Day 19 – June 22 – Essex, MT to Browning, MT– 44 Miles

Today was a day of milestones.  The mileage was short but the obstacle of the Rockies is behind us and we are now on the Great Plains.

We got a reasonable start out of Essex to start the ride up to Marias Pass.  For the climb, our weather was cool and cloudy, and rain threatened.  We had our first headwind of the trip, directly out of the east.  Just before the steepest part of the climb, it started to sprinkle.  The coolness and lack of sunshine for the climb was welcome.

We made it to the summit, and the Western Continental Divide by noon.  We took the required pictures, then continued toward East Glacier. The three of us were glad we did not attempt crossing over Logan Pass.  The cloud ceiling was just above the trees when we got to the summit.  It was cold and windy.  All the peaks around us were shrouded in clouds.

We accomplished a couple other milestones as well.  1.4 miles east of the Marias Pass summit, we completed our 1000^th mile of the trip.  A few miles east of that we encountered our first instance of being chased by a dog.   That milestone was repeated again upon our arrival in Browning, MT later in the day.

We had our lunch at East Glacier Lodge.  The massive lodge pole pine timbers used in its construction impressed David.  The lodge was not yet busy, and the staff seemed to be well prepared for the influx of summer tourists.  The Bell Captain, came out of the lodge to greet us and ask about our ride.  We took our time after lunch and sat in the lobby near the massive fireplace.  It was nice to relax and warm up.

Browning was only 11 miles further east and it was decided that it would be our goal for the day.  Just out of East Glacier, a bridge on Route 2 is being reconstructed.  Traffic is routed around the site with pilot vehicles.  For safety reasons we were not allowed to ride the 2 mile construction zone.  Instead, they loaded all three of us into pickup trucks and drove us through.

It is quite amazing how dramatically the Rockies transition to the plains as you move east.  Browning, MT is the first town east of the Rockies.  It is part of the Blackfeet Reservation.

Tomorrow we continue east with an entirely new view ahead of us.   The challenge now is the few hundred more miles of eastern Montana.