Cross Country Recumbent
Sunday July 27, 2003. Philipsburg MT to Twin Bridges MT
Start time
|
6:55 am
|
End time
|
5:30 pm
|
Miles
|
107.5
|
Time pedaling
|
7:51
|
Average speed
|
13.6
|
| Odometer |
1096
|
The day dawned cold, with dew on the tent. Last night was the
first night that I actually used the rainfly, and it was a good thing I
did. It was so cold that I began the ride wearing my long sleeve
camp clothes. However the sky was cloudless and soon enough it
was warm as I climbed up to Georgetown lake. The road I was on
(highway 1) follows the Pintlar scenic route, and the climb to the
summit was really something.
Near the summit there was this tremendous waterfall. I think this
is actually Flint creek. This is shot from the top of the falls,
so the water is moving away and down. You'll have to pardon my
sloppy camera work, which caused the strap to wander into the frame.
The Georgetown Lake recreation area seems very nice, it is about 6200'
and has a beautiful (though heavily developed) lake, as well as a ski
area. I also saw many signs for cross country skiing. This
must be a nice place in the winter as well as the summer.
Dropping into Anaconda on the back side was uneventful. I had to
ride on 90 again for about 20 miles, to get to Butte. From there
I turned South on highway 2, climbing up towards Pipestone pass, and
the campground that I would stay at for the night. Alas it was
not to be: the pass was certainly there, but no campground that I could
see. Nothing to do but keep going. A long and fast drop
down the other side brought me down to this flat valley, which the
Jefferson river flows down.
A head wind kicked up making the final push into Twin Bridges quite the
chore. I wouldn't have chosen to ride this far except there was
really no where else to go. On the bright side I did meet up with
Chris (I'll get a picture tomorrow), and we'll tackle the pass (7000')
tomorrow together.