Don't let the title of this article fool you. This isn't about romance and marriage -- even though I just completed a six day mountain bike tour with my best friend and wedded partner of 23 years. No, this is about suffering one minute, only to be wowed and blissful the next. This is about rolling through scenic mountain valleys, breathing in fresh air on low (almost no) traffic roads, followed by climbing, climbing, loud breathing (panting really), head down, focused concentration, and a great deal of motivational self-talk. This is about praising colleague and route architect, Mac McCoy one second, and cursing him the next.
This is about a small section of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route -- a section just a short distance from my hometown, Missoula, MT.
I've driven through the region many times over the course of my life in Montana, but never on these roads and never at bike pace. Let me tell you, if you really want to see, hear, smell and experience Montana, there is no better way than the Great Divide.
My hubby and I started on a sunny Tuesday from the rustic little town of Ovando, MT. That first 20 miles was one of the prettiest of the trip -- with the Bob Marshall Wilderness guiding us on our left as we passed through aspen groves, and then climbed Huckleberry Pass. There's nothing like the reward of climbing a pass to find an epic down hill to your destination. 
Exiting Lincoln, MT, the next morning, I wondered how I had passed through this little town hundreds of times and never saw this gorgeous homestead (pictured above). 
Each day had its logistical challenges -- like forgetting to strap down the back of the Burley and losing a shoe somewhere along the trail. Oh well, he brought too many anyway! 
But the truly epic day on our trip was Helena to Basin; a portion of this section of the route uses Lava Mountain Trail #244. Here we were forced to push over a 7-mile trail that had been ravished by heavy snow run-off and ATV use (which is actually not allowed on this particular trail). 
As difficult as the push up was, the down was just as challenging, especially with the two-wheeled Burley and my loaded bike. But we made it -- though we may have taken a few wrong turns, landing on a cattle trail (much to the cows' surprise!) -- but then we found the right road and wound our way down, down, down to Basin, and the Merry Widow Health Mine and Campground, where we enjoyed a hot shower and visits from neighboring campers, who had come from all over the continent to enjoy the health benefits of the radon gas released in the mines in this area.
And though I hated the head wind the next morning, I loved the little things that enriched the trip, like coming across Sullivan Gulch Trail Head as we headed into Butte, and stirring up hundreds of butterflies as we passed along the trail. And in the end, it was the the good things that count; the beauty and bliss of the mountains that I'll remember. It's the companionship of my husband and the taste of that huckleberry ice cream cone. Yeah, I'll remember that for a long, long time. Photos by Ginny Sullivan
--
CONNECTIONS is posted by Ginny Sullivan, Adventure Cycling's special projects director and features the cultural, historical, geographical, and human connections created through bike travel. Find out about our award-winning Underground Railroad Bicycle Route.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/08/love-and-hate-on-great-divide.html
No comments:
Post a Comment