Day 20 August 22 Garrison to Three Forks

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Photos: at the bottom of the page

This was supposed to be a tough day to climb across the Rockies through the MacDonald Pass. Route 12 was nicely paved with shoulders that varies between wide (> 5 ft) and non-existing. A long gentle climb turned into a deep hill (5-7%). This is the same grade I trained myself repeatedly for this trip. So it was not a surprise except this one was much longer than the hill I was trained on. Headwinds didn’t help. The reward of the long climb was a great view of a valley from the MacDonald Pass where the Continental Divide was.

Descending to Helena was nerve racking, with constant braking and curving. Twenty years ago I’d be thrilled to ride this. Now I prefer to climb slowly. Had my only Japanese meal (Ramen noodle) of the trip in Helena but didn’t see much of the city. From Helena on it was a gentle descent, tailwinds, or both. Crossed the Missouri River.

Wheel line irrigation was everywhere. Saw sandhill cranes. They often appeared in pair. They are local to MT.

With the tailwind and descent, I went all the way to Three Forks.