East. Day 40.

July 18, 2016

Ovando to Helena, Montana

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I wasn't continuing a Forrest Gump ride into the sunset, but I wasn't taking the train home either.

I was riding.

Eager to explore a different route east through Montana, a 6320' pass after fifty miles this day (with more than twenty after that) loomed large. Of course, a headwind greeted my departure from Ovando. But it was easy and the view from my recumbent seat unrestricted.

SR 141 south, off the lovely SR 200, was a gently rolling cruise along Nevada Creek, east of the Garnett Mountains. I floated with the wispy clouds.

Looking back. Nevada Creek turns into Nevada Lake.

An eagle dropped from the blue and led my way for more than a heartbeat. He plunged and disappeared in the drop of the river. Movement left caught my eye. An antelope stood frozen, except his head, which pivoted with my passing.

I was heading home, but I was riding.

"Who is that thin woman squinting from the screen on the back of my camera?"

Pelicans!

MacDonald Pass. Beyond? A glorious downhill run into Helena and a delightful overnight at the Newells.