Friday, August 14, 2009

Day Seven - Sand Point to Helena, Montana


We didn't make it too far today because so much of our time was spent in bars and casinos trying to stay dry.... for the most part it didn't help.

While having breakfast in a bar along route 200 in Montana we ran across a couple from Vancouver whose son is the sales manager at Grand Rapids Harley. They had just picked up a new ride from the son (I think his name is Dave Eisenberg) and were heading back home... small world.
Later in a bar in Missoula we met another biker (from Albuquerque) who gave us some tips on Yellowstone (sounds like we'll be slowed quite a bit by construction).
Out of Missoula we headed east on 200. There are miles and miles of rivers, streams and creeks that beg to be fished. I got the itch, but there really isn't any time to scratch it..... fishing will have to wait. The road was great and except for occasional "spitting" was dry (but cool and overcast). We missed a turn and decided to re-route down route 279. It turned out to be a great motorcycle road with plenty of twists and turns with numerous switchbacks to get up (then down) from the pass over the Continental Divide. I haven't been taking many pictures but did snap one on a turnout that was near the Divide (although I didn't know it at the time). I'll try to include a picture with this.
As we came off 279 into Helena it was raining heavily. We couldn't see worth a hoot and were pretty damp so we ended the day in Montana's capitol city.
Tomorrow the plan is to go to Yellowstone and ride 212 out to the east. It's supposed to be a great road and none of it straight. NOAA also says a 60 per cent chance of thunder storms. Nothing new there. How far we go will be more determined by weather than time. Except for some side trips in the Spearfish area we are mostly heading east.

No comments: