Day 19 – The Bitterroot Valley

By Mark Heggestad
Bitterroot Valley.  Why does that sound so familiar?  I’m riding my bike through the beautiful Bitterroot Valley, bordered on each side by majestic mountain ranges.  And as each mile passes, I keep thinking to myself,  “Why do I know the Bitterroot Valley?”  But I’ll get to that later.

Today was somewhat a day of recovery after yesterday’s challenge.  We started our ride at Lolo pass on the border of Idaho and Montana, and then descended about 32 miles to Lolo, MT.  Yes, we now have two states behind us and have moved into Montana.  Lolo, MT, which is a few miles south of Missoula, is a landmark on our trip in that it represents the northern most point of our journey.  At Lolo we turned our bikes southeast and rode another 35 miles through the Bitterroot Valley.  In total we biked 67.2 miles today and ended the day at Hamilton, MT.

The ride from Lolo to Hamilton had the potential to be stressful.  We follow U.S. Highway 93, which is a four-lane highway with a 70 mph speed limit and filled with loud traffic.  But we had a savior.  Along the entire 35 mile route was a beautiful 8-foot wide asphalt path just off the road.  That path made it so easy to escape the highway.  While on my peaceful path if I look to the left – busy 4-lane highway.  If I look to the right – beautiful serene majestic mountains.  That’s easy – look to the right.  What about the noisy traffic?  That’s easy – just put on the headphones and crank the tunes.  Yes, life is good.

So back to the Bitterroot Valley.  Why does it feel familiar?  The answer came to me in an almost mystical manner, as if meant to be.  I was listening to a 10,000-song playlist set on random so the chance of any specific song playing at any given time is remote.  Yet, the song starts and the first words hit me:

He was born in the Bitterroot Valley in the early morning rain
Wild geese over the water heading north and home again
Bringing a warm wind from the south
Bringing the first taste of the spring
His mother took him to her breast and softly she did sing

Oh Montana, give this child a home
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own
Give him a fire in his heart; give him a light in his eyes
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies

A wonderful song that for some reason has always resonated with me.  A duet titled, “Wild Montana Skies” released by John Denver and Emmylou Harris in 1983.  At the time of the release a reviewer wrote of this song, “The song is a testament to the exuberance that can be provoked by being out in nature.”   I couldn’t agree more.

The Bitterroot Valley


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