Swan Lake to Whitefish

Strava: 94.78 km, 624m, 4:01, 305 shifts, 61 kph max

The plan this morning was to first ride 25 km to breakfast. I got up about 6 and we were on the road at 7. I slept well again and felt ready to ride. Instead of backtracking 8 km and then doing a steep 500m climb, we diverted around Swan Lake on the highway. While the shoulder is pretty narrow there weren’t too many cars this early and they all gave us room.

We turned off and rejoined the route after 18 km and continued to the Echo Lake Café. We pulled in and sat outside. One look at the menu confirmed this was our type of place! We had a relaxed delicious breakfast with cobbler and ice cream for dessert. Yes, breakfast dessert is real.

We headed onwards, making lots of turns, either going north or west. It was paved until 55 km, then some roads were gravel but it was so smooth it almost felt paved. This part of Montana is not hurting for money. We stopped after 70 km where we had to take US route 2 across the Flathead River into Columbia Falls. Wytze and Daniel swam in the river, Andrew arrived, then it was time to go.

It was warming up and we were glad we got an early start. The route continued on back roads, mostly paved, to Whitefish. We diverted into town and pulled up at Glacier Cyclery. Wytze and I were both having shifting problems and Daniel needed more brake pads. When I asked about my weird issue (second and fourth gear not working, third and fifth semi-working, first and sixth through twelveth perfect), the guy said he could fix it. It turned out the Salida bike shop had not aligned the new derailleur hanger they installed. Also not noticed my master link was upside down. Plus not tightening my rear axle after the work, that’s minus a few stars for them. $6 for a new master link plus $10 labor for the alignment and I was back in business. Wytze’s issue was also solved and they had brake pads for Daniel. We had drinks across the street while they worked, then headed to the campground. It was amazing to have all 12 gears working perfectly for the first time since stage 3.

Check in took a long time but soon we had a great spot in the overflow area. Adventure Cycling’s group that started at the border two days ago is here taking the normal bike spots. Andrew and I opted for hot showers while Daniel and Wytze swam in the lake in their bike clothes. We had arrived by 3, so had plenty of time before our dinner reservation.

We stashed all our food in the bear box then ubered downtown to Beldi, a Mediterranean restaurant. It was our kind of place again, and we predictably went big. A round of beers and appetizers, then another round of appetizers with a bottle of Italian white wine. Then another bottle of the wine plus a glass of red for Wytze. With dinner of halibut (Andrew and me), gnocchi (Daniel) and pork (Wytze).

QOTD (Quote of the dinner), from Daniel: “I’m still jetlagged from my nap.” After dinner we went to Clydesdale Creamery, and indulged massively. For example, I had a triple cone of huckleberry, cherry and Kona coffee that was so immense it came in a cone and a giant cup.

We checked out the restaurant for tomorrow then ubered back to the campground. What a day!

Holland Lake to Swan Lake

Strava: 88.5 km, 974m, 4:56, 235 shifts, 46.4 kph max

I slept well after the jet skis quieted down around 21:30. We were up at 6:30, oatmeal for breakfast, and on the road by 8. The gravel started after less than 10 km. The track sort of paralleled the road but snaked up and down, sometimes singletrack, mostly pretty smooth.

We kept going non-stop until 40 km for lunch. I had a couple of cheese sandwiches plus a Snickers bar, then a nap. When Andrew arrived we were all asleep again. It’s a hard life.

A giant ant crawled onto my face and woke me up. As I slapped it I heard Wytze and Andrew laughing quietly, Wytze guiltily holding a long weed. So we had to get up and ride. The next 40 km was frankly a little boring because the trees were always obscuring the view. We just tinkled along, small ups and downs, didn’t see any bears and eventually came to the junction where we left the track and headed eight km off route to Swan Lake. An easy day of cycling today.

