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Day 15, 16 & 17 Lincoln, Mt to Butte, Mt

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 Day 15 Lincoln, Mt  to Helena, Mt. We rode 57 miles and had 2300 ft of elevation gain. Finally there was a break in the weather so we rolled out of Lincoln. The owners  were so nice for our three nights there. After all the rain the last 4 days we decided to take a secondary highway  to Helena.  We missed the Llama Ranch, which is supposed  to be a wonderful overnight for Great Divide  riders. We had one climb over the Divide that was much easier  on pavement. We are staying  in a campground that caters to Great Divide riders. We have hot showers, nice  tent pads, and a wonderful covered kitchen area. We should be back up on the trail in the morning. Day 16 Helena, Mt to Basin, Mt. We rode 42 miles and had 4700 ft of elevation gain.  We left Helena with threats of scattered  thunderstorms. We had three big passes to climb each one a little higher. The first climb was 5 miles and got up to 6000 ft. The second climb was 8 miles ...
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Day 15 we are still on a weather hold

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 We woke up to pouring rain.  The radar showed  a large storm from the north that has lasted all day. The weather forcast for tomorrow is much more favorable. We are planning  on rolling out in the morning for Helena. The trail  up high could  have snow on it so we are taking a secondary  paved highway.  Doug bought a deck of cards and he reminded  me how to play Kings Corner. We met Annabelle the owners dog. She was walking the halls as they cleaned rooms. They have only had her for 12 days. She has bonded with them, but still  skittish around strangers. We walked  the length  of the town again today. I had to stick my head in all the bars just to see them.  Chain saw carving is a big deal here, they are having a competition in mid July. I thought the Blue Sky Motel was miss named after our wet time here. We should  be riding in the morning. 
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Day 14 we are on a rain hold

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 We are on a weather  hold in Lincoln, Mt as it is chilly and pouring  rain. We did walk the length  of the town during  a brief dry spell. This town has at least 4 bars with a casino  attached  to them. We talked about day drinking and losing  a bunch of money, that option  was quickly  thrown out. Instead  we got laundry  done and tightened  up all the bolts on our bikes. Our chains got a good  cleaning with fresh oil. Emma and Brian made it to Lincoln  today from Ovando. We had dinner with them. More rain is forcast for tomorrow, so it a game day decision  if we ride.
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Day 13 Seeley Lake, Mt to Lincoln, Mt

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 We rode 57 miles and had 2800 ft of elevation gain today. We got on the trail in Seeley Lake. The gravel  roads are much better then the backroads of Canada. We had one 2.75 mile climb that took us over 6000 ft. We had a light rain and it got chilly up there. Saw lots of deer including  a doe and her fawn. The downhill  to Ovando  was long  and fast. We ate our lunch there then got on the highway to Lincoln,  Mt. We wanted to beat the rain so we choose the fast way. We had our first A-hole roll coal on us in his big diesel  pickup.  We are staying at the Lincoln Log Cabin. Soon after we got  our bicycles  inside it started to rain. It has rained most of the night. There's  a 90% chance of over a half inch of rain predicted for tomorrow. We are taking a rest day.
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Day 12 Swain Lake, Mt to Seeley Lake, Mt y Lake, Mt

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 We rode 67 miles and had 3500 ft of elevation gain. After a Double Mocha and a breakfast  burrito at the Traiding Post we were off. Our trail paralleled the highway much of the day. We had some ok gravel and a little highway to tie the trail together. There was about a mile of single  track, not my favorite.It was overcast and sprinkled a little much of the day. We got on the highway  to Seely Lake and the sky opened up with HEAVY rain. We ducked into a department of  transportation gravel building  and waited out the worst of it. We were soaking wet and chilled by the time we got to Seeley Lake. We came across a bar/motel and got the last room. After warming up with a hot shower we went to the bar and had beer and pizza. John was directing  karaoke that was all country music. He has a great voice. 
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