Epic Great Divide - Day 19

Saturday, July 25, 2026

Beaver Head River RV Campground, Dillon, MT to Dad’s Creek Cabin, Dillon, MT

56.5 miles/90.9 kilometers

3902 feet/1189 meters elevation gain

Camping around rented cabin for amenities. Flush toilet, showers, electricity, no potable water. Laundry available in cabin.

Elevation – 7000 feet

This morning, Clint and I had breakfast/lunch duty. I woke at 5:00 am and was dressed and making coffee by 5:30 am. I heated up leftover pancakes, kielbasa and pierogi. Just about everything got eaten!

The route today was supposed to be 56 miles. Because 16 of those miles would have been backtracking what we’ve already ridden, the general consensus of the group was to be shuttled to the part of the route that we haven’t done yet. Once there, we had a long descent right at the beginning. It was awesome!

About six miles in, we had the option of touring Bannack State Park where there was a “ghost town.” The park obviously spent a lot of time and money to spruce up the town and preserve the buildings. They also built wooden boardwalks to keep people where they wanted them. We each had to pay $4 admission. It was nice but not exactly my thing. I did like the schoolhouse, church and stagecoach, though.

After the park, we then had nice gravel roads for the next 34 miles. There was a formidable headwind the last 15 miles but it was still okay. Only 2,000 feet of elevation gain, mostly over rolling hills. The scenery was beautiful – endless meadowland. In addition to seeing more grazing cows, a deer jumped right out of the sage to my right and crossed in front of my bike. He/she seemed more surprised to see me than I was to see it!

After the ride, Stephanie and Doug cooked a lovely mushroom risotto with chicken. Leftover cheesecake and cookies were the dessert.

Tonight, most of us are camped outside a cabin. It’s kind of funny seeing all of the tents inside a corral. I’m not sure who else took possession of the beds in the cabin but Jada and Esther are in two of the four. It’s nice to have an indoor kitchen, shower and bathroom to use. There was supposed to be wifi but there’s absolutely no signal at all here. It’s only 9:00 pm but I’m going to turn in now. The wind has died down and it’s really quite nice to smell the fields. For now then, goodnight from Montana again!

P.S. I forgot. After our map meeting tonight, one of our college students, Jada, told the group that she prayed for everyone today. She is of American Indian heritage and very proud to be gay. When she said she prayed for everyone, just about everyone said, “Awww  - thank you so much!” It was all I could do to not blurt out, what god did you pray to? What did you pray for or about concerning us? If I told the group that I prayed for them as a Christian, I can’t imagine that one person would have thanked me.

While doing dishes one night, one of the female riders was laboring to get some cooking utensils really clean. She apologized for taking so much time. I said, “No problem, they say cleanliness is next to godliness.” She responded, “Well in that case, I’m never cleaning anything else ever again!”

Why is it okay for someone to offer prayers to some nameless spirit wind or the sun or moon or whatever but not to the Creator of the Universe? Why are people so opposed to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? What happened to them — or didn’t happen to them — to make them so hostile?