We got to the Trading Post before 3 and realized how hot it was. We had dropped below 1000m maybe for the first time on the whole tour. The sign on the highway said “Lock up your brakes for huckleberry shakes!” so naturally that’s what I ordered first.

We decided to camp despite the almost silly price of $34 per tent. It was the perfect location for us and had food and supplies. We pitched our tents in the beautiful tree-shaded back yard by a stream and a small lake. Showers were ok, low tech but warm eventually. We did laundry in the washer then ordered a first pizza and got soda and beers. Things were looking up!

The laundry dried in the hot sun really fast. I had an afternoon nap and then it was dinner time. We went with two pizzas and a bottle of white wine, plus the leftover two beers from before. For dessert Andrew and I had huckleberry huckleberry floats, that is, huckleberry ice cream in huckleberry soda.

Ovando to Lake Holland

Strava: 94.3 km, 1472m, 6:08, 277 shifts, 50 kph max

After a good sleep, we got up at 6:30. Everyone agreed the Ovando Inn was a great place to stay. Breakfast was across the street at the Stray Bullet, very tasty and filling.

We made sandwiches for lunch then took off. Right away we headed up the dirt road toward Seely Lake. It was crisp and cool at the start but as we hit the first small 200m climb in the sun, we started sweating.

We regrouped at the top, then started down, just after a trio of motorcyclists passed. I looked ahead on the road and saw a big bear! He walked into the road but then retreated as the first motorcycle approached him. By the time we passed the spot he was gone which was fine with me! Sorry no photo.

We didn’t take the diversion to Seely Lake since we had our lunch with us. We ate at the turnoff then headed up. It was a 20 km 700m climb but only the last half was interesting. The road got steep, and we got into “grind it out” mode. Then, 5 km from the top, it turned into a quite narrow singletrack. I liked it except the parts where the vegetation came in from both sides. It reminded me of mountain biking in Denali Park, the threat of bears in conditions like that can be almost overwhelming. The view on the other hand was awesome.

We made it though, as always. The descent was singletrack to doubletrack to gravel road to singletrack and then the gravel road to Holland Lake.

We went to the campground and found a site but decided to look at the next loop. Wytze and I went ahead and were immediately welcomed by the friendly host. She told us to camp right by the lake with a Dutch SOBO rider and to get in the water right away! Wytze went and got the guys and we moved in. Tents up, we all took that swim in our bike clothes. It felt wonderful. Out a ways it was even better (colder). Awesome!

Dinner was next. Tonight’s menu:

• Eight servings of minestrone soup with grated Parmesan
• Six servings of Mac & Cheese with four servings of wild caught salmon and herbs/salt and Parmesan cheese
• One very large melted chocolate bar
• One package of Sour Belts that Andrew carried from New Mexico [!]
• Unlimited refills on red wine, oops I mean water.

The soup and Mac & Cheese were both cooked in Wytze’s sleeping bag as usual. Our Dutch camp mate John watched in awe then listened carefully as we explained the ultimate camp food recipe (16 servings of instant mashed potatoes with eight servings of tuna.) He is still eating freeze dried meals.

After that we packed up everything that was food or had any odor (toiletries) and stored them in the bear box. A woman from a nearby site came to offer us spaghetti and salad and was surprised we were all full. Then I told her the menu and she understood.

Writing this in my tent, watching mosquitos trying to get in is pretty nice. Good night!

Lincoln to Ovando

Strava: 61.7 km, 676m, 3:33, 139 shifts, 42 kph max

Finally a night of over eight hours of solid sleep! I woke up at 7 momentarily worried I overslept then remembered the plan to get to the grocery store after it opened at 8.

We packed up and hit the oldest restaurant in town for breakfast. My veggie skillet was almost more than I could eat. I really wonder how normal people who aren’t riding all day can eat these meals.

