Montana wheat fields, prairies, and hills

This is the 12th day we've been on the motorcycle, with extra days in Moscow, Idaho for a rest day, and then in Bozeman, Montana to visit our son. The days quickly developed a rhythm: eat breakfast (sometimes after going for a run), load up the BMW, enjoy riding for 5+ hours, enjoy an air-conditioned hotel, hot shower, and hopefully find a great place for dinner. Eat-ride-sleep-repeat. We see something different every day, talk with interesting people, and enjoy time on the BMW eating up the miles.

We left Havre, MT just before 9am, riding south on US Route 87 through fields of wheat, barley and hay as far as we could see.

This area is part of the Golden Triangle in Montana that is a top producer of wheat in the country which explains why we rode through miles and miles of wheat fields the past two days.

After we passed the town of Big Sandy, the landscape changed dramatically from flat or barely rolling  fields to rugged uplands known as the Missouri Breaks where the road curved, climbed, and then descended.

In Fort Benton we turned east on Montana Highway 80 and crossed the Missouri River.

This area is part of the Lewis and Clark Trail, following the route the explorers took in 1804.  We were either riding on a straight road through fields and range land, or winding through more of the Breaks which made the ride really fun.

In Stanford we stopped for gas, a snack and cold drink and chatted with the friendly woman working at the counter, then continued south on US 87/Montana 200 East until we intersected with US 191 and continued south through a valley with the Little Belt Mountains to the west and Big Snowy Mountains to the east, giving us a preview of the twisty mountain roads coming up in the next few days of our trip. We even saw snowy patches on the mountains!

We stopped in Big Timber, once home to the largest woolen mill (and over 3000 sheep) in Montana, for lunch in a bakery/cafe on the main street and enjoyed the meal and air conditioning as the temperature was heading over 90 degrees.

The last 38 miles of today's 330 mile ride was east on I-90 along the Yellowstone River to Columbus, MT, our stop for the night. There just aren't any other paved road options going our direction in this part of the state and since the temperature continued to climb, we were happy to make good time for the last part of the day's ride.

Tomorrow we're looking forward to mountain passes and higher, hopefully cooler, elevations.

Straight roads through the prairie

 We started today in Cardston, Alberta and thought we had a plan to get to the Wild Horse border crossing to get back into the United States. Like other aspects of this trip, we had to regroup and be flexible mid-way through today's ride.

Today was all about riding through wide open land planted with wheat, hay and other crops.

Unlike riding through the mountains, today the roads were straight and the views endless, broken every now and then by very distant, shadowy mountain ranges and windmill farms.

The day started as planned, riding on Alberta highway 5 east, to 52 east, and then onto the 4-line divided highway 4 for a short period of time.

We then turned onto Alberta highway 501 east and for the first few miles everything went to plan.

Then all of a sudden the road went from paved asphalt to gravel/dirt - not a lot of fun when riding 65 mph. It was a short stretch of gravel and as we hit the next section of pavement we thought everything was OK - until we reached another gravel/dirt section.

We had no idea how long the gravel section would last so stopped, looked at our older Canadian map, and decided to use the Garmin GPS to guide us to our hotel in Havre, MT. That meant about 80 additional miles riding, and since any mile on the BMW is a great mile, we enjoyed the rest of the trip.

The Garmin took us on Alberta 879 north, then 61 east, part of the Red Coat Trail, an 800 mile route that approximates the path taken in 1874 by the North-West Mounted Police as they marched west to bring law and order to the Canadian West. We rode past several large windmill farms today, and in this wide-open country they look even more imposing.

We then turned onto Alberta highway 3 east, following a very slow moving truck loaded with hay bales for part of the way.

We stopped in Medicine Hat, named for the eagle tail feather headdress worn by Blackfoot medicine men. We had been on the BMW for almost 4 hours and needed both a gas station and lunch - and were thrilled to find the Rosewood Bistro and their menu using locally sourced food. The friendly waitress pointed out a gas station just around the corner, and we got back on the road ready for the next part of the day.

We rode on Trans Canada Highway 1  for a short period of time, long enough to see a very long train waiting at a grain elevator.

We then turned onto Alberta 41 heading south toward the Wild Horse border crossing. The next 68 miles to the border we saw only 2 other vehicles which surprised us since we expected more traffic crossing the border.

The prairie was broken up by rolling hills and stands of pine trees in the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park

Once we passed through the park, it seemed like the straight road in front of us went on as far as we could see to the horizon.

It was windy all day, but now the wind got even stronger and at times we were buffeted by an especially strong gust. 

We crossed into the United States with just one car in front of us, and for the next 44 miles rode on Montana highway 232 into Havre - again seeing only 2 other vehicles.

The temperature rose into the high 80's, and between the wind and the heat we were ready for an air conditioned hotel room in Havre. Based on a suggestion from the hotel staff we ate dinner at the absolutely fantastic Bow and Marrow Steakhouse - by far the best meal we've had not only on this trip, but since we moved to Colorado 18 months ago. Meals on motorcycle trips are hit or miss, and we'll remember this meal for months. It's worth a stop in Havre just to eat here!