The downside of “breakfast included”…

…is that you don’t get real food and you don’t rub shoulders with real people.

Because our Motel 6 didn’t have a breakfast bar, we had to fend for ourselves. We ended up at the Silver Spur Cafe, which just happened to be across the street from the Chop House where we had dinner and drinks last night. Sheridan is not a big place: 17,000 and change.

Awesome breakfast burrito that was swimming in an ocean of melted cheese and homemade chili sauce. Made right in front of us by the owner/head cook. A bottomless cup of coffee, served in a real ceramic mug, kept topped up by the waitress who warned me off going into the washroom after a regular had made a lengthy visit. And banter with the locals – a bunch of good old boys – who we’re sitting at the other stools around the counter.

The parting words from one of the fellas, who I recognized from the poker rally crowd? That’s right: keep the shiny side up, boys.

Almost as soon as we left Sheridan we began climbing, as we made our way up up up into the Bighorn Range. We hit a wall of heat: Kevin said the thermometer on his bike registered a spike from 16 degrees to 24 degrees in less than a kilometre. A hint of what was to come, and it was only 9:30.

Once again, we were rewarded for taking the longer route, with awesome riding and breathtaking views.

We stopped for “lunch” in Cody: the monster cinnamon buns we were too full to eat but couldn’t resist on our way out the door from the Silver Spur. We slathered the sticky pastries with gobs of butter, and enjoyed our break from riding in the shade of a car wash building in front of a strip mall.

Despite a lot of this today…

…We still ended up missing a turn, which meant we didn’t get to ride the full length of the Beartooth Pass. After scaling and descending the Bighorns, though, whose summit tops out around 8500 feet, we didn’t feel cheated.

Plenty of wildlife on our 9-hour push to Bozeman, via Yellowstone, including moose, antelope, and several large herds of buffalo.

Besides the sharp twisty turns on the very steep descents, the most unsettling thing about today’s ride were the signs regularly reminding us about the free-range cattle: tough to stay relaxed and enjoy the scenery when you’re constantly wondering if you’re going to meet a cow in the middle of the road, just around that next blind turn.

After we checked into the Best Western, we hopped the hotel shuttle to Montana Ale Works. Janet, the daughter of our next door neighbours in Saskatoon, and her partner Edward, who both teach at Montana State University, joined us. Great visit and great food. Eat and drink local. You can’t go wrong with the bacon-wrapped meatloaf made with Montana bison. And if you’re thirsty, order their pineapple jalapeño infused tequila (made in-house) with a chaser of Beltian White ale (brewed in nearby Belt, Montana).