We bought groceries at the store for tomorrow, then went back to the Three Bears Motel to finish getting ready. We had a last stop for coffee then headed out of town. Very quickly we were on a dirt road, headed up hill. Sounds like every day. But our 40th stage was an easy one. We climbed 300m, not too steep, then some more past a gorgeous lake. We diverted to it and Wytze and Daniel had a swim. Then down a long way. We talked to some SOBO riders and were passed by a bunch of motorcycles.

We hit the valley and had 25 km of easy cruising with a little headwind to Ovando. We pulled into the Blackfoot Commercial and Ovando Inn and checked in. The Switzerland/Columbia world cup game was on so we got ice cream and drinks to watch. It went to penalty kicks but Switzerland won in the end. Another NOBO rider we met who started six days after us said he’d been hearing about us for the whole ride.

After showers and laundry Daniel disappeared into the small inn store and bought everything we needed for dinner, since Tuesday night is the one night in Ovando when neither restaurant is open.

We started with cheese and crackers with California champagne, outside. We all helped with preparations. Dinner was inside: farfalle with a delicious tomato based sauce Daniel made and tomato, cucumber, yellow pepper and feta salad Wytze made. With Chilean red wine. Wow, what a feast!

Wytze entertained us by delivering 15 gallons of ice cream from the kitchen to the living room, “Here’s dessert boys!” Real dessert was ice cream sandwiches and fancy caramels.

It was a wonderful, easy day of cycling, a lot of fun. Near Ovando we talked to a team of four guys like us, one from California, two from Denmark and one from Ohio. When they said they were on day nine it really struck me that the end is in sight.

Helena to Lincoln

Strava: 104 km, 1899m, 7:08, 251 shifts, 47 kph max

I didn’t sleep well again, I guess not enough exercise! We got up at 6:30, same hotel breakfast at 7, then headed out. Our first stop was a bakery/coffee shop for a little more breakfast with drinks.

We rolled out of Helena on route 12 to the west, mellow traffic to the turnoff onto Priest Pass gravel road at 18 km. It was much cooler today, with clouds. We took a break and a local drove up to check on his nice looking mule that was all alone in the field. But first he presented us each with a bag of hard candy and gave us advice about the route. Nice!

It was a steep climb, over 500m up, with I think the guy called it “tank tracks”. Deep eroded slippery ruts. All rideable though. On top we regrouped and had first lunch.

Next up was a long section of up and down, some very steep and strenuous. We had more lunch on the top, then headed down about 20 km to the famous Llama Ranch. The descent was fun and we were welcomed by one of the owners of the ranch. There is free lodging, food and beer. After partaking, we asked if we could make a donation, but absolutely not. “Just pay it forward.” He tried to get us to stay but it was only 2:15 and we had a reservation in Lincoln.

So up the final hill we went. This climb was about 700m and had some steep parts at the top. To make it harder the clouds parted letting the sun shine at full strength for a while. But if you start, and keep going, you get to the top. I was really sweaty but made it up. After regrouping, we started the 26 km descent. The first part was very rough and slow but after a while the gravel became smooth and fast. I caught up to Wytze and we rode to Lincoln together.

We checked in at the Three Bears Motel, then the others arrived. I was so salty! The shower felt great and we did hand washed laundry too. We walked to dinner, checking out some better but closed places and eventually ate next door at the Wheel Inn Tavern. All they had was fried food but we were starving and that was the option. At least they had decent draft IPA. The waitress was funny and kind. We had cheese curds, fried pickles and fried everything else. Lots of lemonade too. We watched the US lose to Belgium in the World Cup, then headed home. Wytze got us Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for dessert and we worked on the route more. Then time for sleep! 💤

July 5, 2026 was our fifth rest day. 

Helena is the capital of Montana. We’ve ridden almost 3400 km and climbed over 40,000m. The end in Banff is in sight but we’re not there yet.

We had the hotel breakfast at 8, then did laundry. I was glad to have an actual washing machine because the last time I hand washed no matter how many times I squeezed and rinsed, brown water always seemed to come out of my riding clothes!

