, so my plan for tomorrow is to ride just over 50 miles to Missoula and take a rest day on Tuesday in Missoula.
Beautiful views Jim! Really, “My sit bones are starting to feel a little tender”… you think! I mean after over 3,000 miles sitting on a tiny tinny little bicycle seat thing. Too funny. We have to start calling you the man with buns of steel.
You deserve the Tuesday rest day. Good Call!
You’re almost there Jim! What an amazing experience you are having, thank you for sharing!
Loved Silver Lake! Beautiful. Please be careful Jim and take time to heal. I am still amazed that you have ridden so far. What a guy!