Covid Cross Day #37 Great Falls, MT to Augusta, MT
Covid Cross Day #37
July 10, 2020
Great Falls, MT to Augusta, MT 56 Miles
Start 9:50 AM Finish 4:34 PM
Ride Time 6:15
Ascent 1188 Feet
Descent 511 Feet
Tour Total 3110 Miles
I slept incredibly well last night in my bed at the O'Haire Motor Inn in Great Falls. It felt great to be clean again. I woke up early and packed up all my dry gear and laundry. It was raining outside, so I took my time and edited yesterday’s report. I went to Clark & Lewie’s for my complimentary breakfast, where I had an egg over-easy with bacon, toast, and coffee. The O’Haire Motor Inn was recommended on the ACA route, and it was straight out of the fifties fantastic. There was a rubber ducky waiting for me in my room. I didn't take it, but in the lobby I found a composite of guests' touring photos with their duckies. I told the lady at the reception that the duck would be too heavy for me to carry. I waited for the rain to stop and talked to a woman out in front of the hotel before I departed. She was driving to Lincoln and wished me good weather. I was headed in the same direction.
Great Falls, population 58,505, was a great town. It was the largest city in Montana until 1970, when it was surpassed by Billings. Great Falls remained the second largest city until 2000, when Missoula took it's place. Since then Great Falls has been the third largest city in the state. It featured the spectacular Missouri River and five cascades along a 10-mile segment of the river, which dropped a total of 612 feet from the first of the falls to the last. It was the historically significant site of the Corps of Discovery expedition, and was currently a county seat with a courthouse and legal complex. The Malmstrom US Air Force Base was located nearby, and it was a major agricultural center. Great Falls was the region's airport hub, and was a gateway to the western mountains. It had a 50's honky-tonk vibe, and was perhaps a little worse for wear. I noticed pawnshops and a few questionable characters. Overall the town was nice. There were great bike lanes and the crosswalks all had colorful flowers painted on the pavement. There was a great public art theme of welded found metal objects.
I rode past the old Milwaukee Station that I had admired yesterday, and then crossed the the Missouri River on an old railroad bridge that had been converted into a bike and pedestrian path. The streets were wet and large puddles were everywhere. It was chilly and I was wearing my sweater. The sun came out right after I crossed the river. I missed my turn and had to circle back around. I noticed a wind sock, and it seemed like the breeze was out of the southwest. There had been a car accident and I saw two police cars and a paramedic. A railroad line was to my left, and a fantastic Butte to my right as I passed under I-15.
The newly revised ACA Northern Tier route utilizes Interstate 15 to travel north to Cut Bank. I preferred the way I did it last year along the Hi-Line. That said, I really enjoyed this year's route. I encountered the mountains earlier this time, and with the mountains came a pleasant change. It was definitely more affluent in Central Montana than up north. I was riding up Central Avenue aka I-15 Frontage Road with twelve miles to Vaughn. The road paralleled the interstate and had very little traffic. I was flanked on the left by railroad tracks. I was headed north west and the wind was from the southwest. It was chilly and I was still wearing my sweater. I had a nice wide shoulder but there were rumble strips down the middle, giving me 24 inches to ride on.
I was now at 3340 feet elevation. I had descended in altitude yesterday while dropping down into the Missouri River Valley. Today I was following the Sun River upstream, and had the first stretch of road to myself. A guy drove by me in a pick-up truck with a surfboard in the bed. Yesterday I had been passed by a motor vehicle with a surfboard strapped to the roof. Two years ago I saw surfers in the river in Missoula. There must be other places around here with water currents that favor this activity.
I passed the entrance to First People's Buffalo Jump State Park, 5-1/2 miles to the south. I left Central Ave and rode into Vaughn, population 701. All of the towns out here have written the first letter of the town's name in white rocks up on a bluff. V for Vaughn was no exception. I headed west and got back on Montana Highway 200/US Highway 89. I would be going west/southwest and straight into the wind. I saw a sign for Missoula indicating that it was 155 miles away. The meandering ACA route would be much longer.
Highway 200 had four lanes of traffic with a passing lane in the center. I had a nice wide shoulder and could see 3809 foot Taft Hill to the south. Native Americans used the formation as a buffalo jump. It had once been the largest such buffalo jump in North America. I was following Lewis and Clark’s return passage along the Sun River. On their initial journey west they had followed the Missouri River further south to the headwaters, and then traveled west across the Beaverhead Mountains.