After that we walked to the nearby State Capitol. Everything seemed sleepy and quiet on Sunday morning. The Capitol was open but didn’t have guided tours. The building is really impressive, especially from the inside. Mining must’ve really generated a lot of money back in 1889 when Montana became the 41st state! We marvelled at the art work and checked out the Senate and House chambers.

Then we continued to downtown and had lunch at Ten Mile Creek Brewery. Beer, salads and a delicious pizza to share. After that, I was feeling a nap coming on so we ubered back. I know I was not the only one snoozing!

I booked us the next two nights in motels along the route and we started working on our stay in Banff and a shuttle to the Calgary airport.

For dinner we ubered back downtown to find the fancy Italian restaurant we picked out was full. We walked down to a steak house and got a table outside. We all had tasty arugula and mushroom salads and I had a lentil dish with a ton of lion’s mane mushrooms! I had been wanting to try these for a long time. Just delicious! We had various beers and then walked up the street to the ice cream shop. After a giant double cone of huckleberry and espresso/heathbar, we headed home. I had a nice call with Beau then got ready for sleep. A side benefit of hard biking trips is definitely the food!

Butte to Helena on the 4th of July

Strava: 129.9 km, 2076m, 8:19, 388 shifts, 56 kph max

After a not so good sleep, we were up at 6:30, breakfast at 7 in the hotel. We packed as much as we could from breakfast because we knew it was a big ride today. We rode up to the top of Butte first, not a small climb. It was very quiet but we passed chairs people had put out on the parade route and we also rode through the farmer’s market just setting up.

Out of town the roads wound up and down, very scenic. Finally they turned to dirt and we did a pretty big climb. But the reward was a great descent, down to our friend interstate 15. We took the unpaved frontage road to the town of Basin, and diverted to the saloon/restaurant for lunch. We could still order breakfast so Wytze and I both had stacks of buttermilk pancakes in honor of the 4th. Lots of drinks were had and the owner took our picture for the GDMBR Facebook page. She knew the exact mileage left to Banff 637.3 miles I think).

After lunch we had a series of three climbs. The first was the longest and highest and hit 18%, a record. Lots of concentration required and some sections looked unrideable but were all doable. The descent was pretty crazy but rideable (I think we all had to put a foot down once or twice). Super steep and rocky. I felt sorry for the riders we saw pushing up; it did not look fun.

We regrouped at the start of the second climb. Smaller = easier I thought. But not. Pretty soon, my record of no hike-a-bike on the Great Divide was broken. We all walked and pushed. It was not rideable with loaded bikes, at least by us after 90 km of hard riding. Later I walked a second time but that was probably just mental weakness as Wytze would say.

At least the second descent was smooth and fast unlike the first one. The final climb was surprisingly tame, no problem there. The eight km of climb was really only two km of steep. And the descent to Helena was fast and smooth. We regrouped at the edge of town then rode to the hotel. The streets were oddly deserted, after 6 pm on July 4.

We checked in and the shower was so great. I was caked with salt and dust. We inhaled sodas on checking in, so good. The temperature was over 30°C, quite a change from a few days ago!

At 7:30 we headed out by Uber to a Mediterranean restaurant across town. We went big with Daniel choosing all the appetizers and main dishes. With a liter bottle of fancy French white wine… So good! We shared everything and then shared four desserts. The upshot was that they measured up to the typical desserts in Italy.

We ubered back seeing a few fireworks but no one was in a mood to try and see more. It was after 10 and time for bed. Big day, big fun!

Wise River to Butte

Strava: 82.1 km, 977m, 4:19, 258 shifts, 56 kph max

There were eight cyclists in the Community Center but I didn’t even need ear plugs. I was out like a light. Everyone seemed to get up a little after 6. My breakfast was a couple of bean & cheese burritos plus a muffin. I made lunch to carry, English Muffin with pepper jack cheese.

