We said our goodbyes to Jamie and Siobhan in the morning, as they had to go early to work. Kindly, Jamie let us stay to cook our breakfast after she had left, and we set out at 0820. Feeling energised with rested legs and a comfortable night indoors we ate away at the miles doing 35 miles up the pass before lunch.
At lunch we met a Scottish man going the same way, but setting out earlier than ourselves and covering upwards of 90 miles per day. We spoke for a short while, as he rushed his lunch to get on the road again. We decided it was worth covering a few less miles per day if we could sit and enjoy our food at the cafe! We ordered a second course...
The pass was gradual and not as high as Sherman, so we were feeling relatively fresh when we topped out at 1500. This pass also marked the continental divide and it was strange to have the river flowing in our direction after so long riding against the course of the rivers.
Despite being promised by a local at lunch it was "all downhill to Browning" it turned out to just sort of plateau out, and we barely lost 300ft on the pass for over 15 miles. Then we dropped fast into Browning, breaking 45mph!
Browning seems almost third world in some ways. It is in the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Dogs roam free, chasing us occasionally through the town. Roadworks made navigating difficult and we had to be escorted through the worksite by a vehicle, which was a nightmare to keep up with in the headwind. The campsite is good though, with spectacular views out to the Rockies.
Things get very flat and the roads very straight from here on out.
For now see pictures at facebook.com/RollingEagleCyclingExpedition
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