A day of
two different weather systems. A nice sunrise, cool with high clouds to start,
but by Montana it was blue skies, and warming nicely. There were dark rain
clouds to the north, but I was heading west. Traffic was extremely light, with
very few road works, so I made really good time to Billings. There one could
get a glimpse of the mountains, those with snow and no trees on top. It made
one feel that I was actually back in the west.
Sunrise
at Bismarck:
It never
fails to amaze me as to how suddenly and dramatically the landscape changes riding
through the Dakotas and into Montana. One minute it is flat farmland, then over
a rise and suddenly there are the rocky hills and gullies formed millions of
years ago. It is the same going from east to west Montana. You suddenly are confronted
with evergreens, then the mountains.
The west
is here:
Summer
must be rapidly approaching as there were more RVs and trailers on the road
now, plus loads of loaded bikes all heading east. I did meet up with a rider
from Indiana, heading to visit his sister in Seattle. We met again sheltering
from the rain at a gas station in Missoula. I hope he makes it OK.
As the
going was great, I pushed on towards Butte, and as I rode over the divide (6300
feet) into Butte, it was like arriving on another planet. Dark black clouds
were everywhere, and with a bitterly cold strong wind the temperature must have
dropped 30-40 degrees. As I headed west of Butte it was obvious I was going to
get wet, so I gassed up, and battened down, even putting on a jacket under my
riding suit as it was so cold. About 30 miles from Missoula, the rain really
started, so I decided I would see what it was like in Missoula, and if still
raining hard would call it a day. Gassing up in Missoula, there was a motel
opposite, so that was the place. There were a load of different bikes already
parked at the motel, some riders from Alberta, one from Oregon, and one from
BC. Quite a varied collection. All the others had had rain most of the day, so
I was lucky. Apparently it was clear in Idaho, so the cold rain was focused
here.
Tomorrow
I will be home. Hopefully the rain will have run its course overnight, but if
not then heading west I may hit better weather.
No comments:
Post a Comment