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The time in Great Falls was wonderful. We made a side trip to Fort Benton, including a crossing of the Missouri River on the Virgelle Ferry. Much of the river in this area is relatively untouched and remains very close to what was witnessed by Lewis and Clark 200 years ago. A few days later I would once again use the river as a guide. This time I followed the river along the interstate frontage road as it snaked its way through Wolf Creek Canyon. This was a bike ride I had been looking forward to for nearly a year. I rode from Great Falls south to just past the town of Wolf Creek. The river is not quite as pristine here with all of the cabins and the growing number of lodges but it is beautiful nonetheless. The ride was incredible. My Dad graciously volunteered to be my support car so I wasn't even burdened with carrying essential tools and supplies. I could concentrate solely on the ride itself. I chose the day after Labor Day (a weekday) so that the traffic would be light. The weather was perfect and the road was basically wide open. This section of the Missouri holds quite a few memories for me. My Dad and I spent many hours fishing this part of the river, in fact I learned to fly fish here. That was back before it became a blue-ribbon destination. This is a ride I definitely hope to make again.
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The next stop was the national parks. I was moderately worried about travelling into the Rocky Mountains when there was snow in the lowlands but I pressed on anyway. Interestingly enough, the snow turned into rain the closer I got to the parks. Though travel wouldn't be hindered, the rainy weather ended my prospects of riding or even fishing. There are no pictures of these beautiful parks because the cloud cover was simply too heavy. Unfortunately, my choice of season was wrong once again. This is the third time a vacation of mine has been rained out in September. I think I have finally learned the lesson.
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I finished up with a stay in Kelowna, BC. I managed to get in some quality riding despite not being able to find my targeted trail. Overall, the trip was wonderful even though the rain squashed most of my Canadian visit. I plan to go back in the next couple of years. But not in September!
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