Over the Continental Divide

For the past two days we have cycled from Missoula, Montana, into the capital city of Helena. Yesterday, June 28th, we headed out of Missoula on Montana State route 200, and went up-river most of the day. The sun was shining brightly, the scenery was mostly awesome, and the grade was not too steep. It was for the most part a good day of cycling. 72 miles later, in the mid-afternoon, we arrived in the little town of Helmville, to the ranch of Randy & Mo Mannix. They had just finished constructing a "boarding house," so we were the first group to use it. It was a bit "cozy" for fourteen of us, but cooler than the surroundings, had running water, and provided refuge from the mosquitoes! Randy spoke to us about ranching life in this part of Montana...trying to manage hundreds of animals over thousands of acres. We learned some interesting things about genetics, grass-fed cattle, dealing with wolves and grizzly bears, and raising a family in the wide-open spaces. It almost felt like a National Geographic article about this way of life. It also was our 24th wedding anniversary. Perhaps it was one of the least romantic for Sandy and I, but we are not complaining, as we chose this for our summer. Got to text her a few times during the day, but not in Helmville...no service!

Today, June 29th, we cycled from Helmville down to Avon, turned east on US route 12, and made the climb to MacDonald Pass. Zach had a couple more flat tires along the way. Most of the team agreed that while the elevation at the Pass- 6,325 feet above sea level- was the highest we had seen thus far, this pass was a bit easier to cycle. This was probably due to the fact that the team is stronger at this point, and the actual net elevation change here was less than the cascade Mountains in Washington. Also, this pass was part of the Continental Divide, so from this point forward the waters drain toward the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Halfway home? Not by a longshot, but it was a significant landmark. Coming down the eastern side was a rush! One of our team members registered 55 miles per hour on his bicycle computer! (I topped out at 41 mph) We were very quickly down in Helena, where the First Assembly of God church has opened their doors to us. We were happy to get here relatively early in the afternoon, as storms were predicted, possibly with some hail. We just finished some worship and prayer time as a team. Tomorrow is sort of an "unscheduled" day off for us. We are doing a presentation about the Just & Hope Campaign at noon at the Rotary Club. We want to time things so that we are in a larger town (Billings) by Sunday. There aren't many larger towns around. So, tomorrow will be a good day for people to rest and heal up...a number of team members have various injuries. Zach and I have been mostly healthy, although I banged my arm again today and started bleeding again.

There is, of course, much more we could write about...every day has so many adventures, disappointments, and laughs. For those hoping to see pictures, Zach has posted bunches of them on his Facebook. Thanks for following!

Tim