Day 7: Butte to Bozeman

The first 2/3 of today's ride was just about perfect. The temperature was in the high 50's as we rolled out of Butte, and stayed less than 80 for much of the day. It rose after lunch, and was in the 90's by the time we finished. Butte is about a mile high, and Bozeman about 4300', so even though we climbed quite a bit today, we descended even more.

I can see why Montana is called The Big Sky State. It is an apt moniker. Early in the day today, I could see people in our group way ahead, looking like tiny ants crawling up the ribbon of highway. The views seem to go on forever.

After a warmup of 8 or so flat miles, we headed up Pipestone Pass on a lightly travelled road.....just some fat guys on Harleys and us. The last 1000 feet were fairly steep through pine forest mixed with scrubby deciduous trees. The summit was at 6400', and was the continental divide, so between now and West Virginia, all streams that we see will eventually make their way to the Mississippi. The descent off the pass way one of the most glorious that I have experienced; about a 3% downgrade, slight tailwind, great visibility (no sharp curves) and beautiful scenery.......I was able to go 30-35 mph for 8 miles.

We then headed into a broad valley with many hayfields and rolling hills. There were fewer trees at this point. Impressive mountains loomed in the distance. We had a delightful lunch along the Madison river, and later crossed the Gallitin river......these are 2 of the 3 forks that form the headwaters of the Missouri river, not far from here. The last 1/3 of the day had another steep climb in the 90 degree heat, and a not very scenic last 10 miles into Bozeman. Tonight a large group of us ate ribs and drank beer at a barbeque place.......perfect food to eat in Bozeman. It is a university town, nestled up against some nice mountains, not as nice as Missoula, but definitely nicer than Butte. It is a jumping off point for Yellowstone, which is only 80 or so miles away.

Tomorrow we spend most of the day on frontage roads that parallel I-90 on our way to the small town of Columbus. Then on Monday we head into Wyoming.

102 miles. 3600 vertical feet