Epic Bike Ride Day 40 July 7
Thoughts from Kelly: I woke up feeling very well rested, but we were both slow to get moving and we didn’t hit the road until noon. There were some beautiful sights today. From the top of this mountain, we could see a valley surrounded by very tall mountains, and it was gorgeous! We traveled through Butte, stopped at Walmart, got the oil changed, resupplied groceries, got some gas and ice and continued on to find a spot to camp. We ended up on the side of a road again, but by a creek and with a bit of privacy, so hopefully, I will sleep ok.
Thoughts from Mark: We passed a bunch of southbound riders today, and gave away lots of supplies. It’s always great talking with them, and sharing stories, food, water, whatever they need. It really helps boost my spirits, too. I love hearing where they are from, what made them decide to ride this route, and how long they have been riding. Some of them are borderline racing, where they will try to bang out 100 miles, or more, in a day, while the rest are simply touring, and taking their time (like us), and might do 30-40 miles per day. We are starting to run out of time, and the pressure (self imposed) to finish by July 20th or 21st is building. We have to leave Banff by that time, in order to drive back to Michigan, to start our annual 3-day/300 mile bike ride for Make-A-Wish. When I say this out loud to people, it really sounds crazy! I am essentially riding 2,500 miles as a training ride for a 300 mile ride.
Butte seemed like a cool town. There was a HUGE copper mine in the area, and we could see it from a long way away. The route didn’t take us very close to it, and by the time we shopped for groceries, and got the oil changed, we needed to head out of town. We stopped one more time in town for gas and ice, and began the climb out of the valley. I only rode 15 or so miles, maybe even less, North of Butte, but it seemed to be nothing but climbing. The road quickly deteriorated into very steep (15% grade or more) sandy, rocky ugliness, and I had to walk. It’s crazy, but I had gone multiple days, probably even a week or more, without having to walk, but I have now had to hike-a-bike on consecutive days. Sometimes these legs just don’t the juice needed to climb the super steep stuff. After a valiant effort of trying to find a level camping spot in the woods, we settled for Kelly’s favorite (not even a little bit) roadside camping spot. At least there was a small creek next to our spot, and the mosquito coils helped keep the majority of them away.
Miles for the day: 42.65 Feet climbed today: 3,009
Total miles ridden: 1,863.1 Total feet climbed: 115,986
