Day 10, August 4: 70 miles in the a.m.

Harlowton, MT to Roundup, MT http://cyclemeter.com/85ef50859d8f1e5c/Cycle-20150804-0540

Distance: 71.0

Riding time: 4:40

Average speed: 15.2 mph

Maximum speed: 33.1 mph

Weather: tailwinds started out at 6-8 mph and never reached that speed for the rest of the ride, and occasionally it was still. Temperatures were in the low 60s at the 5:30am start and reached about 80 in the early afternoon. The tailwinds help explain the high average speed. Skies were partly cloudy and there were some isolated areas of rain in the distance.

Terrain: uphill 955 feet, downhill 1922 feet. 

The route followed US 12 the whole way.

This Raven map of Montana shows US 12, which I took from Harlowton to Roundup. The map includes some interesting place names: Deadmans Basin Reservoir, Living Springs, Dry Lake, Swimming Woman Creek, and Painted Robe Creek.

This Acme Mapper topo map shows my first eight cycling days beginning in Spokane, WA (A), crossing the Rockies, and ending in Roundup, MT (I). The middle markers are as follows Harrison, ID (B), Haugan, MT (C),  Arlee (D), Missoula (E), Lincoln (F), Townsend (G), and Harlowton (H).

My Weather Underground phone app predicted rain starting in the early afternoon so I got up extra early. After a breakfast of Cheerios, raspberries, blueberries, and a hard-boiled egg I hit the road shortly after 5:30 AM. A few miles into the ride I saw the sunrise.

Upper Musselshell Valley sunrise.

Metal silhouette design incorporated into a ranch entry. This example shows a detailed and delicate pattern.

Detail from the previous picture.

This ranch entrance includes a redheaded woodpecker.

The flag next to this ranch entryway shows the breeze that was at my back.

Ryegate is one of several Montana towns the features a testicle festival. The sign in the picture below hangs on the Ryegate Bar and Cafe.

Get your Rocky Mountain oysters here during the Ryegate Testicle Festival.

My route paralleled the Musselshell River all day. The flow is modest in this dry part of the summer but sometimes it can flood with destructive consequences.

Milwaukee Road bridge destroyed by flood.

US 12 between Harlowton and Roundup has many interesting sedimentary rock formations.

The black sedimentary rock in the background may be shale.

A sculptural looking rock bluff sets off the lush vegetation in the dried-up stream. Silvery blue-green Russian olives have invaded the stream bank.

This dramatic formation of sedimentary rocks stretches for about a mile along US 12.

The wind died down after the first couple of hours of my ride.

Limp windsock indicates almost no wind. It is located at an airstrip in rangeland near Lavina, MT.

Later in the ride the wind picks up a little because of nearby rain storms.

The gray clouds indicate rain about 5 miles behind me. I pick up my pace.

The Musselshell River is an important source of water for irrigation, mostly for producing hay. A local guy told me that a good production of hay is about two or three big bales, each weighing a ton, per acre. This guy's brother relies only on rain for his grass and his production this year was only one third of a ton per acre because of dry weather.

The Musselshell River and large bales of hay produced with help from its water.

A tractor pumps water out of the Musselshell River for irrigation. 

Thanks to the early start and some help from the wind I arrive in Roundup before noon (rain came at about 1 pm).  As I enter Roundup I see a casino or two on the outskirts of town. Every town of 1000 people or more seems to have several casinos from larger purpose-built ones to bars that offer a few gambling machines. 

Then I saw a skeleton riding a motorcycle perched on a pillar in front of a motorcycle parts store. The statue includes a noose and a dog skeleton. A couple of days earlier I saw a dog riding in the backseat of a motorcycle. It was a small terrier and it was wearing goggles. The motorcycle's owner told me that the dog was wearing a product called "Doggles." He said the dog enjoyed riding the motorcycle. It seemed believable to me given how dogs sometimes like to stick their heads out of car windows. Also, on this trip I've seen lots of dogs riding in the back of pickup trucks, and sometimes they stand up in back while the truck is moving fast.

This statue is in front of a motorcycle parts store in Roundup. Note the noose around its neck and the dog skeleton.

Not far from the motorcycle statue, on Main Street in Roundup is The Hanging Tree, with a noose in it. This tree was used on at least one occasion in the 1880s for execution. 

The Hanging Tree with a riderless horse in the background. The noose can be on the first big branch.

The death theme continues in Roundup with a meth warning sign.

Meth warning sign in Roundup.

Most of the Montana towns I have stayed in have been county seats and each of these county seat towns has had an historical museum. Roundup has the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum.

The Musselshell County Courthouse.

The Musselshell Valley Historical Museum is housed in a former Catholic school

The museum has a wide range of fascinating materials, including some baseball artifacts. Many Montana towns of several thousand people fielded traveling baseball teams. A Roundup man did visual reports of his team in a local publication. An example is shown below.

Funny poster in the museum collection recounting the mishaps of a particular game. The author hopes the team can redeem itself in the future.

The last photo shows a sign in front of the Pioneer Cafe on  Main Street.

This cowboy with delicate facial features might wind up in the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum someday.