Independence Day

We finally made it out of Lincoln, MT. I think the fact that we had just spent a day off in Missoula made it seem as though we were wasting time and it felt really good to get back on the road. We knew we had Roger's Pass at an elevation of 5610 feet to contend with. Roger's Pass is not only the location of the Continental Divide, but also where the lowest record temperature in the US at 70 below. Though the winds were blowing hard making it chilly, it was nowhere near that cold for our passage. The climb actually wasn't that bad. We stopped at the top for some lunch and spoke to an elderly couple taking a hike. The woman told us she couldn't think of a more independent way for us to celebrate Independence Day. 

Claire had previously let me in on the secret that she sings out loud when going downhill, so I decided to try it out. It was pretty fun, but I did feel a bit strange as cars passed me going the opposite direction, probably wondering what I was mouthing. For those of you wondering, it was Don't Stop Believin and Joey : )

With the crossing of the Divide, we left behind the fir trees and headed into open grasslands. Initially we still had mountains, but towards the end of the day they had all but been replaced by the flat-topped buttes that will be the prominent land formation for the coming weeks. As we traveled up and down hills, the rocky topped mountains became a distant vision, if not a distant memory. 

Our maps had us taking a different road to the town of Augusta, where we had originally planned on spending the night. A glance at a road map, however, showed that we could continue on the highway we were already riding on to cut out some miles. We quickly realized why they re-routed you through Augusta. What we gained in distance we lost in inclines. The 18 miles from the turnoff to the town of Simms was riddled with hills, several steeper than Roger's. We were rewarded with many downhills, though, and I reached my all time top speed of 40 MPH. I think I also saw my first rattlesnake by the side of the road (alive). I almost stopped to take a picture when I realized that probably wouldn't be the smartest idea.