Tuchuck Campground to Eureka

Strava: 54.75 km, 408m, 2:33, 154 shifts, 58 kph max

I kind of didn’t want to get up in the morning thinking we’d be fighting off mosquitoes during breakfast but at 6 I heard Wytze, “The mosquitoes are still asleep.” So we had a peaceful breakfast of oatmeal with granola then packed up unbitten. Nobody saw or heard an “aggressive deer” or a bear at night either.

We started out and right away I couldn’t shift down. I had laid my bike under my tent fly to shield it from the deer and must’ve left the shifter triggered. After I replaced the battery it still didn’t shift and my Garmin said “Low derailleur battery”. I replaced that too and then all was good. More lessons learned. It seems to me that SRAM could detect that case pretty easily in software and not drain the batteries…

We had a bit of climbing, then descent and hit a beautiful paved one lane road after 20 km.

We stopped at the Bicycle Station, a remote hostel that looked idyllic. We had just passed a few riders coming the other way and assumed they had stayed. It was deserted but we had snacks & drinks and used their excellent Wifi. Andrew was behind and soon it was obvious he had passed by. We texted and before long he said he was in Eureka, 20 km ahead. Turns out he had asked a local about us at the gate and was told we had passed onward. Andrew: “But I think he had dementia.”

The three of us enjoyed a quick ride to town and we all met up outside in the shade at Café Jax. We had lunch; Andrew and I again went for thick and delicious huckleberry milkshakes. I called the motel and yes they had rooms. After a coffee stop, we headed a couple km north of town to the Silverado Motel and checked in.

The shower was pretty nice, as is the A/C in the room. It’s another hot day and we’ve dropped to our lowest elevation yet, 825m. The border is only 14 km from here – we plan to cross first thing tomorrow morning.

We did laundry in the washer then had a round of IPAs in the bar. I managed to hold off on napping but it was close. Dinner was across the street at a pizza place, Fire and Slice. I had a great Greek salad and a delicious pizza. We had to have to have dessert too. An easier day is really great sometimes!

Whitefish to Tuchuck Campground

Strava:  101.3 km, 1482m, 6:17, 344 shifts, 45.6 kph max

Up at 6 as usual then we left the campground at 7. We rode into town, first to the coffee shop, then to the grocery store. We bought enough for two lunches, a breakfast and a dinner. Then back to the Buffalo Café for another excellent but somewhat loud breakfast. Outside, we made sandwiches for the day, then headed out of town.

The road headed along the Whitefish Lake shore, and we turned off after a little while on a dirt side road. We climbed quite a bit, up to a beautiful lake called Upper Whitefish Lake. When I arrived Wytze was naked, drying from a swim. Daniel went in later.

We continued up and when I got to Red Meadow Lake, I found Wytze drying off again. There were some mosquitoes though, so we didn’t wait for the other guys. We went up to the turn onto N Fork Rd which had a “Canadian Border 16 miles” sign. We took that toward the border but turned off on  a rougher dirt road to Tuchuck Campground. It’s a nice campground but in the late afternoon there were lots of mosquitoes out.

We filtered water from a nice creek and made another 16 servings of garlic mashed potatoes with tuna dinner. It was maybe 18:00 when we finished and we all just headed into our tents to escape the bugs. I slept hard for a couple of hours, then read for a couple of hours, then slept until 5am. No reception anywhere around the campground.

We stashed just about everything in the bear boxes, not because of bears but this campground is famous for aggressive deer that eat anything salty. That especially includes bike helmet straps we’d been told.

July 11, 2026 was our sixth rest day.

It was our first camping rest day but the Whitefish Lake State Park campground is pretty luxurious. We’ve now ridden 3824 km and climbed over 46000m.

A funny thing happened as we were riding to breakfast downtown. As we left the campground, riding with some of the 11 Adventure Cycling riders starting their third day heading south, Andrew suddenly asked one of the riders, “Are you Suzanne?” And he was right! The four of us had ridden Paris to Dakar with Suzanne in 2023 and there she was!

After the photo at the train crossing we had a little rolling reunion and said goodbye downtown as we turned off to our café. What a coincidence!

We had a great breakfast then coffee nearby. I visited the bike shop again to get a spare master link and got to talk to the mechanic who fixed my bike yesterday. Leaving Wytze at the coffee shop, we rode back although Daniel stopped at the golf club to hit a few balls and check out their dining options.

Back at camp we chatted with two young guys who rode from Vancouver and hoped to reach Mexico City by the end of September. I checked my brakes and think they should last until Banff. We had to move our tents out of the overflow area into the main bike camping area, and were happy to find power plugs along with the bike repair stand there. Then I had a really deep nap, the kind where you don’t know where you are when you wake up.

We all relaxed in the afternoon, I waded in the lake, then around 5 we rode to the golf club for dinner. We ate outside, a good meal, with local hazy IPAs all around from Whitefish. Dessert was great too, then we headed indoors and watched the first half of the Switzerland vs Argentina quarter final. We had some port but the game seemed a little lackluster to me. We rode back, I had a shower and got ready for bed.

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!