July 1, 2003 The odyssey moved into the mountains today, and we had a wonderful ride. The route took us from Great Falls to Helena, MT, and through some wonderful scenery. There were no problems with the bike today, and the Team was strong after a rest day. It was hot, so both of us got a little dehyrated. We left Great Falls via Interstate 15, and turned off on a frontage road at about mile 4. The frontage road was very smooth, and there was little traffic. This is the kind of road you hope for when doing a tour like this. We stopped at mile 25 for water, and continued on the frontage road for another 42 miles. During that time, we stopped at Wolf Point - a sort of headquarters town for the river fishing in this area. We went into a little coffee/cyber shop for water and a Mountain Dew. The place is out in the middle of nowhere, and had 8 computers available for customers. The people there were very nice, and most interested in what we are doing. With all the conversation, we stayed longer than we normally would. But what the heck, that is what this is all about. We will leave the quick rest stops for the double centuries. We continued on the frontage road for another 7 miles, and had no alternative but to be dumped out onto the shoulder of Interstate 15 for the remaining 26 miles of our journey. Fortunately, the should was clean as a whistle, so we didn't flat, and didn't have to slow down. There was not a lot of traffic, and what was there took good care of us. Just before entering the freeway, we had done some pretty serious climbing, but after a few miles on 15, the old road really tilted up, and we had some fun - good, hot weather climbing. A few miles later we entered the outskirts of Helena. It is amazing what the weight reduction in the trailer did for the bike handling. It was like there was not trailer back there. We are thinking that the maximum weight one wants to put in a BOB on a tandem is 30 pounds plus he weight of the trailer, for a total of 45 poundsl. We are thinking of ways of keeping the trailer lighter for the remainder of the trip. Had we know this would happen, we would have disciplined ourselves a lot more with our pack list. Oh well, live and learn, they say! We should have discussed the Prairie Dogs because we have been seeing them a lot, and unfortunately, a lot of them we see are road kill. We think the Prairie Dogs have replaced the buffalo as the king of the prairie - we have sure seen a lot more of them. The funny part is that we will be riding along, and one will dart out onto the road, see us and do a 180 right back into the grass. Occasionally, one will stand up and watch us. However, they seem timid, so don't stick around long. They are about the size of a large rat, but are a very pretty tan color. They have a very nice coat. We exited I-15 at exit 200 per Tod Rogers' route slip. Soon after, we stopped at a Sinclair service center for water. While there, a Montana State Trooper came in, and we got into a conversation. He was very interested in the bike, and wanted to know where we were headed. When we told him, he said that he would get back on the freeway rather than taking the suggested road. He said it would be much safer. He was very nice to us, and seemed interested in having conversation. If you were going to draw the picture of the ideal Montana State Trooper, he would be your poster boy. I think he was a lot less interested in Ron that Ron's tandem partner! Ron forgot a bit of a funny. While on I-15, we, at one point, had to move out into the traffic lanes because of some road work and the resulting signs. While out in the traffic lanes, a big rig came along side, and Ron made the comment that it was fun being out here with the big boys. It was a bit of a thrill, but would not be a fun, steady diet. There is just too much going on. The scenery today ws magnificent. As we left Great Falls, we could see mountains in the distance. We identified them as the Big Belt Mountains, and kept watching them as we rode along. Soon, we were in them, and the rolling terrain of Great Falls suddenly got replaced by mountains. What a thrill to be riding so close you could touch them. In addition, we were right along side the Missouri River for incloake a look at them. The combination of the river, the freeway, the frontage road and a railroad twisting and turning through this canyon is almost beyound discription. The river is very deep here, and is a deep steel blue in color. The current is swift, and there are significant eddies on both sides of the river. The Missouri is constantly twisting and turning as it winds its way down. It is fun to think that the ancient river cut the canyon in which we rode all day. That makes one respect and appreciate mother nature. The weather was as predicted today. The day started in the high 60's, was 83 at about 9:00, 93 about 1:00 and 105 when we stopped. The wind was favorable for the first half of the ride, and then turned against us over the last half. However, it wasn't bad. It was very hot when we finished, and we were happy to be off the road. The sky was big and blue, as usual, and there were just enough clouds to make it interesting. We got a few rain drops as we stopped to eat at the end of our ride, but the thunderstorms they forecasted have yet to show up. It was nice to be climbing again. We had one very long, moderate climb to about 10 miles short of the end of our ride. That was followed by a five-mile descent that had the Captain salivating - he wanted to let the bike run! We probably would have reached speeds in the 50's, but now is not the time to be taking risks with the bike and ourselves. So, the brakes were used, and the speed was kept at about 35 mph. It was one great big kick in the butt! Tomorrow we are off to Three Forks. You will learn about that in tomorrow's journal. Ron