So I lied...

Well I am back blogging before I though. Its the 4th of July and we wanted to let everyone know that we are here safe in Lima after one of the toughest weeks so far. We pulled in around 1pm and found a motel (Mountain View Motel and RV Park) with a deal we couldn't turn down. They are all about helping out cyclist and hikers and when he heard we were without a computer, he handed us his laptop to use for the night. We were so thankful and glad we could get the good word to you guys.

Well we ended up heading to The Outdoorsman Sports Shop right after the library in Butte. We walked in expecting to see shotguns and fishing poles everywhere but we were instead greeted by a very friendly guy with a handshake. All around were bikes and tons of Tour De France memorabilia. Nat had snapped a piece on his derailleur and we were search of a small little part that I knew would be able to find. The man who was helping us instead tried to find a broken derailleur that I could steal a piece from. That didn't work either and finally I walked over to the glass case and was surprised to find some awesome prices on the parts. Rob finally introduced himself and I made a comment about all the Levi Leipheimer jerseys and personalized signatures on all the walls. "He is my brother", says Rob. I was blown away. Levi is one of the best cyclist in the world and has a GREAT chance at winning the Tour De France this year and here I am talking parts with his brother. Rob then let me tune up my bike with the shop tools and even repair my pedals with some spare parts. It was definitely an experience I will never forget!
It didn't take long to get back on the trail with a smile after that. We left around 3:30pm and made it to camp around 9 after a tough day. We headed out of Butte and didn't stop climbing for until the end of the day. On the short downhill before the campsite, we did get a glimpse at tomorrows goal, Mount Fleecer. It is a 9,000+ foot peak with some big up and downhills. It was nice to pull into Beaver Dam Campground for the night though and grab some sleep.

The next day we knew we were in for quite a challenge. The map warned of a pedalling/pushing uphill for .5 miles up so we figured it couldn't be that bad. That was until we got to the bottom of the hill (above).
It took us a good half hour to get to the top and once we got there, it only got worse. We grabbed some lunch and enjoyed the view and chatted for a bit. Then it was time to come down. Words cannot really describe how steep and rocky the downhill is but hopefully the above picture does it some justice.
Anyway, that was probably the toughest hill on us yet and we made it through. Right after Fleecer, we hit desert-like sage and plains that seem to go on forever. We here that the Tetons will change that, I guess we will have to just wait and see.

One more short thing I wanted to tell you guys about is our experience at Bannack State Park. We haven't been to a ghost town yet and this was our first one. It was quite a cool experience and something you don't see much back East. Nat and I headed down to check it out and read the stories of Montana's first gold strike. It was a little eerie walking around and reading about how they hung the sheriff for being one of the biggest villains in the town.

That's it from sunny and beautiful Montana for now. We are looking forward to my uncle joining us in Steamboat Springs in a couple of weeks and riding through the plains of Wyoming. I will leave you with a couple of pictures of our campsite right near the Medicine-Lodge mountain where we stayed last night. When we turned onto the road, the map warned of remote wilderness next 47 miles, they weren't joking. We saw maybe 10 ranches in a 47 miles span of secondary roads. It was amazing with lots of wildlife. Golden eagles and pronghorns were all over. It was very cool to see.
Well until next time, I wish you guys the best and I guess we will update whenever we can! Keep up with the awesome comments, they really are fun to read and its great to see you guys are following along with us!

-The Crew