Day 6: Missoula to Butte

I thought I was in big trouble this morning. The weather report (one way you know you are on a cross country ride is that the TV station you watch the most is The Weather Channel...) on Butte predicted 20-30 mph winds in the afternoon, and when I looked at our route, it looked like it would be a direct headwind. We left Missoula under grey, threatening skies, and actually got a few raindrops, but soon turned sharply south and east, away from the clouds. Temperature was in the 60's, but that didn't last.....by the time we rolled into Butte later in the day, it was back in the 90's. Montana is in the midst of a severe drought, so the locals are not pleased by this unseasonably hot weather (it is usually in the low 80's).

We started on a pleasant backroad for the first 15 miles, then had to do another stint on I-90. The countryside was gradually becoming more arid as we moved farther away from the westernmost part of Montana.....very pretty, with sparse pine forests....it reminded me of the central Oregon landscapes around Sunriver.

I-90 goes directly to Butte, but after 50 miles we veered sharply south onto route 1, the "Pintler Scenic Route", whatever that is. Whereas I-90 stays fairly level all the way to Butte, we could see significant mountains looming on the horizon of rte.1, that we had to go over. We began a steady ascent, so that by lunchtime we had climbed from the 2600 foot level of Missoula up to 5000 feet. After lunch, the real work of the day began. We had about 6 relatively flat miles to digest our food, then a steep 8% grade started and continued for 3 miles. It was quite beautiful, with jagged rocks and one very nice waterfall. The summit was at 6300', so my kidneys got goosed to secrete a little more erythropoetin. I can use a few more red cells 4 days from now, when we take on the bighorn mountains in northeast Wyoming, and cross one pass at 9500'.

At the top, the road stayed level for 5 or so miles, then the descent began. I assumed I was going to get nailed at any moment by the predicted headwinds, but they never fully materialized. After another 20 miles, I snaked through Anaconda (sorry......couldn't resist....), which is sort of a sad place.......many small tidy houses but obviously a poor town. One can see the smelter chimney of the town's mine about 10 miles away.......it must be 20 stories tall, and is surrounded by an unsightly slag heap.

By the time I arrived at the last rest stop, the wind was starting to pick up. It was still 25 miles to Butte, and there was no way I was going to do that alone. Fortunately about 5 minutes later the clydesdale showed up, and we did a mini pace line the rest of the way in.

Poor Butte doesn't have much going for it. The spelling would be more accurate without the "e". Its chief visual feature is a giant open pit mine that abuts the downtown center. It is quite a bit browner that the other parts of Montana that we have seen. My last time in Butte was in 1972, when I drove home to Oregon across the country with my sister, Anne. My ancient volvo broke down on the eastern slope of the continental divide, and we had to be towed over the pass into Butte, where we were taken to Knievel Motors, run by the daredevil Evel's father. Because this happened on the 4th of July, we were forced to spend an unplanned day in Butte. The town hasn't changed much since then. I had dinner tonight in a local family restaurant. When I inquired about wine choices, I was told there were 2: "burgundy and white zinfandel". I ordered lemonade.

There is a family from Texas on the ride.....43 yr.old parents and 2 teenage boys, age 14 and 15. Sometimes the boys look like this might not exactly be their idea of a perfect summer vacation. Today, just 100 yards after leaving the motel in Missoula, the dad and one of the boys ran a red light and got pulled over by a cop. They got off with a warning, but it was definitely not a great start to their day.

I'm managing to stay flexible and limber; the pilates and yoga classes that I have done have been most helpful. I do "cat" and "cow" stretches on the bike, and when I am in a tucked position down on my aerobars, it is the cycling equivalent of a Child's Pose. In the "Too Much Information" department, I've discovered a great product called Chamois Butter, which seems to work wonders when applied to certain tender body areas. I had another massage tonight, which was most excellent.

Tomorrow we ride to Bozeman over the 6400' Pipestone pass, which is the continental divide.

137 miles. 5400 vertical feet.