A Teacher trying to Divide - day 8
leaving Ovando
Monday 15th July
What was the Jedi-mind trick that was played on me yesterday afternoon?
There I sat on the porch of the Ovando Inn with cans of Coke, candy bars, sandwiches and potato chips strewn around about me. The owner came out and asked me if I was feeling better now. Where are you headed tomorrow? I did not know. She had a nice room left at a good price. The lady left me there for a while, alone with the earworm that had started burrowing into my head. The idea of stopping here and not having to endure the heat anymore was appealing. Even more appealing was to sleep in a proper bed! I think it must have been the food buzz that finally did it. I got up, walked up to the counter and said I’ll take the room please. Just like Obi-Wan’s trick with the Star Troopers I didn’t even know it had happened!
She had a friend with a place up on the Divide south of Stemple Pass. She could phone ahead. I was then told that Rob was already heading there after a night in Lincoln. This did all mean that the next two days were mapped out quite nicely.
Realisation…last night I wrote in my journal ‘...if that isn’t kept at bay then my Ride is over.’ I was referring to a saddle sore on my left butt that was now looking to be infected. Paracetamol and ibuprofen only seemed to work until after lunch. Once the heat of the day was at its’ peak the last two or three hours were getting pretty nasty.
After a cold breakfast I made an early start at 0608. The silence was incredible, nothing was moving at that time except for the cattle at the side of the road. I could see the sun slowly rising over the hills and had some fun catching my silhouette in a photo. Just like every morning on the route my legs felt strong, my head was hungry for the miles and the bike just did its thing.
Each night I checked, cleaned and lubed my bike. In return each morning it let me confidently set off. The bike I was riding was a Brother Cycles BigBro29er. I had bought this rigid frame from Will & James two and a half years ago with a mind to slowly build it up ready for a ride like this. Al had recommended to go with 2 by 11 as well as keeping it simple with mechanical disk brakes and straight bars. He knew well what I was up to and I remember him saying to get 2.2’ tires as you will need them sometime won’t you..? Me and the bike then put in hundreds and hundreds of miles riding on the trails, tracks and roads of the Scottish Highlands in preparation. Three weeks before I left for Banff I had the bike completely serviced by Nash from RideCairngorm in Boat of Garten. His expertise and knowledge of North America was incredible, he even suggested not to get some components at too high a spec as that might make them difficult to source, replace or make in some remote workshop in British Columbia. These training rides had been punishing on the bike and Nash, Al and I laughed when we saw the old free hub - it looked like a shark had taken a chunk out of it! The body of my rear Avid BB7 had disintegrated too so it had to be replaced too. The bill was big but my confidence in the bike as I wheeled it out was worth every pound. Not once did the bike let me down on the trip, or since.
Lindsay from BaseCampBikes here in Grantown on Spey also helped me with spares, tools and clothing for the trip. In the lead up to my trip I was in his shop every other day. Lindsay went to a lot of bother ordering in Giro clipless shoes, a favourite multitool of his and a synthetic insulated riding jacket. The shoes were perfect, perhaps a little cool in the morning but they were supportive, comfortable and dried quickly whenever they got wet.
Finally I upgraded some of my bike luggage at BackCountryScot with Andy. His knowledge of bikepacking is second to none and he gave me all the time and space I needed in order to decide whether I did need a new Revelate seatpost bag or not. Andy was right. Along with an 8 litre Terrapin drybag this gave me a system that was effective and simple to use.
Although the sun was coming up I still crunched through one or two frozen puddles on Dry Gulch Road on the way to Highway 200. After the Blackfoot River there is a section of trail that is arrow straight, heading due east. At one point I looked around and realised that this view used to be a desktop image on my computer! The climb up to and over Huckleberry Pass was pretty mellow, one of my favourites. Forest Road 4106 then stayed in the shade for most of the time all the way to Highway 200 before Lincoln. As I approached town I took care to not pass any of the three places I needed to visit : Post Office, grocery store and diner.
I pulled up at Lincoln US Mail, parked my bike and proceeded to strip off some of my dusty clothes with no inhibitions at all. Leg warmers went home to Scotland, as did my Patagonia windstopper gilet and some extra gloves along with some other dusty and smelly pieces. I can’t imagine the reaction from the family when it arrived!
Next the grocery store where due to hunger I was wasting an awful lot of time going round in circles. My resupply strategy was to put my purchases in a neat, 10 litre packable backpack and wear this. I tended to buy potato chips, Idahoan instant potato mash, tomatoes (lots of juice) and fruit.
Mosquitos were starting to be a bit of a pain when camping at night and I did not seem to have a lot of clothes with long sleeves. What I needed was a shirt. What I did not expect was to find ‘the shirt’ in a Vintage Clothing Shop in Montana. For US $5 I got myself a comfy and cool shirt that must have been fashionable in the ‘70s.
