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Day 18 Butte,Mt to Wise River,Mt

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 We rode 50.5 miles and had 2900 ft of elevation gain. Rolling  out of Butte we stopped at Walmart. We had to resupply our food. More oatmeal, peanut butter, tortillas, and Ultima Replenish  to enhance  our water. We started out on pavement that led to a single track trails. I'm  glad it was only 2 miles. We had a great dirt road to the top of our climb to over 7000 ft. At the top Doug and I  stopped for lunch. Two riders riding south bound  like us, and four riders riding north bound all showed up at the top of the climb. It was fun to compare stories of the ride. The descent to the highway  was very fast. We opted  out of the legendary Fleecher ridge trail. It's  a 1500 ft climb in a mile. It reaches a grade of over 30% and is deemed unrideable. We took the alternate  route to Wise River. We are staying in the town hall. For $20 we get indoor  sleeping, a flush toilet, a full kitchen, and WiFi.  Good night!
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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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