Altered Plans

When I first started looking into the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, I always read great things about the town of Ovando, Montana, where they welcome cyclists with open arms. This was a good rumor in my mind, as there was the USA vs Belgium World Cup match that was scheduled just about the time we were planning to roll through on our way from Seeley Lake to our intended camp for the night at Big Nelson campground on Coopers Lake.

Alaine kidded me as we reached the edge of town because not one but two cars passed us without waving, wondering where the welcoming committee was. Maybe I had set the bar a little high.

We pulled up to the Stray Bullet Cafe and before we'd balanced our bikes on a rack nearby, out popped Dennis (the rider from Boston we'd met up with at some point both of the last two days) from inside the cafe. He'd left Seeley Lake while we were still enjoying our coffee, but we had talked about the town and the game with him, so we weren't surprised to see him.

The cafe was showing some pre-game highlights (good omen) while we had some lunch, but was going to close at its usual time of 3pm (not so good since that would be halfway through the match). Cyclist loving/angler shop owner Kathy indicated you never knew with the Stray Bullet gang, so we crossed our fingers, ordered beer and a Montana sized glass of wine 15 minutes before the match was to start, and settled in. Dennis too. The first half was agonizing, but we ordered more beverages during the half, 10 minutes before "closing hour" and tried to remain innocuous... Maybe they wouldn't notice us...

Fortunately for us the place stayed busy, partly with locals coming in to visit after hours, plus some other travelers. Unfortunately, Team USA still allows Michael Bradley to play on the team, so the US lost. At least that's my opinion (and, evidently, a whole lot of others, since I hear there's a "ihatebradley.com")  At least we won't have to finagle the rest of our ride schedule to accommodate the World Cup schedule.  

I was really happy to be able to meet Kathy, a saint of the trail who has helped numerous riders, so I've come to understand. She was and is also a great source of information on the Great Divide racers. When she heard where we were heading (Big Nelson), she told us that the lake we'd hope to enjoy was essentially private and if we wanted nice waterside we didn't have to go any further than a couple miles out of town (vs. 15...after a few beers/wines...). Her alternative was fantastic. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Day 5: Tuesday, July 1

Belgium 3  USA 1

Seeley Lake to Harry Morgan Campground on the north fork of the Blackfoot River

30.9 miles, 9.3mph avg.