Eureka

Day: 46
Destination: Eureka, Montana
Route: Highway 2
Miles Ridden: 483    Total Miles: 10,941

Points of Interest:

• Farmland and open space of Montana
• Lake Bowdoin
• Cut Bank, Montana
• Blackfeet Bison Reserve
• Lewis and Clark National Forest
• Glacier National Park
• Historic Eureka, Montana
• Kootenai National Forest
• The Hideout

Last night we experienced heavy wind, rain, lightening and thunder. We hoped that the storm would roll by, and that we would have clear skies today. Oh well, you can't have everything. We woke up with wind and heavy, black clouds hanging over our route. We decided to put on an unusual number of miles, and get to our intended destination, Eureka, Montana early to enjoy some time with Jim and Christine Gibson. With the wind and rain, we did not know whether we could travel the 483 miles in one day. But try we would.

We left at 6:30 a.m. bundled up for the cold and rain. The first 50 miles was nice, as we saw the plains, farms, and open space. As we continued across Montana, we rode alongside wide open spaces, ranches, farmland, but not as many lakes and streams. We also saw antelope, deer and elk. Montana is a beautiful state, and it is easy to see why it is called the "Big Sky" state. The sky is truly enormous, and as the black clouds began to clear, we saw light blue skies with massive white and silver clouds. It began to warm, and the ride began to get better. That proved to be short lived, since the cold and rain returned as we traveled west. We eventually got to the Blackfeet Bison Reserve, and saw hundreds of buffalo ("bison") running free. We then rode through the Lewis and Clark National Forest, and then into Glacier National Park. Although it got very cold, and very wet, the beauty of these parks is simply unsurpassed. The ride was simply great, despite the weather.

We made our way to Eureka, and to the "Hideout." The "Hideout" is the fantastic home of Jim and Christine, the location of which shall remain a secret. But a large, beautiful log home with a private lake would be our "home" for the next two days, thanks to the hospitality of our hosts.