• Day 1: Our original plan was to spend the night in the Jail (single cell) of Ovando's Territorial Jail House. The Jail house is still standing and all of the locks and doors still operate correctly.
• Cyclists are encouraged to stay at the Ovando Jail House for a donation ($5 recommended). The Jail is dry with an overhead roof.
• Ovando's Chamber of Commerce also set up a Teepee and Sheppard's Wagon for Tourist Display but they can be used by pre-arrangement by cyclists and other tourists.
• Ovando's Historian who manages the Jail House usage Schedule also added a solar shower and portable toilet at the same location as the Teepee and Sheppard's Wagon.
• We arrived at Ovando at about 3:00 PM (1500 Hrs) and we decided to keep on cycling, and so we did.
• We ended the cycling day ten miles further down the road, camping just a few feet inside Helena National Forest on property that may or may not have been private (no signs at all, all signs missing).

Day 1 - Seeley Lake to Ovando to Helena NF (Stealth Camp)

Above Left: We have no trouble getting started out of our Seeley Lake Motel and returning 2 miles to the GDMBR and NF-477.

Above Right: Always, when we are near a town or civilization there is traffic; a car just passed by us.

Above Left: The Stoker is having fun with the Captain.

Above Right: Shooting Range Warning Sign and Orange Direction signs for the Winter Snowmobile Route (and Cross Country Ski Route).

Above: We're eastbound on NF-477, MT, moving away from Seeley Lake, and we're enjoying the 'Flats'.

Above: As we got closer to the mountains we started seeing Huckleberries. Nearly as we could tell, Huckleberries are similar to Blue Berries but taste a little tart; they require sugar to offset the tartness (to our tastes). We are officially back in Bear Country.

Above Left: It is a beautiful field of flowers. They are like Russian Thistle in their first appearance but they are NOT Thistles at all, they are more like Bunch Daisies in terms of the stalks and stems.

Above Right: Terry is holding the Bee (a da Vinci Tandem) while Dennis watered the flowers.

Above: The Good News is that we stay ESE on NF-477, MT, for about 18 miles; the navigation and cycling are relatively easy for off-road cycling. We are climbing.

Above Left: The view east on NF-477, MT.

Above Right: Purple Daisies.

Above: We've reached the first pond of a series of water holes called Cottonwood Lakes.

Above Left: Some kind of flowering water plant.

Above Right: Our backtrail as we ride through the wet valley.

Above Left: Looking down into the floor of Cottonwood Creek on NF-477.

Above Right: We continued on NF-477, MT.

Above Left: We are putting on sunscreen (at about 9 AM).

Above Right: We are getting ready for a mid-morning snack.

Above: A panorama of one of the Cottonwood Lakes, Montana.

Above: A back road turnoff for Morrell Mountain went left and the way for Cottonwood Lakes heads straight (right).

Above: Nearly as we can recall, this was the last lake of the series of lakes (ponds) on the Cottonwood Creek valley.

Above Left: A little trailhead and informal camp area ahead (one of many informal camp areas).

Above Right: We continued ESE on NF-477.

Above Left: We continued ESE on NF-477. A tree (or trees) had been cut up on the right hand side of the road, thus all of the saw dust and wood chips.

Above Right: We continued straight on the left road (ESE) on NF-477.

Above Left: Ovando, our original destination, is now listed on the Road Signs (17 Miles).

Above Right: A Camper is enjoying solitude on NF-477.

Above Left: We're pedaling ESE on NF-477 (upon obvious road re-surface).

Above Right: Argh, Road Construction. It always means rough roads ahead for a cyclist, often gravel sometimes just rocks (like fist sized rocks).

Above Left: For a 'brief moment in time' the road surface is OK.

Above Right: We've changed major valley Watersheds (from the Swan River and Valley) and now we're looking at the Blackfoot River and Valley Watershed. We changed Watersheds just about where the first pond was along Cottonwood Creek, we just did not know it at the time.

Above Left: Now we have come across gravel and/or fist sized rocks (from the road construction).

Above Right: Another peek through the pines toward the Blackfoot River Valley. Eventually we are going to ride out of the high pines into the warm humid grassland (ranch land).

Above: Grouse crossing on NF-477 near to Ovando, Montana.

Above Left: Heading down NF-477 to Ovando, MT.

Above Right: Another peek at the Blackfoot River Valley.

Above Left: The sign says Dry Cottonwood Creek.

Above Right: ESE on NF-477, Montana.

Above Left: The sign and turn off for Shanely Creek Road, I think.

Above Right: The road has always been gravely, it just shows up better in this picture.

Above: NF-477, MT.

Above: East-northeast on NF-477, MT.

Above Left: Accidental Picture.

Above Right: Happy Stoker and back trail.

Above Left: NF-477.

Above Right: Creek crossing, we now know that we are approaching the Monture Work Center (National Forest Operations Center).

Above: This forest area has been thinned out and it looks great.

Above Left: We headed for Ovando.

Above Right: East on NF-477.

Above Left: Re-entering the National Forest.

Above Right: We had caught up to Franz (who we met on Richmond Peak, MT, about 3 days ago, listed in the previous bicycle adventure). We agreed to have lunch together, just down the road near the Monture Work Center.

Above Left: We are near the Monture Work Center, MT. We were hoping for picnic tables but the open grounds will work just fine for Lunch and a conversation with Franz.

Above Right: Franz's Rig.

