Leg 3: Dupuyer to Great Falls

09/02/2008 Dear Friends and Family

First, I wanted to thank you all for your donation for Casa. I don t have the precise count yet, but you represent between 30% and 50% of all the new online donors for the ride so something is obviously working. Thanks again for your generosity, and If you have not done it yet, remember that your donation is tax deductible.

Today was simply a great day. After a good night sleep in the community house at Dupuyer, we were greeted by some nice sunshine for breakfast.

It is amazing how a little bit of sunshine can lift up your spirit for a whole day.

Thanks for our sponsors...

You girls rock!

There were a lot of neat stories during this ride. One of them was Blake riding with his father Richard. As you probably noticed on my photos, all generations were represented: 17+ to 60+!

Then we head for Bynum. On the way, some beautiful vista of North Montana mountains that had eluded us the previous days because of the challenging weather conditions.

In the middle of all this beauty, the very innocuous site of the Minuteman balistic missiles.

Bynum is a small community that offers a Dinosaur museum and a stone shop.

I did not get a chance to see the stone shop, but the Dinosaur museum is awesome. Thanks to the efforts of David Trexler, Paleontologist and a team of Bynum Volunteers, this small museum opened in 2000 offers high quality replica of dinosaurs, including a 30 feet long Seismoseurus.

David and I

The Seismoseurus. In the forefront, Brian, who leads our support team.

A peaceful herbivore found only in New Mexico. BTW, did you know that several dinosaurs have been found in Montana, and that Jack Horner, Paleontologist at the University of Montana was the inspiration behind the scientific research in Jurassic Park?

After Bynum, we resume our trip and notice some Indian history artefacts about the Black Feet, the dominant Indian Tribe in Montana. Here is on example about the Blackfeet and the Buffalo ecosystem (click on the picture to see the details).

Have not seen a buffalo yet, but here is an example of long horn.

Then we arrive to Choteau, a neat city with some typical buildings from the Far West

There, we are greeted by the United Methodist Church who offered us lunch.

That s what I am talking about...

After a copious lunch, it is back on the road again, and … after a great ride with lots of downhills (that s a change) and some rolling hills.

Finally, after 91.3 miles, we arrive in Great Falls, named after the falls nearby.

In the past, the site of the falls was occupied by some heavy industry

Today: only the falls and the dam remain and it is more a tourist attraction.

In the middle, my friend Bob Worthington, former mayor of Great Falls, who took us to see the site of the falls, Carolyn, a fellow rider, and I.

Kevin, Carolyn and I

Then we headed for dinner and were welcomed by another United Methodist Church involved with CASA. We even had a Blue Grass Band playing for us (when I solve the video issue, I will include the music, it is kind of cool).

Finally, last but not least: we are on tv!

OK, I will keep it short tonight because we have 108 miles to ride uphill tomorrow, so I need to get some sleep.

I will talk to you tomorrow.

Mathieu