Day 12 / July 18 / Missoula to Helena / 127.9 miles and 5970 feet / 93 degrees

Today was a challenging day of riding. It was the longest distance of the tour with a significant climb up MacDonald Pass, which tops out at about 6,300 feet at about mile 104. At an 8% grade, MacDonald Pass is the steepest year-round pass in Montana. The climb was followed by a nice sweeping downhill that brought us to the edge of Helena.

We started out pretty early this morning since everyone knew it would be a long day. We rode along US 12 for a bit of the ride, but also rode on some Montana state highways. We rode part of the day along the Blackfoot river and rode past a number of horse and cattle ranches.

Surprisingly, we have not seen much wildlife yet on this tour. We have seen signs for bighorn sheep and moose crossings, but so far no sightings of either. Yesterday we saw a few prairie dogs. LOL