Three Forks happens to be the source of the Missouri River & the place for expensive motels!

I didn’t leave for Bozeman until after lunch & the day was warm. The massive Montana landscape continued, peddling through communities dedicated to potatoes, railway & hay.

Only a few days before I discovered Bill & Heidi had separated but had insisted I called by.

What I didn’t know was that today, Heidi was moving into her new Bozeman home. 20 mins after my arrival, the last of the u-haul removals arrived with the humping muscle of Bill & their two boys, Wyatt & Torrin. The 13yr old boys I knew are now strapping young men and a credit to both. In between unloading boxes, we all dined on sushi in the garden & caught up on the past 3 yrs.

Still feeling the effects of yesterday’s ride, a slow start meant the heat was already building by the time I’d started riding. Destination was Three Forks – which just happens to be the Worthington coat of arms.

It was 5 miles before I clear Helena and for the Montana landscape to show itself again. You can see why they call it Big Sky country but it could just as easily be called Big Everything.

20 miles in, I came to The Big Bull at Weston – a welcome stop for coke & air conditioning. Dan had messaged, accepting my apologies for not waiting on in Helena for his arrival. It’s tough managing two separate itineraries.

Todays ride was open vista all the way. The road & the railway followed river valleys gently up & down and had the luck on a 5mph wind at my back. The sun & temperature were the killers!

My Garmin brought me into Three Forks via the Old Town Road which was seriously blockaded at ends of a bridge 5 miles in.

Then the miracle – out of this deserted land, 6 young Bozeman guys were hanging out at the bridge & lifted my bike over the two barricades. Without their help 10 miles would have been added to this hard day.

Malizia, David Taylor, John Rumley, Wyatt Nelson, Taylor Kapfer & Brennan Crock

Although I set off early with a good dose of anti inflammatories, it was more to ride some distance before the heat – threatening to reach 98F somewhere nearby. I never expected to reach Helena in one day!!!

Initial destination was to ride over a high plateau to Avon – achieved by 1:30pm. A one horse railway ‘town’ with half a dozen houses and no sign of life outside a cafe which closes at 2pm – so I pedalled 8 miles on to Elliston.

Of similar size & activity but with a bar & food. Once well fed & knee rested, with the wind at my back, I headed to Helena, now only 20 miles distant but with the Macdonald’s Pass to overcome.

Even on metalled road, in the cool of the evening, it was a tough climb. Once over the top however, a most welcome, long downhill all the way in to Helena. I arrived absolutely exhausted though my knee had just about survived!

Up very early to get some alignment with UK working day & 7:30am popped out for final farewells to Dan & Harold. I feel they will ride well together, hopefully all the way to Antelope Wells.

The morning was spent on GE stuff & chilled in the afternoon catching up with family & friends.

Elizabeth & John caught up today & are free camping at the jailhouse. I was invited to dine with them – alfresco of course.

Checked in with Dan who seems to have arrived in Lincoln but minus more spokes. Hopefully he can limp to Helena 2 days ride away.

Having decided my knee would not be up to the ride ahead, today I would ride the trail for the last time.

It was to be even hotter today, 39C! Starting early was important.

Our different paces & destinations meant it was most unlikely the six of us would meet as a group ever again so we said our goodbyes to John & Elizabeth before heading off.

Elizabeth was 62, a nurse practitioner (something between a nurse & doctor) & loved her job. I certainly felt safe when she was around. I think she had a pannier dedicated to medication! Husband, John, 65, arboriculturalist, had just retired from from a logging company. Through him I learnt the sad truth of the ecology & things look bleak! Although trees lost in wild fires are replaced with new growth, the flora & fauna is unable to keep pace with the increasing rate of change in climate. Huge plantations will become wastelands before they mature as they become unable to cope with the higher temperatures.

The ride was good – a few good climbs, an excellent 5 mile, high-speed downhill & good gravel. However, by the time we reached Ovando we were hallucinating for cold coke! The village is tiny but bike-packers are welcomed with a range of free accommodation. Being the end of the ride, I opted for the hotel & a.c.

To beat the heat, Dan & Harold had set off on the trail early. To protect my knee I had chosen a route which was gentler in gradient though, not riding through dense forests, I probably had the better scenery.

On arrival I found Dan sitting in a small patch of shade, waiting for an Uber taxi to deliver a new saddle from Missoula, 30 miles away. His was broken & the latest misfortune to befall him on this ride.

Arriving at the camp ground a couple of miles out of town, we came across John & Elizabeth setting up camp. Having initially met them a few days earlier, it was a very nice reunion.

Another very , very hot day – we should have taken greater benefit of the cool early morning. By midday the heat made the slightest climb challenging. Thank goodness for Holland Lake Lodge, near the camp site. Enjoyed the overpriced canned beers & views. This place doesn’t like campers of any description – even if we’d turned up in a $1m RV the treatment would have been the same – impolite, no food or use of Wi-Fi.

Big Fork is an impressive camp on the NE edge of Flathead Lake An impressive 35 miles long & up to 7 miles wide. Largest lake west of the Great Lakes – very popular. Though my leg has improved massively since riding out of Banff, it does not like the very steep climbs on loose gravel.

Therefore today I took a pleasant ride to our next camp, a quarry just across from Cedar Creek CG – the local Ranger Station providing our fresh water.

It was another cloudless day – temperatures of 35C made all peddling exhausting.

About to turn in, I was hanging food & caught sight of a cyclist aimlessly wandering around looking for a pitch. This was our first meeting with Harold from Norway, 65, he has since become a member of our Divide Team.

A little more GE work this morning before supply shopping & breakfast at the Cedar Creek Cafe. Sad to find that it had changed hands & the friendly people I had come to know had all moved on without a trace!!

Consolation was beef hash which was just as good but service was hurried & impersonal – only open for breakfasts until 11AM, they would no longer accommodate me setting up office on my work days.

The route today was a relatively easy 40 miles to Ferndale plus further 5 miles to Big Fork CG, taking in the railway town of Columbia Falls, small ranches, clusters of homes of all types set in forests & open plains. Never far from civilisation but no cold coke to be had all day.

Ferndale is another ribbon community laid out along a mile or so – mostly there to serve those travelling highway 83. The community hub probably limited to a few churches & a supermarket one mile out of town.

I

Big Fork CG was a few miles off route but considered by many to be the place to camp!! Unfortunately A Bar Montana’s big dinners delayed our arrival until dusk – just enough time to pitch tents. The setting is amazing. We had a little issue with warden on where bikers should be, but soon talked him round.

By 7am, Dan had had enough & was packing. The thought of breakfast in town 16 miles away was a good pull – plus we needed to sort his torn tent & dodgy wheel.

Glacier Cycling were great & by lunch, bike was fixed. Unfortunately the tent was terminal but lucky to find a new one that fitted the bike.

The rest of the day we chilled, ate well & spoke to family back home.