Great Divide (NOBO) - Day #32 Lincoln, MT to Seeley Lake, MT

June 07, 2022

Great Divide (NOBO) - Day #32

June 30, 2022

Lincoln, MT to Seeley Lake, MT - 68 Miles

Start 7:17 AM Finish 4:15 PM

Total Duration 8:58

Moving Time 7:08

Stopped Time 1:50

Ascent 4,092 Feet

Descent 4,582 Feet

Tour Total 2,335 Miles

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/95074904

I slept great last night at Hooper Park City Campground in Lincoln Montana. There was occasional motor traffic noise from nearby State Highway 200. Last night as I was editing my report, I was surprised to witness so many deer nonchalantly walking around the campground. The host came over and collected his $10. He warned me about storing food and recanted last year's Ovando bear story, which I was familiar with. It got chilly during the night but I stayed warm. There was a lot of condensation in my tent this morning. I stopped at the Cenex for an egg sausage and cheese biscuit, a Starbucks Frappuccino, and an orange juice. While sitting out front I was greeted by lots of friendly locals from Lincoln.

My friend Lori‘s family had begun building their ranch in 1975, and she said that Lincoln basically hadn't grown. Businesses had changed but the building count remained the same. There were new establishments such as the Montana Steakhouse and Fat Hippie, a cannabis a dispensary chain. Lori’s family had a working cattle ranch. Their dwelling was built alongside a small lake, and there was a small channel that encircled the house. It was modest and comfortable, with incredible views of the lake and distant mountains. They would fly into Great Falls where they kept a pick-up truck. She was a little nervous this summer, because the license plate tags had been expired for two years. I was disappointed that I would be missing this weekend’s Lincoln rodeo.

I rode out of town on an ATV track alongside State Highway 200 heading west, and noticed ginormous fir trees standing to either the side of the road. I then took a right on Beaver Creek Road aka County Road 4106 headed towards the mountains. I was cold and was wearing my jacket and leg-warmers. My fingertips were freezing. The sun was out with not a single cloud in the sky, and I knew I would be climbing. It had been awhile since I had used my down sweater and I had deep packed it. I had two climbs today with a lunch stop in between in Ovando. I was riding on gravel and heading north towards a large set of ridges. There was no forecast for heavy wind today.

I was following Beaver Creek upstream towards Huckleberry Pass. As I climbed my body got warmer. I passed a large area that had burned. I cycled meandering ups and downs as the route snaked its way past rushing streams through steep hills and narrow valleys. I was climbing up over Huckleberry Pass and keeping my eyes peeled. Past readers know about my obsession with huckleberries. It was a little early in the season, but my fingers were crossed.

The last stretch up to the pass was pretty chunky. There were swarms of bugs and I had to lift my buff. I was able to adjust my jacket by tightening or loosening the sleeve collars, opening or closing the side vents, or raising or lowering the front zipper. The air was cool this morning but the climb really got me hot. Every time I went downhill I would have to stop and zip back up. I passed a simple camp with a blue pick-up truck, a stunning white horse, a barking dog, and a bare chested dude doing sit-ups.

I enjoyed a long bracing downhill and found myself in a wide grass filled valley traveling on a flat straight line. I was now on Whitetail Ranch Road. I took a right onto Cooper Lake Road which was being smoothed with a giant scraping machine. I then took a right on Upper Dry Gulch Road. I was riding through open range with grass and wildflowers. After a while I crossed over the North Fork of the Blackfoot River. I came to State Highway 200 and took a right for a quarter of a mile and then took a left to proceed on dry Gulch Road. I passed a southbound cyclist, and then took a right on Ovando Helmville Road which was paved. I passed the Powell County Solid Waste Disposal Site and a woman was emptying her household garbage into the large dumpster.

I had been to Ovando in 2020 when I came through on an ACA Lewis and Clark segment. I had been delighted to spend a night in the Teepee in the center of town. Last year a woman was killed here by a grizzly bear. Everyone seemed to have an angle on the story. Lori even knew they guy who shot and killed the bear. I headed straight to Trixi’s Antler Saloon where I ordered several pints of Tumbleweed IPA by Lewis and Clark Brewing, a blue cheese cheeseburger and a slice of blueberry rhubarb pie. I loved how the Great Divide route stitched all my east-west routes together, and there was still the Northern Tier route to come.

After lunch I removed my leg-warmers and jacket, and added sunscreen and arm protection. I rode down State Highway 200 for half a mile, and then took a right on Montour Creek Road aka County Road 89. I was pedaling down the dirt road through the pine trees and I felt my right calf being licked. I looked down and there was a friendly white dog running alongside me giving me affection. Crazy! I took a left on Cottonwood Lakes Road aka County Road 477 and was twenty miles from Seeley Lake, my destination for the day. It was 2 PM. A southbound female divider passed me and I crossed over Dunham Creek. Then a southbound Divider dude passed me.

As I rode through the forest I noticed what I believed were piles of bear scat in the middle of the road that were attracting hoards of butterflies. I crossed and passed many gurgling streams, and then rode alongside Cottonwood Lake. About three miles out from Seeley lake I was passed by a pair of male and female southbound dividers. I then passed another pair. I rode into Seeley Lake and took a left on State Highway 83. I went to the Chicken Coop where I enjoyed a few huckleberry margaritas and filed this report.