Days 58 and 59 Winnett, MT to Lewistown, MT 54.3 mi Lewistown, MT to Stanford, MT 46.8 mi Total 2,914.5 miles

 We did not hurry to leave the WhiteHouse in Winnett.  We had our own coffee and a coffee maker, so we were happy.  We decided to meet in Grass Range for breakfast.  It was just a mile off the route.  A cute little country store was the first thing I saw and then the Little Montana Chuckwagon.  I went in and was greeted by the waitress, the cook and all the regulars.  Steve was not far behind.  He ordered a good big breakfast and I ordered coffee.  Shortly, Steve went up to the counter and asked the waitress if they could make me one pancake and one piece of bacon.  No problem!  While we waited, one of the regulars got up, got the coffee pot and then came by our table to top us up.  He said he couldn't get the pot and not make the rounds.  Once we got talking they were impressed and very interested in Steve's trek.  We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.  The pancake was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked, winning hands-down the Best Pancake of the Trip award.

After Steve got back on the road, I explored the town, which was tiny and very nice.  I found the post office and while I was on hold on a phone call, I watched the locals go in and out.  It was a hoppin' place.  I couldn't resist a surreptitious photo of a couple of genuine cowboys.  The older gentleman on the left even had real spurs on his boots.  If you look closely, you may be able to see his handlebar moustache.

We were headed through some nice country.  The Judith Mountains around Lewistown are lovely.  

Steve enjoyed the ride and the descent into Lewistown.  Unfortunately the main street of town is under construction for its entire length.  Although Lewistown is a very nice country town with cute shops, bars, restaurants and bike trails, our motel was a winner...of the Worst Motel room of the Trip. 👎

We had a bit of a rest and then ventured out to the Montana Tavern.  You could lift up the plexiglass cover and watch Spring Creek flowing along under the bar.  The locals talked about how people used to fish while in the bar.

Here is Spring Creek from the road outside!  Clear and clean.

Lunch was so late that we didn't bother with dinner.  

In the morning we both rode our bikes to The Rising Trout Cafe and Bookstore.  Great coffee and breakfast sandwich and exceptional cinnamon roll!  Another good time, talking with Tami the waitress/cook and another couple of patrons.

After breakfast, Steve disappeared into the west.  I went north onto a lovely trail for about 5 miles, through town and then the outskirts of town and then the return trip.  

The ride today was relatively short into Stanford.  I did stop for a picture of Moccasin, Montana.  

 

 

Before we reached Stanford, there was a long stretch of construction.  I was first in line and had to wait about 15 minutes before proceeding.  The young flagger man was congenial and when Steve reached that point he just let him go through.  The shoulder is wide so it didn't matter to Steve which way the cars were going.

Steve had ridden straight through without a sit-down stop, so he turned into the R Bar and the R Cafe.  I turned back to have lunch with him there.  Lots of advice from the locals.  Remind us to tell you about Ovando when we are finished with the trip!

The Sundown Motel was a nice little place.  Joy, the owner, was very nice and helpful.

Jeannie and Norma

We took some of the advice and stopped into the Judith Basin County Free Library.  There we met Norma, originally from Turner, Maine and a graduate of UMO.  What a fun conversation!  Both Norma and her co-librarian, Jeannie, are Red Sox fans; and it was hard to believe all the other Maine connections we discovered with them both.

The rest of the town was adorable.  Flowers, flags, statues.  A famous albino wolf that finally was preserved for posterity.  What is with these wide, wide roads? They are like that in all the towns here.

Here is what was happening behind the motel...

After a doozy of a thunderstorm, dinner was at The Waterhole Saloon.  Where the jackalopes are also preserved.