26 August 2006

Three Forks, Montana to Helena, Montana. 75 miles. The wind died down somewhat last night. Covered the first 32 miles in about 2.5 hours. I hit about 6 miles of construction right out of Three Forks. I met a guy named Bob Peterson who had pulled over to fix a flat. I had passed two riders about five minutes earlier and they were with Bob’s group. They are from Iowa and are doing the Lewis and Clark Trail in two week stints. He had what he needed so I pushed on after chatting with him for a few moments about his trip and mine. He promised me a beautiful ride to Great Falls.

I crossed the Missouri River for the first time today (see photo). I surprised myself with how happy it made me feel to finally see it. From here on out, if I am accompanied by a river, it will more than likely be the Missouri. After Townsend, there were some long gradual hills but it was a pretty fast day of riding. Helena was a pretty tough town lodging-wise. The camping areas are pretty far from the city and expensive. No internet access either. Bummer.