GDR2- DAY 8 - Holland Lake to Ovando
Saturday, Aug 11th, 2018
Start 4090
High pt 6495'
Lo pt. ?
End Elv. 4100'
Climbing ~4000'?
Miles 64.5?
Total time ~ 11:00
Ride time 7:32
It is going to be a warm day, but I have an urge to ride more, need to finish. While enjoyable hanging in the Swan Valley area, it is a bit smokey, and other segments and routes await the finishing of Montana segments.
I start early for me, 7:15, which 1.5 to 2 hours earlier than normal. The big climb is about 20 miles in today and want to do that before noon and the worst of the heat.
As I do the modest climb up to Clearwater Lake, I hear the warbling of a bird calling out; the cadence is that of a woodpecker, but clearly this is a song, emanating from the throat of what sounds to be a larger bird. It trills regularly as I cycle past slowly uphill til I am out of range. Not far later, its brethren takes up the chant to lure me forward.
A bit of gentle downhill for a spell has me meeting a suspect dog. A little further gazing I spot an RV parked among the high grasses and shrubs in a verdant glen next to a stream. A woman is walking out of the brush on the far side of the road, I call out hoping she will call her dog. As she briefly looks up and calls her dog, she non chalantly continues picking her barefoot steps across the road and up to the rv. Further gazing reveals that she is embracing nature this morning as on the day of her birth, in her own skin and nothing else.
Clearly a nature lover, or perhaps returning from a tryst with sasquatch?? Who can say and I don't slow down to ask.
Back to the start of the big climb, I turn on to a closed road which turns in to singletrack for a couple of hundred yards. I hear an unexpected noise from behind me on the bike; could it be a misattached pannier?. Stopping and investigating shows that the other factory mounting bolt has sheared off. I nurse the bike the last little way until I pop out on a good road (how did they find this little single track connection anyways???)
I quickly use my last spare bolt and repair. It occurs to me perhaps I could balance the load better. One side is heavier with the food and cooking kit. Was trying to localize the food smells, but I move more innocuous items over for more equal weight. Also move some tent parts to handle bar bag
Back to the climb - up up up. Turn onto a closed road that is single track to the saddle that is the top today. The road bed is whittled down to some real single track with attention getting consequences. The rugged Swans assert themselves on the hazy eastern horizon, getting every more intimately close and higher.
Along the way a meet a group of teenagers and dad's that rode out to the saddle, then hiked and summitted the high point on the Swan ridge. Cool to see and wonder if that lays on my path in some future.
The saddle does present one with a beautiful mountian valley, if somewhat smokey from the Brownstone fire a ridge away in the Bob. I have a lingering lunch, taking it all in before I cast off for a long downhill run through the Morrell valley, which hosted a large fire last year. Some areas are regenerating with greenery and flowers; others, a blacken grey moonscape, still awaiting time and nature's healing powers.
Exiting the valley brings me to a modest climb to today's destination. I am planning on camping at Cottonwood Lakes, but on arrival at 2 pm it is hot, and the bike camping looks uninspiring. My next days destination is only 20 miles away near Ovando, and mostly downhill, I decide to gain a day and start pedaling again. It is actually cooler pedaling downhill than being stopped.
Finally enter cattle country in the Blackfoot River plain, pass through the colorful little burg of Ovando and camp on the banks of the north fork of the Blackfoot of "The river runs through it" fame. My camp neighbors are Gary and Denise, who promptly offer me a beer and chat. They were skunked searching for hucks up in the Swan Valley, and will try huckleberry pass (on route) tomorrow.
