Ennis to Three Forks, Montana

After the raw country side of Yellowstone and the Madison Valley, today was to be a traditional touring cyclist’s slog. Slight headwind, rain, total cloud cover and miles to be done. Our target today was Three Forks, where the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin rivers meet to form the mighty Missouri. At only 50 miles today was going to be relatively comfortable after yesterday’s 105 mile wonder ride.

The route today took us through the rolling valley floor into the foothills of the Tobacco Root Mountains, over the Madison River, the Jefferson River and then finally to Three Forks. The Missouri forms about 5 miles north of town on the route we follow tomorrow to Helena. It’s definitely getting hotter down here and the weather for the rest of the week looks awesome. By the time we reach Missoula on Saturday it should be up in the 30’s, an insane contrast to a few days earlier in Yellowstone.

Short days now and then help keep things enjoyable instead of being faced with 100 mile slogs day after day. We arrived in Three Forks early, sorted accommodation and hit the nearest cafe for a big lunch and a round of micro brews (though Kelv had Bud, heathen, we're not in the Buck now). I've been loving the beer here, every state so far has had awesome booze. So far Moose Drool (Missoula, MT), Fat Tyre (Fort Collins, CO) and the Discombobulator Maibock (Jackson Hole, WY) have been staple diet. Best name has to go to the Discombobulator, try ordering a round of those bad boys after a few double rounds of Tuaca (you know the rules).

Three Forks has some history, being the point where Lewis and Clark pondered which one of the three rivers would best guide them westward’s over the Rockies to the Pacific. It was also the tribal home of the only Indian and only female member of their party – Sacagawea. The hotel where were staying in Three Forks is named in her honour - http://www.sacajaweahotel.com/. It’s nearly 100 years old and looks right out of the Walton’s with its rocking chairs out on the porch.

We’re now in deep Lewis and Clark territory for the rest of the journey, so expect to hear lots of references to them :) For some reason these 2 explorers seem to encapsulate the drive of the whole trip for both of us. I’d read their journal after Kelv lent it me a few months back when he was planning the tour. Reading about their epic journey of discovery up the Missouri into uncharted lands whetted our appetites for travel. It still amazes me how much this country has grown in just over 200 years considering that at the turn of the 1800’s, the furthest west that had been populated by European American’s to any extent was St Louis.

This extract from the National Parks Service site should give a good taster for what they got up to:

Lewis and Clark traveled more than 8,000 miles in less than two and one-half years, losing only one member of their party, at a total cost to the American taxpayer of $40,000. The significance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was far reaching. It strengthened the United State's position in the struggle for control of North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Lewis and Clark's trek also inspired explorers, trappers, traders, hunters, adventurers, prospectors, homesteaders, ranchers, soldiers, businessman and missionaries to move westward--spurring a century of rapid settlement which peopled the West with European-Americans and disrupted the cultures and lifestyles of countless American Indians.

Lewis and Clark contributed to geographical knowledge by determining the true course of the Upper Missouri River and its major tributaries while William Clark produced maps of tremendous value to later explorers. They forever destroyed the dream of a Northwest Passage (a water route across the continent), but proved the success of overland travel to the Pacific. They made the first attempt at a systematic record of the meteorology of the West, and less successfully attempted to determine the latitude and longitude of significant geographical points.

Through the Expedition's peaceful cooperation with the American Indian tribes they met, they compiled the first general survey of life and material culture of the tribes of the Missouri, Rocky Mountains and the Northwest coast. Lewis and Clark also made significant additions to the zoological and botanical knowledge of the continent, describing at least 120 mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, as well as almost 200 plant specimens. By any measure of scientific exploration, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was phenomenally successful in terms of accomplishing its stated goals, expanding human knowledge and spurring further curiosity and wonder about the vast American West.

Anyway, that’s enough history for one night or else I’ll be stealing Cooch’s thunder! Time to head to the bar for another Discombobulator injection I think….