Day 10: Philipsburg, MT to Whitehall, MT

Oh, I did not want to get out of bed this morning. The bed at our B&B was so cozy with its pillow top mattress and handmade quilts. (It also could have been the few beers I had the night before at the White Front Bar.) Either way, it was tough to get moving this morning.

We finally left the B&B around 9 am only to find that Marc had a flat tire. It was about time that he change out his tires, so no time like the present. After the tire change out and a short 1/4 mile ride into town for breakfast, we were off on our 80 mile ride to Whitehall. I was a bit apprehensive about today's ride. All the locals we met in town warned us about climbing "the grade". They were referring to the mountain pass that loomed about 10 miles out of Philipsburg. Neither one of us were in the shape to climb today. I was still tired and dreaming of the cozy bed that I had to leave, and Marc was in pain with his inflamed Achilles Tendons.

I was pleasantly surprised by "the grade". It really wasn't that bad - only about a 3 mile twisting climb at about a 7-9% grade. We were rewarded at the top with a gorgeous waterfall and large mountain lake. Unfortunately the skies were so gray with rain clouds that the lake looked more ominous than pristine. The true reward of the climb was the 25 mile straightaway downhill into Anaconda with a stellar tailwind.

The town of Anaconda had a 25 mile speed limit through the downtown area and we were close to exceeding it. Marc said that he was running the same speed as a car full of kids and they were all making faces at him. I'd take that ride over mine. I experienced more of a Frogger Video Game scenario - dodging obstacles all the way through town. First there was the Border Collie that ran out in the middle of the busy lunchtime traffic. Luckily, I slowed down enough avoid the dog and the old lady with the walker that suddenly decided to dart out in front of me.

Once through town, we picked up the Interstate again for the rest of our ride through Butte and onto Whitehall. We were warned that the second mountain pass out of Butte would be a big one - 6400 ft. This can be harrowing, especially after riding 55+ miles.

I was feeling good today and though the pass would be a breeze, well until about 15 pedal strokes into the climb when I felt a shooting pain in my Achilles tendon. Ouch! (What the #$#%@! I must be getting sympathy pains for Marc's aches/pains - no that's real - Oh a burning, shooting pain in my right heel!) I contemplated my options - stop and walk the 5 miles up the pass? No that would take forever. Stop and hitch a ride to the top? No, we just passed a hitchhiker that was having absolutely no luck getting a ride. I am just stuck climbing the hill with the pain. So for the next 5 miles up the pass, I did a one legged pedal rotation with the other leg just limping along through the motions. Luckily once we reached the top, it was only 10 miles to Whitehall and mostly downhill. We made our first Continential Divide crossing today at the top of the pass. We are curious to see if this will be the only Divide Crossing or if we'll cross it again in Wyoming.

We made good time to our final destination of Whitehall and rolled into town about 4:45 PM (not bad for a 10 AM start). We chose the Chief Motel for our nightly accommodations and got the "Bicycle Discount" according to the motel clerk. (I think he just raised the rate $10 and then told us we got a discount of $10 - sneaky!) Our room is rustic and comfortable with a large King Bed.

We walked down to the Two Bit Saloon for dinner. For such a sleepy town, the saloon was surprisingly modern with great food. I had the chicken fingers and they were the moistest, most delicious fried chicken fingers that I have ever had. Hand battered and cooked to absolute perfection! (Either I'm getting hungrier or the food is getting progressively better as we journey!) Oh - I almost forgot my pie of the day! I had a surprisingly good mini pecan pie at the Conoco convenience store in Anaconda. It had a delicious caramelly center and roasted pecan top with a tart like crust. Not bad for packaged food. (The pies are getting scarce again - hopefully Joe will know of a good pie stop in Bozeman.)

Tomorrow we are going to venture off the highway and take backroads to Bozeman. Its about 65 miles and should feel like a light day compared to the 80-90 mile days that we've been logging. We are both excited to see our friend Joe in Bozeman.