The sky dawned grey with slightly cloudy conditions on Saturday, Sept. 19, but turned into a crisp, sunny fall day. That was just what the 175 Mission Mountain Area Pedal to Plate cyclists were looking for — a stunning day to enjoy cycling on backroads near St. Ignatius and Charlo, with the Mission Mountains to the east.  

Pedal to Plate is a volunteer-powered agritourism ride celebrating local farms, food and community, and the tour hit all the marks. Pedal to Plate signs marked each turn, and volunteers manned the route. 

Pedal to Plate began and ended at Garden for Life International, Fred and Barbara Billing’s farm, on Dublin Gulch Road. Paved, gravel and even some dirt roads led bikers a winding 40 miles past a patchwork of green pastures, golden stubble fields and farmhouses. Critters dotted the route: cows grazing, horses curious about the bicycles, a field of goats and birds cheeping and quacking.

Historic sites, such as the D’Aste Church and the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge, were on the route. The wildlife refuge is a bird-watching haven and participants hoped to see some trumpeter swans.

One stop was at the Charlo Grocery, where platters of sliced Dixon melons awaited the bikers with a shady green park and water just across the street. 

A young woman from Kalispell attended last year and said, “I have to put this on the calendar.”

She did and returned with a friend, riding their bikes and munching Dixon melon.

Live Oak Belgians, home to big "blonde” horses, was the lunch stop for hungry cyclists. Hand Me Down Coffee owner and chef Bre Ward, of Scilip, (Dixon,) served stuffed squash bowls and harvest salad, using fresh, grown-in-the-Mission Valley produce.

Foothill Farm grows tomatoes, squash, garlic and herbs as well as seed garlic; they also raise grass-finished beef. Organically certified by the Montana Department of Agriculture, they utilize composting, crop rotation, cover cropping, rotational grazing and other sustainable practices. 

Eagles Acres was also a farm to tour. Eagles Acres is a woman-run, regenerative homestead farm, featuring chicken tractors, sheep and pigs. 

FriggnFulla Food Truck from Valhalla Farm catered fresh food again this year. Offerings included a choice of beef, pork or lamb sliders; portobello mushroom or vegetarian quiche; oven-roasted potatoes and vegetables; and “loca-voire” salad. Everything was all organic, all grown and prepared locally.

The Ronan Cooperative Brewery brought beer and non-alcoholic beverages made with Montana-grown ingredients, catchily calling it, “from grower to growler.”

The band Deadfall Saints entertained the diners, relaxing at the Billing farm after a day in the Mission Valley sunshine. 

Bikers laughed and chatted as they ate their farm-fresh dinner and talked about next year’s Pedal to Plate tour.

    A Pedal to Plate rider zips past a pasture with mountains in the background. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)