Rocky Mountains, ho!

(Susan here)
The mountains appeared to us when we got around Lothair, their snowy white tops visible against their vague, dark outline. We stopped and took a photo the moment we realized it; not sure if you can spot them, too:

The pass is less than 100 miles away now, but the weather and the terrain are conspiring to make it a longer trip than it should be. We had planned on making it to Cut Bank today, but both of us felt strangely wiped out (the altitude?) and the winds had begun to pick up, so we’re in Shelby instead. Of note, Shelby has the first on-street bike lanes we’ve seen since Minneapolis, a surprising distinction for a town of 3,400. There’s also a huge wind farm on the edge of town, which is fitting. The headwinds are supposed to be around 30 mph tomorrow, which means we’re very gladly staying put, but then they are going to be nearly as bad for the next several days as we climb to full elevation. We may just have to take a series of 20-30 mile days just to get through it, going from here to Cut Bank, then to Blackfoot, then to East Glacier Park, and then up and over Marias Pass and out of the wind.

Just east of Shelby, looking north to the Sweetgrass Hills:

…and our ever-present companion, the BNSF freight train, makes its appearance down in the valley:

Today was the first day since Medora, ND that we did not see any east-bound cross-country cyclists, so that was kind of strange. But yesterday we saw two separate groups: one 60-something man with a gnarly mustache who hiked the AT last year but never really rode a bike before heading cross-country; and a half-dozen college-aged dudes riding supported who all cheered for us as they sailed past while we chugged into the wind: “You guys are champs! Keep it up!” [Yeah… yeah! We ARE champs, aren’t we?]