Above Left: Franz, setting up for lunch.

Above Right: Terry, gathering lunch.

Above Left: We had turned south on NF-89.

Above Right: Heading south on NF-89.

Above: We're descending into the Blackfoot River Valley into Ranch Land.

Above: Deer.

Above: Heading south on NF-89 (from Lolo NF toward Ovando, Montana).

Above: The amounts of trees were thinning and the sizes of the trees were decreasing, our ecological zone is getting ready to change from Pine Forrest to Grass Land.

Above: Heading south on NF-89 (from Lolo NF toward Ovando, Montana).

Above Left: Ahead was the end of the Pine Forest and the beginning of the Blackfoot River Valley Grass Lands.

Above Right: After a mile or two, one tree grows alone and the signs for Highway 200 and Ovando can be seen in the distance.

Ovando, Montana
(State Highway 200 and NF-89)

Above Left: Approaching Hwy 200, Ovando, Montana (from NF-89).

Above Right: The welcome signs to Ovando (on Hwy 200). The actual town of Ovando was another mile down the road; we went there.

Above Left: Ovando was down this road and to the left.

Above Right: We arrived at the Ovando Commercial Company (established in 1897). As Dennis walked out to take a picture Franz pulled up on his bike.

Above Left: The time of day was exactly 3 PM. We ate Huckleberry Ice Cream. Then, we bought some supplies and discussed whether we were staying overnight, here, as planned. We determined that we still had 6 hours more daylight and that we could do a lot of cycling in 6 hours. We decided to try to get to the Helena National Forest for this night.

Above Right: Ovando History.

Above Left: A tree ring dates to 1400 AD/CE.

Above Right: Town Facts.

Above Left: The Ovando Hoosgow (County Jail, built in 1868).

Above Right: That's Dennis' Sad Face and Terry's Happy Face.

Above Left: The rope net bunks. Had we stayed here, we would have put our Thermarest on the floor and secured the beds vertically.

Above Right: Brands that participated in the Cattlemen's Association and the award leading to the capture of a Rustler or Rustlers.

Above Left: A canvas made Indian [Native American] Teepee. I have yet to sleep in one and it was an option for a place to stay this night.

Above Right: A Sheep Herder's Wagon (Sheppard's Wagon), they are nearly always built for two people. We have seen a few active Sheep Camps while touring the GDMBR - Sheppard(s) herding Sheep and a few Goats on the GDMBR in Northern Colorado and in Southern Colorado on Indiana Pass (the GDMBR's highest pass elevation).

Departing Ovando, Montana
We Soon Lost the GDMBR

Above Left: Iron Buffalo art in a front yard.

Above Right: Heading almost due south out of Ovando.

Above: Sandhill Cranes! How Unexpected, a mating pair in a field.

Above: More pictures of the same pair of Sandhill Cranes.

Above: A Grassland panorama from Northeast to Northwest.

Above Left: See the Shelter? It was likely a winter home for an early explorer and probably used now to store fencing supplies. We were not within 2 miles of a dwelling at that moment.

Above Right: Heading southeast out of Ovando.

Above: The GDMBR mileage instructions stated the 'Ovando Helmville Rd turns to gravel'. We were looking for the Gravel Road before executing the Next Instruction. What we learned later was that the County had paved the road all the way to the Blackfoot River (which is about 2 miles further than we wanted to go). We missed our turnoff to the left/north and pedaled all the way to the Blackfoot River before we figured the something was wrong.

Luckily, we flagged down a car and asked for help. They explained that the road was paved many miles beyond its former pavement end. All we had to do was turn around and take the first road to our right, not to be confused with a few farm road entrances (they look the same).

Above: The North Fork of the Blackfoot River, we went there by mistake.

We got Back on Course onto 'Unsigned' Dry Gulch Road, County Road #125

Above Left: Here, we are taking a snack break, now knowing that we were actually on CR-125.

As we rode up Dry Gulch Road, we pedaled about a mile before we could conclusively determined that we were on a county road and not on a private ranch entrance. It was not until we were directly at a ranch that we could tell that this was a through road and not a private road that went out to a rancher's pasture.

Above: Pedaling north on CR-125, Montana.

Montana State Highway 200, Briefly

Above: At last, we came upon State Highway 200 We turned right (east) onto Hwy-200.
BASICALLY: We were to head east on Hwy-200, cross the North Fork of the Blackfoot River, and then turn left/north on a first road.

Above: Heading east, briefly, on Montana State Hwy-200.

Above: We pedaled our tandem across the North Fork of the Blackfoot River.

Above Left: Soon after passing the North Fork of the Blackfoot River, we turned north (left).

Above Right: Ranchland.

Above Left: At GDMBR Map, Side B, mileage mark 38.7 we turned left towards Big Nelson Camp.

Above Right: Again, we turned left for Big Nelson Camp. The shadows were getting long. We soon entered a forest and then started to look for a place to camp. There are times when the word 'Hwy 200' looks like 'Hwy ZOO'.

Camp, Maybe We Were in Helena National Forest, Maybe We Were NOT;
We Were Tired and We Just Quietly Set-Up Camp

Above Left: We found a nice place to camp next to a creek. We were never sure if we were on Private Property, BLM Land, or National Forest Property - All signs were missing. There were NO Private Property Signs. The sun was already below the trees but not below the horizon. We had made a good decision to set-up camp then.

Above Right: A deer walked through our camp area as we were cleaning dishes.