US Highway 89 split off from Montana Highway 200. Glacier National Park was 120 miles north on US Highway 89. I noticed construction signs regarding State Highway 21 being closed ahead, which was the second segment of today's route. I crossed over Mill Coulee Creek. I passed a coin operated public scale and I thought about stopping. I crossed the bridge over the Sun River, which was green and a hundred feet wide. It was strategically important even before European settlement. The town of Sun River had a population of 124, and all of it's services were closed.
I passed three signs in somebody’s field on the side of the road. The first one read, "In God we Trust". The second read, "In our country we trust". The third read, "In our government we do not trust". Below read, "Documentation Available." Highway 200 and the Sun River meandered around 4639 foot tall Shaw Butte. Two police cars went flying down the road. Fort Shaw, population 289, greeted me with a junkyard full of 70's era automobiles. Contrary to the icons on my map, there were no services. I passed a post office and a church, and both seemed operational. It was another 6-1/2 miles to Simms where I was hoping I'd find some food and something to drink. I encountered a roadkill deer with a stomach cavity filled with maggots.
Simms, population 350, had yards full of construction equipment and small houses. Ahead I could see the intersection with County Road 565 and the fork with Highway 21. I spotted a sign that said, "Montana Highway 21 Closed at Mile Post 9.2". I stopped at Curtiss Service Center & Convenient Store. A sign out front read that the next service stop on Highway 200 was 55 miles ahead. I asked two gentlemen out front about the road work on Highway 21 and they told me not to proceed. The clerk inside said that I’d be able to make it through. I had a decision to make. I could stick to the ACA route and pedal due west for twenty-one miles to Augusta, where there would be services and a place to spend the night. Tomorrow I'd then ride eighteen miles south to re-join Highway 200 to then continue over Rogers pass. Or, I could continue south west on Highway 200, with no services, and stealth camp somewhere before the pass. The next town with services on Highway 200 would be after the pass in Lincoln, I decided to take the clerk's advice and risk getting through the construction, despite the Road Closed signs. Worst case, I'd have to turn around after 9.2 miles and return back to Simms.
I purchased a red Gatorade and some honey roasted peanuts. There were bear warning pamphlets. A motorist pulled in with his young daughter, and I noticed that he had a handgun in a holster, clipped to his belt. I removed my sweater before I departed. Road construction signs and gravel areas sprung up immediately. They were indeed repairing and replacing bridges. I had the road completely to myself. A passing construction worker slowed down and told me that the bridge nine miles ahead had re-opened today, He told me to be careful when I crossed it. I climbed up onto a ridge, and the mountains to the west kept getting bigger. I crossed over into Lewis and Clark County.
I passed a scary right-wing militia camp with trailers and old-western style shacks. There were a bunch of TURD flags, and I spotted the first confederate flag that I’d seen since Ohio. I noticed a shooting range. It was a bunch of scary cooks and, fortunately for me, I was white so I had no problem riding through. Puffy clouds were forming and it remained borderline chilly. I passed a radio tower and collection of buildings, but there was no town listed. It was the Northwest Energy Main Line 3. A woman was out mowing the grass out in front of the entrance to the Broken O Ranch. She called out to me and said that the bridge was out ahead. I told her that it had become passable today. She replied that it had been out for three months.
I came to the Road Closed construction area. The foreman met me and walked me across the new corrugated galvanized steel deck. The guy in the truck whom I had met earlier had radioed that I was coming. The deck had just been completed today, and I was the first person to cross it. The foreman told me that I could camp at the rodeo grounds in Augusta and said to check out the Milford colony tomorrow.
There were a flock of seagulls at Dry Creek Road. They were hanging out in the middle of the highway, which made no sense to me. Fields to both sides of the road were being watered with giant rolling irrigation systems. I climbed back up on top of a ridge and was once again at 4000 feet elevation. The western mountains were approaching. I could spot the town of Augusta in the valley ahead.
I was still following the Sun River to my right. There were so many rushing streams around me that were draining from the mountains. I crossed over Elk Creek, a green fast-flowing stream and came to US Highway 287, where I cut left and rode into town. The welcome sign read, "Welcome to Augusta! Trailhead to the Bob Marshall Wilderness". There were several bar options and I chose the Buckhorn Bar & Grill where I ordered several pints of Ozone Amber, along with a cheeseburger and fries. The friendly bartender, Sam, had lived in this area all his life, and was a county commissioner. He had studied art in Bozeman, and showed me a commission he had painted on a tanker truck. I finished today's report in the comfort of air conditioning and WiFi.
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