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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nMy wife called the motel in Alberton and they said there was plenty of rooms so there was no need to book ahead.\u00a0 The first 16 miles to Superior were relatively easy for the Rockies.\u00a0 There was one gravel section during a huge up and downhill, but the gravel was small and not very loose.<\/p>\n
The scenery for the first 16 miles was amazing.\u00a0 I went through one meadow that was particularly memorable.\u00a0 A rancher had just pulled his truck and horse trailer into the meadow and opened the back down.\u00a0 Four majestic horses sniffed the air and then bolted for freedom.\u00a0 I felt I was watching a tourist commercial for \u201cwelcome to western Montana, were everything is free.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lunch, around 1:30 was a sandwich on the lawn in front of the courthouse in Superior.\u00a0 After eating I checked in to see if I could go another 32 miles.\u00a0 Legs, brain and backside all said 32 more miles were possible, but not a lot more.<\/p>\n
The next 16 miles were just as scenic as the first 16 miles.\u00a0 The river, mountains and trees were beautiful.\u00a0 I was not setting any speed records by pedaling a bit less than 10 miles per hour, but the bike was moving forward.<\/p>\n
A few miles later I ran into some problems.\u00a0 Before setting out I had spent time with Google Maps ensuring I could make it the whole way from St. Regis to Alberton.\u00a0 I looked at roads and even did satellite mode when the roads turned to dirt or gravel, since the Google mapping cars only stay on paved roads.\u00a0 It looked like a good route on the computer.<\/p>\n
Around mile 33 or 34 I was feeling good, thinking I had less than 15 miles to go.\u00a0 Then the road switched from asphalt to gravel.\u00a0 No worries, the gravel was packed.\u00a0 Then the road split.\u00a0 I was bit unsure which way to go since the mapping software said go straight but the sign clearly said, \u201cno outlet.\u201d\u00a0 I went right and ended up at the river\u2019s edge at a boat put-in and take-out.\u00a0 I walked back up the hill, since pedaling on loose gravel with weak legs was not an option.\u00a0 Just at the split a raft guide in his van passed me by.\u00a0 I flagged him down and asked.\u00a0 He said there was no road and I had to peddle on I-90 the last 15 miles to Alberton.<\/p>\n
This did not sound good.\u00a0 I-90 in Montana has an 80-mph speed limit.\u00a0 I was not interested in being road kill.\u00a0 Since not all the advice you get, even from river guides, is right I went up the \u201cno outlet\u201d road that Google Maps said was the way to go.<\/p>\n
The gravel road soon stopped and became two ruts separated by grass.\u00a0 Then the ruts stopped at a gate and the road completely disappeared.\u00a0 There were two options.\u00a0 First, bushwhack without a compass or map through someone\u2019s private property.\u00a0 This was not my first option since landowners in Montana don\u2019t like trespassers.\u00a0 The second was to go back to the highway.\u00a0 Just before the highway I heard a truck coming up behind me.\u00a0 I stuck out my thumb and a giant pickup truck pulled over.<\/p>\n
It was driven by Jared, who was taking a couple from California, for a fishing trip on the river.\u00a0 I told him my problem. He threw the bike in the truck and drove one exit down the highway, which was where he was going.\u00a0 I was willing to pedal the whole way, but if the road no longer exists there did not seen much choice but to ask for a ride.<\/p>\n
One exit down Google Maps showed I was still on the right road!\u00a0 I pedaled for a few more miles and ran into another problem.\u00a0 The road I was supposed to continue onward was closed with barbwire across it.\u00a0 For added measure the owner put an interesting sign that you can see in the pictures.\u00a0 For those who cannot see the pictures the sign suggested the surest way to a fast death was trespassing.\u00a0 The only option was getting on I-90.<\/p>\n
I stood next to the barbwire hoping someone like Jared would show up but traffic was nonexistent.\u00a0 About 20 minutes later one car did drive down.\u00a0 It turned out to be the co-owner of the fast death sign.\u00a0 I told her my problem and she was clear that her family had bought the railroad right of way and did not want people on it.\u00a0 However, she did understand my predicament and volunteered to drive me one exit down the highway, which was the town of Alberton, so I did make it to the next motel<\/p>\n
Early this morning I didn\u2019t think I could pedal even one mile.\u00a0 I ended up having a relatively light day and covered about 40 miles of pedaling in about five hours.\u00a0 I am not sure what lesson to take from today.\u00a0 Maybe, just be flexible and things work out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This morning I hit the wall.\u00a0 Maybe I was over-optimistic that I could do hundred-mile days through the Rockies.\u00a0 Maybe I am just getting older.\u00a0 Maybe many of you told me I was being unrealistic to not schedule any rest days. Whatever the reason, I woke up around 5:30 AM and felt terrible.\u00a0 I went … Continue reading Day 7: St. Regis, Montana to Alberton, Montana<\/span>