Great Divide (NOBO) - Day #28 Grant, MT to Wise River, MT

Great Divide (NOBO) - Day #28

June 25, 2022

Grant, MT to Wise River, MT - 71 Miles

Start 7:58 AM Finish 4:59 PM

Total Duration 9:01

Moving Time 6:07

Stopped Time 2:54

Ascent 3,675 Feet

Descent 3,813 Feet

Tour Total 2,067 Miles

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/94589826

The WiFi last evening at the Horse Prairie Stage Stop had been slow as molasses, and I finally gave up trying to upload photos. I took a shower and then ran as fast as I could out to my tent to avoid getting eaten by the mosquitoes. I misplaced my phone, only to later find it underneath my tent. I was finally able to upload photos from my tent using a weak Verizon signal and my mobile hotspot plan. I slept well among the abandoned, broken-down cars and shuttles. There was no traffic on the local road and it was quiet. It was warmer last night, and there was condensation in my tent when I awoke this morning. I rolled up a wet tent, while I charged my phone from an outlet next to a repair truck. Before going to the bar yesterday I had cleaned my chain and had done a bike inspection. I was planning to bring my bike to a shop in Helena to make sure that it was up for the last thousand miles.

Amy had coffee brewing this morning and I purchased a cinnamon roll, banana, and pink gatorade. Don was still eating his breakfast and I was ready to roll. I set off and took a left on dirt Bannack Bench Road. A bunny crossed in front of me, and then I passed a southbound divider. I was wearing my leg-warmers and jacket, and was chilly. My fingertips were cold.

The road was a straight line atop the Bannack Bench, a mostly flat valley surrounded by ridges. William Clark and the Corps of Discovery had come through here in 1806 on their return from the Pacific. Clark had mentioned the prolific sage brush in his journal. I came to the turn off for Bannack which I had visited in 2018. It was my favorite ghost town and I decided to give it a second visit.

I was once again captivated by the schoolhouse with the Masonic Lodge on the second floor, as well as Hotel Meade, and the Methodist pastor’s house. Founded in 1862 and named after the local Bannock tribe, Bannack was the site of a major gold discovery in 1862. It briefly served as the Montana Territory capital in 1864, until the capital was moved to Virginia City. Bannack continued as a mining town as the population dwindled. The last residents left in the 1970s.

I removed my leg-warmers but kept my jacket on. The air was cool and the the sky was mostly clear. After Bannack the road was paved. Straight ahead was 6,637’ Red Butte, which was still covered with patches of snow. I came to a T and took a left on State Highway 278. I’d been on this stretch in 2018 on the Trans Am, and I remembered very well how that day ended in Wisdom. I crossed over Grasshopper Creek, and then turned on my flashing rear tail light while I enjoyed the smooth surface. Sharing the road with fast moving motor vehicles was unpleasant. I passed two southbound dividers.

I passed three loaded eastbound TransAm cyclists and took a right on County Road 73 towards Polaris. This was the last that I would see of my 2018 Trans Am route. I began noticing directional cyclist pavement markings. I was on the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway and it was paved. I was riding through the Grasshopper Valley alongside the Pioneer Mountains to the east. I passed two female southbound dividers. I stopped for a moment and talked with south-bounder Scott who had done the Tour Divide last year. He wanted to know if Amy was still at the Horse Prairie Stage Stop in Grant, and told me that Don was five minutes ahead of me. I rode by Polaris, no population listed and no services, but they did have a post office.

I saw another Long-billed Curlew, and then I noticed a bald eagle sitting atop a utility pole. I began to climb up towards Grasshopper Overlook. Someone had spray-painted ALLEZ ALLEZ and a giant :-) in orange spray paint for the cycling event RATPOD, Ride Around The Pioneers in One Day.

I passed Maverick Mountain ski area to the left and entered the Beaverhead Deer Lodge National Forest. I came to Elk Horn Hot Springs and was curious. A motorcyclist pulled up and I asked him about it. He told me that he had been there in the winter, and that I should check it out. When I arrived, there was a northbound cyclist sitting at the bar. He had met Andre and Gerda, and had spent the night in Bannack. I got roped into a pizza and a beer, and the service was slow. I used the opportunity to recharge my phone and update my social media. I had a pepperoni cheese pizza with two pints of Dirt Church IPA from Bitterroot Brewing. The place filled up with families and small children, and I decided that I didn’t need a hot springs soak.

A male and female pair of southbound dividers were flying down the pass as I climbed from the south. I finally reached the top of the first climb. There were more pavement markings for the RATPOD. I passed three southbound dividers at Crystal Park and then another a mile down the road. I passed another south-bounder and then hit the downhill. I had removed my jacket after Elkhorn Springs and froze from the cold air. I passed two more south-bounders on the hill and the second one was walking her bike.

I was following the Wise River down stream. The valley remained narrow and I passed beautiful craggily buttes as I neared the town of Wise River. Five miles out, the valley grew wide. The ridges were particularly tall to the east. There were no more rock formations or patches of snow. For the third day in a row I had a headwind on my last leg into the destination.

I headed straight to H Bar J Saloon and Cafe, where I ordered a Montana 1 IPA from Philipsburg Brewing Company, along with an order of onion rings. I got a chicken sandwich, a margarita, and another Montana 1, while I finished this report. Don was waiting for me over at the Wise River Club.