We packed up and were first to leave, with Neill, but he inexplicably dropped behind and didn’t ride with us. We powered down the valley, skipping the turn onto the trail to the infamous Fleecer Ridge. We had decided to do the “Divide Alternative” instead, and rode 20 km to the tiny town of Divide.

What we missed could arguably be called a highlight of the GDMBR, but then again maybe not. It is a long, very rocky 30%[!] grade that is so steep that many people can’t push their loaded bikes up, and no one can ride up it. People take their bags up first, then return for their bikes. Descending it (for SOBO riders) is super dangerous and most people walk. Anyway, like many others we took the alternative.

From Divide we took highway 91, a frontage road to Interstate 15. It was pretty with no traffic and you could rarely even see the interstate. But it wasn’t too long before we met our track again and headed off on dirt, under the interstate then up a five km 440m climb. The bottom part maxed out at 16% and the top at 17%, wow! I was sweating a lot but cranked it out in one push. We had second breakfast or first lunch on top, gorgeous with flowers everywhere and nice views.

There was another 300m to climb but it was in short sections and not super steep. It was really pleasant riding eventually coming out on a paved road. We saw more and more houses and ranches, then surprisingly headed back onto dirt. Then onto an excellent singletrack section! It turned out we rode through a mountain bike park, 3500 acres with over 40 km of trails. It was wonderful swooping up and down, over rocks, generally downhill so very easy. Some sections were technical and required care and balance. We saw a few unburdened riders plus a number of SOBO riders bound for Antelope Wells.

We left the park via a fast, paved descent, then the route headed into the big city of Butte, population almost 35,000, our biggest city on the tour so far. We cruised to the hotel and arrived at 1:30. The rooms weren’t ready yet so we had drinks next door at a coffee shop. Wytze went off to the bike shop where he found Neill with a broken back wheel. The rest of us checked in and enjoyed what I think was the best shower yet on the trip.

Andrew and I worked on flights in the afternoon and booked our return flight from Calgary. After Wytze got back from the bike shop, we ubered downtown to an Italian restaurant Daniel picked out. Unfortunately when we got there it was closed for the 4th of July. We walked a couple of blocks and found the most amazing place called Shawn O’Donnell’s American Grill and Irish Pub. It was about 20 minutes wait but then the most amazing dinner. They had a printer that prints cool images like the Statue of Liberty on the foam of your Guinness! We had many drinks, delicious food and shared bread pudding for dessert.

We ubered home after checking out a little more of downtown Butte. We committed to riding to Helena tomorrow by booking a couple of nights there. I hope we haven’t bitten off more than we can chew. It’s a big ride!

35: Lima to Bannack

Strava: 79.2 km, 294m, 3:22, 91 shifts, 56.4 kph max

36: Bannack to Wise River

Strava: 89.5 km, 910m, 4:07, 194 shifts, 66.6 kph max

With better, warmer weather, packing up to leave at 6:30 seemed great. We had breakfast from Janzz Java then headed north on an alternate route we cooked up. Near the interstate there is the old highway we took. It was such a contrast from our previous two rainy cold stages, it was hard to believe. Gentle tailwind, in the sun, no traffic, perfect!

We stopped before 15 km at Dell, population 35. The store there has lots of good stuff and we made the owner happy. We had second breakfast outside then continued north.

Soon we were on gravel again, then met up with the route again. As we rejoined, we met Luke again, and he rode with us a ways. We turned on the dirt road to Bannack and Luke left us behind as we stopped at an irresistible lawn with shade trees. We had first lunch there, then all fell asleep. We were officially waiting for a big dark storm to pass ahead of us but actually just lazy.

We finally got up and going again, with only 17 km to go, when we noticed a second even worse looking storm coming. It was dumping rain just south and west of us. It got darker but the wind was from behind. Every time the big drops started falling, I cranked harder to get ahead. The whole section must’ve been slightly downhill too because I cruised the whole thing at 40-55 kph. It started hailing slightly, just as Daniel, Wytze and I ducked under the deck of a house at the corner. We high-fived and immediately the noise was deafening! The hail blasted down so hard. Andrew was caught in it but he’s tough so no worries (easy for me to say…)

We all waited it out for 20 minutes then headed up to the campground. We staked out a nice site right next to the river and set up tents. It was early so we spent a couple of hours checking out the ghost town in Bannack State Park, an easy walk from the campground.

