September 30

55 miles, 11.2 mph, 750' elevation gain
(Wallace to Harrison, ID)


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Highlights: Historic Wallace, Sierra Silver Mine tour, Bordello museum, 50 miles of Coeur D'Alene Bicycle Trail, all downhill or flat

Journal: [to come]

Silver mine tour (Wallace, ID)

Downtown Historic Wallace

Beautiful day for a ride on the Trail of the Coeur D'Alenes

Sunset along the Trail of the Coeur D'Alenes (Anderson Lake)

September 29

38 miles, 8.4 mph, 2780' elevation gain
(De Borgia, MT to Wallace, ID)


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Highlights: 21 more miles of Interstate riding, climbing up to Lookout Pass (4,725' elev.), watching first small-town high school football game, riding beautiful new paved bike trail, live music (piano & sax) in downtown Wallace

Journal: [to come]

My cute cozy cabin (De Borgia)

Interstate riding (near Saltese)

At the Montana-Idaho state line (Lookout Pass)

Looking west from the top of Lookout Pass

Where are the potatoes?

Kickoff time (Mullan)

September 28

66 miles, 10.7 mph, 2510' elevation gain
(Alberton to De Borgia, MT)


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Highlights: Clark Fork River Valley, early fall colors, hot enough to sweat, 29 miles of Interstate riding, narrow canyon ride, cozy cabin & hot tub at end of day

Journal: [to come]

Camping along the Clark Fork River (Alberton)

Clark Fork River (near Lozeau)

September 27

43 miles, 11.6 mph, 840' elevation gain
(Missoula to Alberton, MT)


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Highlights: perfect weather

Journal: After spending the past 24 hours in Missoula with friends, I am heading downriver today to the small town of St. Regis, MT (pop. 315, elev. 2,590'). Tomorrow I will climb up to Lookout Pass (elev. 4,725') and enter the panhandle of Idaho. By Saturday morning I should be in Washington state.

Pulp & paper mill (near Frenchtown)

September 26

11 miles, 480' elevation gain
(Bonner to Missoula, MT)


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Highlights: easy morning ride, Adventure Cycling headquarters, afternoon & evening with friends of friends, pet hens

Journal: [to come]

Lewis & Wickland were here! (east of Missoula)

Outside the Adventure Cycling headquarters (Missoula)

Way too comfortable! (Missoula)

With Alice & Charlie & kids (Missoula)

September 25

75 miles, 11.1 mph, 1660' elevation gain
(Lincoln to Bonner, MT)


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Highlights: mostly downhill, Blackfoot River valley, early fall colors, an evening with organic Jewish Montana rednecks

Journal: [to come]

Blackfoot River (west of Lincoln)

Blackfoot River valley (east of Ovando)

Downton Ovando (population 71)

Blackfoot River again (between Ovando & Potomac)

Company mill town (Bonner)

Rocky Mountain High

58 miles, 8.4 mph, 2980' elevation gain
(Augusta to Lincoln, MT)


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Highlights: more headwinds, Hutterite farm, crossing the Continental Divide at Rogers Pass (elev. 5,610'), TREES!!!!!!!!!!

Journal: [to come]

Rocky Mountains in the distance (south of Augusta)

In case I need help finding them!

4 hours later - still in the distance!

TREES!!!!!! (~5 miles east of Rogers Pass)

Highest elevation of the trip! (Rogers Pass)

Brrrr....coldest spot ever!

Last picture of the day (east of Lincoln)

Last Day of Great Plains!

58 miles, 10.7 mph, 1330' elevation gain
(Great Falls to Augusta, MT)


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Highlights: freezing in morning, cattle & buttes, deer & military vehicles, first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains

Journal: [to come]

Widest shoulder ever! (east of Sun River)

Crossing the Sun River (Sun River)

Butte (south of Fort Shaw)

First shot of the Rocky Mountains (east of Augusta)

Day Off

no riding
(Great Falls, MT)

Highlights: wet (rain), cold (40's) & windy (10-15 mph from the west), historic trolley tour of Great Falls

Journal: [to come]

September 21

24 miles, 8.3 mph, 870' elevation gain
(10 miles east of Great Falls to Great Falls, MT)


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Highlights: more headwinds, finally getting to Great Falls, Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

Journal: [to come]

World's shortest river...only 201 feet long! (Roe River)

Impressive skate park (Great Falls)

Old-fashioned advertising (Great Falls)

Frustrating Day

39 miles, 7.7 mph, 2310' elevation gain
(Fort Benton to 10 miles east of Great Falls, MT)


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Highlights: overnight rain, Old Fort Benton tour, windy & hilly, lots of climbing, got tired in the middle of nowhere, slept on a farm

Journal: [to come]

Crossing the Missouri River (Fort Benton)

Only flat part of the day (east of Highwood)

Farm (in the distance) where I pitched my tent (east of Great Falls)

September 19

45 miles, 10.2 mph, 1310' elevation gain
(Big Sandy to Fort Benton, MT)


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Highlights: Museum of the Northern Great Plains, Shep's grave, historic Fort Benton

Journal: [to come]

We hardly knew ya, Verona (southwest of Big Sandy)

Lewis & Clark got confused near here (just north of Loma)

Horse country (southwest of Loma)

The offical buffalo nickel buffalo (Fort Benton)

Historic "old" Fort Benton (Fort Benton)

Shep's memorial (Fort Benton)

Back In The Saddle Again

39 miles, 10.4 mph, 460' elevation gain
(Havre to Big Sandy, MT)


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Highlights: mailed 8.5 pounds of stuff home, snow capped mountain, 3rd flat tire, 10 miles of railway flatcars

Journal: [to come]

Recent snow on the Bears Paw Mountains (near Box Elder)

Flatcar purgatory (northeast of Big Sandy)

September 17

no riding
(Whitefish to Havre, MT via train)

Highlights: riding Amtrak, Havre Beneath The Streets tour, too cold to ride a bike

Journal: [to come]

Morning fog at dawn (Whitefish)

Week of Vacation

no riding
(Glacier National Park, MT; Banff & Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada via rental car)

Highlights: meeting cousins, driving the Going-To-The-Sun Road, seeing wildlife (moose, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, grizzly bears), hiking to Crypt Lake ("#1 hike in Canada"), summer (sunny & 80's) on Tuesday & winter (snowing & 30's) on Thursday, hot springs, getting a cold, seeing Little Miss Sunshine, huckleberries

Journal: [to come]

Lake McDonald (Glacier National Park)

Historic Red Buses at Logan Pass (Glacier National Park)

The "Garden Wall" at Logan Pass (Glacier National Park)

Many Glacier Hotel (Glacier National Park)

Prince of Wales Hotel (Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta)

Can you spot the trail? (Waterton Lakes National Park)

Kristin, me & Dean at Crypt Lake (Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta)

Snow!!! (Banff, Alberta)

Moraine Lake (Banff National Park, Alberta)

Thanks for the memories, Canada! (between Golden & Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia)