Day 19: Near Lima Reservoir to Upper Red Rock Lake - 34 miles

Like yesterday we started off the day with rain. There was also an extremely strong wind which shook my tent to the point where I was sure I would lose some of the pegs. Of course the wind was from the direction we would be cycling, but eventually it died off (and my pegs stayed in!).

They day was going to be one of rain and between showers we broke camp and headed off. The rain made the road even gluggier than yesterday so progress was quite difficult. I was concerned to see that Sean was pushing his bike very early on as this was inauspicious, but I resolved to continue on and wait for him at the turn off.

It was more of yesterday with having to fight for every metre. In some places I was able to go off road again and battle my way through the scrub, but it was still hard work. After 2 miles I had reached the worst section when a pickup truck drove up with Sean aboard. He asked if I wanted to continue and, my masochistic gene notwithstanding, I accepted the offer and we hoisted my bike on board. The pickup had a hard time getting up the hill but we eventually made it to the top.

After getting our bikes off and thanking the driver he drove off to his farm which was just up the way. Sean realised that he had left his hat in the vehicle and was undecided on whether or not to cycle up the hill to retrieve it. I decided to push on and so gave Sean the guidebook while keeping the map for myself.

The road was better than what we had come off, but only marginally, and it was still necesary to cycle along the edge and battle through soft patches. At least there were few grades and, like much of the rest of the trip, no traffic.

It headed east and then turned south towards the divide. This area is markedly different from the other parts of Montana we have been through insofar as there are broad, sweeping plains with the mountains in the background. They call Montana 'Big Sky Country' and cycling along the plains it is easy to see why.

Our route took us directly towards the continental divide which, as the photo below tries to show, was encapsulated in a low cloud. It then swung east and ran parallel to the divide with our goal for the evening stop being the campground at Upper Red Rock Lake.

 

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The cycling would have been easy since the terrain was fairly flat except for the problem of the last few days - a soggy road which made for difficult going. I won't repeat the commentary again, except suffice to say that it was not very much fun. To add insult to injury it also rained continually throughout the day but this had one benefit, it did wash off a lot of the mud!

At one point the rain was so heavy I felt like I was in a cold shower. Even though I was wearing my rain gear, my hands and feet were not protected and my fingers and toes became very cold. I have a great tolerance for heat, but not much for cold, so this was a bit disconcerting.

After slogging on for a number of hours a vehicle stopped and the woman passenger asked if I was cycling alone. When I told her I had a colleague but had not seen him for about 4 h she said that he was on the road about 3-4 miles back which was good news. They had been to NZ and loved it, but were very surprised to see us up here in Montana. She also said that this was the first rain since June and so was very unseasonal. I guess she thought that would make me feel better ...

Our map showed that there was accommodation at Lake View and due to the cold I was hopefull that this was correct. Unfortunately, the same vehicle stopped on they way back to say that there was no accommodation there and that everything was closed being a Saturday. Ho hum. They kindly agreed to relay a message to Sean which they did, as well as giving him an apple for sustinance.

The road before Lakeview was the worst that I had yet see, nothing more than mud, and it was not easy to make my way through it. By the time I got to town I was quite tired and very cold. I parked my bike and grabbed a towel and some try clothes and bundled up to get warm and wait for Sean. There is a lot to be said for polypropyl's and down! I was so cozy that I even dozed off.

After just about an hour Sean cycled into town and joined me. He said that although it was only 30 miles it felt like 70 and, like me, he was knackered. Since the town had nothing to offer us, except a couple of open buildings which I didn't like the look of, we agreed to cycle on to the campground which was 4.5 miles away. This was a good call as the campground was located in a beautiful setting next to the lake with a spring and firewood. The latter meant that we could dry out our clothes.

It took us a few tries (wet wood and not much to start it with) but we managed to get the fire going. It was great to warm ourselves with and it also was good for drying our gloves and other wet gear. I washed my bicycle in the spring and oiled the chain. I know that it will get muddy again before too long, it was just beyond the point of being reasonable.

The campground was deserted except for a couple of elk hunters who were here for 3 weeks. They said that it was only about 40 miles to West Yellowstone so that is where we will make for tomorrow. We need to stock up on food before hitting Yellowstone Park and the route which follows.

As we were pitching camp there was a woodpecker about 10 metres away having a go at a tree. It was great to be able to watch this bird; Sean had never seen one before. There were also other birds on the lake which is a reserve.

The evening was cold but I enjoyed sitting by the fire contemplating life, admiring the stars, and listening to the BBC. It is so easy to feel close to God when I am in nature and places like this make all the work worthwhile.

On to the next day ...

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