We walked back and cooked dinner. It was our tried and true recipe: 16 servings of instant mashed potatoes with a lot of tuna. It started raining a little while we ate so we went to bed pretty early. With no internet I read a little then fell asleep listening to the gurgling river and the pattering rain. I’m reading George Orwell’s Burmese Days.

It rained in the night and it may have been our wettest packing up in the morning. We had oatmeal and English Muffins with cheese for breakfast and got rolling at 8 am. We rode down to the road we came in on beating the hailstorm yesterday but turned right, onto the paved section. It was cool and pleasant riding, with a stop for second breakfast around 30 km, just at the start of a large climb.

We headed off route after a few km to explore Elkhorn Hot Springs. That turned out to be a great stop. They have two pools, both very large and warm. I even got a hazy IPA on draft then we borrowed swim trunks and towels. It was really relaxing and fun. We chatted with quite a few SOBO riders, one said he felt like turning around and going back to Banff – because he loved it so much and thought that it couldn’t be as awesome if he continued south. We liked that!

After a couple of hours we headed on, taking a shortcut up a very steep dirt road climbing a couple hundred meters which eventually joined the paved road just past the big climb. From the summit we had a mostly downhill cruise, about 45 km, to Wise River.

Wytze and I pulled in straight to the “World Famous Wise River Club”, a saloon and hotel. The service was slow but we had a few rounds of drinks and some food. We were joined by Neill, Daniel and Andrew and left after 3. We all rode to the Mercantile where they explained how the Community Center across the street works. $20 donation, nice setup, reminiscent of our first night in Hachita. We were first so got our choices of cots and pads.

No shower but we were clean from the hot springs. We bought breakfast foods from the Mercantile and relaxed as more and more cyclists showed up. They say 2500 cyclists stay here per year. The town population is under 50.

Around 7 we walked over to the Wise River Club for dinner with Neill and a SOBO Swiss guy, Chris. Had a nice, relaxed dinner, arriving back at “home” after 9 pm. Just another great day on the Great Divide!

June 30, 2026 was our fourth rest day.

After ten days riding in a row from Rawlins, and with the weather still cold and rain in the forecast, it was a no-brainer to stop for a rest day in Lima. It’s a tiny town but the Beaverhead Inn is a great place to rest and recharge.

We’ve now ridden 3000 km / 1864 miles and climbed 36,400m / 119,500′. We worked out how to get to the big city of Butte in a few days. From Lima, we’ll be taking an alternate route to avoid mud. We’re averaging 88 km per riding day, 79 km per day. Right on target!

We had drinks and muffins from the coffee shop which is tiny, and like last night’s food truck, is in the Beaverhead Inn parking lot. We sat outside but it was really too cold to enjoy.

We worked on bike stuff, and I talked to Neill who we rode with yesterday. We found that we had raced together in his home town back in 2004 in the Red Bull Mountain Mayhem 24 hour mountain bike (unicycle) race at Eastnor Castle in Malvern Hills, England. Small world.

There was a short period midday when the weather warmed up and we sat outside having pie and drinks. There was also some awesomely powerful thunder but little actual rain.

I think some naps occurred after that, then we shopped for beer and snacks for our afternoon movie, Bank of Dave 2, not as good as the original. I wanted to try the third little shop in the parking lot, a fancy ice cream vendor, but never made it happen.

After a nice video chat with Katie, we had about the same parking lot food truck dinner as last night, again with some extra snacks and drinks from the gas station store. Tonight’s movie was a wild one, Dogville. It’s long and as they say, “controversial and experimental.”