Now the best bit...the diner. The time was only around 1100 so I wanted this meal to fill me up and sustarin me for the climb up and over Stemple. I ordered a strawberry milkshake. A huge salad with chicken, a burger and some fruit dessert pie. Then I carefully balanced it all on the bars of my bike and headed across the road to the town park. There were benches and tables so it was a very comfortable lunch too.
So with typical bad-timing I was about to set off on a 16 mile climb of 2000ft at the hottest part of the day. I told myself it was only half of the Burma Road route I did from the house in May. The first half was pretty dusty but still enjoyable. As the road started to get steeper I caught up with Florian, from Switzerland. I had met him earlier in Ferndale where I bought some delicious lemonade from two wee boys who had a stall by the road. He told me that yes, he had circled back after getting some cash and had some of their lemonade. We both agreed that as well as the big sweeping vistas, it was the unexpected interactions that also make the ride. Florian had a fancy belt-driven bike with two of the biggest water bottles I have ever seen on the handlebars of a bike. He told me he was dropping down off of the Great Divide route to interview folk for a documentary he had been commissioned to make.
My witching hour arrived. Despite an open, strong mind and skinny, strong legs the pain in my butt started to ramp up. I could usually do a wee dance on my Brooks C-17 saddle to relocate my rear into a more comfortable position for a while. When that didn’t work if the grade was steep enough I just got off and walked. It was reassuring that despite this necessary tactic I was never that far from Florian on the climb.
Stemple Pass
When we got to Stemple there were one or two 4x4s and another two riders. Florian and I took a couple of photos of one another and said our goodbyes as he was dropping into Helena on Highway 279 for food and beers.
downhill to a Sanctuary with Barbara and John
Another storm was on the way as I headed across to Marsh Creek Road. I knew that I had to execute good navigation from now on in order to make it to Barbara Nye’s place without any fuss. As I climbed back up to another saddle I rode past two hikers. This really put my bear phobia into perspective. The girls gave me a wave and we then carried on our ways. I sensed the thunder before I heard it. There was nothing else for it but to keep moving and stay focused on the correct road over the pass and south west. Finally my exciting descent through the canyon started at precisely the same time as the rain. There was no way I was stopping I knew that if I kept pedalling I could outrun the storm and not get caught in it, up here at 7000ft. Marsh Creek Canyon was a blur. As was the gust of wind that nearly took me out on the cattle guard at mile 84.7 on the map! I could see banner flags and a wooden building up in the distance, this had to be the Lost Llama Lodge. The final blur of the day was Doug jumping out in front of me to say ‘You made it man, now leave your bike, it’s time for dinner.’
John came to the door and gave me a friendly smile as he shook my hand. Barbara and John have opened their home and their hearts to riders on the Great Divide. Originally Barbara started as an engineer then moved to Canyon Creek. She started off by giving passing riders and hikers water. Then let them overnight in the plot by the barn. Slowly a lodge, then cabins were built and made available. .They ask for no payment, or even barter (I brought some biscuits so as not to arrive empty handed), what they want guests to do is ‘Pay Forward’. Maybe do something a bit like this at home. Perhaps just give some food to someone who has none. Or maybe just be nice to someone who is not having a good time right now. The feeling of calm kindness with no expectation from me was incredible, something I still feel even almost a year later.
I was told to go and help myself to a beer from the porch before I took a seat in the dining room. I was introduced to Aunt Barbara(?) and another two NOBO riders from Denver : Joe & Liliana. Before we started John told me there was only one rule - Empty Plates! That was not going to be difficult. The six of us had a wonderful meal of pasta and a tomato/vegetable sauce. John’s quiet and strong way made sure that each of us felt welcome and listened to around the table. His knowledge of the Divide route sounded encyclopedic as he described particular rocks and fences to look out for in The Basin for Diagnus Well. The Basin seemed a million miles away right now. Doug and I hesitantly mentioned that there still seemed to be a lot of ‘up trail’ before Helena. John’s advice was simple ‘Stay on the Route!’ Barbara herself was not around as she was attending a Fire Service Meeting ‘in town’.
After dinner we all headed out to retrieve the big tent that the storm had flipped and then thrown across the stock fence before I arrived. This was supposed to be Doug’s place for the night, with Joe & Liliana in the larger cabin at the bottom of the field. The tent was heavy. The inch and a half struts had taken a pounding. Each of them had to be carefully released from a ratchet system which required a lot of teamwork. Once that job was done it was getting near time to turn in for the evening. There was a little bunk bed in my cabin so I said to Doug that he should just sleep in there with me. The cabin had electricity, a wee hob, lights, a radio and cupboards bursting with more food and beer or wine. All for us to take if we needed. We didn’t need anything so we didn’t.
Doug
Another day ending with hospitality and satisfaction of riding a great route in good style.
Ovando Inn to Lost Llama Lodge 67 miles, 5842 feet of ascent, 12 hours (8 hours riding + 4 hours stopped)
