Season 4 Episode 12. Montana Montage.

 Season 4 Episode 12. Montana Montage.

8/11 Stanford, MT to Lewistown, MT 45 miles. 1,199’ climb. 

8/12 to Mosby, MT 83 miles. 2,351’ climb.

8/13 to Jordan, MT 51 miles. 2,428’ climb.

8/14 to Circle, MT 67 miles. 3,062’ climb.

8/15 to Wibaux, MT 77 miles. 2,072’ climb.

Our remaining days in central and eastern Montana were fairly alike from a cycling perspective - lots of farmland, hay, wheat, cows, long roads, big sky, long stretches without trees, so few spots to stop in the shade as relief or places to relieve oneself privately. 

We enjoyed cool morning temperatures near perfect for cycling, and afternoons that grew hotter but were manageable.

There were very long stretches with no services, so we were carrying extra water and food. In some cases, our entire ride was to get from one town to the next town with nothing in between. As such, the cycling could be a difficult grind at times, and at times I dare say boring or, better said, uninspiring. 

Aside from Lewistown being a city, we were in extremely small towns with very basic accommodations and limited places to eat or buy groceries. Populations: Stanford 415, Mosby 22 (yes 22!), Jordan 366, Circle 591, and Wibaux 454. 

(Re Lewistown, the central business district reflects the prosperity of its heyday 100 years ago with some impressive buildings. And the sesame encrusted ahi tuna at Big Spring Brewing would be a reason to return.)

With that said, the highlights of our final days in Montana were the people we met. Just like the day before in Stanford, where we chatted with the group of motorcyclists and with Cristina at the restaurant about her cow Winston, we were meeting and chatting with people in a fashion that simply would not occur if we traveled by car. For one thing, if traveling by car, we would have little reason (if any at all) to stay in these small towns (maybe Lewistown as I’d suggest it is worth a look).  

We decided to lean into this aspect - the conversations - and it was fairly easy as locals were quite interested in us and eager to talk about themselves. 

I stopped roadside to chat with some cowboys who were teaching their kids how to lasso a calf using Smarty the Sidekick Calf. Learned about their technique. You can order your own Smarty for $395 online.

Our B & B hostess in Mosby, Delores, 90 years young, and her son Kevin and daughter in law Gala. They’re 3 of the population 22.

We spent half an hour on the porch with Delores after dinner and learned of her life as a farmer’s daughter from Nebraska to then being a rancher’s wife. She was married 60 years to her late husband Phil, and has 12 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren with one more expected. We learned of painful and tragic loss in her life from a car accident. When I asked her the secret to a 60 year marriage - she was all humility with “I don’t know.”  We heard of her travels abroad and more of local life. 

Hill Ranch Oasis B & B

The most relaxing spot - something changed in me while chilling here speaking with Delores. Instead of seeing it as “nothingness”, I started to appreciate the beauty of the plains for what they are and the hardy people who live here.

Their land in the family since about 1920 goes until the ridge east.

And their 10,000 acres goes until the ridge south. As we watched the storm cloud develop from nothing to this in short order, Delores shared they get only 12 inches of rainfall a year. She asked how much we get. I was dumbfounded as have never thought about that and was clueless. Clearly I don’t farm. Google tells me we average 49” a year at home in Larchmont and the US National average is 38” a year.

The storm clouds actually looked far worse than they were and in the morning we learned the rain totaled “30 hundredths” which we learned is 30 hundredths of an inch. That’s how they measure. Heather observed the irony of dividing an imperial unit (inch) by 100 which was very metric-like. 

A mile long gravel road from the highway to Delores’ home. While walking this hill, I thought at least we will enjoy riding down it on the way out. Not to be! Even just 30/100 of rain made it muddy, and so in the morning Kevin drove us and our bikes in his truck the mile back to the highway. By the way, Amazon delivers to their door, so this is the classic example of the prohibitively costly last mile.

We met Tracy who works at a Northern Tier cycling institution, the Sand Springs Store. (She didn’t want me to take her photo.) I learned her story of being from Montana originally, then moved to Charlotte, NC and now back in MT - and of 5 places in between. 

Tracy makes one hell of a shake. Normally I wouldn’t drink a shake before noon, but the shake’s reputation had been shared previously with me and though it was 11am, it was a great decision. 100% a 5-straw shake. Close to perfection. Viscosity fantastic. And a wide, sturdy straw as needed.

Construction delays are always an opportunity for a local conversation. We talked about the rodeo that was the next day and different rodeo events and rodeo culture. Young cowboy stars are like the high school QB. On that note, I learned Montana football fans are generally for the Seahawks or Broncos.

At a gas station snack stop in Eddies Corner, a farmer we learned is named Carl approached us to talk. We heard how his grandfather was an orphan in Denmark and came to the USA through Ellis Island and then west to get land as a homesteader in 1910. Carl told us that many immigrants died in their first winter by freezing to death as there is no wood for fires. We heard how they farm chick peas, lentils, flax and mustard seeds mostly for export to the Middle East, since domestic consumption is already satisfied by places with earlier harvests than Montana in the north. He was ready to talk even longer until his wife called his phone from their truck in the parking lot asking where he was. His reply, with a smile to us, was “I had to change a flat tire” and off he went after a sweet farewell. 

Jordan motel.

8am riding east.

Typical scenery.

More typical scenery.

Thrilled for cold (pannier temperature) pizza leftovers morning snack.

It seems nobody discards a vehicle ever. You could see homes with many old cars, trucks and pieces of farm equipment. (This is something I’ve noticed before in rural communities.)

Lunch stop at the fork in the road.

It’s still Montana so still many roadside fatalities marked. In some cases like this, there are the official state metal crosses as well as private markings. On bike you can see the names and it’s so much more personal.

Love when you can see the long descents ahead.

The black shale rocks are deposits of muddy sediment from the last oceans to run over this area millions of years ago. Known as bearpaw shale, it contains fossils of seagoing creatures from 70 million years ago.

A dinosaur park in tribute to the area being where the first T-Rex skeleton was discovered in 1902. Almost half of the global T-Rex displays originate in this region.

When we rode up to the Travelers Inn in Circle, we thought it was out of business and closed. But we found a friendly man Ollie in his 90’s who has owned it for 40 years and shared his story with Heather, and offered to drive us around to see the area

And that can sum up a continuing theme - we meet so many friendly people, who wave at us when they drive by, who stop to talk with us, who have a story and want to share it with us. Everybody has a story if you just ask and/or listen. 

One final thing that’s been a big part of our Montana experience is I’ve been eating biscuits (without gravy) nearly every breakfast chance I get. It actually started in Idaho and sometimes I get a double serving - one as my toast and one instead of hash browns. Love em! I need a recipe to try making them at home.

Copyright Mark Segal 2024.