With some colder weather on the way, today looked like a good time to get a ride in before things got wet and snowy. It was in the low 60s in the early afternoon when I got started but with a bit of wind.
I headed out via the airport and Main Street through Billings Heights, always a risky route, and took Hwy 87 north toward Roundup. Traffic wasn't back except to the moron in a new Audi R8 zooming and around cars.
Once on 87, it was pretty quiet. The goal to the explore a road, Old Divide Road, that is a loop off the east side of 87 and is the route to the Signal Peak coal mine in the Bull Mountains. I've passed it numerous time but had never ridden on it.
While the turnoff is marked with an extended right turn lane and sign indicating "Trucks Crossing," I almost missed it and had to brake quickly to make the turn. The road is smaller two-lane, paved country road and the curves presented themselves right from the beginning.
The goes past a few farms and then a few developments but there is still a rural feel. I rode past the turnoff for the mine as I want to feel the whole length of the road where it reconnects with 87. When I got there, I tuned around and went back the way I had come but turned east on Fattig Creek Road,
I knew from looking at a map that the road goes on a few miles to the main entrance to the mine and then the pavement ends a few miles past that. I stopped at the entrance for a couple photos before heading back to Hwy 87.
The ride back to Billings was swift. When I got to Wicks Lane I tuned and took it to Skyline Drive and then down Zimmerman Trail and to home.
It was a nice ride of 88 miles.
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