Day 19: Minny Moose, Divide and Conquer, Storm Chasing, Black Cat

Day 19:  Tuesday June 24th, 2014
Lincoln, MT to Great Falls, MT.  93.1 miles.

The NWS was predicting a 70% chance of T-storms developing after 11 am today. So, I got up early hoping to make it over the pass before 11 am. I was on the road just after 8 am, and in the first 5 miles encountered an 8-mile stretch of dusty, gravely, partially unpaved road construction.  Fortunately, I have a bandana that can be used as a face mask. 

Not too far out of the construction and I found myself in a stretch of wilderness that was incredibly quiet, except for the crickets and birds. I started paying close attention to the nearby scenery, thankful that I had been gifted a can of bear pepper spray.  I came upon a wetland are that I thought was sure to be prime habitat for some kind of wildlife. 

I stopped to take it all in and scan the scenery for wildlife.  But, all I observed was incredible silence, broken only by the occasional bird song. 

I decided to move on. Still in this area, a few hundred yards further, I heard the sound of something moving in the brush. I stopped, staring intently to find what had made the noise. Then, suddenly, I saw them playfully dancing around, chasing each other in circles. It was two baby moose. They disappeared into the brush. I waited, thinking that the mother must be nearby. Then, she appeared, with her young by her side. 

I watched for a while. Then, reminded of the weather forecast, I pushed on to make it over the summit, "Rogers Pass", at 5,610 ft.  My plan was to try and make it all the way to Great Falls, knowing that much of the day would be downhill after Rogers Pass according to my map. 

Near the pass, I came upon the site of the coldest ever-recorded temperature in the Contiguous US. 

A bit further with a steady climb that seemed to drag on, and I found myself at the summit. This pass is officially on the continental divide.

As I begin my descent down the east side, so to will any water that falls here, working its way to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico. 

I was excited at this point, thinking I could sail downhill and make great time to a lunch spot. I had made breakfast and I knew it wouldn't last me much longer. The initial descent was fast and steep. I stopped to look back once I left the mountains and entered the grassland. 

Still, no cumulus cloud development. I was relieved to not be caught up in thunderstorms at those elevations. As I faced forward, the landscape transitioned to rolling hills of grassland. This was Montana beef country. 

I was leaving the territory of the Blackfoot Indians, and following the ancient trail that was identified by the mountain-dwelling Indian tribes, the same trail that Lewis followed in 1806, referred to as the "Road to the Buffalo". 

The elevation profile of my map indicated two small hills along my overall descent. I thought I had forged through those two hills, but another one appeared on the horizon. As I crested that hill, yet another. It was like a roller coaster. 

At the end of the day, my GPS-generated profile of ups and downs clearly provides more detail about the landscape.  It wasn't all downhill after the pass!

I tried to turn my attention away from my growing hunger and frustration with the landscape by focusing on the beautiful scenery. 

But, it was difficult. Eventually, I had to stop and dig out snacks to eat. Then, a long straight section of road with a hill at then end.  I rode through it and up the hill. At the top, a good vantage point on the surroundings. Looking back, I could see the cumulus clouds just starting to form over the mountains. 

Looking forward, clear skies, and more roller coaster landscape. 

I pedaled on, looking forward to reaching the little town of Simms, that supposedly has a place to eat, and is about 33 miles outside of Great Falls. 

Finally, I made it to Simms with quite an appetite, only to find that the restaurant in town had closed down.  But, there was a market with plenty of stuff to eat. I sat down on the sidewalk with my back against the building and watched the small town action while enjoying my lunch and resting. 

With only 33 miles to go, plenty of day left, and clouds continuing to build behind me, I decided to move on.

The next small town about 6 miles down the road was Fort Shaw, along the Sun River.  I stopped here to check out a historic marker. 

It turns out, Fort Shaw, est. 1867, has a connection to General Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. 

As I looked behind me, the weather was definitely developing into something more serious. 

I was still in the clear. The next small town was Vaughn. From there, it's a short 10 miles on a frontage road to I-15 to get to Great Falls. Along the way, yard signs at the front of a private property sum up what the priorities are for many living in the small towns of Montana. The first sign read...

...and then...

...and finally...

I reached Vaughn and stopped at a gas station for Gatorade and to call Victoria.  By now, the sky to the West, where I had just been, was unleashing bands of heavy rainfall. 

I cut the conversation short realizing that I was going to be racing this storm for the last 10 miles to Great Falls. As I transitioned to the frontage road, I went over an overpass that provided a front-row seat to the atmospheric performance  that was headed my way. 

I shot a quick panoramic photo, then I was back on my bike. My aches and pains that were slowing me down earlier were gone. I was running on adrenaline and moving at a decent clip. While riding, I pulled up the NWS forecast for the area to check for alerts. Here's what I found:

SHORT TERM FORECAST

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT

500 PM MDT TUE JUN 24 2014

NOW...

AT 455 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES WEST OF FORT

SHAW TO 16 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CASCADE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE...

  NEAR FORT SHAW AND FORT SHAW AROUND 525 PM MDT.

THIS ALSO INCLUDES INTERSTATE 15 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 252 AND 271.

HAIL UP TO A HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH...HEAVY

RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THESE

STORMS.

INTENSE LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. 

I was just at Fort Shaw earlier. I pedaled as fast as my tired body would allow.  This gave new meaning to, "Storm Chasing". About 5 miles out of town, the wind started gusting quite a bit. Pieces of straw and weeds were blowing horizontally across the road. But, still no rain. I made it into town dry. I could hear the thunder getting louder.

I used my google map app to find the closest campground. It was a KOA on the East end of town, about 5 miles further.  Hmmm. If I can make it in time, I can set up my tent before any rains come.  So, I went for it. Crossing the Missouri River, I headed to the East end of town. 

About 4 miles into it, I started getting wet. And, I had been going through at least 2 miles of residential. So, it was pointless to turn around and try to go back to look for a motel. So, I forged ahead. 

Arriving at the KOA, it turned out to be a great ending. The tent sites have a covered area that can be used to stay out of the rain. The site includes free firewood, hot showers, WIFI, use of the swimming pool, and live music from 8-10. Best of all, they have a designated area where guests are allowed to light fireworks. 

By the time I set up my tent and showered, the rain had stopped. I headed out to get some dinner.  Conveniently, at the road just outside the campground, firework stands were numerous. 

Bringing back memories of my childhood days of blowing up things with fireworks, I had to investigate further. 

I couldn't resist the traditional brick of Black Cat firecrackers. 

After dinner, as I was heading back to the campground, the sunset illuminated the surrounding landscape and distant thunderstorms brilliantly. Looking to the East...

Looking to the West (the sun partially blocked by the city water tower)..

And, West-Southwest...

This was a surreal ending to a dramatic day!